Monday, August 10, 2009

Red Dust and Magambo




Here's a great double feature for you. TCM (Turner Classic Movies) Is showing Red Dust and Magambo back to back on Wednesday August 12. Red Dust starts at 8eastern, 5pacific. Red Dust is a 1932 movie starring Clark Gable and Jean Harlow set in Indochina with Clark being torn between two women (Jean and Mary Astor) It's great. Then you have Magambo made 20 years later, a remake of Red Dust but still starring Clark! I don't know if anyone else has ever been in the same role in the remake of a movie, but Clark does a beautiful job. Magambo is reset in Africa, and of course poor Jean Harlow did not survive to play her role, Ava Gardner takes over for her(with Grace Kelly in Mary Astor's part).
Of the two I like Red Dust better, but that's probably because I like the 30's style of film better. Watch them and let me know your preference.

Feminist note: Of course even if Harlow had lived there is no way on gods green earth Hollywood would let an actress play the romantic lead in her 50's. Just the man keeping us down...

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