''Son of India'' is a 1931 American

pre-Code Pre-Code Hollywood was the brief era in the American film industry between the widespread adoption of sound in film in 1929LaSalle (2002), p. 1. and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorship guidelines, popularly known ...

romance film directed by

Jacques Feyder Jacques Feyder (; 21 July 1885 – 24 May 1948) was a Belgian actor, screenwriter and film director who worked principally in France, but also in the US, Britain and Germany. He was a director of silent films during the 1920s, and in the 1930 ...

and starring

Ramón Novarro José Ramón Gil Samaniego (February 6, 1899 – October 30, 1968), known professionally as Ramon Novarro, was a Mexican-American actor. He began his career in silent films in 1917 and eventually became a leading man and one of the top box ...

and

Madge Evans Madge Evans (born Margherita Evans; July 1, 1909 – April 26, 1981) was an American stage and film actress.Obituary ''Variety'', April 29, 1981. She began her career as a child performer and model. Biography Child model and stage actress B ...

. The film is based on the 1882 novel ''Mr. Isaacs'' written by

Francis Marion Crawford Francis Marion Crawford (August 2, 1854 – April 9, 1909) was an American writer noted for his many novels, especially those set in Italy, and for his classic weird and fantastical stories. Early life Crawford was born in Bagni di Lucca, in th ...

Plot

Karim is the son of

rajah ''Raja'' (; from , IAST ') is a royal title used for South Asian monarchs. The title is equivalent to king or princely ruler in South Asia and Southeast Asia. The title has a long history in South Asia and Southeast Asia, being attested fr ...

and jewel merchant Hamid, traveling with him through

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. On the twentieth day of their journey, after Karim hears his father speak about the importance of gratitude, they are attacked by bandits. The group of travelers is massacred, but Rao Rama, a holy man, hides Karim in a shallow grave. He survives the tragedy, and is left with his father's most valuable

diamond Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the chemically stable form of carbon at room temperature and pressure, ...

. Karim next journeys to

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second-m ...

, where he attempts to sell the diamond in a jewelry store. Feeling that they aren't offering him enough money, he leaves. The corrupt store owners claim that Karim is a thief. He is arrested, and unable to prove he is the true owner of his father's diamond, faces a long prison sentence. William Darsey, an American witness, saves him by revealing the truth and Karim is released. Some time later, Karim becomes one of the wealthiest men of Bombay, attending many high society social functions. At a polo match, he meets Janice Darsey, an attractive young American woman accompanied by her aunt and Dr. Wallace. Feeling attracted to each other, they are soon in love. This is much to Mrs. Darsey's dislike, who doesn't approve of her niece dating an Indian man. She attempts to sabotage their relationship by announcing that the Darseys will leave for

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, the official name until 2001) is the Capital city, capital of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal, on the eastern ba ...

. Janice, however, does not want to leave Karim and runs away from her aunt to secretly accompany Karim on a

tiger The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus ''Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on ...

hunt. When her aunt finds out, she is infuriated and immediately calls for William, who happens to be Janice's brother. During the hunt, Karim notices his father's killer. When confronted, the murderer shoots at Karim. Janice starts to hide and stumbles upon a poisonous plant. Karim brings her to safety and removes the poison, after which they become engaged. Back at home, William and Mrs. Darsey try to stop the marriage by telling them lies, but Karim and Janice come to the conclusion that their love for each other is stronger.

Cast

as Karim *

as Janice Darsey *

Conrad Nagel John Conrad Nagel (March 16, 1897 – February 24, 1970) was an American film, stage, television and radio actor. He was considered a famous matinée idol and leading man of the 1920s and 1930s. He was given an Academy Honorary Award in 1940 and ...

as William Darsey *

Marjorie Rambeau Marjorie Burnet Rambeau (July 15, 1889 – July 6, 1970) was an American film and stage actress. She began her stage career at age 12, and appeared in several silent films before debuting in her first sound film, '' Her Man'' (1930). She was t ...

as Mrs. Darsey *

C. Aubrey Smith Sir Charles Aubrey Smith (21 July 1863 – 20 December 1948) was an English Test cricketer who became a stage and film actor, acquiring a niche as the officer-and-gentleman type, as in the first sound version of ''The Prisoner of Zenda'' (1937) ...

as Dr. Wallace * Mitchell Lewis as Hamid *

John Miljan John Miljan (November 9, 1892 – January 24, 1960) was an American actor. He appeared in more than 200 films between 1924 and 1958. Biography Born in 1892, Miljan was the tall, smooth-talking villain in Hollywood films for almost four deca ...

as Juggat *

Nigel De Brulier Nigel De Brulier (born Francis George Packer; 8 August 1877 – 30 January 1948) was an English stage and film actor who began his career in the United Kingdom before relocating to the United States. Biography De Brulier was born in Frenchay, a ...

as Rao Rama * Katherine DeMille as Amah (uncredited) * Ann Dvorak as Dancer (uncredited)

Production

''Son of India'' reunited

with

, whom he previously had worked with before on '' Daybreak'' (1931). It was Feyder's last film before returning to Europe. Novarro's leading lady was

. Evans was at the beginning of her MGM career and she was later assigned as Novarro's love interest several times again.

References

External links

* {{Jacques Feyder 1931 films 1931 romantic drama films American romantic drama films American black-and-white films Films based on American novels Films based on works by Francis Marion Crawford Films directed by Jacques Feyder Films set in Mumbai Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films 1930s English-language films 1930s American films