Wordiezett So much average

VeteranLight I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

Arianna Moses Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

Rosie Searle It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

MartinHafer Yikes! When "Siren of the Tropics" began I felt like I was going through an earthquake! That's because the print from Kino had a very noticeable shake--and continued doing so through the film. Now it is possible that you might not notice it as much as me and won't get motion sick watching it, as I watched it on a 58 inch TV that only exacerbated the problem.The story begins in France. A rather despicable rich guy and his wife are arguing--he wants a divorce and she suspects he wants this so he can marry their goddaughter--who they have been caring for over the years! Yuck! However, the young lady has no idea he's thinking of her this way. Instead, she's in love with nice-guy, André. When the nasty rich guy finds out about this, he pretends to give his approval and sends the future groom to a supposedly wonderful temporary assignment--to oversee his mines in Africa. However, the rich jerk sends word to his evil overseer, Alvarez, to kill André! And, soon enough, Alvarez tries--though I must admit the attempt is really lame! Much of the reason André survives is because his body is discovered by a strange local girl, Papitou (Josephine Baker). Soon, reinforcements arrive--Alvarez is captured and André's fiancée and her godmother arrive. The three of them go back to France and soon after, Papitou manages to take a ship bound for France as well.Papitou is very fortunate, as she first comes upon a job as a governess (scenes of her with the children were very reminiscent of her real life, as Baker had over the years adopted a rainbow of children). Soon, she is discovered by some theater owners who want to feature her and her dancing in their upcoming show (again, not far from real life, as Baker was a huge hit in France due to her exotic dancing).When the evil rich guy learns that she is ALSO in love with André, he sets up André and claims the innocent man is having an affair with the dancer. Ultimately, André demands a duel with the rich jerk because he learned he was behind the attempt on his life AND the supposed affair). Not wanting to see her beloved André die, Papitou arrives at the site of the duel and intervenes--killing the pig. In the end, however, she is a good woman and understands that André does not love her--and she gives his fiancée her blessing.This is a very watchable film and is quite interesting as it gives you a chance to not only see Miss Baker in her first film but to also see her dance. Additionally, while you may or may not want to see it, you also see a lot of the lovely Miss Baker naked--and the film makers seemed to contrive many situations where you can see her topless--and a bit more. The nudity, though exploitational, also seemed rather innocent as well.The most serious problem with the film was Miss Baker's acting. While generally very good, there is one scene where she over-emotes horribly--and I assume the director was really at fault for this. For example, in the scene where the fiancée arrived in Africa, watch Baker's reaction. It is SUPPOSED to be surprise, sadness and perhaps anger. Instead, she just appears to have a bad case of schizophrenia or drug addiction! Too bad, as she was quite good in much of the film--and her craft did improve in subsequent films.

tavm If you watch Siren of the Tropics with the mindset of the 21st century, try not to pay too much attention to the melodramatic plot about a tycoon trying to keep his daughter from marrying someone he doesn't think worthy of her. This seems to be an excuse to send the daughter's suitor to a faraway jungle to search for jewelry in order to prove the daughter's worth. It is here that we meet Papitou, Josephine Baker's character, who falls for the suitor after saving his life. Papitou follows the suitor back to France and is spotted by some theatrical agents dancing with orphan children. They decide to form a show with her but she won't perform unless she is promised to see the suitor. They call the suitor's potential father-in-law to arrange a meeting. Since the potential father-in-law knows what would happen if his daughter sees Papitou embrace her husband-to-be, he agrees. If you've seen some dramas involving mixed races made before the 1970s, you may be surprised by what happens here. The main reason to see this is to marvel at Ms. Baker's Charleston dance at the end. If you're interested in seeing early African-American film performances, especially Josephine Baker's, this one is definitely worth seeking out!

Snow Leopard Although it came very early in her film acting career, this is well worth seeing for the performance by Josephine Baker. Her talent more than makes up for any lack of experience, and the role gives her a lot to work with. Although there is no singing, her dancing, athleticism, boundless energy, and personal allure all stand out. The rest of the movie is solid rather than impressive, but most of it works all right in itself.Baker plays Papitou, an innocent, loyal native girl who becomes part of a clash involving a soulless French nobleman, his brutal colonial henchman, and a young engineer hoping to succeed in the tropics so that he can marry his Parisian fiancée. The first half shows the conflict that plays out in the tropics, and the second half shows the characters back in Paris, with the different settings naturally leading to much different kinds of developments.Baker's role has many similarities to her roles in later movies such as "Princesse Tam Tam" and "Zou Zou". As her first such role, she not only looks quite young, but also seems to have an extra freshness here. The character also is put in very different circumstances in the different parts of the story. From that viewpoint, the first half is more enjoyable, since it shows Papitou in her element. In the second half of the movie, her character is treated rather thanklessly, and at times it is almost painful seeing such an appealing character treated so badly by the story and by the other characters - which indicates how believably Baker defines her character.

psteier I only saw the first and last two reels, supposedly all of the file that has survived. Josephine Baker's role is similar to her roles in Zouzou (1934) and Princess Tam-Tam (1935), the innocent from the tropics who is brought to civilization and finds it somewhat wanting. However, she does get to keep a man in the end.Most interesting for Josephine Baker. It includes a short segment of one of her stage dances. Seeing her move in close-up is also a pleasure. The film is an oddity in that it was shot as a pantomime (there are no titles).