A Dangerous Woman | 1929 | Drama, Melodrama

Title: A Dangerous Woman Baclanova, Clive Brook, Neil Hamilton | 1929 | Drama, Melodrama Director: Rowland V. Lee, Gerald Grove Studio: Paramount Famous Lasky Corporation Starring: Olga Baclanova, Clive Brook, Neil Hamilton, Clyde Cook, Leslie Fenton, Snitz Edwards Based on: A Woman Who Needed Killing by Margery Lawrence Release Date: May 18, 1929 Runtime: 80 minutes Format: Black-and-white; Movietone sound; 8 reels Country: United States Language: English Genres: Drama, Melodrama --- Chapters: 00:00:00 Outpost and the Commissioner’s Wife 00:16:00 Assistant’s Infatuation and Tragedy 00:38:00 Brother’s Arrival and Temptation 00:58:00 Plotting the Fatal Night 01:12:00 Aftermath and Departure --- Summary: In British East Africa, colonial commissioner Frank Gregory struggles with the destructive allure of his Russian-born wife, Tania. Craving attention, Tania ensnares the men around her, driving Frank’s young assistant to suicide and fixing her sights on Frank’s newly arrived younger brother, Bobby. As jealousy and fear mount, Frank resolves to end Tania’s influence, only for his resourceful servant Tubbs to engineer a cover story that disguises the truth. The film explores obsession, moral compromise, and the corrosive effects of desire within an isolated outpost. --- Background: Paramount produced this early sound, pre-Code melodrama from Margery Lawrence’s short story A Woman Who Needed Killing, a title the studio replaced for release. Shot at Paramount’s Hollywood facilities, the production recreated a “jungle” outpost on a soundstage to accommodate microphone-era sound constraints; Movietone recording was used. Contemporary trade coverage and later cataloging credit Rowland V. Lee and technical director Gerald Grove, with a screenplay by John Farrow and Edward E. Paramore Jr. --- Trivia: The film’s working title, The Woman Who Needed Killing, was changed by Paramount prior to release; the provocative phrase persisted as an alternate title in advertising and later references. Newspaper critics covered the New York opening week in May 1929, with Mordaunt Hall reviewing the picture in The New York Times shortly after its premiere. Variety ran its review in late May 1929, noting the African outpost setting and the story’s emphasis on fatal attraction. Olga Baclanova was billed onscreen simply as “Baclanova,” a mononymous credit the studio used in marketing. Trade reports described the production’s stage-bound “jungle,” filmed largely at night and featuring language and music coaching for scenes depicting local communities. Neil Hamilton, who plays Bobby Gregory, later became widely known to television audiences as Commissioner Gordon on Batman . --- Public Domain / Rights: Original Release: May 18, 1929 Original Studio / Distributor: Paramount Famous Lasky Corporation / Paramount Pictures Copyright Status: Public Domain --- Hashtags: PublicDomain ClassicFilm PreCode 1929 Paramount OlgaBaclanova CliveBrook NeilHamilton Source page: https: //commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_Dangerous_Woman_(retitled_A_Woman_Who_Needed_Killing)_(1929)_Baclanova,_Clive_Brook,_Neil_Hamilton.webm Direct media URL: https: //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/38/A_Dangerous_Woman_%28retitled_A_Woman_Who_Needed_Killing%29_%281929%29_Baclanova%2C_Clive_Brook%2C_Neil_Hamilton.webm