MADAM SATAN (1930)

MadamSatan -o Madame Satan- es una comedia musical estadounidense PreCode de 1930 en blanco y negro y con secuencias en Multicolor. Fue producida y dirigida por Cecil B. DeMille y protagonizada por Kay Johnson, Reginald Denny, Lillian Roth y Roland Young.

Se ha consideradoMadamSatan como una de las películas más extrañas que hizo DeMille y, sin duda, una de las más extrañas que hizo la MGM durante la "edad de oro" de Hollywood. Temáticamente, marcó el intento de DeMille por regresar al género de las comedias de alcoba que le habían proporcionado éxito económico unos 10 años antes.

Canciones

• "Vive y ama hoy", cantada por Elsa Petersen y Kay Johnson, letra de Elsie Janis, música de Jack King
• "Todo lo que sé es que estás en mis brazos", cantada por Reginald Denny y Kay Johnson
• "Esto es amor", cantada por Reginald Denny y Kay Johnson (Falta en las impresiones existentes (ver más abajo); letra de Clifford Grey, música de Herbert Stothart
• "Te presento a Madam", cantada por Kay Johnson, por Gray y Stothhart
• "Malvado e injunto", cantada por Lillian Roth
• "El paseo de la gata", cantada por Wallace MacDonald, por Gray y Stothhart
• "Vamos a alguna parte"
• "Ballet Mecánico", sin acreditar

Banda sonora

Abe Lyman, a quien se puede ver en MadamSatan, fue contratado para tocar la música. Grabó dos temas de la película para Brunswick Records. "Live And Love Today" y "ThisIs Love" se lanzaron en la popular serie de 10 pulgadas de Brunswick con el número de registro 4804. El sello Regal en Australia también lanzó una versión de "Live And Love To-Day" de los Trovadores Rítmicos, número de registro. G20999, en 1930.

Coreografía

Theodore Kosloff, habitual de DeMille y más conocido como director de baile, fue contratado originalmente por DeMille para hacer la coreografía de la película, pero la MGM insistió en Leroy Prinz. Sin embargo, algunos expertos en danza creen que Kosloff sí coreografía el "Ballet Mechanicique", ya que parece más representativo de su obra que de la de Prinz.

Producción

Las secuencias del zeppelin se filmaron originalmente en multicolor y los críticos elogiaron las secuencias de color por su riqueza y belleza. Estas secuencias de color sobreviven hoy sólo en una copia en blanco y negro.

Originalmente, DeMille quería que la escritora Dorothy Parker complementara el guión original de JeanieMacPherson. Al enterarse de que Parker vivía en Francia y que esto dificultaría demasiado la colaboración, DeMille buscó a la escritora de vodevil Elsie Janis. Aceptó trabajar en el proyecto, pero se fue amistosamente el 24 de marzo de 1930 debido a diferencias creativas. Según se informa, a Janis no le gustó la dirección en la que iba el guión.

El censor de Hollywood Jason Joy trabajó con DeMille para minimizar los elementos censurables en unguión potencialmente objetable. "Acordaron que los vestidos de las chicas en la fiesta de disfraces fueran menos audaces. Medias corporales, hojas de parra más grandes y redes de pesca translúcidas se encargaron de la mayor parte de la desnudez. Las escenas de bebida fueron atenuadas...", el disfraz de Angela de "MadamSatan" También se hizo más discreto. Se eliminó una escena completa en la que Angela se enfrenta a Trixie, y se muestra a Trixiellevando un camisón transparente porque "ella no tiene nada que ocultar". La colaboración acabó resultando agradable para ambos hombres. La junta de censura de Ohio, notoriamente quisquillosa, aprobó la película sin cortes.

Se quería a Thomas Meighan para el papel principal de Bob Brooks antes de que se eligiera a Reginald Denny el 9 de enero de 1930. DeMille quería a Gloria Swanson para el papel de Ángela, pero, según los informes, su amante y socio comercial Joseph P. Kennedy la persuadió paraque no aceptara el papel. Swanson todavía estaba tratando de salvar su desastrosa aventura en La reina Kelly (1929) y le aconsejaron que apareciera en películas realizadas únicamente por su propia productora. Aunque originalmente estaba previsto que se rodara en 70 días, se necesitaron 59, el rodaje principal comenzó el 3 de marzo y finalizó el 2 de mayo de 1930. MadamSatan fue la película más cara realizada por la Metro en 1930, y seguiría siendo su musical más caro hasta La viuda alegre (1934).

Recibimiento

MadamSatan se estrenó en un momento en que los cines estadounidenses se habían saturado de musicales y, como resultado, fue un fracaso económico que arrojó como resultado final una pérdida neta de 390.000 dólares.

Madam Satan or Madame Satan is a 1930 American pre-Code musical comedy film in black and white with Multicolor sequences. It was produced and directed by Cecil B. DeMille and starred Kay Johnson, Reginald Denny, Lillian Roth, and Roland Young

Madam Satan has been called one of the oddest films DeMille made and certainly one of the oddest MGM made during Hollywood's "golden age". Thematically, this marked an attempt by DeMille to return to the boudoir comedies genre that had brought him financial success about 10 years earlier.

Songs

"Live and Love Today", sung by Elsa Petersen and Kay Johnson, words by Elsie Janis, music by Jack King

"All I Know Is You're in My Arms", sung by Reginald Denny and Kay Johnson

"This Is Love", sung by Reginald Denny and Kay Johnson (Missing from extant prints (see below); words by Clifford Grey, music by Herbert Stothart

"Meet Madam", sung by Kay Johnson, by Grey and Stothhart

"Low Down", sung by Lillian Roth

"The Cat Walk", sung by Wallace MacDonald, by Grey and Stothhart

"We're Going Somewhere"

"Ballet Mecanique", uncredited

Soundtrack

Abe Lyman, who can be seen in Madam Satan, was hired to play the music. He recorded two numbers from the film for Brunswick Records. "Live And Love Today" and "This Is Love" were released on Brunswick's popular 10-inch series as record number 4804. Regal label in Australia also released a version of "Live And Love To-Day" by the Rhythmic Troubadours, record number G20999, in 1930.

Choreography

Theodore Kosloff, a DeMille regular who was better known as a dance director, was originally hired by DeMille to do the film's choreography, but MGM insisted on Leroy Prinz. However, some dance experts believe that Kosloff did choreograph the "Ballet Mechanicique", as it seems more representative of his work than that of Prinz.

Production

The Zeppelin sequences were originally filmed in Multicolor.The color sequences were praised by reviewers for their richness and beauty. These color sequences survive only in a black and white copy today.

DeMille originally wanted writer Dorothy Parker to augment Jeanie MacPherson's original script. Learning that Parker was living in France, and that this would make collaboration too difficult, DeMille then sought vaudeville writer Elsie Janis. She agreed to work on the project, but left amicably on March 24, 1930, due to creative differences. Janis reportedly did not like the direction the script was going.

Hollywood censor Jason Joy worked with DeMille to minimize censorable elements in the potentially objectionable script. "They agreed to put less revealing costumes on the girls at the masquerade party. Body stockings, larger fig leaves and translucent fishnets took care of most of the nudity. The drinking scenes were toned down ...", Angela's "Madam Satan" costume also was made less revealing. An entire scene in which Angela confronts Trixie, and Trixie is shown wearing a sheer nightgown because she "has nothing to hide" was deleted. The collaboration ended up being agreeable to both men. The notoriously finicky Ohio censor board passed the film without cuts.

Thomas Meighan was sought for the lead role of Bob Brooks before Reginald Denny was cast on January 9, 1930. DeMille wanted Gloria Swanson for the role of Angela, but her lover and business partner Joseph P. Kennedy reportedly persuaded her not to accept the role. Swanson still was trying to salvage her disastrous venture in Queen Kelly (1929) and was advised to appear in films only made by her own production company. Although originally scheduled to be shot in 70 days, it took 59, with principal photography commencing on March 3 and ending on May 2, 1930. Madam Satan was the most expensive film made by Metro in 1930, and would remain its most expensive musical until The Merry Widow (1934).

Reception

Madam Satan was released at a time when American theaters had become saturated with musicals, and as a result, it was a financial failure, eventually resulting in a net loss of $390,000.

In his review for The New York Times, film critic Mordaunt Hall described Madam Satan as "an inept story with touches of comedy that are more tedious than laughable." He further noted the film "is a strange conglomeration of unreal incidents that are sometimes set forth with no little technical skill. It begins with the flash of a bird bath and closes with the parachuting of passengers from a giant dirigible that is struck by lightning. This production, in which occasional songs are rendered, boasts of no fewer than 46 listed characters besides Abe Lyman and his band."

A similar review by Edwin Schallert in the Los Angeles Times noted: "The general impression of the DeMille picture is that it is too much in one key. The superabundance of sound palls, and leaves one weary. Besides, there is a staginess about the whole result that casts anything approaching convictions to one side." The Film Daily, a trade paper widely read by theater owners in 1930, also highlighted in its review the production's alleged excesses, including its extravagant production values and the frequent use of "risque lines" in its dialogue. The paper in its October 5 issue summarizes the film in all-capital letters as a "TYPICAL DE MILLE ORGY OF SPECTACULAR SETTINGS AND COSTUMES WITH 'HOT' LINES THAT KILL IT FOR FAMILY TRADE."

E. B. White in The New Yorker, 11 October 1930, wrote:"it contrives some of the most ludicrous moments ever flung on screen".

"probably the wackiest semi-musical-comedy/romance/drama/disaster film you're likely to encounter in this lifetime"

Today, a reassessment is taking place; though some only regard the film as an amusing oddity and an exercise in DeMille using "too much of everything just because he can."

Preservation

The current print of Madam Satan has all of the color sequences in black-and-white and is missing at least one musical number. According to film reviews of 1930, Kay Johnson and Reginald Denny originally sang "This Is Love," but in the currently circulating print, this song is only heard playing in the background during a scene in which Johnson is speaking to her maid.

Traducción de texto: Óscar Oliva