Forbidden Melody

1933 film directed by Frank R. Strayer

September 13, 1933 (1933-09-13) (US)^[1]

Running time

8 reelsCountryUnited StatesLanguageSpanish

La melodía prohibida, translated into English in English reviews as Forbidden Melody, was a 1933 American Spanish language drama film directed by Frank Strayer, which stars José Mojica, Conchita Montenegro, and Mona Maris. The screenplay was written by Paul Perez and Enrique Jardiel Poncela, from a story by Eve Unsell. It was produced and distributed by Fox Films, which released it on September 13, 1933.

Plot

Kalu and Tuila are two South Pacific islanders who are getting married. Invited to their wedding are several tourists who have recently arrived aboard a yacht. During the wedding Kalu sings a "Forbidden Melody", which is a song that a young man sings only once in his life, on the day of his wedding. However, he is enticed by Peggy, a nightclub performer who arrived on the yacht, into an illicit affair, eventually leaving with the tourists when their yacht departs. One of the other tourists is a nightclub owner, who offers Kalu a job back in the states.

In the states, Kalu pursues Peggy, who leads him on. He performs the "Forbidden Melody", which is recorded. Eventually, Kalu discovers that Peggy was just leading him on. Despondent, one night he gets quite drunk, and believing that he hears Tuila's calling to him, he runs into the street, where he is struck and killed by a fire engine.

At home in the South Pacific, the island's governor hears the recording of Kalu singing the "Forbidden Melody".

Cast

José Mojica as Kalu
Conchita Montenegro as Tuila
Mona Maris as Peggy
Romualdo Tirado as Al Martin
Juan Martínez Plá as Bob Grant
Carmen Rodríguez as Tía Olivia
Antonio Vidal as El gobernador
Ralph Navarro as Tom Nichols
Agostino Borgato as Win Ta Tu
Soledad Jiménez as Fa Uma
Charles Bancroft as Ricky Doyle

Reception

The film was reviewed by The San Francisco Examiner, The New York Times, and The Film Daily. The Examiner said the film allowed Mojica to display his wonderful tenor voice, and called the picture "beautifully produced ... is rich in romance".^[2] The Film Daily called it an "entertaining fantasy, something in the nature of a modern Garden of Eden."^[3]

References

^ "La melodía prohibida: Detail View". American Film Institute. Archived from the original on September 25, 2017. Retrieved September 25, 2017.
^ "Filmarte Reopens Here This Week". The San Francisco Examiner. November 16, 1933. p. 13. Retrieved September 9, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
^ ""Melodia Prohibada"". The Film Daily. March 28, 1934. p. 9. Retrieved January 13, 2024.