Saturday, April 18, 2020

Movie review - "Uncivilised" (1936) ** (re-viewing) (warning: spoilers)

I used to like this a fair bit - it's silliness was so endearing. As time goes on it's harder to watch - those aboriginies shipped over from Palm Island in particular. Margot Rhys is alright in a terrific role - the journalist sent to investigate stories of a white man raised among the blacks who of course now rules them.

Dennis Hoey's casting is so absurd as to put this in the field of camp - he's not good looking, though he is in shape; he sings several songs and does not have much chemistry with Rhys. Rhys does take a racy nude swim but is disappointingly passive for the most of the running time. I like the reveal that the Arab was the agent... but this robbed Rhys and Hoey of heroic stuff to do.

Packed with trops - the tragic half caste who loves Rhys, the villainous witch doctor. Some spectacular visuals and location footage.

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