Tue 7 May 2019
A Movie Review by Dan Stumpf: THE GREEN GODDESS (1930).
Posted by Steve under Action Adventure movies , Reviews[3] Comments
THE GREEN GODDESS. Warner Brothers, 1930. George Arliss, Ralph Forbes, H.B. Warner, Alice Joyce. Director: Alfred E. Green.
Speaking of surprises, there’s a nifty one at the end of The Green Goddess, a remake of a venerable Silent Film derived from a creaky play by William Archer. Both films starred that shameless old ham George Arliss (whom a critic dubbed “The Man of One Face”) delivering a magnificently fruity performance as the half-mad ruler of some lost city in the remote regions of what C. Aubrey Smith used to call “Injah.”
This film may be the spiritual progenitor of every “lost city” serial and B-movie ever made. Certainly, all the elements are there, what with the doughty downed flyers (Ralph Forbes and H. B. Warner, back when he had hair) and the woman they both love (Alice Joyce) at the mercy of heathen zealots, playing cat-and-mouse with Arliss amid splendiferous sets and keeping upper lips stiff to the point of Lockjaw. There are hairbreadth escapes, human sacrifices, stylish lust, and everything else kids go to the movies for.
At Center Stage, though, is the unforgettable Arliss, who — how can I describe it? — manages to ham it up without overacting. He ladles out every line of his drippy dialogue with all the relish of Robert Newton or Tod Slaughter, yet somehow manages to gently kid the whole thing at the same time.
It’s a performance of enormous gusto and more complexity than you might think, and as a reward for it, Arliss gets to wrap up the film with a Closing Line guaranteed to awaken even the most jaded viewer, Watch it and see.
May 7th, 2019 at 4:43 pm
I love “lost city” movies, but somehow I’ve never seen this one. Thanks, Dan!
May 8th, 2019 at 7:40 am
I did watch this many years ago and my memory of it is still pretty good, and this review is accurate. And yes, the final line is a gem.
May 8th, 2019 at 6:20 pm
It’s enormous fun in the “there’s a little yellow idoT” mode with somehow the stylized setbound production and Arliss scene chewing all working to the betterment of the story.
Of course it goes without saying it is politically incorrect, but so over the top it is hard to take any offense seriously, including Arliss deliciously over the top performance.
The play was what the Brits used to call a “barn burner” and you can consider your barn well singed it you watch it.