Οι Λαθρέμποροι της Νέας Υόρκης

Karina Oliveira

-"Kirk's got a daughter; she must know something. Is it worth expenses to you?"-"What for?"-"Gin and roses."After meeting-cute with a skinny-dipping Claudette Colbert (because: journalism), Ben Lyon's San Diego-based reporter who covers the . . . well, you can surmise . . . decides to woo the adorably banged one in the hope of prying out some information that will expose her smuggler father (Ernest Torrence, no stranger to bad behavior on boats), who's been sneaking Chinese migrants into the country (or weighting and dumping them - still alive - in the Pacific when things get hot). And this is where the movie goes off the rails because the dude's smuggling strategy eventually entails . . . hiding men in the carcasses of slaughtered sharks. I mean, what can one even say? But lest you think the film is all spectacularly implausible crime schemes, Chinese slurs (plus one Italian, for . . . representation?), and murder (of humans and sharks alike), you'd be mistaken. There is more what-the-fuck-ness to be found, from Lyon dragging a corpse into his newsroom as if it’s a totally normal - not-in-the-least insane - move, Torrence's reaction to his dying first mate-turned-shark snack's plea for a picture to pray to, and a completely superfluous trip to an old Spanish prison ship so Claudette can be . . . restrained. Lyon's yet to impress me (no disrespect intended toward Bebe Daniels), and I only endorse pre-Code drunk shtick from Frank McHugh (disrespect intended toward Hobart Cavanaugh). But Torrence, who died two days before the film's release, is wonderfully craggy - compelling even when repugnant - in his final film appearance (I'd never seen him in a talkie before and expected a stronger Scottish accent), and Claudette cuts an awfully cute figure in her sweater and slacks combo, especially when trying - admirably if not entirely successfully - to sound like a fisherman's daughter. Our gal's tough and tender by turns, but always yenning for a tranquil domestic scene by a fire* on a rainy day, complete with a cozy kitty. And not just any kitty, but the best kitty aka a tortie. I've never seen one in a movie before! Firstly - yes - almost certainly a girl. Secondly, they are totally unprepared for the incoming tortitude/attraction to chaos. Seriously, though - sharks? I suppose making the smuggling-via-piscine-shaped-inflatables plot of The Mystery of the Leaping Fish look comparatively reasonable is an accomplishment in and of itself. That one's still unmatched for opiate-induced jig-ery, though. "I don't want this fish to be spilling its guts."This watch was inspired by Claudette Chronicler Shans. Check out her invaluable, Kid-assisted, take here. *I have questions about the fireplace situation. I mean, that isn't something you just move in like a fancy new desk. How understanding is this guy's landlord? Available here. Avoid the copies on Amazon Prime Video and MGM+, which chop off about 12 minutes, including the segment where Claudette keeps her plastered pop from having his cash pinched in a brothel.

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The movie opens with a skinny-dipping Claudette Colbert, an attention grabber if there ever was one. Turns out her dad (Ernest Torrence) is a fisherman and smuggler who has turned to live goods - smuggling Chinese immigrants in. When the police boat comes to do an inspection, he just ties them up and throws them overboard. Ace reporter Ben Lyon is on the case, seducing Colbert to get the goods on her old man. She's hesitant but when he ties her down in an ancient Spanish torture device she finally submits to his romancing. Not how I would normally expect a romance to go, but it's pre-code, anything goes. Later dad starts smuggling the Chinese in dead sharks. Shootouts, a brothel, alcoholism, sharp rat-a-tat newspaper man line deliveries, and a sometimes undressed, sometimes tied down Colbert provided plenty to keep me watching this pulpy melodrama to the end.

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Act one started with a reported being tasked to investigate a nude swimmer. Not too promising in my opinion. But then we get this adventure with shark hunters smuggling Chinese people and disposing of those that die in Shark corpses. There's a sequence here where they harpoon a large shark and attach a barrel and the dinghy they're riding in to a shark and it takes them for a ride. It was incredibly reminiscent of several parts of Jaws and I'd really be surprised if Spielberg did not take inspiration from this film. I was entertained by large parts of this one, but it did have several other parts in its short one hour run time that seemed off tempo comparatively. It's certainly not a bad watch for a film that's nearly 90 years old.1933 Ranked1930's RankedRomance films RankedOpen Sea RankedShark Movies Ranked