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White Savage

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White Savage (1943)

April. 23,1943
|
5.7
|
NR
| Adventure Drama Romance
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A native boy plays Cupid for a shark fisherman and a South Sea Islands princess.

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Reviews

Hellen
1943/04/23

I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much

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Helloturia
1943/04/24

I have absolutely never seen anything like this movie before. You have to see this movie.

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mraculeated
1943/04/25

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

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Taha Avalos
1943/04/26

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

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mark.waltz
1943/04/27

Those who look at movies of the 1930's and 40's as horrifying examples of racist un- politically correct cinema are trying to remove the fun that these often innocent stories are trying to tell. Nobody is pretending that these characters are representative of what Pacific Islanders were like, ever, and you have to go into these with a grain of sand. Add on Technicolor queen Maria Montez, scantily clad Jon Hall and the over enthusiastic Sabu, and the recipe is there for a colorful adventure that takes ridiculous situations and makes them twice as silly with over the top performances and outlandish dialog.Montez is a tropical island queen who falls in love with white shark hunter Jon Hall, dealing also with hidden gold and the very sinister Thomas Gomez and a jealous suitor (Turhan Bey). For Charlie Chan like wisdom, there's Sidney Toler spouting words of wisdom, making you wonder if he's in cahoots with Gomez or on the side of the good guys. With constant damp hair, muscular chest exposed and the enthusiasm of innocent youth, Sabu is adorable. The color photography, campy atmosphere and overall sweetness of many of its characters (Montez's heavyset handmaiden, who ironically is also Sabu's mother pretending to be queen) makes this an above average time filler. Of course, there's the obligatory dance number, and if you look very carefully, you'll see a very young and sexy James Mitchell in dark make-up as one of the dancers, long before he danced on Broadway and was "Oklahoma's" dream Curly (and years before he became the nefarious Palmer Cortlandt on "All My Children"). This might not be in the same league as "Cobra Woman", but it's awfully close.

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l_rawjalaurence
1943/04/28

Superficially Universal's film is another entry in the cycle showcasing the limited acting but ample bodily talents of Maria Montez, supported by the equally statuesque Jon Hall. Neither of them have to do do much except look good in a series of exotic costumes, while Hall gets at least two opportunities to get his kit off and swim underwater, on the last occasion to rescue Orano (Sabu) who is at risk of drowning. The Technicolor sets are opulent - by R. A. Gausman and I. Webb - and director Arthur Lubin shows sufficient understanding of his audience's wants to allow the interaction to be interrupted for an exotic dance with plenty of fleshy bodies on display.Yet despite its routine formula WHITE SAVAGE manages to make some significant political points. It asks us to reflect on Hall's behavior as a white settler in a native village, and to consider whether he learns the importance of racial integration, or whether he simply approaches life there on his own terms. Lubin does not offer any concrete answer, but contrasts Hall's generally amenable nature with arch-colonist Sam Miller (Thomas Gomez), who wants to possess the Princess (Montex) for himself and take all the spoils as well.The lure of filthy lucre is compelling. The Princess's brother Tamara (Turhan Bey) has sacrificed his native integrity for gambling, and is so in debt to Miller that he cannot save himself. Caught in a racial limbo between capitalism and tradition, he cuts a pathetic figure with his open floral neck shirt, his generally woebegone manner and his tendency to drown his sorrows in tobacco and alcohol. In the end he is knifed to death: we might feel that this comes as something of a welcome release for a man who eagerly sought the false rewards of capitalism and suffered thereby. It is significant that the role should have been essayed by Turhan Bey, an Austrian-born Turkish actor who made a habit of playing racially and ethnically complicated parts at this time.The film ends with a spectacular set-destruction, as the colonists finally overreach themselves and incur the wrath of the pagan god, proving beyond doubt the ineffectiveness of human interactions with the universal. Hall and Montez end up getting married and having a baby - the perfect example, it would seem, of a racially mixed marriage. Or perhaps not, as this is a Hollywood fantasy.

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Uriah43
1943/04/29

"Sam Miller" (Thomas Gomez) owns a gambling parlor on an island called Port Coral. Not too far away is another island called "Temple Island" which is essentially off-limits to most white men. The reason for this is because Sam has managed to pass a law to that effect. And the reason he did this is because he discovered gold underneath a pool adjacent to a native temple and he wants the gold all for himself. Then one day a man named "Frank Williams" discovers this gold as well and just happens to tell Sam about it. Wanting to keep the secret from anyone else, Sam strangles Frank. But things begin to get complicated when a shark fisherman by the name of "Kaloe" (John Hall) arrives and develops a romantic relationship with "Princess Tahia" (Maria Montez) who is the ruler of Temple Island. Anyway, although Kaloe becomes aware of the gold underneath the Temple's pool, he doesn't really care about it. But Sam doesn't know that and he is very intent upon getting it. Anyway, rather than disclose the entire story I will just say that this is a nice little tropical island film which manages to capture the beautiful island scenery pretty well. However, the acting isn't great by any means and the movie lacks a certain amount of depth. Personally, I would have preferred that it lasted a bit longer than 76 minutes but that's probably just me. All things considered I give it an average rating.

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lorenellroy
1943/04/30

While so doing makes me feel an utter heel I really have no alternative but to dissent from Mr Theakston's enthusiastic review of this movie .It struck me as banal and downright racist in many ways .Maria Montez , a statuesque Latino ,is improbably cast as a South Sea islands Princess who rules over Temple Island .The floor of the temple is submerged and it contains a number of solid gold bricks .The significance of this is lost on the inhabitants of the island but not on the villainous Sam Miller (Thomas Gomez-giving the only halfway decent performance in the movie).He resolves that when the time is ripe he will seize the gold and marry the Princess too.He is not above murdering any who get in his way and he ensures the Princess' brother (Turhan Bey)is in his debt by cheating him at cards thus making sure the young man is perpetually in hock to him Enter the dashing Kahoe (Jon Hall) a shark hunter needing her permission to set up operations near Temple Island .He works out Miller's schemes and hindered rather than helped by sidekick Orano(Sabu) and the local factotum,part lawyer ,part policeman Dr Wong(Sidney Toler in Charlie Chan mode) sets out to thwart his plans and win the hand of the Princess The acting is generally woeful and the script trite .the ending is lively enough and there is some fun to be had at its sheer awfulness Some may revel in camp and I am capable of doing so but only when it is good camp -say The Doctor Phibes movies -but witless trash is not my scene .this is a waste of time

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