Laughing Boy Review: A weirdly pretty but awkward 1930s drama

If you have about an hour and a half to kill and want to see what Hollywood thought 'authentic' looked like in 1934, Laughing Boy is your movie. It is a curiosity, for sure.

I think people who collect old studio films will find it interesting. If you can’t stand seeing white or Latino actors wearing heavy dark makeup to play Native Americans, you are going to absolutely hate this. 🌵

Ramon Novarro plays the lead, Laughing Boy. He’s supposed to be this pure, traditional soul who makes incredible silver jewelry.

I couldn't stop looking at his hair. It looks like a wig that’s about two sizes too big, and he spends a lot of time staring intensely at the horizon like he’s trying to remember if he left the stove on.

Then you have Lupe Velez as Slim Girl. Honestly, she’s the only reason to keep watching.

She’s got this nervous energy that actually feels real. Her character was raised by white people, so she’s 'tainted' in the eyes of the tribe, which is a pretty heavy theme for a movie this old.

She wears these high heels in the desert sand and it looks incredibly uncomfortable. I kept waiting for her to twist an ankle.

The romance happens fast. One minute they are looking at each other across a fire, and the next, they are basically soulmates.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Laughing Boy (1934) through its definitive frames.

It has that weird 1930s pacing where everything is either very slow or way too fast. There is no middle ground.

The scenery is actually pretty great, though. They clearly went out to some real locations, and the wide shots of the mesas are better than the actual acting.

It reminds me a bit of the desert vibes in The River of Romance, though that one feels a bit more grounded in its own melodrama.

I noticed a small detail: the jewelry they use in the movie looks legit. The silver belts and turquoise necklaces have this heavy, cold look to them that you don't see in cheap props.

There is a scene where Laughing Boy is working on a piece of silver, and the movie actually slows down to show the process. I liked that part.

The plot gets messy when a white rancher shows up. Slim Girl has been seeing him for money, and it’s all very scandalous for a Code-era film.

The dialogue is... well, it’s what you’d expect. Lots of talk about 'the white man's path' and 'the ways of the people.'

It feels like it was written by someone who read a book about Navajo culture once but never actually talked to a human being from the tribe.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Laughing Boy (1934) through its definitive frames.

I kept thinking about The Honor System while watching the legal drama bits. It has that same stiff, moralistic tone that makes you want to squirm in your seat.

Lupe Velez has this one reaction shot when she’s caught in a lie. Her face just drops, and for a second, you forget about the bad makeup and the silly title.

She was a really good actress, even when the material was beneath her. 🎬

The ending is a real downer. It feels like the writers didn't know how to resolve the cultural conflict, so they just chose the most dramatic exit possible.

It’s not quite as raw or impressive as something like Grass: A Nation's Battle for Life, but it’s trying to be 'important.'

I did find a typo in the opening credits, or maybe it was just a weird font. It doesn't matter, but it made me chuckle.

Is it a good movie? Probably not by modern standards.

But it’s a fascinating look at how Hollywood used to handle 'diversity' by just painting everyone brown and hoping for the best.

If you like Lupe Velez, watch it. If you want a deep look at Navajo life, maybe go read a history book instead.

One last thing: the dog in the movie is a very good boy. He deserves a better film.