"It's Men Who Make Women Whatever They Are."
A quote from Nana (1934), a movie Sam Goldwyn used as a vehicle for Anna Sten, a Russian actress he was determined to make the next Garbo or Dietrich. Sten sounds much like Dietrich in her singing stage performance.However, Sten didn't learn English very well and so did not endear herself to American film fans; she was dubbed Goldwyn's Folly.
The movie has consequently been rather ignored, but really isn't as bad as folks might have you think; I rather enjoyed it on TCM tonight. The only irksome thing for me was The Code ending.
And the fact that TCM doesn't allow you to embed the videos; so you'll have to click the links above to see them.
posted by Silent-Porn-Star at
3:12 AM
4 Comments:
What was the ending, then? In Zola's novel Nana catches smallpox, her servants and hangers-on steal her valuables and leave her to die alone. There's a fine silent film by Jean Renoir.
Anon, you want smut and spoilers here at SPS? Really?
Well...
Sure. But only because you've enlightened me to the novel and the other film -- which from what you say makes me wonder just what the book and this film have in common.
Nana loves one brother, but ends up (unhappily) with the other. She and her love are about to run off when the older brother returns and tells the young man that Nana is with him. She can't bear it, shoots herself, and dies joining the two men's hands, thus returning them to brotherly love.
A bit more romantic than 'Code' by comparison to the book, actually. I am no intrigued. So, thank you!
" just what the book and this film have in common."
Not much from the sound of it! Zola's Nana is a sort of force of nature, egotistical and destructive, both of herself and her lovers- among other things she seduces a lover's father-in-law on a whim. She is portrayed as being pretty indiscrimate and undiscriminating in her choice of lovers. Her death has no connexion or consequence from her life or career, though, but is depicted as coming about because she has served her purpose in nature.
Nana apparently just missed out on being a pre-code movie, bring released just a few weeks after the Code starred to be enforced. So it would have been made in the less repressive pre-code environment, but possibly re-cut to make it more acceptable. Sounds like an interesting movie to look for anyway.
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