My summary is NOT meant as derogatory. No, I mean 'trash' in a good way--a film so unabashedly sleazy and sensationalistic at times that it makes for highly entertaining viewing. And, when I say Pre-Code, this refers to the years just before the middle of 1934 when Hollywood pretty much ignored conventions and put practically EVERYTHING in movies. Adultery, violence, sexuality and even abortions were not taboo during this time. It was only with a severely strengthened Code in 1934 that all this crazy stuff came to a halt...at least until more recent times.
"Call Her Savage" is a very odd tale. It claims to be a morality tale about the wages of sin and quotes some Biblical references--but the savvy viewer knows that this is all an attempt to put a respectable face on a film meant to titillate. It begins in the Old West on a wagon train--where the leader not only commits adultery but stomps a man to death when he's confronted by this! Then the old 'sins of the fathers are visited to the second and third and fourth generations' quotation is plastered on the screen. The second generation is his daughter--a woman who delights in spreading her legs whenever her husband leaves the house--leaving her pregnant with an other man's baby. This baby (Clara Bow) is a wild savage--and she has a great time whipping things (including her boyfriend) with her whip. I guess back in 1932, all fashionable ladies carried whips! Eventually, the fun-loving and somewhat crazed Bow marries a man on a whim--only to learn on her wedding night that he didn't care one whit about her. He disappears and only turns up late in the film to try to rape her. While the film didn't say it explicitly, it seems that he must have caught syphilis during all his 'fun' and his mind is gone. And, in the process, he blew all his money and left Bow pregnant. Now broke, Bow and her baby struggle to get by...and then tragedy strikes at the same time she inherits her father's fortune. Will Bow manage to turn it all around or will she prove the notion that once a bad egg, always a bad egg? The film is a sleazy but enjoyable piece. Apart from murders, adultery and syphilis, this one even features what appears to be a gay club!!! Now this gay bar/club was a bit ridiculous--with the campiest singing duo in movie history. And it's hilarious to see Clara enjoying the heck out of the place--especially when folks start tossing food and plates and fists. But underneath all this sleaze is an interesting story and the acting isn't bad at all--showing that Bow, despite her career being pretty much over by the time she was 30, really could act.
This is an ironic film, as Bow played a woman much like her in real life. During the 1920s, Bow was legendary for her wild and debaucherous life (see the brilliant biography "Clara Bow, Runnin' Wild" by David Stenn for more on this VERY sordid time). She was also notorious for picking the wrong men until she eventually married and, sadly, shortly thereafter became schizophrenic. Tragic, that's for sure and her life would make a very interesting movie.
Also, if you pay attention, you'll note a bit of a racist note in this film. While Bow's character is in love with a half American Indian man (Gilbert Roland), she can only act upon this late in the film when she learns that she, too, is a 'half-breed'--which is pretty sad.
"Call Her Savage" is a very odd tale. It claims to be a morality tale about the wages of sin and quotes some Biblical references--but the savvy viewer knows that this is all an attempt to put a respectable face on a film meant to titillate. It begins in the Old West on a wagon train--where the leader not only commits adultery but stomps a man to death when he's confronted by this! Then the old 'sins of the fathers are visited to the second and third and fourth generations' quotation is plastered on the screen. The second generation is his daughter--a woman who delights in spreading her legs whenever her husband leaves the house--leaving her pregnant with an other man's baby. This baby (Clara Bow) is a wild savage--and she has a great time whipping things (including her boyfriend) with her whip. I guess back in 1932, all fashionable ladies carried whips! Eventually, the fun-loving and somewhat crazed Bow marries a man on a whim--only to learn on her wedding night that he didn't care one whit about her. He disappears and only turns up late in the film to try to rape her. While the film didn't say it explicitly, it seems that he must have caught syphilis during all his 'fun' and his mind is gone. And, in the process, he blew all his money and left Bow pregnant. Now broke, Bow and her baby struggle to get by...and then tragedy strikes at the same time she inherits her father's fortune. Will Bow manage to turn it all around or will she prove the notion that once a bad egg, always a bad egg? The film is a sleazy but enjoyable piece. Apart from murders, adultery and syphilis, this one even features what appears to be a gay club!!! Now this gay bar/club was a bit ridiculous--with the campiest singing duo in movie history. And it's hilarious to see Clara enjoying the heck out of the place--especially when folks start tossing food and plates and fists. But underneath all this sleaze is an interesting story and the acting isn't bad at all--showing that Bow, despite her career being pretty much over by the time she was 30, really could act.
This is an ironic film, as Bow played a woman much like her in real life. During the 1920s, Bow was legendary for her wild and debaucherous life (see the brilliant biography "Clara Bow, Runnin' Wild" by David Stenn for more on this VERY sordid time). She was also notorious for picking the wrong men until she eventually married and, sadly, shortly thereafter became schizophrenic. Tragic, that's for sure and her life would make a very interesting movie.
Also, if you pay attention, you'll note a bit of a racist note in this film. While Bow's character is in love with a half American Indian man (Gilbert Roland), she can only act upon this late in the film when she learns that she, too, is a 'half-breed'--which is pretty sad.