Watch Chloe, Love Is Calling You For Free

Thanks for the memories!

I'll tell you why so serious

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

Olive Borden was one of the most beautiful and successful actresses of the 1920s. Unfortunately by 1934 her career was ruined by salary demands and a bad reputation. Chloe, Love is Calling would be Olive's final film. It's a low-budget movie set in the Southern swamps. Olive plays Chloe, the light skinned daughter of a voodoo priestess. Unfortunately the plot has a lot of racist elements and most people give this movie bad reviews. I thought it was an interesting story and I enjoyed seeing Olive (although this is certainly not her best performance). An interesting piece of trivia is that Olive was dating the director of this film Marshall Neilan. If you're a fan of Olive Borden it's definitely worth your time to watch Chloe. It's a public domain film and can be seen for free on You Tube or the Internet Archive. Sadly Olive died penniless in 1947 at the young age of 41.

"A young woman of mixed parentage lives in the bayou, raised by a black voodoo priestess who looks to avenge the death of her husband, lynched by an angry white mob. As the tension rises due to the evil plans of the priestess, the young woman finds herself torn between two cultures. Hoping to break free from the control of the woman who raised her, the young woman finds she must confront the priestess in order to save her own life, as well as those the priestess intends to harm," according to the DVD sleeve's synopsis.Voodoo… Hocus-pocus… Racist… Trash! The most astonishing thing about "Chloe, Love Is Calling You" is that it was directed by Marshall Neilan. One of the most well-known filmmakers of the 1920s, Mr. Neilan's films were once eagerly anticipated. He was especially successful in partnership with Mary Pickford (see "Stella Maris"). Beautiful star Olive Borden ended her ten-year film career as "Chloe", unfortunately. It also offers a good look at handsome Reed Howes (as Wade) and handsome Philip Ober (as Jim), who was Vivian Vance's volatile husband (off-screen) during "I Love Lucy".** Chloe, Love Is Calling You (1934) Marshall Neilan ~ Olive Borden, Reed Howes, Philip Ober

It isn't just that it's the most racist movie I've seen in a long time. It's just not very good. You have major parts played by white actors. In black and white, they don't even look dark. Then you have the ridiculous premise where the woman of "white blood" has longings she just can't explain. She is tilting toward her whiteness. Of course, it's obvious who the superior race is here. They lounge with their juleps and order the servants around. The "hero" is a monumental jerk, but he is a white guy. There's lots of talk about the problems of mixing with other races and it's a given, of course. The blacks also dance around doing their voodoo rites, totally "out of control." It's up to the landholder and his rich friends to take care of them. Also, Chloe was raised and loved by these people, but when she is revealed as a one hundred percent white woman, well, you can imagine what they're thinking. I realize how unenlightened people were (and how hateful). But it must have been viewed as a horrible depiction, even back in the 30's. I know that there is an historical perspective that applies here. Maybe we should all see this kind of stuff once in a while.

I agree that the plot and presentation are flawed, however, there is value in seeing how some people perceived certain social situations during an earlier era in our history. Not all people at that time, of course, saw things the same way, nor would they have made the movie in the way that it was done, but I appreciate all the old films because each gives us a short look at things through other eyes.As for the complaint that the NAACP would not like the film, I am not sure about that. Maybe they would see some value in the enhanced exposure of certain attitudes, maybe not.Having grown up in Louisiana, I do think that the voodoo scenes were overdone and the man wrestling with an already dead alligator was pretty hokey, but I was pleased to see some clear water for a change. (I suspect that scene may have been filmed in Florida because by the 1930's we had pretty much ruined our bayous already.)Mike