Prestige (1931)

Simply Perfect

Horrible, fascist and poorly acted

Best movie of this year hands down!

Blistering performances.

"Race" has become a Hot Topic in the Media brought to the Forefront by the Election of the First Black President of the United States. Of Course the Scourge of Bigotry is Still Around, but We sure have Come Along Way.Colonial Rule in South East Asia is On Display in this Pre-Code Film and is Considered Honorable, Patriotic, and the Movie Makes it Clear that to Uphold the "Prestige" of the White Man is a Noble and Proud Thing, and the Darker Races are Less than Human. Director Tay Garnett Makes All of this "Artistic" with a Fluid Camera. Like a Kid with a New Toy, He uses the, Recently Released from its Immobility, Camera to Dolly Continuously and it Adds a New Dimension to the Art of Cinema and Considering the Cumbersome Technical Tools of the Time, it is Rather an Amazing Display of Daring.Overly Empathetic Viewers will Cringe and May have a Tough Time Sitting through the Ethnocentricities of the Film. There is Torture, Executions, and Generally the Locals are Treated like Animals. There's Some Creepy Stuff here and it Reminds of "Island of Lost Souls" (1933) with its Third Act as the Natives become Restless and are Out for Revenge.The Power, or "Prestige" if You will, of the White Man is Brought Home with Melvyn Douglas Beating Off a Horde of Haughty Types with Nothing More than a Belt and a Dirty Look. The Movie is So Much a Sign of its Time and is Recommended for a Sweaty and Sometimes Depressing Peak at Attitudes of the Day through the Adventurous Setting Worlds Away from the Homeland, but Not Really.

Is very good as Verlaine, military man assigned to field outpost in Saigon circa 1900's. His wife, Therese Verlaine is portrayed by Ann Harding, whose father is in charge of her husband's assignments.When she first embarks to join her husband, her father issues the speech as quoted on title page. ..."It is their job to uphold higher standards to restore order....to rise up to the upbringing and status of the white man"... . This he says is "prestige" (which today is rather out of context, the word prestige in America has been decimated to a materialistic meaning and has nothing to do with honor or pride in today's America. Sadly, I might add.However, it is an interesting antiquated viewpoint. Verlaine is in charge of a rather ramshackle bamboo prison in the third world country then known as, Annam (later North and South Vietnam). Captain Verlaine tries to rule with an iron fist at first as we see a prisoner is executed for a petty crime in the most brutal fashion. There is some sort of gallows device made of bamboo. The scene is very effective and believable.Then Captain Remy Baudoin arrives as he is friends with Therese and wants to see if she is surviving the jungle and heat. He somewhat cheers her up, to which Verlaine becomes drunk, jealous of his wife's friendship and angry at his overall job requirements. Douglas is believable here, while very young and unless most of us check the credits we would not be sure this was him.The natives eventually revolt, as Therese first visits the prison and is shocked at the conditions. She is disturbed that her husband maintains such a facility, for native peoples whose primary crime is poverty. They eventually revolt but succumb in the end, Captain Verlaine has restored order.While the story is a bit unreal at times, the photography (mostly filmed in Venice, FL) is intriguing and realistic, we can feel the heat and what it must be like to live in a bamboo hut in 104 degree, humid temperatures.Well worth seeing for the era, the dialog and Douglas in an early dramatic role. 9/10.

This 1931 film held my interest for about 30 minutes into the film which was filmed on location in Venice, Florida instead of a Indochinese jungle location. Lt./Capt. Andre Verlaine, (Melvyn Douglas) intends to marry a woman he is very much in love with and is given news that he is going to be assigned to a penal colony and there is no place for a woman to live. The woman is Therese Du Flos Verlaine, (Ann Harding) who is very upset about this assignment by the British Army. However, Capt. Remy Boudoin, (Adolphe Menjou) is very interested in Therese and is the man sending Andre to this penal colony to separate him from his love and seek her attention for himself. This story drags on with lots of boozing by Andre and he begins to lose respect from his fellow soldiers who are all natives. If you like Ann Harding and Melvyn Douglas, this is the film for you.

Therese Des Flos, a beautiful young woman, is in love with Andre Verlaine, a captain in the army. She is also pursued by another officer, Remy Baudain. When Andre is assigned to a post in Indochina, Therese's world goes to pieces. Andre has not married her because of his impending stint, but Therese convinces her father, who is in charge of this division, to let her follow Andre.Things aren't exactly easy for Andre, who falls into a despair by the heat and perhaps his boredom at this forsaken place. He doesn't endear himself to the native troops he commands to guard the prisoners at the lock up. When Therese arrives, she is horrified to see the change in Andre, but they go ahead with the plans to marry. Remy, who has come to the compound, is also completely surprised by what's going on and asks Therese to go back to Saigon with him. As she is about to leave, she discovers that Remy has been killed. Everything points to Nham. Ultimately, Andre gets some of his all self back when he is wounded and he and Therese come to the realization they belong to one another."Prestige" is a curiosity film directed by Tay Garnett, a man who always delivered. This RKO-Pathe picture belongs to an era when stories such as this one had no interest in being politically correct, as shown by Andre's attitude toward the natives, who he seems to hate. Even his loyalty toward his servant is put to a test where he shows no compassion either. The film portrays the native men in silly costumes, and even Nahm is black, something that might have been quite a shock for the Indochina of those years. The costume department decided to dress the women in Jantzen swimwear instead of the traditional robes.Ann Harding is appealing as Therese. Adolph Menjou also has some good moments. We didn't care much for the Andre of Melvyn Douglas, but this is only our opinion. Rollo Boyd, Ian McLaren and the great Clarence Muse are seen in key roles."Prestige" is a film to watch by fans of Tay Garnett.