A very uncharacteristic John Ford film, lacking any of his usual stylistic or narrative traits.A Hollywood soap opera, yes, but with real emotional depth, from all 3 main characters, and a very somber tone. An expressionistic, Germanic look matches the narrative (quite a bit of which takes place in Germany). Looks more like The Informer than Fort Apache. held me all the way through. By the way, if you want to see a great film with both (the underrated)) Karen Morley and Ricardo Cortez, watch The Phantom of Crestwood.
20 Reviews
Excellent Beery and Morley
the_old_roman29 August 2001
Wallace Beery is excellent as a poor immigrant wrestler who befriends waif Morley, but cannot keep her from the clutches of crooked promoter Cortez. The movie is badly dated. Many of its themes are now irrelevant. But, the acting is excellent, and a twist ending may surprise today's viewers.
A listless melodrama
gbill-748778 September 2020
The lead role of a German wrestler (Wallace Beery) in this film is far too dopey for my taste, both in the character and the performance. This leads to some really lame humor especially in the first half of the film, e.g. slopping beer around, banging through a door instead of unlocking it, and accidentally breaking an egg. Karen Morley plays the woman with a past that he naively takes in, and things get a little more interesting when her lover (Ricardo Cortez) shows up. Morley almost always impresses me, and the scenes with just the two of them crackle with the tough banter of 1932, making me wish that they had somehow been more of the focus. As it is, the film tries to do too many things, finally settling on being a wrestling film, and doesn't do anything particularly well. How painfully funny that William Faulkner is listed as one of the three screenwriters, though that gives it yet another link to Barton Fink, which I guess gives it some interest.
As for direction, I found no sign of John Ford visually or tonally here; literally anyone else could have directed this listless melodrama and we would not have noticed the difference, which might explain him trying to remove his credit from the film. Don't get too perked up over the salacious title (and its associated poster) either; it's just a pre-Code attempt to get customers into the theater, and refers not to sex but the wrestler being referred to as a "big hunk of flesh" in passing. Anyway, with a more nuanced, less childlike character this really could have been something, between the love triangle and the organized crime element trying to fix fights, but it's too silly and mildly annoying as it is.
As for direction, I found no sign of John Ford visually or tonally here; literally anyone else could have directed this listless melodrama and we would not have noticed the difference, which might explain him trying to remove his credit from the film. Don't get too perked up over the salacious title (and its associated poster) either; it's just a pre-Code attempt to get customers into the theater, and refers not to sex but the wrestler being referred to as a "big hunk of flesh" in passing. Anyway, with a more nuanced, less childlike character this really could have been something, between the love triangle and the organized crime element trying to fix fights, but it's too silly and mildly annoying as it is.
Beer and whiskey.
dbdumonteil16 December 2001
It's sometimes hard to find John Ford's touch here.This is a pure melodrama that recalls Stahl's works:the German side is also present in "back street" released the same year.The characters are close to Marcel Pagnol's ones (see" Angèle"(1934),"la fille du puisatier"(1941))It does not matter if the action takes place in Germany ,in NYC or in Provence:unmarried mothers abound in Pagnol's movies.Wallace Beery's character reminds me of Fernandel's parts:both are good guys,naive with a very strong heart.
Actually ,Ford's touch can be felt when it gets to wrestling scenes.We find back his great moral stature ,his values,when Beery shows his dislike for the "I tell you when you win and I tell you when you lose" thing.This might have influenced other directors for better (the set- up,Robert Wise,1949)or for worse(Rocky,Alvidsen,1977).
Wallace Beery is undeniably the stand-out,but the supporting cast is excellent.It's strange how the drinks work on a man!When Wallace sticks with beer (good for wrestling?)everything works out fine,but when he switches to whiskey (evil drink?),it's the beginning of the end.How many 2001 movies will be still watchable in 2070?This one deserves to be seen.
Actually ,Ford's touch can be felt when it gets to wrestling scenes.We find back his great moral stature ,his values,when Beery shows his dislike for the "I tell you when you win and I tell you when you lose" thing.This might have influenced other directors for better (the set- up,Robert Wise,1949)or for worse(Rocky,Alvidsen,1977).
Wallace Beery is undeniably the stand-out,but the supporting cast is excellent.It's strange how the drinks work on a man!When Wallace sticks with beer (good for wrestling?)everything works out fine,but when he switches to whiskey (evil drink?),it's the beginning of the end.How many 2001 movies will be still watchable in 2070?This one deserves to be seen.
The Way Of All Flesh
rmax30482324 March 2012
Warning: Spoilers
The two outstanding features of this story of good-natured, generous, dumb slob of a wrestler, Wallace Beery, and Karen Morley, the blond he falls for and who subverts his virtues and talks him into fighting in fixed matches, are: (1) Wallace Beery's unforgettably inept performance as a German, and (2) Karen Morley's figure, which is so wispy as to hardly exist. She has no shoulders, no bosom, no rump, and her long bones looks so fragile that they might be snapped between two of Beery's hammy hands.
Beery does his best but if you've seen "The Champ" you've seen this performance, only without the ludicrous German accent. "Aww, Laura, you can not go avay because you know I luff you." Meanwhile, Ricardo Cortez, the suave, dark, conniving cad who impregnated Morley in prison, is balling her on the side. The guileless Beery has been led to believe Cortez is her brother.
Morley isn't actually a bad actress. She's about as good as most of the "dames" who populated the movies of the early 1930s. Her reluctance, when she marries the besotted Beery, is palpable. But even before the code, you couldn't have a baby out of wedlock without having your head torn off or something. The dim-witted Beery believes he's the father. When he finds out the truth and catches Cortez beating Morley, he strangles the cuckolder in a drunken rage. He's sent to jail but there are signs he'll get off easy. Morley visits him and tells him she and the baby are going away but he talks her out of it. "Awww, Laura, you moose stay because you know dah vay I feel about you." Interesting, how prohibition is handled. The Biergartens flourish in Germany. In Hoboken, they're illegal but not by much. The Germans of Hoboken simply move the Biergarten from the front of the establishment to the rear.
The best scenes take place in those Hollywood-studio German Biergartens, as a matter of fact. The band plays every traditional song you can think of -- "Du, du, liegst mir im Herzen," "Mussi I den," and various waltzes. Everybody drinks beer, eats sausages and potatoes, and dances the polka. The happy peasants of Hollywood, enjoying one of the director's community rituals.
I would imagine that the director, John Ford, got a kick out of the scenes in Germany and the immigration to New York. He was always interested in ethnicity. When introduced to Peter Bogdanovitch, the first thing he said was, "Serbian"? There is even the occasional play on words. Beery's land lady accuses him of hiding Morley in his apartment for immoral purposes, which Beery denies, and Morley puts in, "It was a Teutonic friendship." See, kids, the expected expression would be, "It's a Platonic friendship." This is a reference to the "Symposium" in Plato's dialogs. Plato was a philosopher in Ancient Greece. He argued that love could be sexless and lead to a contemplation of the divine. The authorities didn't get it, so they made him drink -- well, stuff you can find growing on the berm of Fifth Avenue in New York. Whatever you do, don't make tea out of it. I speak to you as your toxicologist.
It has its moments but it's in no way a sophisticated movie. Ricardo Cortez's character is thoroughly stereotyped. And Morley is a familiar type of woman, drawn to rogue males. And Beery -- nobody is that accommodating. Fun, though, in an undemanding and old-fashioned way.
Beery does his best but if you've seen "The Champ" you've seen this performance, only without the ludicrous German accent. "Aww, Laura, you can not go avay because you know I luff you." Meanwhile, Ricardo Cortez, the suave, dark, conniving cad who impregnated Morley in prison, is balling her on the side. The guileless Beery has been led to believe Cortez is her brother.
Morley isn't actually a bad actress. She's about as good as most of the "dames" who populated the movies of the early 1930s. Her reluctance, when she marries the besotted Beery, is palpable. But even before the code, you couldn't have a baby out of wedlock without having your head torn off or something. The dim-witted Beery believes he's the father. When he finds out the truth and catches Cortez beating Morley, he strangles the cuckolder in a drunken rage. He's sent to jail but there are signs he'll get off easy. Morley visits him and tells him she and the baby are going away but he talks her out of it. "Awww, Laura, you moose stay because you know dah vay I feel about you." Interesting, how prohibition is handled. The Biergartens flourish in Germany. In Hoboken, they're illegal but not by much. The Germans of Hoboken simply move the Biergarten from the front of the establishment to the rear.
The best scenes take place in those Hollywood-studio German Biergartens, as a matter of fact. The band plays every traditional song you can think of -- "Du, du, liegst mir im Herzen," "Mussi I den," and various waltzes. Everybody drinks beer, eats sausages and potatoes, and dances the polka. The happy peasants of Hollywood, enjoying one of the director's community rituals.
I would imagine that the director, John Ford, got a kick out of the scenes in Germany and the immigration to New York. He was always interested in ethnicity. When introduced to Peter Bogdanovitch, the first thing he said was, "Serbian"? There is even the occasional play on words. Beery's land lady accuses him of hiding Morley in his apartment for immoral purposes, which Beery denies, and Morley puts in, "It was a Teutonic friendship." See, kids, the expected expression would be, "It's a Platonic friendship." This is a reference to the "Symposium" in Plato's dialogs. Plato was a philosopher in Ancient Greece. He argued that love could be sexless and lead to a contemplation of the divine. The authorities didn't get it, so they made him drink -- well, stuff you can find growing on the berm of Fifth Avenue in New York. Whatever you do, don't make tea out of it. I speak to you as your toxicologist.
It has its moments but it's in no way a sophisticated movie. Ricardo Cortez's character is thoroughly stereotyped. And Morley is a familiar type of woman, drawn to rogue males. And Beery -- nobody is that accommodating. Fun, though, in an undemanding and old-fashioned way.
putting one over on the nice guy
ksf-219 September 2021
Wallace Beery is Polakai, wrestler and beer garden worker. He befriends Laura (Karen Morley ), who just got out of prison. She has no money and no place to stay, so she stays with Polakai. And of course, he wants to marry her. But when her old boyfriend Nick (Ricardo Cortez) shows up, it throws a wrench into everybody's plans. Laura wants to have her cake and eat it too, as they used to say. How will this work out? How long can they take advantage of Polakai? This is good, but moves pretty slowly, until the big showdown match. Beery had just won the oscar for Champ. Directed by John Ford. Ford made all those films with John Wayne... won a bunch of oscars. Written by Edmund Goulding. Goulding directed Grand Hotel, Dark Victory. How did he not even get nominated for those??
All women are dishonest, cheating thieves, and should . . .
oscaralbert22 August 2021
Warning: Spoilers
. . . be shot, preaches the director of FLESH. Just as he'd later have the self-styled "Duke" pointing his rifle to exterminate Ms. Wood in THE SEARCHERS, Mr. Ford suggests that Laura--the title character of FLESH--should be strangled by a strong wrestler type. Guilty of sacrilege in convincing naive strong man "P." that "their" son was born without the benefit of conjugal relations (like the V. Mary's offspring), Evil Laura milks this poor sap for every cent that he's got. P. lacks the will to fight back against his destroyer, as he's no QUIET MAN. Presaging the illicit mom of STAGECOACH, lying lizard Laura is the prototypical Ford villainess. Rotten to her core, she deserves scalping 200% more than any of the 37 females actually shorn of their topknots in the later films of this director. P. is a totally happy-go-lucky guy until black widow Laura lures him into her web of deceit, ruining his life. Then her dirty tricks, prevarication and heartless harlotry turn his existence into a Living Hell, as deftly depicted by Mr. Ford.
one of my favorites
abbybritton10 December 2006
Warning: Spoilers
This film ... which no one seems to admire but me ... I believe to be one of the finest, touching, moving films I know. I do not believe that Beery plays Polaki as "half-witted" ... I believe his performance is so subtle that he comes across as much closer to "child-like", and so much more endearing. The script is tight. The photography much better than average. Sets are well decorated, lighting is fine. While some may consider the ending to be ambiguous, I do not. I think that Laura waits for him, and they "live happily ever after." But, to have shown that would have degraded to film from representing genuine "seniment" to the too-often-used "sentimentality." The character Laura is quite 'real' ... we've all know women like her. Can't understand why no one seems to recognize its fine aspects.
Soapy tale with disappointing lead performance
moonspinner5510 July 2005
Wallace Beery gives an uncomfortably self-conscious performance as a simple-minded German wrestler with a good heart who falls in love with cynical Karen Motley, a self-described gypsy (cue: uh oh! what's she running away from?). Director John Ford doesn't give the proceedings any frills, but leaving this stage so bare doesn't do the audience any favors. Motley is an amusing tough cookie, but she and Beery struggle to play off each other convincingly. The pacing is slow and flaccid, the story predictable, which is too bad since it begins quite promisingly. Falls apart soon after, becoming a standard soap opera.
*1/2 from ****
*1/2 from ****
Beer Garden Love Triangle
movingpicturegal26 January 2007
Warning: Spoilers
Top-notch melodrama starring Wallace Beery as Polakai, a German wrestler/waiter/strong man who does a little of all three at the beer garden where he works - he can carry a big, heavy beer barrel on his shoulder and is really a kind of big, goofy lug - but is a gentleman, and quite a nice fellow. When an American woman named Laura (Karen Morley), a somewhat humorless, sarcastic kind of gal just released from prison, has no money to pay her bill at the beer garden - Polakai (good guy that he is) pays it for her, then offers her a place to sleep in his rooms above the restaurant, no "strings" attached. Polakai soon falls in love with Laura, but Laura is desperately in love with bad guy Nicky (Ricardo Cortez) - so she tricks Polakai into thinking Nicky is her "brother", then gets Polakai to give her money to help get Nicky out of prison. Poor, misled Polakai! But when Nicky turns up, he's not exactly most girl's idea of a knight-in-shining-armor as he hits Laura, uses her, pushes her into marrying Polakai so they can get ahold of his money - the works.
Well, this is a really excellent film with absorbing story and really well-done acting. Wallace Beery is very good in his part here, putting on a German accent and playing the nice guy to the hilt - he really made me want to root for his character. Ricardo Cortez is super playing the dark, handsome, slick and slimy Nicky. The scenes in the beer garden are atmospheric and fun - it looks like quite the place to be with it's checkered tablecloths, giant mugs of beer flying across the long bar, and crowd of tables that circle 'round, of all things, a wrestling ring! One puzzlement - I can't really say why this was called "Flesh" (unless it's based on getting more glimpses than anyone would want to see of Wallace Beery's bare flesh in the wrestling ring) - but doesn't matter, a really terrific movie.
Well, this is a really excellent film with absorbing story and really well-done acting. Wallace Beery is very good in his part here, putting on a German accent and playing the nice guy to the hilt - he really made me want to root for his character. Ricardo Cortez is super playing the dark, handsome, slick and slimy Nicky. The scenes in the beer garden are atmospheric and fun - it looks like quite the place to be with it's checkered tablecloths, giant mugs of beer flying across the long bar, and crowd of tables that circle 'round, of all things, a wrestling ring! One puzzlement - I can't really say why this was called "Flesh" (unless it's based on getting more glimpses than anyone would want to see of Wallace Beery's bare flesh in the wrestling ring) - but doesn't matter, a really terrific movie.
Let Me Tell You About The Birds And The Bees
bkoganbing6 May 2011
In the one time they worked together director John Ford went to MGM where he directed Wallace Beery playing a German wrestler in Flesh. It's a strange project for Ford who does like to portray innocent people, but naive ones are a bit out of his league.
As they are for Wallace Beery. Flesh asks an awful lot from its viewers to believe someone like Beery's character Polokai could be that ignorant of the facts of life. Just where does he think babies come from?
The film opens in Germany where Beery has a day job as a waiter, but also works at becoming a champion wrestler. Down on her luck Karen Morley, an American Sally Bowes like woman, gets taken in by the kind hearted Beery. Her man Ricardo Cortez is in jail and she gets Beery to spring him. But Cortez takes a powder and leaves the pregnant Morley. Again Beery springs to the rescue and he even swallows without question her story of the baby.
Later on Beery and Morley are in America for wrestling matches and with her urging he signs with Cortez as his manager with crooked promoter John Miljan. After that things start to penetrate that naive skull Beery has.
Morley is fine as a girl who is sadder and wiser, but still has needs and Cortez is as smooth and slimy a villain we've ever seen on the screen. But try as I might I just could not buy the character Wallace Beery was playing. I don't think anyone with half a brain could.
This was a strange project for John Ford, he never did another film like Flesh and probably with good reason on his part.
As they are for Wallace Beery. Flesh asks an awful lot from its viewers to believe someone like Beery's character Polokai could be that ignorant of the facts of life. Just where does he think babies come from?
The film opens in Germany where Beery has a day job as a waiter, but also works at becoming a champion wrestler. Down on her luck Karen Morley, an American Sally Bowes like woman, gets taken in by the kind hearted Beery. Her man Ricardo Cortez is in jail and she gets Beery to spring him. But Cortez takes a powder and leaves the pregnant Morley. Again Beery springs to the rescue and he even swallows without question her story of the baby.
Later on Beery and Morley are in America for wrestling matches and with her urging he signs with Cortez as his manager with crooked promoter John Miljan. After that things start to penetrate that naive skull Beery has.
Morley is fine as a girl who is sadder and wiser, but still has needs and Cortez is as smooth and slimy a villain we've ever seen on the screen. But try as I might I just could not buy the character Wallace Beery was playing. I don't think anyone with half a brain could.
This was a strange project for John Ford, he never did another film like Flesh and probably with good reason on his part.
Where would movies be without Ricardo Cortez and John Miljan!!!
kidboots15 March 2010
Warning: Spoilers
I am surprised that John Ford did not have a directorial credit on this film - that is usually reserved for films that no one wants to own but this is a very fine, excellent film. Wallace Beery is usually remembered as the star not many people could get on with (except Louise Brooks!!) but he was an extremely good actor when the parts were not too syrupy. "Flesh" is reminiscent of "The Secret Six" and Beery gives a powerful performance as Polakai, a too trusting wrestler.
Laura Nash (Karen Morley) is being released from a German prison but although she pleads with the stony faced warder (Frank Reicher), Nicky, her boyfriend, is not to be released. In a beer garden she makes the acquaintance of Polakai (he helps her pay her bill), a waiter who also doubles as their star wrestler. He gives her a place to stay - in exchange she teaches him English and tidiness. She is also taking his money and when she is caught she spins a story about getting her "brother" out of prison. Polakai gets her "brother" out of prison but Nicky (Ricardo Cortez) proves to be not the type of boy you would take home to meet the parents. They keep the "brother" and "sister" act going but when Laura confesses that she is having his child, he convinces her to marry Polakai and go with him to America - he then skips out, being the slimy rat that he is!!! Not once during the film does he express any concern or love about the baby!!!
When the baby is born Polakai and Laura go to America to see if he can conquer the wrestling scene there as he did in Germany. Of course Nicky comes back into their lives - the way he explains his awful behaviour - "I'm not looking for a medal - just thanks"!!! Suddenly Nicky is Polakai's manager and does his best to corrupt the gentle wrestler. Along with Willard (John Miljan) they tell him when to lose and when to win. Polakai decides to quit wrestling and earn his money honestly but Laura can't handle the poverty and goes back to Nicky - he is less than keen, he even beats her. She doesn't care - she is such a chump and returns to Polakai but only to persuade him to re-instate Nicky as his manager. As he climbs to the top of the wrestling world he switches from beer to whiskey - the drink of degradation!!! (A similar thing happened in "The Secret Six" only then the unoffending drink was milk).
Polakai can't cope with the dishonesty of what he is forced to do and becomes a drunk. Laura knows that her actions are to blame and tells him the truth about everything. He is supposed to throw the fight that night but Laura gives him the courage to fight in the fair way his conscience dictates. The final scene shows Polakai in prison (he has killed Nicky after witnessing a particularly brutal beating) with Laura promising that soon things will be alright again.
1932 was a big year for Karen Morley - she appeared in 10 films with varying success. She was given plum roles in "Arsene Lupin", "Flesh" and "Scarface" - then things went wrong. She was independent and opinionated (like Ann Dvorak) and Hollywood didn't like that - especially in starlets. When she married top young director Charles Vidor, that was it - by the next year she was reduced to a tiny role in MGM's lavish "Dinner at Eight". And where would the movies be without Ricardo Cortez and John Miljan!!!
Highly Recommended.
Laura Nash (Karen Morley) is being released from a German prison but although she pleads with the stony faced warder (Frank Reicher), Nicky, her boyfriend, is not to be released. In a beer garden she makes the acquaintance of Polakai (he helps her pay her bill), a waiter who also doubles as their star wrestler. He gives her a place to stay - in exchange she teaches him English and tidiness. She is also taking his money and when she is caught she spins a story about getting her "brother" out of prison. Polakai gets her "brother" out of prison but Nicky (Ricardo Cortez) proves to be not the type of boy you would take home to meet the parents. They keep the "brother" and "sister" act going but when Laura confesses that she is having his child, he convinces her to marry Polakai and go with him to America - he then skips out, being the slimy rat that he is!!! Not once during the film does he express any concern or love about the baby!!!
When the baby is born Polakai and Laura go to America to see if he can conquer the wrestling scene there as he did in Germany. Of course Nicky comes back into their lives - the way he explains his awful behaviour - "I'm not looking for a medal - just thanks"!!! Suddenly Nicky is Polakai's manager and does his best to corrupt the gentle wrestler. Along with Willard (John Miljan) they tell him when to lose and when to win. Polakai decides to quit wrestling and earn his money honestly but Laura can't handle the poverty and goes back to Nicky - he is less than keen, he even beats her. She doesn't care - she is such a chump and returns to Polakai but only to persuade him to re-instate Nicky as his manager. As he climbs to the top of the wrestling world he switches from beer to whiskey - the drink of degradation!!! (A similar thing happened in "The Secret Six" only then the unoffending drink was milk).
Polakai can't cope with the dishonesty of what he is forced to do and becomes a drunk. Laura knows that her actions are to blame and tells him the truth about everything. He is supposed to throw the fight that night but Laura gives him the courage to fight in the fair way his conscience dictates. The final scene shows Polakai in prison (he has killed Nicky after witnessing a particularly brutal beating) with Laura promising that soon things will be alright again.
1932 was a big year for Karen Morley - she appeared in 10 films with varying success. She was given plum roles in "Arsene Lupin", "Flesh" and "Scarface" - then things went wrong. She was independent and opinionated (like Ann Dvorak) and Hollywood didn't like that - especially in starlets. When she married top young director Charles Vidor, that was it - by the next year she was reduced to a tiny role in MGM's lavish "Dinner at Eight". And where would the movies be without Ricardo Cortez and John Miljan!!!
Highly Recommended.
Dated but surprisingly compelling
howardeisman11 May 2011
Yes, it's a predictable, old fashioned, transparent soap opera, but there are things which keep you interested to the end.
Beery has a difficult task. Being a wrestler (he was no Mr. Universe), holding onto a German accent, and playing a slow witted character. He does it. He seems to be doing his own wrestling (I zoomed in with slow motion), his accent doesn't slip, and being dumb, as hard as can be to be performed..he carries it off with only a bit of his patented "Ain't I the lovable slob" shtick.
Morley nails it as a cynical, world weary woman eager to make the wrong choice in men. Cortez is at his best playing slick sociopaths, and he does it here again. Their performances keep you watching when Beery and his Germanic crew get too schmaltzy
Beery has a difficult task. Being a wrestler (he was no Mr. Universe), holding onto a German accent, and playing a slow witted character. He does it. He seems to be doing his own wrestling (I zoomed in with slow motion), his accent doesn't slip, and being dumb, as hard as can be to be performed..he carries it off with only a bit of his patented "Ain't I the lovable slob" shtick.
Morley nails it as a cynical, world weary woman eager to make the wrong choice in men. Cortez is at his best playing slick sociopaths, and he does it here again. Their performances keep you watching when Beery and his Germanic crew get too schmaltzy
I was looking forward to seeing this one but...
JohnHowardReid6 December 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Yes, I was really looking forward to viewing this one. But I was very, very, very disappointed. Maybe if I had not been looking forward to viewing this long-lost "classic", I would have given it a higher mark. But I was very, very disappointed.
John Ford's "Flesh" (1932) turns out to be yet another below-par effort from a major director.
A mistimed and spun-out to extreme length comedy-melodrama, this forgettable Wallace Beery vehicle also wastes the talents of Ricardo Cortez and Karen Morley, while Beery is consistently allowed to hog the limelight as an incredibly dumb (he can't even count up to nine) German wrestler.
A German wrestler, would you believe? And does Beery attempt to overlay his voice any? Not on your life!
The title, "Flesh", seems to promise a feast of noir cinema, and admittedly, the plot does embody some noirish elements, but for other than Beery and Bing (Herman Bing, that is) fans, John Ford's "Flesh" is something of a chore to sit through.
John Ford's "Flesh" (1932) turns out to be yet another below-par effort from a major director.
A mistimed and spun-out to extreme length comedy-melodrama, this forgettable Wallace Beery vehicle also wastes the talents of Ricardo Cortez and Karen Morley, while Beery is consistently allowed to hog the limelight as an incredibly dumb (he can't even count up to nine) German wrestler.
A German wrestler, would you believe? And does Beery attempt to overlay his voice any? Not on your life!
The title, "Flesh", seems to promise a feast of noir cinema, and admittedly, the plot does embody some noirish elements, but for other than Beery and Bing (Herman Bing, that is) fans, John Ford's "Flesh" is something of a chore to sit through.
I was amazed at how compelling and interesting this film became,...
planktonrules30 December 2006
Warning: Spoilers
When I read the summary for this film, it didn't sound all that interesting AND the thought of Wallace Beery playing a German wrestler just sounded stupid. Despite this, I gave it a watch and was thrilled that I did. While not the greatest film I have seen, it sure was much better than average and packed a lot of story and entertainment into such a simple film.
The film starts in Germany. An American, Karen Morley, is in a women's prison and is discharged without her child and with no money or a home. Ms. Morley appears to be a completely selfish sociopath and when she meets up with the incredibly sweet but very gullible Beery, she takes advantage of his decency. She sponges off him and pretends to love him while she bides her time until her her lover, Ricardo Cortez, returns. When Richardo does return after some time, she introduces him as her brother and Beery pays to get him out of jail and tries to help him get on his feet. However, Karen is shocked that Ricardo isn't interested in running off with her, but wants her to stay and marry Beery so they can slowly bleed him of everything! When the film is in Germany, there are some German-speaking actors (such as Jean Hersholt) and Beery actually did a pretty good job with his German accent and pronunciation, though he and his friends often speak in English when they really should be using more German (a bow to the audience, no doubt). Oddly, although Morley had been in a German prison, her pronunciation and knowledge of the language was basic, at best. But this is a very, very minor quibble.
As for the good, the script was terrific and the acting wonderful. You really find yourself caring about the characters--particularly Beery. Aside from Beery, Ricardo Cortez was a real standout--he was so sleazy and awful and yet slick, he made a great villain. Also, the movie ends very well--with neither a totally down-beat ending or a happily-ever-after ending. Instead, it left some loose ends and didn't seem formulaic.
The film starts in Germany. An American, Karen Morley, is in a women's prison and is discharged without her child and with no money or a home. Ms. Morley appears to be a completely selfish sociopath and when she meets up with the incredibly sweet but very gullible Beery, she takes advantage of his decency. She sponges off him and pretends to love him while she bides her time until her her lover, Ricardo Cortez, returns. When Richardo does return after some time, she introduces him as her brother and Beery pays to get him out of jail and tries to help him get on his feet. However, Karen is shocked that Ricardo isn't interested in running off with her, but wants her to stay and marry Beery so they can slowly bleed him of everything! When the film is in Germany, there are some German-speaking actors (such as Jean Hersholt) and Beery actually did a pretty good job with his German accent and pronunciation, though he and his friends often speak in English when they really should be using more German (a bow to the audience, no doubt). Oddly, although Morley had been in a German prison, her pronunciation and knowledge of the language was basic, at best. But this is a very, very minor quibble.
As for the good, the script was terrific and the acting wonderful. You really find yourself caring about the characters--particularly Beery. Aside from Beery, Ricardo Cortez was a real standout--he was so sleazy and awful and yet slick, he made a great villain. Also, the movie ends very well--with neither a totally down-beat ending or a happily-ever-after ending. Instead, it left some loose ends and didn't seem formulaic.
John Ford directs
SnoopyStyle11 January 2022
Pregnant convict Laura (Karen Morley) gets released from German prison but her partner Nicky (Ricardo Cortez) is not getting released. He does not know of their pregnancy. Laura eats a big restaurant meal without the money to pay. The owner is about to call the police when good-natured simple wrestler Polakai (Wallace Beery) offers to pay.
Apparently, John Ford removed his name as the director. That is plenty enough reason to see this movie. I won't speculate on John Ford's views of his work here. While it's finely made, the melodrama isn't compelling for me. Mostly, I grow tired of this 'relationship'. She's always bitter, never smiles, and barely looks into his eyes. I get the acting directions here but it's a tiring affair. Beery is playing a simpleton and seems to be trying to go for laughs. I don't like the romance and don't feel the comedy. There are ways to go with this but Ford is going for the full melodrama. There is some value here but I don't like the overall effect.
Apparently, John Ford removed his name as the director. That is plenty enough reason to see this movie. I won't speculate on John Ford's views of his work here. While it's finely made, the melodrama isn't compelling for me. Mostly, I grow tired of this 'relationship'. She's always bitter, never smiles, and barely looks into his eyes. I get the acting directions here but it's a tiring affair. Beery is playing a simpleton and seems to be trying to go for laughs. I don't like the romance and don't feel the comedy. There are ways to go with this but Ford is going for the full melodrama. There is some value here but I don't like the overall effect.
Flesh: A Lesson in Love
JLRMovieReviews26 March 2009
Flesh is the story of two people who would seem to be unlikely alliances. This is just one example of how films in the golden days of Hollywood center on character and how they relate to each other to further the plot rather than action or violence. There is something natural or humanely real and raw about this film. That's probably why it's called Flesh. But it's not centering on lust or sex, like today's films would, with Flesh for its title. This is about the basic need to give and receive love and acceptance to each other, even in the last place you'd look. If you're looking for an intelligent film about human relationships and don't mind the early 1930s look of black-and-white, this film shows Karen Morley, a vastly underrated actress and largely forgotten today, and Wallace Beery at their best. This could very well be Ms. Morley's finest hour in films. To not see this film would be missing a lesson in love.
Beery Delivers the Goods
Michael_Elliott8 June 2012
Flesh (1932)
*** (out of 4)
John Ford's drama about an ex-con named Laura (Karen Morley) who gets released from prison with nothing and after stealing some food it appears she's going back until Polakai (Wallace Beery), a German wrestler, comes to her aid and soon takes her in. It doesn't take long for Polakai to fall in love but what he doesn't know is that Laura has a partner (Ricardo Cortez) in prison who is about to cause trouble. FLESH isn't the greatest film in Ford's career but I found it to be one of those unique ones that really doesn't get enough credit or any credit at all. It seems that all great directors like Ford, Hitchcock or Bergman have films that are special but they get overlooked because they don't quite measure up to the masterpieces. I think that's where FLESH falls in because while it's no where near the masterpiece of THE SEARCHERS, it's still a pretty unique movie on a number of levels. The best thing going for the picture is Beery who easily steals things. You'd think Beery playing a wrestler wouldn't be that much of a stretch but the actor brings so much to the role that you can't help but be impressed with him and fall for the character. Playing dimwitted is never easy and most actors fail but Beery perfectly nails it. Even better is the way he brings across this certainly level of feeling and emotion for everything that happens in the story. Morley is also extremely good in her part as she makes you believe everything you're watching. The chemistry between the two leads is quite remarkable. Cortez is also good in his supporting bit as is Jean Hersholt. The one problem is FLESH is that it's a tad bit too predictable and has one too many clichés but the performances and the look and tone Ford delivers makes it worth seeing.
*** (out of 4)
John Ford's drama about an ex-con named Laura (Karen Morley) who gets released from prison with nothing and after stealing some food it appears she's going back until Polakai (Wallace Beery), a German wrestler, comes to her aid and soon takes her in. It doesn't take long for Polakai to fall in love but what he doesn't know is that Laura has a partner (Ricardo Cortez) in prison who is about to cause trouble. FLESH isn't the greatest film in Ford's career but I found it to be one of those unique ones that really doesn't get enough credit or any credit at all. It seems that all great directors like Ford, Hitchcock or Bergman have films that are special but they get overlooked because they don't quite measure up to the masterpieces. I think that's where FLESH falls in because while it's no where near the masterpiece of THE SEARCHERS, it's still a pretty unique movie on a number of levels. The best thing going for the picture is Beery who easily steals things. You'd think Beery playing a wrestler wouldn't be that much of a stretch but the actor brings so much to the role that you can't help but be impressed with him and fall for the character. Playing dimwitted is never easy and most actors fail but Beery perfectly nails it. Even better is the way he brings across this certainly level of feeling and emotion for everything that happens in the story. Morley is also extremely good in her part as she makes you believe everything you're watching. The chemistry between the two leads is quite remarkable. Cortez is also good in his supporting bit as is Jean Hersholt. The one problem is FLESH is that it's a tad bit too predictable and has one too many clichés but the performances and the look and tone Ford delivers makes it worth seeing.
Not quite there...
hemisphere65-121 July 2021
If the characterization portrayed by Beery (as Polakai) was a little more realistic, the movie would have been much better. The story was fairly predictable, but not that bad. Morley is good as the "bad girl" who has a change of heart, but Cortez just seems to be reciting lines in every one of his scenes.
Touching
davidmvining16 November 2021
Only really remembered these days because the Coen Brothers paid homage to it as the title of the screenplay being written by the title character in Barton Fink, Flesh is another nearly forgotten Ford film in his very busy 30s period that definitely doesn't deserve to be overlooked. It's a combination of drama and comedy that rather deftly integrated together with a winning central performance from Wallace Beery.
Beery plays Polakai, a German wrestler who meets the young American woman Laura (Karen Morley). She's alone in Germany, just released from a German jail, with no money and orders a plate of food she can't afford because she was expecting the associate of her imprisoned beau Nicky (Ricardo Cortez) to show up and help her. Polakai hears of her troubles as the manager of the restaurant is about to take her to the police and pays for her meal. Because she's still alone and without money, she latches onto him. He takes her back to his flat, offers her the bedroom, and retreats to his living room in wonderfully entertaining fashion. He's unable to get the lock of the door to work, so be breaks through the door and squeezes through to the other side.
Polakai is just a good guy, and he treats Laura extremely well. Giving her a place to live and food to eat. It's obvious that she is beginning to fall for him, but she can't quite throw herself at him. He may be a big, lovable lug, but she has a secret. Meanwhile, Polakai's friends decides to move to America, and they promise to send for Polakai when they are settled. At the same time, Laura discovers where Polakai hides his stash of cash and tries to steal it for Nicky to get him out of jail. Polakai discovers her, and she covers by saying that Nicky is her brother. Polakai, being a nice and gullible man, offers up the money for Nicky.
All of this is told in light fashion, using comedy and just the right amount of drama to sell Polakai's character. Karen Morley probably goes a bit too far into melodrama (especially in the film's final reel), but it's Wallace Beery's portrayal of the wonderfully good-natured Polakai that makes it work.
Nicky arrives, and then quickly skips out on Laura when she reveals to him that she got out of prison because she's pregnant with his child. That leaves her alone with Polakai, who has proposed to her several times. Together, as husband and wife, they head to America to pursue his ascending wrestling career. With a child and wife that he loves, he's ready to take on America. Nicky shows up again with an offer to manage Polakai, but Nicky takes Polakai directly into to seedier side of professional sports, introducing him to a gangster who wants Polakai to throw fights when necessary.
This is where the movie moves decidedly from a lightly comic telling of a story with a strong central character into a drama with Polakai needing to choose between his pride and providing for his family. He ends up taking the deal, happy to take part in the ascension to fame, but he knows that the fall is going to come at some point. The ending straddles the line between cliché, melodrama, and straight drama, but it's buoyed by Beery. His goodness carries him through his final challenges, mistakes, and fate.
The only thing keeping me back from giving this a full four stars is the final reel. Morley just goes too far into melodramatic acting, and the final plot turn goes from interestingly oblique to kind of tired. It's relatively minor stuff considering the whole of the picture but just enough to hold me back slightly in praise.
Outside of that, this is a surprisingly strong film. Confidently and quietly directed with a wonderful central performance and an ending that elegantly brings together everything in one place, Flesh is a completely forgotten film in Ford's output from the 30s that really does deserve some revisitation and re-evaluation.
Beery plays Polakai, a German wrestler who meets the young American woman Laura (Karen Morley). She's alone in Germany, just released from a German jail, with no money and orders a plate of food she can't afford because she was expecting the associate of her imprisoned beau Nicky (Ricardo Cortez) to show up and help her. Polakai hears of her troubles as the manager of the restaurant is about to take her to the police and pays for her meal. Because she's still alone and without money, she latches onto him. He takes her back to his flat, offers her the bedroom, and retreats to his living room in wonderfully entertaining fashion. He's unable to get the lock of the door to work, so be breaks through the door and squeezes through to the other side.
Polakai is just a good guy, and he treats Laura extremely well. Giving her a place to live and food to eat. It's obvious that she is beginning to fall for him, but she can't quite throw herself at him. He may be a big, lovable lug, but she has a secret. Meanwhile, Polakai's friends decides to move to America, and they promise to send for Polakai when they are settled. At the same time, Laura discovers where Polakai hides his stash of cash and tries to steal it for Nicky to get him out of jail. Polakai discovers her, and she covers by saying that Nicky is her brother. Polakai, being a nice and gullible man, offers up the money for Nicky.
All of this is told in light fashion, using comedy and just the right amount of drama to sell Polakai's character. Karen Morley probably goes a bit too far into melodrama (especially in the film's final reel), but it's Wallace Beery's portrayal of the wonderfully good-natured Polakai that makes it work.
Nicky arrives, and then quickly skips out on Laura when she reveals to him that she got out of prison because she's pregnant with his child. That leaves her alone with Polakai, who has proposed to her several times. Together, as husband and wife, they head to America to pursue his ascending wrestling career. With a child and wife that he loves, he's ready to take on America. Nicky shows up again with an offer to manage Polakai, but Nicky takes Polakai directly into to seedier side of professional sports, introducing him to a gangster who wants Polakai to throw fights when necessary.
This is where the movie moves decidedly from a lightly comic telling of a story with a strong central character into a drama with Polakai needing to choose between his pride and providing for his family. He ends up taking the deal, happy to take part in the ascension to fame, but he knows that the fall is going to come at some point. The ending straddles the line between cliché, melodrama, and straight drama, but it's buoyed by Beery. His goodness carries him through his final challenges, mistakes, and fate.
The only thing keeping me back from giving this a full four stars is the final reel. Morley just goes too far into melodramatic acting, and the final plot turn goes from interestingly oblique to kind of tired. It's relatively minor stuff considering the whole of the picture but just enough to hold me back slightly in praise.
Outside of that, this is a surprisingly strong film. Confidently and quietly directed with a wonderful central performance and an ending that elegantly brings together everything in one place, Flesh is a completely forgotten film in Ford's output from the 30s that really does deserve some revisitation and re-evaluation.
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