Red Dust
Directed by Victor Fleming. US. 1932. NR. Running time: 83 min.
- Sun, Aug 2, 2:00 pm
This second pairing of Clark Gable and Jean Harlow showed both of these cinema icons at top form, and its steamy, exotic atmosphere and spicy dialog give ample evidence of why the infamous “Production Code” of self-censorship came into play not long after. Both Gable and Harlow are at their peak of popularity, and their enjoyment of working together comes through strongly in this comedy-drama. The action takes place on a rubber plantation in the far east, with Clark having an affair with prim and proper Mary Astor while her husband is away, only to be brought up short by the return of his old flame, Jean Harlow, at her sexiest and most provocative. Sparks (and bullets) fly, as this over-heated story unfolds. (If the story sounds slightly familiar, that’s because it was remade twenty years later as Mogambo, with Gable romancing Grace Kelly and Ava Gardner in the Astor and Harlow roles.) (Bill Roth)