Early talkies are a hit or miss, and this is definitely the later, with outlandishly horrendous Spanish accents by the mostly Caucasian cast. The story focuses on bandit Victor Varconi (hysterically mixing Spanish with a Hungarian twang) and his romance with spitfire Fay Wray who sneers practically every line. Varconi is being sought out by the Dutch Charles Judels (as Commandante Ruiz) who bellows every line and practically swallows the entire set.
In spite of the well done filming (non-stop action and a lavish set), this is hysterically bad, and deserves an extra star just for its audaciousness. Supporting favorites Bert Roach and Natalie Moorehead manage to avoid criticism by basically not being on screen too much, and the audience was spared more absurdity by the songs being eliminated. A definite curiosity, but not one trip south of the border I want to revisit.
In spite of the well done filming (non-stop action and a lavish set), this is hysterically bad, and deserves an extra star just for its audaciousness. Supporting favorites Bert Roach and Natalie Moorehead manage to avoid criticism by basically not being on screen too much, and the audience was spared more absurdity by the songs being eliminated. A definite curiosity, but not one trip south of the border I want to revisit.