Scarlet Dawn

A Russian baron evades the violent SCARLET DAWN of the Revolution by escaping Moscow with his faithful serving maid.

Here is an excellent little film, from Warner Bros. and director William Dieterle, full of excitement, drama and pre-Code libidinousness. The production values--sets, costumes, score--are all first rate and the acting is of a high quality. The picture's only major drawback is its too-brief conclusion, perhaps necessitated by its short overall running time of under an hour, but this does not explain why the film should be so unjustly obscure today. It is a small gem awaiting discovery by viewers appreciative of quality cinema.

Douglas Fairbanks Jr is properly dashing as the young nobleman whose life is suddenly tilted upside down by the political upheaval. The actor revels in giving a full-bodied portrayal, presenting a character both wantonly licentious and daringly brave. The sequence in which he dashes into the streets of Constantinople in search of Christian witnesses to his impromptu wedding is delightful in its unexpected sense of frolic & fun. Fairbanks is ably matched by Nancy Carroll, deftly underplaying her role as his adoring servant. The sweetness of her character's simple nature shines through, as well as a steely resolve, as she endures dangers and hardships to be with the man she loves.

Lovely Lilyan Tashman, in one of her final roles before her early death, plays the scheming Russian courtesan who hopes to use Fairbanks as her ticket to the good life in Paris. Guy Kibbee, a very popular character actor at Warner's, appears for only a few moments at the end of the movie as a wealthy American visiting the Levant.

Movie mavens will recognize Mischa Auer as a Russian cavalry officer; beefy Dewey Robinson as a Bolshevik thug; nervous Frank Reicher as a duplicitous pawnbroker; as well as Mae Busch & Lee Kohlmar as the wedding witnesses--all uncredited.