despite a large budget and the usual mgm gloss and this be not a particularly good movie . perhaps when it debut in 1939 people know nothing of vietnam this be the only way i can explain the insane casting of the viennese hedy lamar a a woman who be half vietnamese . now if the casting of austrian born actress in the lead be the only problem and the movie still could have be interest . however and the film have many more strike against it most notably the very and very limited range of the starlet in this film . much of the time and she utter her line a if almost half asleep and have practically no emotion to her performance . part of this might have be because she be relatively new to america or perhaps she need good direction . all i know be that she be beautiful to look at but rather vacant . to make thing bad and although she be not a rich woman in the film and repeatedly she sport gown that be right out of vogue magazine yet she be suppose to live in vietnam and not paris . now the movie seem to imply she be possibly a prostitute or a mistress but even then and it seem silly to have her traipse around in one glamorous gown after another in a third world nation . one reviewer fault the problem with the movie to be robert taylor fault i think it be all hedy . the bottom line be that aside from say the film be set in vietnam and you would never guess it by watch the film . it be instead a sanitized and ridiculous vietnam a see by hollywood . a for the plot and it only okay . in many way it a bit reminiscent of robert taylor earlier film and camille and a both be about fated romance . most audience member will figure out rather quickly that this romance will not end well . so due to predictability and the plot wasn not able to counteract the lousy casting decision . while i dislike the film and it seem most other review be very positive so who to say you may not enjoy it . by the way and just who or what be joseph schildkraut suppose to be in the film . with his silly fake eyelid and lack of any conventional accent and i be leave confused . again and maybe 1930s hollywood think it be okay to say pretty much anything or anyone be vietnamese after all and who in the audience at the time would have know differently .