IS IT PORN? (reviews and discussions of films about which you're just not sure)

[M.10rda]

FORBIDDEN DAUGHTERS (1927):
Now here's an old-timey movie title that sounds naughty and actually is naughty! Within moments I thought to myself, "Say, is this Porn?" and even though it ultimately isn't Porn (no actual sex, softcore or otherwise) it probably came close enough to fitting the bill in 1927!

Alva, the American wife of an anthropologist (?), somehow learns that he has become the sex slave of "Princess Lona", so she travels to Africa to rescue him. Her grasp on geography might be shaky though because she seems to end up in the Far or possibly Middle East, where she infiltrates the harem (of an unseen Sheik or something) which is populated mostly by black women but also a few extremely Anglo (even Celtic!) looking women. Eventually Alva walks in on Princess Lona (who doesn't look African) dancing for Mister Alva and the film feels like it should climax but really it just ends abruptly. It's only 13 minutes long and feels truncated/incomplete, but maybe it was never even finished by mysterious director "Albert Arthur Allen". Say, wasn't "Arthur Allen" the prime suspect in the Zodiac Murders? 

I will say this for the plotless and nearly action-less FORBIDDEN DAUGHTERS - the ladies are pretty (and all are topless)! I have no idea where (if anywhere) FORBIDDEN DAUGHTERS screened in the 20s but I assume the target audience was gentlemen's clubs/bachelor parties/etc. On the down side, all of the black women look really depressed  which makes me think a little bit too much about the actual working conditions and material realities of these performers. However/on the upside again, the two pale-skinned curvaceous redheads in the harem look happy, healthy, extremely modern, and crazy smokin' hot.       Well, this is quasi-pron, after all.    2/5