"There's no need to scream or yell," Frank Borzage told me. "Some directors do just that, but I believe in coaxing a performance out of my players. I never raise my voice. I get results from actors by taking them aside, talking softly, making suggestions and listening to what they have to say and gaging how they feel about the role they're playing. If we have different interpretations, we settle them peacefully. If we cannot come to an agreement, we shoot the scene the way they would like and then we re-shoot the way I would like. I always play fair. I don't instruct the cameraman to put no film in the camera like some directors do."
I've always regarded Borzage as the great romanticist of the cinema. Alas, we're getting close to the end of his career here and his hand is faltering. It's only in its later scenes that the movie comes across with even a little emotional impact. Part of the reason lies with Victor Mature. Hardly what you would call a sensitive actor, Mature is totally unable to suggest a sympathetic heart beneath a rough exterior. He is wholly out of tune with the film, the director, the character and the story. Ward Bond, in a major role for once, is okay, but he can do better! It's a pity he didn't try. Only the Chinese members of the cast really strike home: Li Li Hua is absolutely marvelous as the peasant girl and makes me wish that she had made more films. The actor who plays her father also makes a strong impression. Danny Chang is faultless as an opportunistic mascot. There is very little action -- all of it in the last reel -- so action fans would be well advised to give this flick a miss. William Clothier's photography has moments of great beauty.
I've always regarded Borzage as the great romanticist of the cinema. Alas, we're getting close to the end of his career here and his hand is faltering. It's only in its later scenes that the movie comes across with even a little emotional impact. Part of the reason lies with Victor Mature. Hardly what you would call a sensitive actor, Mature is totally unable to suggest a sympathetic heart beneath a rough exterior. He is wholly out of tune with the film, the director, the character and the story. Ward Bond, in a major role for once, is okay, but he can do better! It's a pity he didn't try. Only the Chinese members of the cast really strike home: Li Li Hua is absolutely marvelous as the peasant girl and makes me wish that she had made more films. The actor who plays her father also makes a strong impression. Danny Chang is faultless as an opportunistic mascot. There is very little action -- all of it in the last reel -- so action fans would be well advised to give this flick a miss. William Clothier's photography has moments of great beauty.