Before Douglas Sirk became Master of Hollywood melodrama, he was Detlef Sierck Master of Melodrama at UFA Germany. As per this typical example in the form, of particular interest for featuring glamorous Third Reich fave Zarah Leander (a sort of missing link between Clara Bow & Hedy Lamarr), already suffering beautifully in her studio debut . She’s Gloria Vane, popular, naughty 1860s English entertainer involved with titled debt-ridden Willy Birgel, and taking the fall on a forged check he’s altered to the tune of £600. Yikes! Sent to prison in Australia, she needs a proposal of marriage to get out and (wouldn’t you know it) her old lover is currently in Australia, but unwilling to destroy his social & military position for a convict (even one who's doing his jail time) when he's preparing to marry a wealthy young thing, the catch of the county. Meanwhile, a hearty local rancher is spouse hunting at the jail and . . . well, you get the idea. Will she be true to her dashing, but uncouth savior or run off for a never-can-be-reunion with old unreliable/Mister Unworthy. Sirk feels oddly jumpy in the very talky first half, but things eventually sort themselves out with the film paradoxically growing more effective even as it becomes progressively less credible. Though skimping on the romantic development between Leander & putative husband/nice guy farmer Viktor Staal keeps us from fully investing emotionally.
DOUBLE-BILL: Sirk’s follow-up with Leander, LA HABANERA/’37, even better. (see below)
READ ALL ABOUT IT: Philip Kerr’s THE LADY FROM ZAGREB, a late entry in his Bernie Gunther Berlin-based Nazi-Era detective series features an actress/femme fatale much like Zarah Leander.
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