''Call of the Flesh'' is a 1930 American

Pre-Code Pre-Code Hollywood was the brief era in the Cinema of the United States, American film industry between the widespread adoption of sound in film in 1929LaSalle (2002), p. 1. and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorshi ...

musical film directed by

Charles Brabin Charles Brabin (April 17, 1882 – November 3, 1957) was a British-American film director. Biography Born in Liverpool, England, he was educated at St. Francis Xavier College. Brabin sailed to New York City in the early 1900s and, while hold ...

. The film stars

Ramon Novarro José Ramón Gil Samaniego (February 6, 1899 – October 30, 1968), known professionally as Ramon Novarro, was a Mexican-American actor. He began his career in silent films in 1917 and eventually became a leading man and one of the top box ...

, Dorothy Jordan, and

Renée Adorée Renée Adorée (born Jeanne de la Fonte; 30 September 1898 – 5 October 1933) was a French stage and film actress who appeared in Hollywood silent movies during the 1920s. She is best known for portraying the role of Melisande, the love intere ...

. It featured several songs performed by Novarro and originally included a sequence photographed in

Technicolor Technicolor is a series of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes, the first version dating back to 1916, and followed by improved versions over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black and white films ...

Plot

In Seville, Spain, a

cantina A cantina is a type of bar common in Latin America and Spain. The word is similar in etymology to " canteen", and is derived from the Italian word for a cellar, winery, or vault. In Italy, the word ''cantina'' refers to a room below the groun ...

is located across the street from San Agustín convent. At the convent,

postulant A postulant (from la, postulare, to ask) was originally one who makes a request or demand; hence, a candidate. The use of the term is now generally restricted to those asking for admission into a Christian monastery or a religious order for the p ...

Maria Consuelo Vargas ( Dorothy Jordan) receives a visit from her brother, Captain Enrique Vargas (

Russell Hopton Harry Russell Hopton (February 18, 1900 – April 7, 1945) was an American film actor and director. Biography Hopton was born in New York City, New York. He appeared in 110 films between 1926 and 1945, often playing streetwise characters f ...

). They have not seen each other in seven years, as he has been stationed in Africa. During the intervening time, their mother has died, which left Maria alone in the world, until she entered the convent. Enrique is thrilled that she will soon be married to God. Maria is enthralled by the music that comes from across the street – implying that she wants to explore life outside the convent - but Enrique prefers that she remain behind the safety of the convent walls, as he considers the outside world evil. After Enrique leaves, Maria peers over the convent walls to watch Juan de Dios (

) perform at the cantina. Later in the set, Juan sings and dances with his partner, Lola (

). After the set, Juan flirts with some female customers, which irks Lola. Juan walks Lola home, during which time he treats her badly, knowing that she is in love with him, and thus will tolerate the abuse. At home, Juan meets with his music teacher, Esteban (

Ernest Torrence Ernest Torrence (born Ernest Torrance-Thomson, 26 June 1878 – 15 May 1933) was a Scottish film character actor who appeared in many Hollywood films, including '' Broken Chains'' (1922) with Colleen Moore, '' Mantrap'' (1926) with Clara Bow a ...

). Esteban believes Juan has the makings of a great singer like he himself once was. Esteban squandered away his fame and fortune by reckless behavior – the same reckless behavior Juan now exhibits – which he is trying to steer Juan away from. If his old contacts will listen, Esteban plans to take Juan to Madrid so that he can truly become a great serious singer under the management of one of the great impresarios. After a day outing at the market where he steals some oranges and some cloth and thus is trying to escape from the police, Juan runs into Maria in a private courtyard, she who he has never met. She has escaped from the convent and is stealing a dress from a clothes line to replace her convent garb. She leaves a token for the dress. She recognizes him. As she tells him she has no home, he, who is immediately attracted to her, takes her home with him. Maria eventually tells Juan that she has escaped from the convent to find “him”, as she has always been drawn to the magic that is his singing. Then, Lola shows up. Juan is able to make her go away without knowing that Maria is there. Esteban believes Maria to be nothing more than a street harlot, but Juan is able to convince him that she is a child of God. Juan then tells Esteban that they will indeed go to Madrid, and bring Maria along as their housekeeper. At the convent, Enrique is trying to find Maria. The Mother Superior (

Nance O'Neil Gertrude Lamson (October 8, 1874 – February 7, 1965), known professionally as Nance O'Neil or Nancy O'Neil, was an American stage and film actress who performed in plays in various theaters around the world but worked predominantly in the Unite ...

) tells him that as Maria had not yet taken her vows, she was free to leave. Maria being drawn to music may provide a clue as to her whereabouts. Then, Lola arrives – she has found a convent garment in Juan's room, the garment which Enrique and the Mother Superior recognize as Maria's. Enrique vows to travel to Madrid to kill Juan. In Madrid, Juan, Esteban and Maria rent a three-bedroom flat that is managed by a music aficionado, La Rumbarita (

Mathilde Comont Mathilde Comont (9 September 1886 – 21 June 1938), credited also as Mathilda Caumont, was a French-born American actress, primarily of the silent era. Biography Born in Bordeaux, she appeared in films in her native country, particularly ...

). A once great singer used to reside there, which they all believe is

karma Karma (; sa, कर्म}, ; pi, kamma, italic=yes) in Sanskrit means an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptivel ...

. Later at the audition with impresario Mischa, Juan displays his arrogant attitude about what he sees as the greatness of his singing. Although the audition is technically sound, Mischa tells Juan that he has no soul in his singing, and that he needs to have his heart broken to achieve true greatness. As such, Mischa, will not accept him as a client. After Juan storms out in disgust, Esteban negotiates payment – all the money that he has - to Mischa to take Juan on as a client in lower level musical events, Juan not to know the financial arrangement. Mischa happily agrees, seeing this arrangement as a windfall. Back at the flat, Juan, angry about Mischa's assessment, takes it out on Maria by berating her. However, seeing how loyal she is to him, Juan changes his tune and declares his undying love for her. They embrace. Later, he visits a priest to make arrangements for their marriage. As Juan tells Esteban and La Rumbarita of the wedding, they go off to buy items for an engagement party, but not before Esteban tells Juan that Mischa has arranged for him to sing ''

Pagliacci ''Pagliacci'' (; literal translation, "Clowns") is an Italian opera in a prologue and two acts, with music and libretto by Ruggero Leoncavallo. The opera tells the tale of Canio, actor and leader of a commedia dell'arte theatrical company, who m ...

'' that evening. Juan is excited, but believes that Mischa has just come to his senses, not knowing about Esteban and Mischa's financial arrangement. While Juan is alone at the flat, Enrique tracks Juan down, ready to kill him. Although they initially argue about the situation with Maria, Enrique, with a little help from Lola, is able to convince Juan to send Maria back to the convent, as his act of love is stealing her away from her vow to God, and that she would always be seen as harlot if they were to get married, thus sending her to eternal damnation. Knowing that Maria will not go willingly, Juan convinces Maria that he no longer loves her as he has reconciled with Lola. A tearful Maria, now believing the outside world is evil as Enrique once said, leaves with her brother back to Seville and San Agustín. Despite Juan's broken heart, Esteban is able to convince Juan to proceed with the performance of ''Pagliacci'' by telling him the truth about his and Mischa's financial arrangement. Juan's performance ends up being a triumph, with Juan emotionally spent after it. Mischa remarks that this Juan and the Juan at the audition are two totally different people. Mischa now wants to sign a legitimate contract with Juan. Regardless, Juan does not recover emotionally. As Esteban takes him back to Seville, Juan is bedridden, dying from a broken heart. Seeing what is happening to Juan, Lola decides to go to the convent to tell Maria the truth about their deception, which Lola now knows will lead to certain death for both Juan and Maria of broken hearts. Maria rushes to Juan's side, the two who enter into a loving embrace.

Cast

as Juan de Dios * Dorothy Jordan as Maria Consuelo Vargas *

as Esteban *

as Mother Superior *

as Lola *

as La Rumbarita *

as Captain Enrique Vargas *

Sidney D'Albrook Sidney D'Albrook (May 3, 1886 – May 30, 1948) was an American actor. He was born in Chicago, Illinois, a son of Harry Dahlbruck, a musician, and Jennie McGuire. He was working as an actor in Davenport, Iowa, in 1910, living with his sister Rut ...

as Police Officer (uncredited) * Julia Griffith as Dowager Empress Opera Spectator (uncredited) * Fred Hueston as Opera Spectator (uncredited) * Lillian Lawrence as Nun (uncredited) *

Adolph Milar Adolph Milar (1895–1950) was a Swiss-born film actor. He appeared in character roles in around sixty American films from 1919 to 1945, playing characters of a variety of nationalities.Biskupski p.43 His name is sometimes written as Adolf Milar. ...

as Police Officer (uncredited) *

Leo White Leo White (November 10, 1882 – September 20, 1948), Leo Weiss, was a German-born British-American film and stage actor who appeared as a character actor in many Charlie Chaplin films. Biography Born in Germany, White grew up in England where ...

as Impresario's Assistant (uncredited) *

Frank Yaconelli Frank Yaconelli (October 2, 1898 – November 19, 1965) was an Italian-born American film actor. Biography When he was a child his family emigrated to the United States, settling in Boston. Yaconelli was a character actor playing supporting rol ...

as Fruit Vendor (uncredited)

Production

Filming of ''Call of the Flesh'' began on January 27, 1930, under the working title ''The Singer of Seville'', and lasted through March. It was shot at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios in Culver City. Before the premiere, the title was changed to ''Call of the Flesh'' because the original title made it sound too much like a musical. Ramon Novarro apparently hated the new title.Soares, André; ''Beyond Paradise: The Life of Ramon Novarro''; St. Martin's Press, New York, 2002; p. 160 This film marked Novarro's fourth film appearance with Renée Adorée, and his third with Dorothy Jordan. Charles Brabin had been the original director on Novarro's '' Ben-Hur'' before Brabin had been fired from that project; however, the firing had taken place before Novarro's hiring, and the two had thus not worked together on that film. Novarro would later claim that he, not Brabin, actually directed most of ''Call of the Flesh''.Soares, André; ''Beyond Paradise: The Life of Ramon Novarro''; St. Martin's Press, New York, 2002; p. 154 Novarro insisted that Renée Adorée be cast in the film opposite him despite the fact that she was extremely ill with tuberculosis. The actress suffered two hemorrhages during production which almost shut the project down. In one instance, Novarro tried to convince production supervisor

Hunt Stromberg Hunt Stromberg (July 12, 1894 – August 23, 1968) was a film producer during Hollywood's Golden Age. In a prolific 30-year career beginning in 1921, Stromberg produced, wrote, and directed some of Hollywood's most profitable and enduring films, ...

to relieve Adorée of her duties and reshoot her material with another actress, offering to waive his salary, but Stromberg insisted, against doctor's orders, that it would be too expensive. After completing her last scene, Adorée had a second hemorrhage again and lost consciousness; she was rushed to a sanitarium in La Crescenta, California. Although Adorée survived two more years, her health effectively ended her chances at a continued career. ''Call of the Flesh'' was her last film.

Release and reception

''Call of the Flesh'' was released on August 16, 1930. It received mixed reviews.

Mordaunt Hall Mordaunt Hall (1 November 1878 – 2 July 1973) was the first regularly assigned motion picture critic for ''The New York Times'', working from October 1924 to September 1934. ''Variety'' said the film was uneven overall, and the ''New York Morning Telegraph'' said the storyline was 'banal.' Despite a growing distaste for musicals among the general public, the movie was financially successful. In some theaters, the film was accompanied by a comedy titled ''The Great Pants Mystery''. At the Capitol Theater in New York City, the film was accompanied by a performance by

Stepin Fetchit Lincoln Theodore Monroe Andrew Perry (May 30, 1902 – November 19, 1985), better known by the stage name Stepin Fetchit, was an American vaudevillian, comedian, and film actor of Jamaican and Bahamian descent, considered to be the first black a ...

of " Bye Bye Blues" staged by Chester Hale. ''Call of the Flesh'' has not been released on DVD or video. It has been broadcast on television, and these versions of the film do not include any footage in Technicolor, which show Novarro's performance of an aria from ''

''. A still survives showing Novarro dressed as Pagliacci, posed alongside actor Ernest Torrence.

Alternate-language versions

As with several American films made between 1930 and 1932, ''Call of the Flesh'' was remade into two alternate foreign-language versions. The process of filming alternate-language versions was common in the American film industry in the early 1930s and continued until improved dubbing technology became available. Novarro appears in both alternate versions, reprising his role as Juan de Dios Carbajal, and directed both of them. They were filmed using a different crew and supporting cast on the same sets at MGM Studios. A German-language version, also to be directed by Novarro, was never filmed for financial reasons.

''La Sevillana'' or ''Sevilla de mis amores''

''La Sevillana'' was the Spanish-language version, co-starring

Conchita Montenegro Conchita Montenegro (born Concepción Andrés Picado; September 11, 1911 – April 22, 2007) was a Spanish model, dancer, stage and screen actress. She was educated in a convent in Madrid. Multitalented Montenegro first worked professionally ...

as María, along with José Soriano Viosca, Rosita Ballesteros and Michael Vavitch. Novarro's mother, Leonor Pérez Gavilán de Samaniego, makes her only film appearance as Mother Superior of the convent. Ramón Guerrero, who appears in the film, translated the original screenplay, and Novarro translated the song lyrics, assisted by

Herbert Stothart Herbert Pope Stothart (September 11, 1885February 1, 1949) was an American songwriter, arranger, conductor, and composer. He was also nominated for twelve Academy Awards, winning Best Original Score for '' The Wizard of Oz''. Stothart was widel ...

. The film cost $103,437 and premiered at the Teatro Califórnia Internacionale in Los Angeles on December 5, 1930.Soares, André; ''Beyond Paradise: The Life of Ramon Novarro''; St. Martin's Press, New York, 2002; p. 374 The production of ''La Sevillana'' marked Novarro's first performance in Spanish, his first language. It is credited with boosting the career of Conchita Montenegro.Waldman, Harry; ''Hollywood and the Foreign Touch: a Dictionary of Foreign Filmmakers and their Films from America, 1910-1995''; p. 265

''Le chanteur de Séville''

''Le chanteur de Séville'' was the French-language version, adapted by

Yvan Noé Yvan Noé (1895–1963) was a French playwright, screenwriter and film director.Driskell p.146 He was married to the actress Pierrette Caillol who sometimes performed alongside him. Selected filmography * '' Gloria'' (1931) * '' Mademoiselle Mozar ...

and Anne Mauclair, co-starring Suzy Vernon,

Pierrette Caillol Pierrette Caillol (1898–1991) was a French stage and film actress.Goble p.346 She was married to the writer-director Yvan Noé Yvan Noé (1895–1963) was a French playwright, screenwriter and film director.Driskell p.146 He was married to the ...

, Georges Mauloy,

(reprising her role from ''Call of the Flesh''),

Carrie Daumery Carrie Daumery (25 March 1863 – 1 July 1938) was a Belgian-born American film actress. She appeared in more than 60 films between 1908 and 1937. Personal life Daumery was the sister of violinist Eugène Ysaÿe. She was also the widow of B ...

and Ramón Guerrero. It cost $96,598 and premiered on February 21, 1931 at the

Théâtre de la Madeleine The Théâtre de la Madeleine is a theater in Paris built in the English style in 1924 on the site of a carousel. The first major success of the theatre came with the presentation of part one of '' The Merchants of Glory'' by Marcel Pagnol. The T ...

in Paris.

References

External links

* * * * * *
Stills
at pre-code.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Call Of The Flesh 1930 films 1930s color films 1930 musical films American black-and-white films Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films Films directed by Charles Brabin Films set in Seville American multilingual films American musical films 1930 multilingual films 1930s English-language films 1930s American films