Save your money for something good and enjoyable

Just what I expected

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

In Southeast Asia, rugged plantation owner Clark Gable (as Dennis "Denny" Carson) is annoyed to discover an overweight drunk in his rustic jungle home. He tosses the bum in a bed and discovers platinum blonde prostitute Jean Harlow (as Vantine Jefferson) laying there in the sheets. The two are mutually attracted and begin copulating when the camera drifts out of range. Shipwrecked and stranded, Ms. Harlow starts to imagine a commitment, but Mr. Gable states, "I'm not a one woman man." Gable next sets his sights on ladylike but lusty Mary Astor (as Barbara Willis), who arrives with her ailing husband Gene Raymond (as Gary Willis) for hunting and surveying. He is impressed with Gable's hunting prowess while she checks out her host's animal magnetism..."Red Dust" provided film-goers with the irresistible prospect of seeing Gable and Harlow saunter around half-naked (something acknowledged in the film's script). They still have the attraction, while Ms. Astor manages to hold most of her own during her time on screen. Stalwart character actors Tully Marshall and Donald Crisp are also nice to see – fully clothed. But giving them all competition for getting attention is Chinese housekeeper Willie Fung (as Hoy); originally good for a few chuckles, his character is almost jaw-dropping today, buck teeth and all. Also interesting is that Gable was still taking off his shirt and chasing women as "Red Dust" became "Mogambo" (1953) over 20 years later. Don't imagine Harlow and Astor would be asked to reprise their roles.****** Red Dust (10/22/32) Victor Fleming ~ Clark Gable, Jean Harlow, Mary Astor, Gene Raymond

Directed by Victor Fleming,with a screenplay by John Mahin,Red Heat pairs two of the biggest stars of the thirties,Jean Harlow and Clark Gable. Set in the deepest jungles of Malaysia the film sees just how far the moral standards of the day could be pushed. The screen practically burns apart from the lust of the two leads whenever they're together.On a quiet rubber plantation in Malaysia, things heat up when the quick tempered manager,Dennis Carson(Clark Gable)falls for two different women.There's tough talking woman of the night,Vantine(Jean Harlow) and the fragile,pampered,uptown girl,Barbara Willis(Mary Astor). Barbara's husband Gary(Gene Raymond)is a new employee on the plantation.Further complications ensue when Gary comes down with a tropical fever and a big storm starts heading towards the plantation.The daily life of the plantation would be explored in a little more detail in the 50's remake Mogambo(with Gable reprising his role alongside Ava Gardner and Grace Kelly). The real star of this film is Jean Harlow,she gets the best lines and makes her presence felt so strongly in every scene she's in that you wish she were in all of them.If there's a weak point here it's the love triangle.It never really gets off the ground due to the casting of Astor.Never at any time can you buy Barbara as a serious rival for Carson's affections,she's too whiny and under-developed,as opposed to the feisty Vantine.Those issues aside though what's here is a lot of fun,the acting is solid,Gable is at his most rugged and much of the dialogue is rather naughty(given the era)to say the least, and the film is a great deal of fun because of it.Memorable scenes include Harlow taking a bath in full view of everyone on the plantation and Gable rescuing Astor from the tropical storm,well worth a watch.

The setting is the tropics of Indochina, a rubber plantation to be specific. Dennis Carson (Clark Gable) is the owner of the rubber plantation, beset by the constant troubles - both human and natural - of running such a farm in a primitive place. Constantly surrounded by men, one day Dennis finds he has double trouble on his hands. First the prostitute Vantine (Jean Harlow) is foisted upon him because she is giving the law a wide berth due to her profession, and this looks like a nice secluded spot to lay low. Vantine actually falls for Dennis - she playfully calls him Fred - however, Dennis just thinks he is another john and that it's all in a day's work to Vantine.To add to his troubles, Dennis' new surveyor brings his wife, Barbara, along (Mary Astor), and the only place fit for a woman to live is in Dennis' home. Dennis sends the surveyor on a long stay in the jungle "to increase production", but he really just wants some alone time with Barbara, and Barbara returns the sentiment. Before her husband returns from the jungle Dennis and Barbara have fallen in love, but do they have the heart to tell her young husband? Watch and find out.There really is not much of a plot in this film other than to give a steamy lusty setting to a steamy lusty tale. This is a precode film, but if you analyze it frame by frame it is completely tame by today's standards. Even given the freedom of the precode era there were limits as to what could be shown, and thus almost everything is insinuated and it is up to the viewer to mentally project what happens. To me, this makes this film very erotic versus the biology lessons of today's films that show everything. Of course you do have some great visual cues, mainly Harlow's on-the-level prostitute bouncing about Dennis' home scantily clad and of course there's Harlow's famous bath in a rain barrel scene. Mary Astor's prim and proper Babs is a great contrast to Harlow's character as she gets swept up in events bigger than herself - her affair with Dennis - yet still seems to act like she thinks she's better than Vantine. Vantine's catty remarks, as she is hurt by Dennis' rejection of her, are classic Harlow all the way.This is one of my favorite precode films, and I heartily recommend it to anybody who enjoys films from the precode era.

Red Dust (1932) *** (out of 4) Victor Fleming film has Clark Gable playing a tough as nails rubber plantation owner who has a fling with a blonde (Jean Harlow) but falls in love with a married woman (Mary Astor). Here's another film I've been meaning to watch for quite a while now and it was worth the wait, although I was hoping it would be somewhat better. The film's biggest asset is the terrific cast who all give wonderful performances. This is just the type of role Gable was born to play and he has terrific chemistry with both Harlow and Astor. Gable manages to be quite a jerk but also tender at the same time, which is what made him so legendary. Harlow is very funny in her role and Astor steals the show as the woman getting in over her head. The Pre-Code elements are also very strong with Harlow constantly showing off her body and the scene in the tub is priceless. The underline sex going on throughout the film also sets it apart from other movies of its time. I think the weakest thing was some of the plot, which is pretty familiar but the ending certainly packs a nice little punch and it somewhat made me curious if the writers of Casablanca were influenced by it.