DbcultAccessing Vault...
5.5/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 5.5/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Never the Twain Shall Meet remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
Honestly, you should only watch this if you’re a completist for early 1930s talkies or if you find the idea of Leslie Howard being a "guardian" to a wild island girl hilarious. It’s a bit of a slog for anyone else.
If you hate movies where white guys act like they’ve discovered 'nature' while treating women like pets, you will definitely want to skip this one. It’s a lot.
Dan is this stiff-collared guy working in San Francisco who is supposed to marry Maisie. His friends call her "the icebox" because she’s apparently very cold and boring.
Then this ship rolls in and the Captain has leprosy. It’s a pretty dark way to start a movie, and they just kind of brush past it once he dies and leaves his daughter, Tamea, to Dan.
Tamea is played by Conchita Montenegro, and she is basically the human version of a firecracker. She doesn't understand San Francisco rules and thinks the best way to get what she wants is to just demand kisses constantly.
It’s a weird dynamic. Dan is trying to be a father figure but he clearly has no idea what he's doing, and the movie gets real awkward real fast.
Eventually, Dan decides he’s done with the city and moves to the islands with Tamea. This is where the movie tries to be deep but mostly just shows Dan looking sweaty and miserable.
There’s a scene where he’s sitting in a hut, looking at his old shoes or something, and you can just see him thinking, "I made a huge mistake." It’s actually the most relatable part of the film.
The pacing is all over the place. One minute they are in a fancy office, and the next they are in a badly lit jungle set that looks like it was made of paper mache.
It’s not as funny as Parlor, Bedroom and Bath, and it’s not as exciting as other dramas from this era. It just kind of sits there.
The ending feels rushed, like they ran out of film or the actors had a bus to catch. Dan just sort of... realizes things. It’s very abrupt.
If you’ve seen Tom Sawyer and want something completely opposite and much more depressing, I guess this works. 🌴
I wouldn't watch it again, but I’m glad I saw the part where he realizes that the 'tropical paradise' is mostly just bugs and heat. That felt real.
IMDb —
1927
Community
Log in to comment.
