''Song of the Flame'' is a 1930 American

pre-Code Pre-Code Hollywood was the brief era in the 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 censorship guidelines, popularly known ...

musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but in some cases, they serve merely as brea ...

photographed entirely 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 ...

. It was produced and distributed by

First National Pictures First National Pictures was an American motion picture production and distribution company. It was founded in 1917 as First National Exhibitors' Circuit, Inc., an association of independent theatre owners in the United States, and became the count ...

. It was the first color film to feature a

widescreen Widescreen images are displayed within a set of aspect ratio (image), aspect ratios (relationship of image width to height) used in film, television and computer screens. In film, a widescreen film is any film image with a width-to-height aspect ...

sequence, using a process called

Vitascope Vitascope was an early film projector first demonstrated in 1895 by Charles Francis Jenkins and Thomas Armat. They had made modifications to Jenkins' patented Phantoscope, which cast images via film and electric light onto a wall or screen. The ...

, the trademark name for Warner Bros.' widescreen process. The film, based on the 1925 Broadway musical of the same name, was nominated for an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

for

Sound Recording Sound recording and reproduction is the electrical, mechanical, electronic, or digital inscription and re-creation of sound waves, such as spoken voice, singing, instrumental music, or sound effects. The two main classes of sound recording ...

( George Groves). It is part of the tradition of operetta films, popular at the time.

Plot

Aniuta (

Bernice Claire Bernice Claire (born Bernice Jahnigen; January 27, 1906 – January 17, 2003)Noah Beery) is a revolutionary who also falls in love with Aniuta, much to the anger of his lover, Natasha (

Alice Gentle Alice Gentle (June 30, 1885 – February 28, 1958) was an American operatic mezzo-soprano. Biography She was reportedly born on June 30, 1885, in Chatsworth, Illinois, but Alice appears as a 2 year-old child in the 1880 US Census for her fa ...

). The revolutionaries succeed in overthrowing the regime, leaving the Prince and his aristocratic class in peril for their lives and fortunes. Konstantin becomes the new leader and his brutal treatment of the people make many regret having supported the revolution in the first place. After he attempts to seduce her, Aniuta flees to a village in her native Poland. The Prince, fleeing from the new regime, happens to arrive at the same village. When he meets the girl again, he decides to stay. They put their political differences aside and become romantically involved. Hearing from his spies that the Prince is at a Polish village, Konstantin immediately goes there and arrests him, announcing that he attends to execute him. Aniuta desperately attempts to free the Prince by agreeing to have sex with Konstantin. The Prince is released from prison through this ruse, but when it is discovered that she had no intention of keeping her side of the bargain, she is thrown into jail. The Prince disguises himself and attempts to free the girl, but he is discovered and imprisoned again. Before they can be executed, Natasha, revealing the real reason behind Konstantin's execution order, tells the troops to release both the Prince and Aniuta. Konstantin is arrested by the troops soon after as a traitor to the revolution, and is executed, leaving the Prince and the girl free to pursue their romance.

Cast

* Alexander Gray as Prince Volodya *

Bernice Claire Bernice Claire (born Bernice Jahnigen; January 27, 1906 – January 17, 2003)Noah Beery as Konstantin *

as Natasha * Bert Roach as Count Boris * Inez Courtney as Grusha * Shep Camp as Officer *

Ivan Linow Ivan Linow (born Jānis Linaus; November 21, 1888 – November 11, 1940), also known as Jack Linow, was a Latvian-born American wrestler, who became a character actor in American films during the silent and early sound film eras. Biography Born ...

as Konstanin's Pal * Janina Smolinska as Dancer (uncredited) Cast notes: * Noah Beery was widely praised for his deep bass voice, which he first exhibited in this film in the song "One Little Drink." This song was satirized in the

Bosko Bosko is an animated cartoon character created by animators Hugh Harman and Rudolf Ising. Bosko was the first recurring character in Leon Schlesinger's cartoon series and was the star of 39 ''Looney Tunes'' shorts released by Warner Bros. He ...

cartoon entitled: '' The Booze Hangs High'' (1930). Based on the success of this song, Warner Bros. subsequently cast Beery in a number of musical films, most notably in ''

Golden Dawn Golden Dawn or The Golden Dawn may refer to: Organizations * Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, a nineteenth century magical order based in Britain ** The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, Inc., a modern revival founded in 1977 ** Open Source ...

'' (1930). The public was so enthralled by his singing abilities that Brunswick Records hired Beery to record songs from both of these films which were issued in their popular series.

Songs

*"Song of the Flame" – words by Otto Harbach and Oscar Hammerstein II, music by George Gershwin *"Cossack Love Song" – words by Otto Harbach and Oscar Hammerstein II, music by Herbert Stothart and George Gershwin *"One Little Drink" – words by Grant Clarke, music by Harry Akst *"When Love Calls" – words by Grant Clarke, music by Eddie Ward Source:

Preservation

The film is believed to be

lost Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography * Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland *Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...

. Only the soundtrack, which was recorded separately on

Vitaphone Vitaphone was a sound film system used for feature films and nearly 1,000 short subjects made by Warner Bros. and its sister studio First National from 1926 to 1931. Vitaphone was the last major analog sound-on-disc system and the only one ...

disks, survives. All nine songs are preserved in the sound disc performances. There were four choruses as well, three of traditional Russian

folk tunes Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fol ...

and one drawn from Tchaikovsky's ''

The Nutcracker ''The Nutcracker'' ( rus, Щелкунчик, Shchelkunchik, links=no ) is an 1892 two-act ballet (""; russian: балет-феерия, link=no, ), originally choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov with a score by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaik ...

.''

Stage musical

The stage musical the film is based on opened on Broadway at the 44th Street Theatre on December 30, 1925 and closed on July 10, 1926 after 219 performances. the music was by Herbert P. Stothart and George Gershwin, with lyrics by Otto Harbach and Oscar Hammerstein II, and book by Otto Harbach and Oscar Hammerstein II. The musical was directed by Frank Reicher, dances and ensemble pictures were arranged by Jack Haskell, and the scenic design was by Joseph Urban. The cast included Phoebe Brune as Natasha, Greek Evans as Konstantin,

Tessa Kosta Tessa Kay Kosta (December 12, 1890 – August 23, 1981) was an American actress who starred in Broadway musicals and operettas during the early decades of the twentieth century. Early life and career Kosta was born in Chicago, Illinois, the dau ...

as Aniuta ("The Flame"), and the 52-member Russian Art Choir.

Looney Tunes connection

''Song Of The Flame'' is notable as the film that was accompanied in its initial release by Warner Bros.' first ever

Looney Tunes ''Looney Tunes'' is an American animated comedy short film series produced by Warner Bros. starting from 1930 to 1969, concurrently with its partner series '' Merrie Melodies'', during the golden age of American animation. ...

cartoon short, '' Sinkin' in the Bathtub''.

References

Notes Further reading *Coles, David (2001
''Magnified Grandeur: The Big Screen, 1926-31''

External links

* * * * {{Alan Crosland 1930 films 1930s color films 1930 lost films Lost American films First National Pictures films Warner Bros. films American films based on plays 1930 musical films Films directed by Alan Crosland Films set in the Russian Empire 1925 musicals Broadway musicals American musical films Operetta films Early color films Russian Revolution films Films set in Poland 1930s English-language films 1930s American films