Overview
Amidst the heat and dust of Indochina, passion ignites unexpectedly in a world of stark contrasts.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- steamy
- witty
- hard-edged
- classic Hollywood night
- pre-code cinema marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly find the familiar tropical love-triangle melodrama elevated by Clark Gable and Jean Harlow's commanding chemistry, even when the script and some performances seem conventional or campy.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Dennis Carson, Vantine, and Barbara become entangled on a remote rubber plantation while the monsoon cuts them off from ordinary social constraints.
The dry monsoon, approaching rains, plantation, and jungle environment mirror the characters' escalating passions.
The film foregrounds infidelity, prostitution, sexual banter, and sensual attraction with a candor associated with pre-Code Hollywood.
Vantine arrives from Saigon while evading police and uses ostentatious charm and zingy wisecracks to challenge plantation conventions.
Films like Red Dust, and why
Rain
shared pre-code melodrama, erotic tension, and isolated tropical setting
Baby Face
shared pre-code romance, illicit desire, and strong-willed female performance
The Scarlet Empress
shared steamy triangle, heightened melodrama, and charismatic star chemistry
Movie Details
- Director
- Victor Fleming
- Release Date
- 1932-10-22
- Runtime
- 83 min
- Rating
- 6.9 / 10 (78)
Cast
- Clark Gable
- Jean Harlow
- Mary Astor
- Gene Raymond
- Donald Crisp
- Tully Marshall
- Forrester Harvey
- Willie Fung
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Red Dust about?
- On a remote Indochinese rubber plantation, a hard-edged manager is caught between a provocative fugitive and a surveyor’s refined, desirable wife as the monsoon closes in.
- What is Red Dust like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Red Dust as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is Red Dust violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Red Dust as mild.
- What did critics think of Red Dust?
- Critics broadly find the familiar tropical love-triangle melodrama elevated by Clark Gable and Jean Harlow's commanding chemistry, even when the script and some performances seem conventional or campy.
- Which films are like Red Dust?
- Films with a similar feel include Rain, Baby Face, and The Scarlet Empress.
- How long is Red Dust?
- Red Dust runs 83 minutes.
- Where can I watch Red Dust?
- In United States, Red Dust is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
