Wednesday, October 4, 2023

Marihuana (1936)

High school student Hugh McArthur (31 years old when this was made) can barely get his girlfriend Harley Wood (23 years old) to let him feel her up before she tries marihuana, afterwards he scores. Of course she ends up pregnant and he ends up killed by police while smuggling drugs off a boat, because this is a Dwaine Esper exploitation movie; a film that presents itself as imparting a moral message, but is really just an exercise in offering 1930's audiences an excuse to watch sleaze.

Not as well known as the true classic of 1930's "anti drug" movies 'Reefer Madness' (seemingly the only one of these which Esper did not direct), the sense of reaching beyond its directors abilities is palpable, from the "parking scene" set to classical music, to bad guy Tony trying to connect with the little girl he's kidnapped. Nutty stuff happens. While Harley does become something of a monster over the course of the film, I think the megalomania is more the heroine talking then the weed, the latter of which makes her an extremely accommodating party guest. Speaking of which, midnight skinny dipping on weed is apparently a recipe for getting one of your supporting characters drowned. **

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