Vashirdfel Simply A Masterpiece

Plustown A lot of perfectly good film show their cards early, establish a unique premise and let the audience explore a topic at a leisurely pace, without much in terms of surprise. this film is not one of those films.

Donald Seymour This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Lucia Ayala It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

alexanderdavies-99382 John Barrymore was easily the most suitable actor for film, in comparison with his older brother and sister. He knew when it was right to town down the theatrical approach and when to be a bit larger-than-life. "The Mad Genius" was Barrymore's final film for "Warner Bros." He was paid the rather handsome sum of about $70,000 a film and gave some fine performances. "The Mad Genius" is a remake of a previous film for the studio, "Svengali." The former movie is far better than this inferior remake. The above film suffers from a very poor plot, leaden pacing and disappointing dialogue. Only the performance of John Barrymore and the direction from Michael Curtiz save this film. Boris Karloff is completely wasted in a brief appearance at the beginning of the film. "The Mad Genius" has no imagination or much in the way of sustaining the viewer's interest.

Michael_Elliott The Mad Genius (1931) *** (out of 4) Vladimar Ivan Tsarakov (John Barrymore) dreamed of becoming a world famous dancer but a club foot prevented that from happening. One day he notices a young boy being abused so he takes the kid as his own with the plan of turning him into a great star. As an adult, Fedor (Donald Cook) begins to rise to stardom as Vladimar's obsession grows stronger and more deranged.Obviously this here was meant as a version of SVENGALI, which was released earlier in the same year as this picture. In all honesty, I've always thought that film was somewhat overrated but it was saved thanks to the great performance by Barrymore. It took me a long time to track down a copy of THE MAD GENIUS and I must admit that I felt the same about this film as I did about SVENGALI.THE MAD GENIUS isn't a bad movie but at the same time, outside of the performances, there's really nothing overly special about the film and I might even argue that it's pretty darn boring at times. I really didn't think the usually great Michael Curtiz brought any style or substance to the material. I was a little surprised that the screenplay spends so much time with characters just sitting around talking. A lot of the more horror-like elements are drained of any sort of suspense or drama.As I said, the reason the film remains watchable is due to the performances with Barrymore once again leading the way. I really thought he was great here in a rather restraint role. I mean, we're used to the theatrical Barrymore really going wild but that wasn't the case here. He was brilliant at using his eyes to tell and show us what madness was beneath this character. I also thought Marian Marsh was good in her role of the love interest and Cook is also good, if a bit bland, in his role. Charles Butterworth nearly steals the picture with his comic timing in the role as Karimsky.As I said, there are quite a few flaws to be found in THE MAD GENIUS but the cast and performances are just so good that you can't help but stay with the picture.

reptilicus There is a story that has since become part of Hollywood folklore that Boris Karloff, still a relatively unknown supporting player, was summoned to the office of director Michael Curtiz. The Hungarian expatriate took one look at the slender, soft spoken Englishman and allegedly said "Good God, you're not Russian! I sent for you because your name is Karloff. It certainly sounds Russian! Oh well, now that you're here I guess I'll have to use you." It seems like a lot to go through for a role that lasts about 2 minutes onscreen and was probably completed in 1 day but Boris got the part anyway. In truth, Boris is so convincing hidden behind a beard and using a Russian accent that many people do not realise it is him! In those pre-FRANKENSTEIN days you could also spot Karloff in THE YELLOW TICKET in which he has no lines at all; or in THE PUBLIC DEFENDER where he is quite noticeable; or even CRACKED NUTS where he appeared opposite comedians Wheeler and Woolsey. It was not long after THE MAD GENIUS that director James Whale asked Karloff to test for, as he (Whale) put it, " . . .a damned awful monster." The rest, as they say, is history. Frankie Darro, whose role is almost as small as Boris', had already costared with Rin Tin Tin Sr in THE LIGHTNING WARRIOR (1930) and would meet up with Rinty Jr in THE WOLF DOG (1934).

John Braun (kartrabo) In another of John Barrymore's bizarre characterizations the great actor portrays a club-footed itinerant puppeteer who rescues an abused boy from vile existence,recognizes the lad's incredible of agility and footwork and begins to train the youngster to be a "new" Nijinsky.Years go by,the boy reaches manhood,and Barrymore the impresario of a successful ballet company.But when the ballet dancer begins to have ideas of his own,falls in love with pretty Marian Marsh,Barrymore,consumed with madness and jealousy attempts to manipulate their lives leading to shocking results. This extraordinary film oscillates between intriguing drama and moments of near horror with Barrymore in masterly control of his human puppets. Boris Karloff is the boy's monstrous father and Luis Alberni stands out as the drug-addicted ballet director.Magnificent direction by Michael Curtiz