Hell Harbor

If you want to view Henry King's "Hell Harbor" simply as a form of entertainment, then you'll probably enjoy it. Otherwise, it seems kind of flat, with Lupe Vélez playing a woman whose father wants to marry her off, but she hopes to flee to Havana with a sailor from the US.

I guess the fact remains that most movies out of Hollywood don't have the most complex plots. One thing about this one is that it got released before the Hays Code, and there's a scene or two that couldn't have gotten filmed a few years later.

It's somewhat entertaining, if nothing special. Vélez's co-star Jean Hersholt was the paternal half-uncle (by marriage) of Leslie Nielsen.

Henry King who was a contract director later on for 20th Century Fox and turned out some of their best films did this one for an outfit called Inspirational Pictures. The star here is Lupe Velez who by all accounts was one wild child. She plays one here in Hell Harbor.

She's the descendant of the famous pirate Henry Morgan in fact on this obscure Caribbean island everybody's a descendant of those bloodthirsty buccaneers of yore. But Lupe yearns for the big city life to be found in Havana.

Her meal ticket she sees as playboy John Holland who is arriving on his yacht and Lupe has just what he wants. Well one of the two things he wants. The other is pearls and trader Jean Hersholt has those. He also wants Lupe and Lupe's dead Gibson Gowland is quite willing to promote a marriage like that. Hersholt and Gowland have plans for Holland that don't include matrimony.

The location shooting in Tampa and surrounding environs substitute well for the Caribbean. Well it's close enough in any event. You'll also see cowboy sidekick Al St.John in an unusual non-western role as one of the island denizens. But of course there's the seductive Lupe Velez who got everyone's 1930 mojo going. Also unusual to see Jean Hersholt who is best remembered as the kindly Dr. Christian in a villainous part.

What Lupe Velez had never goes out of style.

I want to thank the reviewer who called it sleazy and fascinating. That's exactly what I want to hear and what I call a great review! Spare me the psychoanalysis people and tell me the brass tacks like he did, ok?

So I therefore watched it based on the word 'sleazy', and what do ya know? Heck, this movie is one of sleaziest ever, so hot, not a dull moment from beginning to end.

Simply one of the greatest ever made!!

"Hell Harbor" is an early talkie and it feels like it. The script is stilted and unfocused. The best part of the film is when Lupe Velez (as Anita Morgan) sings.

Unfortunately, the quality of the print I saw was very rough, with skips in both the video and audio. Some dialogue--no matter how inept--was difficult to hear.

Much of the acting is over the top. The story is very simple. And with little character development, the motivations of the characters are ambiguous. Having little to work with, the actors abilities are not showcased well.

The only real plot concerns Anita's desire to go to Havana. But her father plans to sell her (in marriage) to a coarse local who entices him with pearls.

Early talkie boasts of the degenerate barfly Gibson Gowland (from "GREED") and the lovely Lupe Velez (the Mexican Spitfire)as his daughter. Luminous location photography and distinctive sound recording overshadow the stodgy dialogue. The acting is good but overstated. Lupe is beautiful but overdoes the cuteness, like a 30's version of Sandra Bullock.