The lost horizon of Mrs. Herbert Yates.
Like many, I have been seeking out the films of Vera Hruba Ralston for years. Other than the few films she did with John Wayne, they've been rather obscure, and you had to really search the schedules of the late, late show to find them. I managed to find a few here and there, but even the major classic movie channels have skipped over them. "Angel on the Amazon" is the one I've seeked out the most, first because of its Maria Montez like title, second because of veteran stars George Brent and Constance Bennett, matinée idols in the early 1930's, but basically reduced to B films by the early 1940's. They are still striking to look at, and when compared to the dull Ms. Ralston, they are Lunt and Fontanne.This starts off with pure adventure and great promise as explorer Brent and doctor Bennett head into the jungle and end up crashing, rescued from headhunters by Ralston who disappears as fast as she arrives. Brent and Bennett end up in Rio del Janeiro, ironically running into her, and coming across secrets so shocking that you won't believe it...that is if you're not the most gullible person on the planet. The fact that the leads play it so completely serious makes it almost funny, especially as the second half overloads itself with flashbacks.
I wish this had been made in color; it seems to cry out for it with the exotic settings. There's a lot of continuity issues as well, with time periods in the flashbacks seemingly set in the present day. By being in the past yet seemingly living in modern times, this makes you wonder if they didn't even bother hiring a continuity director. I've mentioned in my reviews of Ralston's films that she's more just boring than awful, and with Brent, Bennett and fellow veteran Brian Aherne surrounding her, that is much more obvious. Still, this is a fascinating failure, and one that even with its many flaws, it's totally irresistible.
score 4/10
mark.waltz 27 June 2017
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw3740654/34958
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