Careers is a 1929 American all-talking pre-Code drama film directed by John Francis Dillon and produced and released by First National Pictures. It stars Billie Dove and features Antonio Moreno, Thelma Todd and Noah Beery. The film was based on a 1924 German play entitled Karriere, written by Alfred Schirokauer and Paul Rosenhayn.
| Careers | |
|---|---|
 lobby card | |
| Directed by | John Francis Dillon |
| Written by | Forrest Halsey (adaptation & dialogue) Paul Perez (titles)[1] |
| Based on | Karriere (1924 German play) by Alfred Schirokauer Paul Rosenhayn |
| Produced by | Ned Marin |
| Starring | Billie Dove |
| Cinematography | John F. Seitz |
| Edited by | John Rawlins[1] |
| Music by | Song: "I Love You, I Hate You" Al Bryan (words) George W. Meyer (music) Score (uncredited): Cecil Copping Alois Reiser |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | First National Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 92 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Careers was Billie's Dove first film with dialogue.
Plot edit
In the French colony of Cochin-China, young French magistrate Victor Gromaire (Antonio Moreno) and his wife Hélène (Billie Dove) are virtually prisoners because the colony's president (Noah Beery) is attracted to the wife. The president blocks Victor's career on the bench until his wife agrees to his demands. Victor, angered by this treatment after four years of hard work, secretly goes to the governor of the colony to complain.
Advised by Carouge (Holmes Herbert), a prominent attorney in the colony, as to why her husband's career has been stymied, Hélène tries to save her husband from disaster by pleading with the president, but inadvertently reveals her husband's plan. Afraid for his safety, she consents to do whatever the president wishes, as long as he does nothing to endanger her husband. Just as he is about to take advantage of her offer, he is murdered by a native musician (Kamiyama Sojin) who has been hiding in the room.
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Hélène is immediately suspected of the murder, and the musician comes out of hiding and accuses her of the crime. Victor is placed in charge of the investigation and discovers that the musician is lying, and that he is the murderer.
Tired of the dangers of life in the French colony, the couple head back to Paris, where Victor hopes to start a new career.[2]
Cast edit
- Billie Dove as Hélène Gromaire
- Antonio Moreno as Victor Gromaire
- Thelma Todd as Hortense
- Noah Beery as The President
- Holmes Herbert as Carouge
- Carmel Myers as the woman
- Robert Frazer as Lavergne Solin
- Kamiyama Sojin as Biwa Player
Music edit
The film featured a theme song entitled "I Love You — I Hate You (For Making a Fool of Me)," with words by Al Bryan and music by George W. Meyer. Carmel Myers sings the song during the film and it is also heard in the background in several scenes as part of the instrumental scoring.
Preservation edit
The film was considered a lost film, with only the Vitaphone soundtrack still in existence. However, a print was discovered an Italian film archive in 2017.[3]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ a b c Careers at the American Film Institute Catalog
- ^ Staff (June 10, 1929) "A Talkie of Epigrams: 'Careers' Tries to Depict Official Life in French Colony" The New York Times p.31
- ^ 2 Film Discoveries Worth Noting: Alice White and Billie Dove at NitrateVille
External links edit
- Careers at the American Film Institute Catalog
- Careers at IMDb
- Careers at silentera.com
