Guest Posted November 30, 2005 Share Posted November 30, 2005 Anyone watch this one which ran recently? I can't decide if it was great or awful. John Barrymore was good (as always) and I still think he's one of the best. Too bad his reputation was ruined by his boozing. Svengali ran with Long Lost Father (1934) which also spotlighted Barrymore's incredible ability to inject humor just by a line reading. Marian Marsh was Trilby. Her only other "big" film was Five Star Final. And I guess I can't tell if she was good or or not. The part was directed so oddly. Plus she kept reminding me of everyone from Constance Bennett and Bette Davis to Goldie Hawn. Anyway, Svengali was one weird film..... bizarro sets by Anton Grot, silent vamp Carmel Myers as a singing student, Bramwell Fletcher as the hero??? Seems ripe for a remake what with its themes of sexual harrassment and stalking..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lux0786 Posted November 30, 2005 Share Posted November 30, 2005 Dred: Have you seen Beauty and the Boss (1932). This is quite a good film for Marian Marsh. She has a tour-de-force scene right at the beginning of the film when she crashes the Executive Offices in a determined effort to ask for a job, going straight to the top, so to speak, and all the while talking nonstop not letting a word in edgewise, a bit of virtuoso speechifying, IMO. The "Boss" is Warren William. I think this is my favorite film of hers. It's in the library. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feaito Posted November 30, 2005 Share Posted November 30, 2005 It's a very unique film "Svengali" and I loved it, especially its mood & atmosphere, thanks to Grot's great sets. Barrymore's very good as the title character and Ms. Marsh is good too as Trilby. Another film I remember her in, correct me if I'm wrong, is Von Sternberg's "Crime and Punishment" opposite Peter Lorre. Very Good movie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 1, 2005 Share Posted December 1, 2005 Beauty and the Boss is the one remade as The Church Mouse with Laura LaPlante I think..... yes I've seen that one too..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nickdimeo Posted December 1, 2005 Share Posted December 1, 2005 When viewing this movie I got the feeling I watching German expressionism at it's best but the movie was directed by Archie Mayo!!! By the way, this movie happens to be a public domain film that can easily be found in $1 stores across the nation! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feaito Posted December 1, 2005 Share Posted December 1, 2005 Yes, definitely it has the "Look" of a German Expressionistic film. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deeanddaisy666 Posted December 1, 2005 Share Posted December 1, 2005 John Barrymore was incredibly sexy in this movie. The idiots running the Code system couldn't even censor this type of sexiness. Message was edited by: stoneyburke Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyweekes70 Posted December 1, 2005 Share Posted December 1, 2005 I've always loved this film. It was actually one of the first films I ever bought on VHS when public domain product was first introduced. The sequence in which Barrymore hypnotizes Marsh across the rooftops is certainly one of the most spectacular of early sound films combining wind, creaky floorboards, the bells, culminizing in an fantastic low-angle shot of Barrymore in his chair with a cat in his lap. Wow! And whoever said Archie Mayo was a hack! Anyone ever seen the remake with Peter O'Toole? Yikes, a great lesson in how to turn a decent, if dated, film into a piece of junk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twtpark Posted December 1, 2005 Share Posted December 1, 2005 ..and to think Marian Marsh is alive and well after all these years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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