This is a particularly unsophisticated creaky old Victorian melodrama which took the world by storm at the end of the nineteenth century - much to the surprise of its author, Daphne du Maurier's grandfather. You can imagine ladies in bonnets fainting with shock as they read this on the omnibus.
Maybe in 1894 it wasn't considered corny but surely by 1931 it must have seemed like a nostalgic old museum piece. Although this was written when Gladstone was running the UK and a young guy called Nicholas thought to himself: "Hey I've just become Tsar of Russia, this might be fun," - so, officially 'the olden days,' this film was made just 36 years after that whereas the timespan from 1931 to now is over 90 years and yet when we watch films from the 30s, they don't seem that distant - weird!
At the beginning of the last century, this was a really, really well known story and had already been filmed five times! When Warner Brothers announced they were making yet another version of the story and wanted top stage actor John Barrymore to star, Mr Barrymore (who incidentally is 12 years older than this silly novel) insisted that he played the role in a subtle comedic style to make this a little more fun, a bit different to the stuffy old Victorian predecessors and relatable to a 'modern' audiences. His decision to play this rather sinister character for laughs actually works and almost makes this a good film because the story is just too daft to be taken seriously so playing the character as a kind of BLACK ADDER, lightens the mood and takes your mind of the absurdity of the narrative.
Classically trained Shakespearian actors didn't often transpose too well to talking pictures but Mr Barrymore, despite the joke shop makeup which is a little off-putting at first actually pulls of a corker with this. With the gentle humour he adds, he manages to imbue some real pathos into his Svengali who is a truly despicable character but one you can't help feeling sorry for. For a film from the early 30s to portray such a three dimensional character with so many anxieties, self-doubts and sadness hidden behind bravado and vindictiveness (and a comedy beard) is pretty rare. That he can evoke such sympathy and depth for such an unbelievable character is a mark of great acting.
Marian Marsh, in her first starring role, is very sweet and as convincing as someone can be who is supposed to be under a supernatural spell. The rest of the supporting cast however are not that supportive. The main problem is the direction. There are admittedly a few very impressive shots, the cinematography is outstandingly exceptional but it people who tell a story and they just don't.
There's not enough tension or atmosphere, you don't feel like you're there.
Making the unbelievable believable requires a director with flair and imagination. They had already borrowed some of Universal's 'expressionist' sets for this so it's shame they didn't borrow Universal's James Whale as well - he could have given this the moody gothic atmosphere that was needed. Warner Brothers themselves however had quite a few fabulous directors at the beginning of the 30s, it's such a shame they didn't use one of those instead of Archie Mayo.
Maybe in 1894 it wasn't considered corny but surely by 1931 it must have seemed like a nostalgic old museum piece. Although this was written when Gladstone was running the UK and a young guy called Nicholas thought to himself: "Hey I've just become Tsar of Russia, this might be fun," - so, officially 'the olden days,' this film was made just 36 years after that whereas the timespan from 1931 to now is over 90 years and yet when we watch films from the 30s, they don't seem that distant - weird!
At the beginning of the last century, this was a really, really well known story and had already been filmed five times! When Warner Brothers announced they were making yet another version of the story and wanted top stage actor John Barrymore to star, Mr Barrymore (who incidentally is 12 years older than this silly novel) insisted that he played the role in a subtle comedic style to make this a little more fun, a bit different to the stuffy old Victorian predecessors and relatable to a 'modern' audiences. His decision to play this rather sinister character for laughs actually works and almost makes this a good film because the story is just too daft to be taken seriously so playing the character as a kind of BLACK ADDER, lightens the mood and takes your mind of the absurdity of the narrative.
Classically trained Shakespearian actors didn't often transpose too well to talking pictures but Mr Barrymore, despite the joke shop makeup which is a little off-putting at first actually pulls of a corker with this. With the gentle humour he adds, he manages to imbue some real pathos into his Svengali who is a truly despicable character but one you can't help feeling sorry for. For a film from the early 30s to portray such a three dimensional character with so many anxieties, self-doubts and sadness hidden behind bravado and vindictiveness (and a comedy beard) is pretty rare. That he can evoke such sympathy and depth for such an unbelievable character is a mark of great acting.
Marian Marsh, in her first starring role, is very sweet and as convincing as someone can be who is supposed to be under a supernatural spell. The rest of the supporting cast however are not that supportive. The main problem is the direction. There are admittedly a few very impressive shots, the cinematography is outstandingly exceptional but it people who tell a story and they just don't.
There's not enough tension or atmosphere, you don't feel like you're there.
Making the unbelievable believable requires a director with flair and imagination. They had already borrowed some of Universal's 'expressionist' sets for this so it's shame they didn't borrow Universal's James Whale as well - he could have given this the moody gothic atmosphere that was needed. Warner Brothers themselves however had quite a few fabulous directors at the beginning of the 30s, it's such a shame they didn't use one of those instead of Archie Mayo.