Sold by Warner Bros. as "A Strange and Glorious Romance in a World Gone Mad," this pre-Code shocker used the decadence of the Russian aristocracy as a pretext for pushing the boundaries. The orgy scene early in the film has enough flesh and debauchery to launch a revolution among film censors. Yet the story ultimately boils down to a tale of heroism and devotion as Russian aristocrat Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. flees the Russian Revolution with the help of former servant Nancy Carroll. As their love grows, his former mistress (Lilyan Tashman) pops up for some decidedly sophisticated temptation, but it's not hard to tell which woman Fairbanks will ultimately choose. Director William Dieterle had originally come to Hollywood to direct German versions of other directors' films for Warner Bros., but studio management was so impressed with his work he was soon promoted to directing his own pictures. With Scarlet Dawn he pulled out all the stops to cram all the vice, romance and revolution he could into just under an hour, pointing the way to his later prestige pictures like The Story of Louis Pasteur (1936) and Juarez (1939). Though long forgotten and long out of circulation after the arrival of strict Production Code enforcement, the film offers a fascinating glimpse at one of Warners' top directors at the start of his career there.

By Frank Miller