Clive Brook is the administrator of a stretch of territory in British Africa. His mistress is Olga Baclanova. She has a hobby of captivating men and driving them to suicide. When Brooks' younger brother, Neil Hamilton, is on his way to join him, he tells Miss Baclanova she must not captivate the boy. She decides to do so anyway.
Miss Baclanova - she is credited here only under her last name - is a rather wan woman who maintains a fine hairdo in the jungle. The movie is severely compromised for the modern viewer because of its extensive use of blackface (including Snitz Edwards, in his talkie debut, as a local chief), a silly Vamp plot, the lackluster appearance of Miss Baclanova, and her nearly incomprehensible line readings. Contemporary audiences were undoubtedly interested in hearing her speak, but soon lost interest. Her movie career was essentially over by 1933. She appeared on the stage for a decade or two, returned to the movies for a one-shot recreation of a stage role in 1943, and eventually retired to Switzerland. She died there in 1974, aged 81.
Miss Baclanova - she is credited here only under her last name - is a rather wan woman who maintains a fine hairdo in the jungle. The movie is severely compromised for the modern viewer because of its extensive use of blackface (including Snitz Edwards, in his talkie debut, as a local chief), a silly Vamp plot, the lackluster appearance of Miss Baclanova, and her nearly incomprehensible line readings. Contemporary audiences were undoubtedly interested in hearing her speak, but soon lost interest. Her movie career was essentially over by 1933. She appeared on the stage for a decade or two, returned to the movies for a one-shot recreation of a stage role in 1943, and eventually retired to Switzerland. She died there in 1974, aged 81.