By Frank Miller
Scarlet Dawn
Brief Synopsis
A Russian nobleman and his fiancee elope to live as peasants in Turkey.
Cast & Crew
Read More
William Dieterle
Director
Douglas Fairbanks
[Baron] Nikita Krasnoff
Nancy Carroll
Tanyusha
Lilyan Tashman
Vera Zimina
Guy Kibbee
Murphy
Sheila Terry
Marjorie [Murphy]
Film Details
Also Known As
Revolt
Genre
Drama
Romance
Release Date
Nov
12,
1932
Premiere Information
New York premiere: 2 Nov 1932
Production Company
Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc.
Distribution Company
The Vitaphone Corp.; Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc.
Country
United States
Screenplay Information
Based on the novel Revolt by Mary McCall, Jr. (publication undetermined).
Technical Specs
Duration
60m
Sound
Mono, Vitaphone
Color
Black and White
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
1.37 : 1
Film Length
7 reels
Synopsis
In 1917, while Baron Nikita Krasnoff is on leave from his duties in the army in Moscow, the Russian troops revolt. Nikita exchanges clothes with a dead peasant and convinces the revolutionaries who later find him that he is one of them. To confirm his claims that he is a servant of his own household, the revolutionaries take Nikita to his home. There, they question his servant, Tanyusha, who truthfully admits that she sees him every day. The rebels then loot his home, and Nikita takes a jeweled saber as his share of the spoils, knowing that the famous Krasnoff pearls are hidden in the handle. Nikita prepares to make his escape from Russia, and Tanyusha insists on coming with him despite Nikita's attempts to persuade her to stay with her people. Nikita pays for their journey with the saber pearls, and they arrive in Constantinople destitute. To Tanyusha's surprise, Nikita marries her. He finds work as a dishwasher, while Tanyusha gets a job scrubbing floors. One night after he is promoted to busboy, Nikita is recognized by fellow exile Vera Zimina, who suggests they take advantage of some naive Americans to finance a trip to Europe. Leaving Tanyusha behind, Nikita romances Marjorie Murphy, the daughter of a rich American. Vera has a copy made of the Krasnoff pearls, which Nikita is supposed to sell to Marjorie. Nikita starts his sales pitch, but ends by throwing the necklace away in disgust and admiting the truth to Marjorie. Learning that all Russians are to be deported from Constantinople, Nikita returns to find Tanyusha, who has left their apartment and her job. During his search, Nikita himself is rounded up by the authorities. At last, Tanyusha and Nikita are reunited in the lines of departing refugees and agree to return to Russia together.
Director
William Dieterle
Director
Cast
Douglas Fairbanks
[Baron] Nikita Krasnoff
Nancy Carroll
Tanyusha
Lilyan Tashman
Vera Zimina
Guy Kibbee
Murphy
Sheila Terry
Marjorie [Murphy]
Earle Foxe
Boris
Ivan Linow
Ivan
Dewey Robinson
Sergeant
Richard Alexander
Pyotyr
Frank Reicher
Plotsky
Arnold Korff
Kalin
Hadji Ali
Turkish landlord
Mae Busch
Witness at wedding
Lee Kohlmar
German tailor
Alphonse Kohlmar
Minister
William Ricciardi
Kitchen boss
C. Henry Gordon
Head waiter
John Marston
Bilkerston
Maurice Black
Cafe manager
Mischa Auer
Serge
Harry Cording
Revolutionary
William Lemaire
Revolutionary
Yola D'avril
Betty Gillette
Crew
Film Details
Also Known As
Revolt
Genre
Drama
Romance
Release Date
Nov
12,
1932
Premiere Information
New York premiere: 2 Nov 1932
Production Company
Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc.
Distribution Company
The Vitaphone Corp.; Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc.
Country
United States
Screenplay Information
Based on the novel Revolt by Mary McCall, Jr. (publication undetermined).
Technical Specs
Duration
60m
Sound
Mono, Vitaphone
Color
Black and White
Theatrical Aspect Ratio
1.37 : 1
Film Length
7 reels
Articles
Scarlet Dawn
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
By Frank Miller
Scarlet Dawn
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
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
The film's pre-release title was Revolt.
