This absurd clunker is so bad that it became a camp classic overnight, even in an era when camp was unknown. Dietrich is at her most outlandish as a fierce gypsy whose sanitary habits would repel a mongoose, and the cultured Milland is bewildered by it all; that is, when he is not
sneering his disgust at Dietrich and the incompetent script. This impossible tale begins just after WW II when Milland, a British major general, receives a box at his London hotel; it contains a pair of simple golden earrings. On a plane bound for Paris, Milland relates his strange story to
foreign correspondent Reynolds. Six years earlier, before England was involved in WW II, Milland and Lester, then British intelligence officers, were held prisoner by Nazis who questioned them about their knowledge of a new poison gas formula developed by Schunzel. A flashback shows Milland and
Lester overpowering their guards; then, dressed as German officers, each of the spies goes his own way in search of Schunzel and his all-important formula. Although they have agreed to meet in Stuttgart, Milland gets sidetracked in the Black Forest. He buries his stolen uniform and then hears a
woman singing. Upon investigating, Milland finds a lone gypsy woman, Dietrich, stirring a fish stew. After explaining that she lives apart from her band, Dietrich displays an amazing knowledge of the back roads snaking through the dense Black Forest, and Milland accepts her offer to travel with
her. She disguises him as a gypsy, staining his skin as dark as her own, piercing his ears and affixing golden earrings to them, and outfitting him in gypsy clothes. They finally overtake the band to which Dietrich belongs. The bulky, towering, and cretinous leader, Vye, immediately picks a fight
with Milland, who is wearing Vye's jacket. Dietrich encourages Milland to fight to prove he is worthy of her affection. He does, but only to protect himself. In the process, however, Milland wins not only the battle but Vye's respect and Dietrich's undying love since she is convinced he fought for
her. Now a full-fledged gypsy, Milland also becomes an expert palm reader, thanks to Dietrich, who has taught him the technique. The band comes to an area outside of Stuttgart, and there Milland meets with Lester, as planned. While a troop of Nazi youth marches past, Milland reads Lester's palm
and believes he sees a death sign. But in short order Lester, dressed in Tyrolean garb, is off to find Schunzel. Dietrich calms Milland's fears, telling him that no one can alter destiny. Lester, indeed, is killed. When Milland finally finds Schunzel, the professor refuses to believe that the
swarthy qypsy reading his palm is a British spy. Gestapo agents then arrive and denounce Schunzel as a traitor. With nothing to lose, the professor passes on his secret formula on Milland, writing it on the money he uses to pay the palm reader. Dietrich then spirits Milland to the Rhine, where he
takes a boat to freedom, but not before promising to return to Dietrich after the war. In a flash forward, Milland is shown entering the Black Forest and finding Dietrich waiting for him. He climbs into her wagon and they roll off into the dense woodlands to live the gypsy life together.
Although competently directed by Leisen, this was a film Milland could have done without. At age 43, he was a top box-office star, having won a Best Actor Oscar a year earlier for his magnificent performance in THE LOST WEEKEND. This was the first film Dietrich had made since KISMET, released
three years earlier. In the meantime, she had been entertaining American troops close to the battle lines in Europe and making anti-Nazi broadcasts in England. When the makeup department finished preparing Dietrich for her role here, there was no way of knowing that she was one of the world's
great glamour queens. Not only did she don a black wig plastered down with what appeared to be bear grease, but her skin was stained so dark she seemed ready for a minstrel show instead of a role as a Hungarian gypsy. What's more, her bulky costume consisted of torn rags, and her hands and face
were constantly smudged with dirt. There was nothing appealing about this repulsive image, not even the husky voice that floated up from the pounds of makeup to hum in Hungarian a few bars of the title song.
The Catholic Legion of Decency "condemned" the film because Dietrich and Milland were shown to be living together without the benefit of matrimony. (Naturally, the Legion's condemnation did nothing but stimulate box-office receipts.) Yet, in retrospect, the film is really very tame, with only a
few peeks at Dietrich's famous legs. Reputedly, the film was an ordeal for the urbane, polished Milland; unlike most males on earth, he had no interest in acting opposite Dietrich. Milland even balked at having to play love scenes with Dietrich and threatened to walk out on his contract.
Reportedly, Dietrich and Milland battled constantly during the production, causing no end of problems for the rest of the cast and the harried crew. leave a comment