The noun masterpiece and the verb butchered have a tendency to find themselves juxtaposed somewhat cavalierly in the same sentence. In some cases - and most erudite film buffs will cite Orson Welles' The Magnificent Ambersons as a prime example - there is sound evidence for such assertions but all too often the relevant Cutting-Room floors are strewn with self-contained sequences rather than the debris of some 'kill every tenth frame' edict of some philistinic Front Office Herod. Amongst the filmmakers I love, admire and respect is Billy Wilder and on at least three occasions he shot a sequence that failed to make the final cut as it were. Chronologically the films were Double Indemnity in which an end sequence showed the execution of Walter Neff (Fred McMurray), Sunset Boulevard in which an opening sequence took place in a morgue as one by one the cadavers explained how they wound up with tags on their toes which segued fluidly and naturally to the flashback narration of Joe Gillis (William Holden) and The Private Life Of Sherlock Holmes which contained a never-seen complete self-contained case for Holmes to solve. In the first case I doubt very much whether an execution sequence would add anything more than footage to what remains a brilliant film; the morgue sequence may have been interesting but its omission fails hopelessly to emasculate a masterpiece; as to the last, with the exception of Buddy, Buddy, The Private Life Of Sherlock Holmes is the Wilder movie I personally find the least satisfying and the missing sequence may just have tipped the balance.
Which brings me to Jean Gremillon's Dainah. We're obliged to offer judgement on a scant four reels, roughly half the footage shot by Gremillon and it seems that even the extant footage may have been assembled out of sequence; more of that later, first let's examine what we have. All the action occurs on board a cruise ship which a title card tells us has just spent three weeks in the Pacific. A Greek Chorus of two middle-aged women, Berthe (Gabrielle Fontan) and Alice (Maryanne) are gossiping as the ship's orchestra plays for dancers. A light-skinned woman (Metisse translates as of mixed race) Dainah is established as a flirt. She is next seen in the cabin she shares with her husband, a Black man (Habib Benglia) who is clearly jealous of her. The husband (referred to in the credits only as le mari) is then seen in his capacity as an Illusionist entertaining the passengers, who are wearing masks. Dainah wanders off on her own and a crew member (Charles Vanel) who works in the engine room, falls into conversation with her and perhaps mistaking her friendly flirtation for something more, attempts to rape her. Her husband reports this and Vanel is interrogated by the Captain and Ship's Doctor. Shortly afterwards the husband confronts him, there is a scuffle and Vanel falls to his death. This would seem to be Gremillon's take on Othello; Othello was a Black man who was accepted into a White world on the basis of his skill at warfare; the husband here is also a Black man accepted into a White world (and in 1931 there would not have been too many Black people enjoying first-class cabins on Cruise ships) by virtue of a skill that others lack, he is an adept Illusionist; both Black men had White wives - Dainah is not, of course, pure White but Gremillon contrives to shoot them in close proximity where the coal Black arm of the husband makes the skin of the arm next to his appear pure White - and both stories featured a lady's handkerchief. Whilst it's true that Dainah also lacks a Cassio the Charles Vanel character may be seen as an Iago, fuelling the jealousy of an already tormented husband. There are no less than 34 'linking' shots - the ship underway, the ocean, the funnels belching black smoke - employed, eleven of them between the opening credits and the first scene, which is indicative of missing footage, in addition there are nine separate songs played by the ship's orchestra. Three of them are unknown to me but I did recognize Chloe - sung over the opening credits - Little White Lies, St Louis Blues, Limehouse Blues and I'm Confessing. Chloe, Limehouse Blues and I'm Confessing are heard more than once which suggests that - to quote Noel Coward from Private Lives - that orchestra has a remarkably small repertoire or each song was shot only once but the relevant sequences have been cut and reassembled. Chloe's lyric is redolent of obsession 'if it's wrong or right I got to go where you are', 'ain't no chains can bind you, if you live I'll find you', whilst 'I'm Confessing (that I love you) is emotive in the context of the plot, Little White Lies is a possible oblique comment on a mixed race marriage as well as the lies informing it (interstingly Noel Coward wrote one of his finest 'rhythm' songs, Half-Caste Woman that same non PC year, 1931, that Dainah was released) and Limehouse Blues also celebrates an area in London Dockland which was home to both Chinese and English citizens.
Whilst I hesitate to introduce 'masterpiece' into the mix there's no doubt that Gremillon went on to make some outstanding movies and was certainly capable of turning out brilliant movies but with Dainah it looks very much as though the jury will be permanently out.
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