Flesh
“He Traded His Soul for a Smile From Her Lying Lips!”
Synopsis
Gifted German wrestler Polokai falls in love with ex-con Laura, who persuades him to emigrate to America and gets him involved with crooked promoters.
Top Cast
Explore Star Directory →
Wallace Beery
Polakai
Ricardo Cortez
Nicky
Karen Morley
Laura
Jean Hersholt
Mr. Herman
John Miljan
Willard
Herman Bing
Pepi
Vince Barnett
Waiter
Greta Meyer
Mrs. Herman
Edward Brophy
Dolan
Ward Bond
Muscles Manning (uncredited)
Nat Pendleton
Wrestler (uncredited)
Frank Reicher
Warden in Germany (uncredited)
Release History & Theatrical Window
December 8, 1932
Wide Cinema Exhibition
Key Information & Fast Facts
- Director
- John Ford
- Screenplay & Story
- Edmund Goulding, Leonard Praskins, Edgar Allan Woolf, Moss Hart
- Original Score
- Alfred Newman
- Original Title
- Flesh
- Country of Origin
- United States of America
- Spoken Languages
- English, German
- Runtime
- 1h 36m
- Production Studios
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Creative Leadership & Key Crew
John Ford
Edmund Goulding, Leonard Praskins, Edgar Allan Woolf, Moss Hart
Alfred Newman
Arthur Edeson
William S. Gray
John W. Considine Jr., John Ford
Department Leadership Roster
John Ford
Director
John W. Considine Jr.
Producer
John Ford
Producer
Alfred Newman
Original Music Composer
Arthur Edeson
Director of Photography
William S. Gray
Editor
René Hubert
Costume Design
Age Classification & Content Advisories
Official viewer rating standards and content warnings across international classification boards.
NR: Not Rated — Evaluated outside standard classification boards.
International Certification Matrix
Not Rated — Evaluated outside standard classification boards.
Production Stills & Gallery
Official cinematic photography and background stills for Flesh.
Featured In Curated Collections
Editorial lists, community rankings, and cinematic collections featuring Flesh.
Pre-Code Hollywood
Pre-Code Hollywood films, 1929 to 1934.
John Ford
John Ford
John Ford
John Ford (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973) was an American film director. He is renowned both for Westerns such as Stagecoach (1939), The Searchers (1956), and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), as well as adaptations of classic 20th-century American novels such as the film The Grapes of Wrath (1940). His four Academy Awards for Best Director (in 1935, 1940, 1941, and 1952) remain a record. One of the films for which he won the award, How Green Was My Valley, also won Best Picture.
Similar Titles to Flesh
Movies sharing stylistic DNA, tone, and thematic storytelling
6.6
6.3
5.9
7.4
6.0
4.6
7.2
6.8
5.6
6.4
6.4
4.7
8.8
6.8
4.7
6.3
7.2
7.1![](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 2 3"%3E%3Crect width="2" height="3" fill="%23161922"/%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Rédemption
More Like Flesh
Recommended titles matching themes, cast, and genres.
Frequently Asked Questions About Flesh
Quick factual answers about cast, synopsis, director, box office, and release information.
What is Flesh about?
Gifted German wrestler Polokai falls in love with ex-con Laura, who persuades him to emigrate to America and gets him involved with crooked promoters.
Who directed Flesh?
Flesh was directed by John Ford.
Who stars in Flesh?
The principal cast of Flesh includes Wallace Beery, Ricardo Cortez, Karen Morley, Jean Hersholt, John Miljan.
When was Flesh released and how long is it?
Flesh was released in 1932 with a total runtime of 1h 36m.
Who composed the musical score for Flesh?
The original motion picture soundtrack for Flesh was composed by Alfred Newman.
What is the age rating and content advisory for Flesh?
Flesh holds official age classifications: US: NR (Not Rated — Evaluated outside standard classification boards.).