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Movies Forum Index » Movie Reviews Forum » Retrospective: Heat Lightning (1934)...
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| Jerry Saravia... |
 Posted: Wed May 07, 2008 12:45 pm |
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HEAT LIGHTNING (1934)
Reviewed by Jerry Saravia
RATING: Four stars
In the first scene of "Heat Lightning," there is a slow pan shot
across the desert that settles in on a lonely gas station/cafe. Right
away we are in the throes of the atmospheric western noir trappings of
"Heat Lightning," a true original and a precursor to films with
central women characters in a remote setting like "Gas, Food Lodging"
and "Bagdad Cafe."
"Heat Lightning" stars Aline MacMahon as Olga, a tough, possibly
bitter woman who runs a service station where she is the lone fixer
upper on servicing cars, and that includes fixing the engine! (Women
did all kinds of jobs in this early period of Hollywood movies). Her
younger sister, the ingenue Myra (Ann Dvorak, who may be best known as
Scarface's sister in the original 1932 classic, "Scarface"), runs the
cafe, handing out sandwiches and cold Coca-Cola bottles to weary
travelers who want to get away from the intense heat. This is a lonely
existence in the middle of the desert and, though Olga seems
satisfied, Myra wants to escape, to get away. She wants to go to a
dance but Olga disapproves, probably hoping she is not left alone to
run the place (and she knows what the world of untrustworthy men is
like beyond the desert). A quarrel ensues between them where Olga
behaves more like a doting mother than a sister, and there is even a
suggestion, possibly unmerited but you never know, of Olga having
lesbian tendencies, or at least acting tomboyish to deflect any men
from her direction (she wears a bandana, looking as unglamorous as
possible).
For example, one day, an old flame of Olga's arrives at the cafe named
George (Preston Foster), a thief and con man on the run from his
latest heist with his partner (Lyle Talbot). George makes nice with
Olga, trying to woo her back when in fact he is up to his old tricks.
Olga resists yet she smiles, and even wears makeup and a dress to
welcome back the former man in her life! There might be an intended or
unintended subtext in there.
Meanwhile, Myra persists and disobeys Olga by going to the dance while
a boisterous Mexican family and two rich dames and their chauffeur
from Reno find lodging, and there is the matter of some precious
jewelry.
Based on a play by Leon Abrams and George Abbott, "Heat Lightning" has
enough tension, atmosphere and hypnotic shots to merit a lasting
impression, all in a little more than 64 minutes. Particularly
effective are Aline MacMahon and Ann Dvorak, two sisters with opposite
personalities and purpose, trying to live some semblance of a life in
the middle of the desert. What is more remarkable is that this is
possibly the first noir western we have ever had, especially one with
such a remote setting. "The Petrified Forest" may have a similar
setting but that was set 2 years later. Here, we have what starts as a
character study that mixes in some noir characters, hence Olga's
former bad boy lover, and other noirish aspects like sex, intrigue,
jealousy betrayal with some comic relief thrown in.
"Heat Lightning" was later remade as "Highway West" in 1941, unseen by
me. "Heat Lightning" deserves a wider audience and some context in its
subversive combination of genres and its pre-code subject matter (and,
again, with having two female protagonists). It has been shown on TCM
but if you happen to catch it again, then you'll swear that 65 minutes
have never induced such sweaty tension as this original.
For more reviews, check out JERRY AT THE MOVIES at:
http://www.geocities.com/faustus_08520/Jerry_at_the_Movies.html
BIO on the author of this page at:
http://www.geocities.com/faustus_08520/index.html
Email me with any questions or complaints at Faust668 at (no spam) msn.com or at
faustus_08520 at (no spam) yahoo.com |
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