DwayneBrue Posted April 9, 2006 Share Posted April 9, 2006 My favorites are, Dinner At Eight, Grand Hotel, and Rasputin And The Emperess. I also enjoyed The Sea Beast with John Barrymore also. Dwayne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jarhfive Posted April 9, 2006 Share Posted April 9, 2006 DwayneBrue, My favorite "Barrymore" is not a movie, but a John Barrymore appearance. My favorite is Barrymore's unscheduled 'stint' at Errol Flynn's Mulholland "bachelor" pad. John Barrymore movie? Howard Hawk's "Twentieth Century". Barrymore's performance is 'over the top', but is entertaining as s***. Rusty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnpressman Posted April 9, 2006 Share Posted April 9, 2006 "Counselor-At-Law"!!! Anyone who has seen Brando, Clift, etc. will appreciate Barrymore's naturalistic acting in this 1932 movie. Most of the dialogue is at a rapid-fire pace in this adaptation of the Broadway play. Of interest is the young future director Vincent Sherman in a small but shocking role as a Socialist rabble-rouser. Mr. Sherman will celebrate his 100 birthday this year! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hlywdkjk Posted April 9, 2006 Share Posted April 9, 2006 I agree with jarhfive. There is "Twentieth Century" and then there is eveerything else. Of course, having Carole Lombard around adds to the pleasure of the film. Kyle in Hollywood Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyweekes70 Posted April 9, 2006 Share Posted April 9, 2006 Kyle, Carole Lombard in anything (or very little, depending on your viewpoint) adds to the pleasure of it. Sometimes when I watch a Lombard movie, I forget there's other actors around or even a script!! Besides Twentieth Century, I think The Beloved Rogue, Moby Dick, Svengali, Arsene Lupin, State's Attorney, Counsellor-at-Law, Spawn of the North, Bulldog Drummond Comes Back and The Great Man Votes all feature very enjoyable Barrymore performances. That's not to slag anything else he was in. Counsellor-at-Law is probably his best; breathless and emotionally-driven, few film performances can match it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cahuenga123 Posted April 10, 2006 Share Posted April 10, 2006 MIDNIGHT with Claudette Colbert and Don Ameche has John Barrymore in a "Supporting Role" but he steals so many scenes that I remember him more than Don Amerche. And I love the film. Also TOPAZE shows John Barrymore in a more restrained by still excellent performance. JTB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lzcutter Posted April 10, 2006 Share Posted April 10, 2006 SOB- Because Barrymore really did deserve a Viking funeral. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deeanddaisy666 Posted April 10, 2006 Share Posted April 10, 2006 True. Lombard was luminescent. And the Barrymores were a feast for the eyes. Their talent was amazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nyoka1 Posted April 10, 2006 Share Posted April 10, 2006 He's very funny in "The Great Profile" --- even in the midst of personal decline, he could still deliver the goods. http://greenbriarpictureshows.blogspot.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyweekes70 Posted April 10, 2006 Share Posted April 10, 2006 What was I thinking? Both Midnight and Topaze slipped my mind when I mentioned my favourite Barrymore pictures. I agree with you that he easily steals Midnight, but Ameche just wasn't in the same league as Barrymore. Topaze features a softer Barrymore performance that lacks all those quirks and mannerisms, such as the cocking of the neck or the eyebrow that he did so well. I've still my old laserdisc of it but I wonder why that's not found its way onto DVD yet?? He's also very funny in The Invisible Woman, one of the first films, I think, I ever saw in him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feaito Posted April 10, 2006 Share Posted April 10, 2006 "Tempest" (1928) is an excellent film too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spadeneal Posted April 11, 2006 Share Posted April 11, 2006 I have to second "Grand Hotel." Also I really like "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" (1920) and Barrymore's short test of "Hamlet" preserved by the AFI. "A Bill of Divorcement" is okay and I like very many of the others mentioned here. Barrymore was versatile and quite consistent I think, even though consistency seems not to have been a hallmark of his personal life. I'm surprised no one has mentioned "Svengali." The film is a stiffly-made talkie, but I like Barrymore's performance in it. I wouldn't be terribly surprised if not a lot of folks came forward on behalf of "Don Juan" - an important technical milestone, but a film so dull not even John Barrymore can save it. spadeneal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyweekes70 Posted April 11, 2006 Share Posted April 11, 2006 Indeed, it is. I've got the Image DVD of it and especially enjoy the Barrymore travelogue on it. Watching Barrymore try to play with seals with a smoke dangling from his mouth is hilarous. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyweekes70 Posted April 11, 2006 Share Posted April 11, 2006 I mentioned Svengali! And I'll stick up for Don Juan. I actually enjoy it and find his performance quite fascinating. I've got an old documentary on Barrymore narrated by Mike Wallace and his commentary over the climatic fight sequence has to heard to be believed. I'm not sure if Don Juan is really that boring. If you're in the right frame-of-mind, I think it's quite funny. Thought that really wasn't the intention now, was it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FredCDobbs Posted April 11, 2006 Share Posted April 11, 2006 He made a second ?Svengali? type movie in 1931, titled ?The Mad Genius?, along with co-star Marian Marsh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jarhfive Posted April 11, 2006 Share Posted April 11, 2006 johnnyweekes70, Quote: "Watching Barrymore try to play with seals with a smoke dangling from his mouth is hilarous." Okay. Now you got me 'jazzed'--I've got to find and watch that Barrymore "short". "Smoke dangling" reminds me of my first day (a long time ago) at a laboratory job. My supervisor and I were taking a tour of the building. While walking down a hall, I noticed a fellow employee (he was wearing a badge and lab coat) had his head stuck in a metal cabinet...cigarette dangling out of his mouth. I noticed the color of the cabinet (yellow) and the sign on the cabinet (flammable liquids). I asked my supervisor, "Jeez...who is that guy"? My supervisor answered, "He's our safety officer...checking chemical inventory". Strange thing, I stayed at that lab for five years. Rusty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonParker Posted April 11, 2006 Share Posted April 11, 2006 I second "Counsellor-At Law." Great movie. I have not seen "Twentieth Century," but it's sitting on my shelf waiting for me to watch it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyweekes70 Posted April 11, 2006 Share Posted April 11, 2006 Great story, Rusty. It's funny the things that trigger our memory. The 'short' I mentioned is called Vagabonding on the Pacific, basically a home movie that Errol Flynn probably had in mind when he made Cruise of the Zaca. It's well preserved on the Image-Entertainment DVD of Tempest and is a must for anyone interested in Barrymore. And I think the seals were elephant seals. Very funny. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonParker Posted April 14, 2006 Share Posted April 14, 2006 Finally got around to watching "Twentieth Century" last night. Barrymore was great. However, my favorite part of the movie was naturally Carole Lombard's sweater in the train scenes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DwayneBrue Posted April 14, 2006 Author Share Posted April 14, 2006 My other favorite John Barrymore films, are Arsene Lupin, and Midnight, plus A Bill Of Divorcement. I love Arsene Lupin with John as a thief in Paris going after the Mona Lisa, plus with brother Lionel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
feaito Posted April 14, 2006 Share Posted April 14, 2006 Yes that short is a great extra Johnny! I also have the DVD and I loved both features! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DwayneBrue Posted April 15, 2006 Author Share Posted April 15, 2006 I wish Warners would put out a John Barrymore Signature Collection, with some of his movies, like A Bill Of Divorcement, The Great Man Votes, and some of his Philo Vance movies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DwayneBrue Posted April 15, 2006 Author Share Posted April 15, 2006 Sorry about the Philo Vance mistake, I meant John Barrymore's Bulldog Drummand Movies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattHelm Posted April 15, 2006 Share Posted April 15, 2006 I would say, "Counsellor at Law" too. A very unique un-PC movie for its time. I did like him in "Midnight" before he was totally gone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DwayneBrue Posted April 15, 2006 Author Share Posted April 15, 2006 I would also like to see John Barrymore's remake to The Sea Beast, Moby Dick on DVD. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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