The Squall

Plot

In Hungary, a beautiful, young gypsy girl, Nubi, seeks shelter during a sudden squall. Nubi is given shelter by a well-to-do farmer and his family. The farmer and his family hide the girl when a brutish, older gypsy lover arrives to claim the girl and take her away. The older gypsy leaves, and Nubi is allowed to stay on with the family as a servant. Nubi does little useful work as a servant in the house, and instead proceeds to use her feminine charms to entice and bewitch various male members of the household, leading to many scenes of discord, anger, and jealousy. The spell that Nubi has put on the house is only lifted at the end of the movie when the older gypsy returns, and carries Nubi away -- with the farmer and his family no longer willing to offer protection to the troublesome gypsy girl.

Cast

Production

The film was Korda's first talkie, although his two previous films Night Watch and Love and the Devil had featured sound effects and music as part of the gradual transition from Silent to Sound film. The film was shot at night at the Burbank studios as the only sound stage there was used by Warner Brothers during the day.

Preservation status

The film survives intact with its Vitaphone soundtrack and exists in the Library of Congress and 16mm print survive. The film has been released to DVDR on the Warner Archive Collection label.