The Squall | 1929 | Drama

Title: The Squall | 1929 | Drama Director: Alexander Korda. Studio: First National Pictures. Starring: Myrna Loy, Richard Tucker, Alice Joyce, Loretta Young, Carroll Nye. Based on: The Squall by Jean Bart. Release Date: May 9, 1929. Runtime: 102 minutes. Format: Black and white; All-Talking with Vitaphone soundtrack. Country: United States. Language: English. Genres: Drama. --- Chapters: 00:00:00 Opening credits and storm 00:09:30 Nubi takes shelter 00:32:00 Entanglements in the Lajos household 00:57:00 Paul and Josef under Nubi’s sway 01:28:00 El Moro’s return and resolution --- Summary: During a sudden storm in rural Hungary, a young Romani woman, Nubi, seeks refuge with the prosperous Lajos family. Welcomed into the household, she gradually disrupts its harmony, captivating the servant Peter, the son Paul, and eventually the patriarch Josef, straining bonds with Paul’s sweetheart Irma and unsettling the domestic order. As tensions mount and suspicions grow, a man from Nubi’s past, El Moro, arrives and exposes her history, bringing the family’s ordeal to a close. The narrative explores desire, deception, and the restoration of social equilibrium in the wake of emotional upheaval. --- Background: The film adapts Jean Bart’s 1926 Broadway success The Squall and relocates the action to Hungary. It was Alexander Korda’s first all-talking feature, produced by First National Pictures with sound recorded via the Vitaphone system. Production ran from January to April 1929, with a New York opening on May 9 and wider release later that month. Reports note that night shooting at the Burbank facilities accommodated heavy daytime use of the soundstage. --- Trivia: The theme song Gypsy Charmer, by Harry Akst and Grant Clarke, is performed in the film and recurs in the score. Loretta Young appears as Irma, an early role in her transition to talking pictures. Contemporary censorship in Chicago required multiple dialogue cuts and the removal of a suggestive struggle scene before exhibition. The original Broadway play ran for 443 performances at the 48th Street Theatre, staged by Lionel Atwill. Preservation records indicate the film survives with its Vitaphone soundtrack; holdings are documented at the Library of Congress, and it has been made available via the Warner Archive Collection. --- Public Domain / Rights: Original Release: May 9, 1929. Original Studio / Distributor: First National Pictures. Copyright Status: Public Domain . Renewal: Unknown. --- Hashtags: TheSquall 1929 AlexanderKorda MyrnaLoy LorettaYoung PreCode FirstNational Vitaphone PublicDomain ClassicFilm Source page: https: //commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Squall_(1929).webm Direct media URL: https: //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/06/The_Squall_%281929%29.webm