User reviews

A very uncharacteristic John Ford film, lacking any of his usual stylistic or narrative traits.A Hollywood soap opera, yes, but with real emotional depth, from all 3 main characters, and a very somber tone. An expressionistic, Germanic look matches the narrative (quite a bit of which takes place in Germany). Looks more like The Informer than Fort Apache. held me all the way through. By the way, if you want to see a great film with both (the underrated)) Karen Morley and Ricardo Cortez, watch The Phantom of Crestwood.

Wallace Beery is excellent as a poor immigrant wrestler who befriends waif Morley, but cannot keep her from the clutches of crooked promoter Cortez. The movie is badly dated. Many of its themes are now irrelevant. But, the acting is excellent, and a twist ending may surprise today's viewers.

The lead role of a German wrestler (Wallace Beery) in this film is far too dopey for my taste, both in the character and the performance. This leads to some really lame humor especially in the first half of the film, e.g. slopping beer around, banging through a door instead of unlocking it, and accidentally breaking an egg. Karen Morley plays the woman with a past that he naively takes in, and things get a little more interesting when her lover (Ricardo Cortez) shows up. Morley almost always impresses me, and the scenes with just the two of them crackle with the tough banter of 1932, making me wish that they had somehow been more of the focus. As it is, the film tries to do too many things, finally settling on being a wrestling film, and doesn't do anything particularly well. How painfully funny that William Faulkner is listed as one of the three screenwriters, though that gives it yet another link to Barton Fink, which I guess gives it some interest.

As for direction, I found no sign of John Ford visually or tonally here; literally anyone else could have directed this listless melodrama and we would not have noticed the difference, which might explain him trying to remove his credit from the film. Don't get too perked up over the salacious title (and its associated poster) either; it's just a pre-Code attempt to get customers into the theater, and refers not to sex but the wrestler being referred to as a "big hunk of flesh" in passing. Anyway, with a more nuanced, less childlike character this really could have been something, between the love triangle and the organized crime element trying to fix fights, but it's too silly and mildly annoying as it is.

It's sometimes hard to find John Ford's touch here.This is a pure melodrama that recalls Stahl's works:the German side is also present in "back street" released the same year.The characters are close to Marcel Pagnol's ones (see" Angèle"(1934),"la fille du puisatier"(1941))It does not matter if the action takes place in Germany ,in NYC or in Provence:unmarried mothers abound in Pagnol's movies.Wallace Beery's character reminds me of Fernandel's parts:both are good guys,naive with a very strong heart.

Actually ,Ford's touch can be felt when it gets to wrestling scenes.We find back his great moral stature ,his values,when Beery shows his dislike for the "I tell you when you win and I tell you when you lose" thing.This might have influenced other directors for better (the set- up,Robert Wise,1949)or for worse(Rocky,Alvidsen,1977).

Wallace Beery is undeniably the stand-out,but the supporting cast is excellent.It's strange how the drinks work on a man!When Wallace sticks with beer (good for wrestling?)everything works out fine,but when he switches to whiskey (evil drink?),it's the beginning of the end.How many 2001 movies will be still watchable in 2070?This one deserves to be seen.

Wallace Beery is Polakai, wrestler and beer garden worker. He befriends Laura (Karen Morley ), who just got out of prison. She has no money and no place to stay, so she stays with Polakai. And of course, he wants to marry her. But when her old boyfriend Nick (Ricardo Cortez) shows up, it throws a wrench into everybody's plans. Laura wants to have her cake and eat it too, as they used to say. How will this work out? How long can they take advantage of Polakai? This is good, but moves pretty slowly, until the big showdown match. Beery had just won the oscar for Champ. Directed by John Ford. Ford made all those films with John Wayne... won a bunch of oscars. Written by Edmund Goulding. Goulding directed Grand Hotel, Dark Victory. How did he not even get nominated for those??

Wallace Beery gives an uncomfortably self-conscious performance as a simple-minded German wrestler with a good heart who falls in love with cynical Karen Motley, a self-described gypsy (cue: uh oh! what's she running away from?). Director John Ford doesn't give the proceedings any frills, but leaving this stage so bare doesn't do the audience any favors. Motley is an amusing tough cookie, but she and Beery struggle to play off each other convincingly. The pacing is slow and flaccid, the story predictable, which is too bad since it begins quite promisingly. Falls apart soon after, becoming a standard soap opera.

*1/2 from ****

In the one time they worked together director John Ford went to MGM where he directed Wallace Beery playing a German wrestler in Flesh. It's a strange project for Ford who does like to portray innocent people, but naive ones are a bit out of his league.

As they are for Wallace Beery. Flesh asks an awful lot from its viewers to believe someone like Beery's character Polokai could be that ignorant of the facts of life. Just where does he think babies come from?

The film opens in Germany where Beery has a day job as a waiter, but also works at becoming a champion wrestler. Down on her luck Karen Morley, an American Sally Bowes like woman, gets taken in by the kind hearted Beery. Her man Ricardo Cortez is in jail and she gets Beery to spring him. But Cortez takes a powder and leaves the pregnant Morley. Again Beery springs to the rescue and he even swallows without question her story of the baby.

Later on Beery and Morley are in America for wrestling matches and with her urging he signs with Cortez as his manager with crooked promoter John Miljan. After that things start to penetrate that naive skull Beery has.

Morley is fine as a girl who is sadder and wiser, but still has needs and Cortez is as smooth and slimy a villain we've ever seen on the screen. But try as I might I just could not buy the character Wallace Beery was playing. I don't think anyone with half a brain could.

This was a strange project for John Ford, he never did another film like Flesh and probably with good reason on his part.

Yes, it's a predictable, old fashioned, transparent soap opera, but there are things which keep you interested to the end.

Beery has a difficult task. Being a wrestler (he was no Mr. Universe), holding onto a German accent, and playing a slow witted character. He does it. He seems to be doing his own wrestling (I zoomed in with slow motion), his accent doesn't slip, and being dumb, as hard as can be to be performed..he carries it off with only a bit of his patented "Ain't I the lovable slob" shtick.

Morley nails it as a cynical, world weary woman eager to make the wrong choice in men. Cortez is at his best playing slick sociopaths, and he does it here again. Their performances keep you watching when Beery and his Germanic crew get too schmaltzy

Flesh is the story of two people who would seem to be unlikely alliances. This is just one example of how films in the golden days of Hollywood center on character and how they relate to each other to further the plot rather than action or violence. There is something natural or humanely real and raw about this film. That's probably why it's called Flesh. But it's not centering on lust or sex, like today's films would, with Flesh for its title. This is about the basic need to give and receive love and acceptance to each other, even in the last place you'd look. If you're looking for an intelligent film about human relationships and don't mind the early 1930s look of black-and-white, this film shows Karen Morley, a vastly underrated actress and largely forgotten today, and Wallace Beery at their best. This could very well be Ms. Morley's finest hour in films. To not see this film would be missing a lesson in love.

Pregnant convict Laura (Karen Morley) gets released from German prison but her partner Nicky (Ricardo Cortez) is not getting released. He does not know of their pregnancy. Laura eats a big restaurant meal without the money to pay. The owner is about to call the police when good-natured simple wrestler Polakai (Wallace Beery) offers to pay.

Apparently, John Ford removed his name as the director. That is plenty enough reason to see this movie. I won't speculate on John Ford's views of his work here. While it's finely made, the melodrama isn't compelling for me. Mostly, I grow tired of this 'relationship'. She's always bitter, never smiles, and barely looks into his eyes. I get the acting directions here but it's a tiring affair. Beery is playing a simpleton and seems to be trying to go for laughs. I don't like the romance and don't feel the comedy. There are ways to go with this but Ford is going for the full melodrama. There is some value here but I don't like the overall effect.

Flesh (1932)

*** (out of 4)

John Ford's drama about an ex-con named Laura (Karen Morley) who gets released from prison with nothing and after stealing some food it appears she's going back until Polakai (Wallace Beery), a German wrestler, comes to her aid and soon takes her in. It doesn't take long for Polakai to fall in love but what he doesn't know is that Laura has a partner (Ricardo Cortez) in prison who is about to cause trouble. FLESH isn't the greatest film in Ford's career but I found it to be one of those unique ones that really doesn't get enough credit or any credit at all. It seems that all great directors like Ford, Hitchcock or Bergman have films that are special but they get overlooked because they don't quite measure up to the masterpieces. I think that's where FLESH falls in because while it's no where near the masterpiece of THE SEARCHERS, it's still a pretty unique movie on a number of levels. The best thing going for the picture is Beery who easily steals things. You'd think Beery playing a wrestler wouldn't be that much of a stretch but the actor brings so much to the role that you can't help but be impressed with him and fall for the character. Playing dimwitted is never easy and most actors fail but Beery perfectly nails it. Even better is the way he brings across this certainly level of feeling and emotion for everything that happens in the story. Morley is also extremely good in her part as she makes you believe everything you're watching. The chemistry between the two leads is quite remarkable. Cortez is also good in his supporting bit as is Jean Hersholt. The one problem is FLESH is that it's a tad bit too predictable and has one too many clichés but the performances and the look and tone Ford delivers makes it worth seeing.

If the characterization portrayed by Beery (as Polakai) was a little more realistic, the movie would have been much better. The story was fairly predictable, but not that bad. Morley is good as the "bad girl" who has a change of heart, but Cortez just seems to be reciting lines in every one of his scenes.

Only really remembered these days because the Coen Brothers paid homage to it as the title of the screenplay being written by the title character in Barton Fink, Flesh is another nearly forgotten Ford film in his very busy 30s period that definitely doesn't deserve to be overlooked. It's a combination of drama and comedy that rather deftly integrated together with a winning central performance from Wallace Beery.

Beery plays Polakai, a German wrestler who meets the young American woman Laura (Karen Morley). She's alone in Germany, just released from a German jail, with no money and orders a plate of food she can't afford because she was expecting the associate of her imprisoned beau Nicky (Ricardo Cortez) to show up and help her. Polakai hears of her troubles as the manager of the restaurant is about to take her to the police and pays for her meal. Because she's still alone and without money, she latches onto him. He takes her back to his flat, offers her the bedroom, and retreats to his living room in wonderfully entertaining fashion. He's unable to get the lock of the door to work, so be breaks through the door and squeezes through to the other side.

Polakai is just a good guy, and he treats Laura extremely well. Giving her a place to live and food to eat. It's obvious that she is beginning to fall for him, but she can't quite throw herself at him. He may be a big, lovable lug, but she has a secret. Meanwhile, Polakai's friends decides to move to America, and they promise to send for Polakai when they are settled. At the same time, Laura discovers where Polakai hides his stash of cash and tries to steal it for Nicky to get him out of jail. Polakai discovers her, and she covers by saying that Nicky is her brother. Polakai, being a nice and gullible man, offers up the money for Nicky.

All of this is told in light fashion, using comedy and just the right amount of drama to sell Polakai's character. Karen Morley probably goes a bit too far into melodrama (especially in the film's final reel), but it's Wallace Beery's portrayal of the wonderfully good-natured Polakai that makes it work.

Nicky arrives, and then quickly skips out on Laura when she reveals to him that she got out of prison because she's pregnant with his child. That leaves her alone with Polakai, who has proposed to her several times. Together, as husband and wife, they head to America to pursue his ascending wrestling career. With a child and wife that he loves, he's ready to take on America. Nicky shows up again with an offer to manage Polakai, but Nicky takes Polakai directly into to seedier side of professional sports, introducing him to a gangster who wants Polakai to throw fights when necessary.

This is where the movie moves decidedly from a lightly comic telling of a story with a strong central character into a drama with Polakai needing to choose between his pride and providing for his family. He ends up taking the deal, happy to take part in the ascension to fame, but he knows that the fall is going to come at some point. The ending straddles the line between cliché, melodrama, and straight drama, but it's buoyed by Beery. His goodness carries him through his final challenges, mistakes, and fate.

The only thing keeping me back from giving this a full four stars is the final reel. Morley just goes too far into melodramatic acting, and the final plot turn goes from interestingly oblique to kind of tired. It's relatively minor stuff considering the whole of the picture but just enough to hold me back slightly in praise.

Outside of that, this is a surprisingly strong film. Confidently and quietly directed with a wonderful central performance and an ending that elegantly brings together everything in one place, Flesh is a completely forgotten film in Ford's output from the 30s that really does deserve some revisitation and re-evaluation.