Film vs Film
Select two cult films to compare side by side.
Cuerpo y alma Synopsis
Tried and true story of three young buddies thrust into danger (in this case, World War I aviation), some of whom come back, while some are less lucky. Films about WWI fliers had been spectacularly successful in the U.S. in the early 1930s, like "Wings," "Hell's Angels," and "Dawn Patrol." The Fox Studio evidently hoped this particular story, written by Furthman and others, had enough box office potential that Fox filmed it in 2 versions, the original English-speaking one (see under "Body and Soul" (1931)), and this Spanish-language "Cuerpo y alma" [literal translation of "Body and Soul"]. In the Spanish version the three fliers were played by Lewis (Farrell's role), Alcantara (Bogart), Nieto (Dillaway) and the two women by Custodio (Landi) and Soler (Loy). It's ironic that this Spanish version actually ran a half-hour longer than the original English one (99 min. vs. 70 min.), although it's the same story filmed in the same sets. Perhaps Fox was so disappointed with the English-speaking result that after completion the studio cut it down radically (to play on US screens as part of a double feature), while the Spanish version actually preserved intact the complete original story...? (Something similar did happen that same year to the English and Spanish versions of "Dracula.")
A Sister to Salome Synopsis
When famous opera singer Elinore Duane undergoes an operation on her throat, she has a series of ether-induced visions. In one, she is transported to ancient Rome where she appears as a much-admired woman in love with Paul, a young heretic, and at odds with Lutor, the high priest. To save her love, she poisons Lutor with her ring. After several other visions which involve variations on this love triangle, Elinore awakens to discover that Lutor is actually her doctor, Sascha Jaccard, and that Paul is the son of a friend who has come to visit the recovering prima donna.
"Cuerpo y alma" holds a slight edge in general audience appreciation, but "A Sister to Salome" offers its own unique cult appeal.
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Cuerpo y almaBoth films share