Josephine Baker Collection

SIREN OF THE TROPICS: Legendary performer Josephine Baker makes her feature film debut in this silent from 1927. Filmed around the time that Baker was becoming famous in Paris as a Folies Bergère star, SIREN OF THE TROPICS tells the story of Papitou (Baker), a young native girl who falls for a refined young gentleman named Andre, who, unbeknownst to her, has a wife back home. When Papitou learns this, she nonetheless travels to Paris, where Andre lives, and finds her true calling as a music hall performer. Baker's role as the naïve girl from the tropics who must grow accustomed to the ways of civilization bears much resemblance to her later roles in films such as ZOU ZOU (1934) and PRINCESS TAM-TAM (1935). Available here in its entirety for the first time, SIREN OF THE TROPICS is an entertaining vehicle through which Baker displays her on-screen allure, and her skills as a dancer (best expressed here through her rendition of the Charleston).

ZOU ZOU: This musical about backstage goings-on centers on a laundress who goes on for the star on opening night and saves the show. Clearly a star vehicle for Josephine Baker, her rendition of "Haiti" is unforgettable.

PRINCESS TAM TAM: A French author goes to North Africa to write a novel, but becomes distracted--then entranced--by a native girl whom he transforms into a "princess." Filmed in Tunisia. Based on a story by the then-husband of Josephine Baker, Pepito Abatino.