 |  | Baker Does the Charleston |  |
A wealthy couple, Andre (Pierre Batcheff) and Denise, want to get married. However, before they can wed, they must get permission from Denise's godfather, a letch who wants Denise for himself. He sees Andre as a threat, so he sends him away to his death at the hands of a terrible man. He did not count on a fiesty native named Papitou (Josephine Baker) to not only save Andre but to also fall in love with him. On Andre's trip home to wed his girlfriend, Papitou follows in hopes of finding her love and returning to happiness with him.
Baker is interesting in this film which features several trademarks. Not only is she is slightly naive native girl with a heart of gold, but this film shows off one of her trademarks: her body. In the Follies, Baker was known for her topless dances and this film reveals her assets several times. However, it is all very innocent; Papitou is about to go swimming and she also takes a bath.
Included on this DVD is a short documentary about Baker featuring commentary from her children and a woman who portrayed her in a biopic, a few video clips, and a strange short film about a drunken fireman who sees naked women all around him after going to the Follies.
July 5, 2006 | | An African American Hoofer | |
I loved Josephine Baker's role as Papatu. The film showed how beautiful and sexy Ms Baker really was. The film illustrated her excellent dance moves and a marquee talent as a leading star in the film Siren of the Tropics, she was a very decent comedic actress. I would recommend Siren of the Tropics to everyone!
July 31, 2005 | | A handful of gimmicky moves do not a dancer make | |
The good news: Josephine Baker was a vivacious on-screen presence. She had a 200 watt smile and a childlike joy and lack of self-consciousness that comes through on the big screen. The bad news: this is a great dancer? She does a duck walk here, a charleston there, throws out her derriere and does a robotic cake walk, and this makes her a great dancer? She had a small bag of dancing tricks and the act gets old very quickly. What made her a star was dancing some jazz steps topless in a fruit dress. I have some of her recordings and she couldn't sing to save her life. So, dancing the charleston naked is what this woman's gig was all about. Unfortunately, she wasn't very good at the charleston (and it isn't a very demanding dance routine). She was a novelty dancer and the novelty wears thin faster than you can say, "bring on the other acts!" The other two Kino Baker films are much more entertaining than this SILENT film. They had higher budgets and a musical track. This is only for Baker collectors.
July 22, 2005| | | Nice, lively and entertaining DVD | |
This DVD is a nice and entertaining look at coloured dancer and actress, Josephine Baker, who found fame in Paris and made her film debut in "Siren of the Tropics." This film was just made for Baker's very lively and playful screen personality as she plays a native of the Antilles who falls for a Frenchman, then follows him back to Paris. The tropical setting is ideal for Baker to show off her long legs and exotic beauty, at the same time captivating audiences with her antics, bubbly personality and constant fast yet graceful movements. Needless to say, Josephine steals the show and is the highlight of "Siren of the Tropics", but I also enjoyed the excellent musical score by Donald Sosin which included some Jazz and exotic tunes to perfectly match each scene. The colour-tinting of this film is nice, and picture quality is good overall, and even the story, while a bit weak in places perhaps, it still intriguing enough: a wealthy French Marquis has inappropriate intentions towards his goddaughter, and when she announces her engagement, the Marquis schemes to get rid of her fiancé. He sends him to the distant colonies in the Antilles where one of his henchmen is assigned to murder him, but fortunately a wild native beauty - Josephine Baker as Papitou - comes to his rescue. There is a touch of comedy here and there, especially when Papitou wants to follow her new love to France, and the final highlight of the film, no doubt, is seeing Baker dance `The Charleston'. While there is nothing outstanding or brilliant about "Siren of the Tropics", it is still very entertaining viewing, thanks to Baker's electric and energetic performance. The bonus features on this DVD also make it worth while, especially the surprising short French comedy "The Fireman of the Folies-Bergere" in which Baker also plays a small part. This short will probably be an eye-opener for the non-French due to the many nudes in this good little comedy! Other bonus material shed a bit more light on Baker herself, and is also fun to watch. Definitely an enjoyable DVD for anyone with a taste for the exotic and for exuberant 1920s dancing!
July 2, 2005The color-tinted "Siren of the Tropics(1927)" was Josephine Baker's first film. Though silent, you can almost hear her vivacious spirit speak. A young engineer is banished to the Parisian Antilles on a doomed mining project. Papitou(Baker), the jungle girl who falls for the white adventurer, follows him back to Paris. Her mad-cap chase on the ship(as a stow-away) is quite funny. She slips on mounds of coal(turning black), and then is immersed in white powder. The sequence is resolved when Baker takes a bath. Kino's "Siren of the Tropics" is a fully-restored DVD with a documentary, a short-subject, songs, and a stills-gallery. It is part of Kino's Josephine Baker DVD-trilogy. As a child in St. Louis, Baker rummaged for food behind Soulard Market. She fled to Paris at age 17. An exotic dancer, Baker was performing at the Folies Bergere by 1925. By 1927, her earnings set her above any other entertainer in Europe at the time. This film is a chance to see her famous Paris stage act. When she starred in "Siren of the Tropics", she was only 21. Through the magic of Kino, you can view this complete early film. Until just recently, all that was available was the damaged first and last two reels.
June 30, 2005More reviews at Amazon.com ...
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