That's for his character, not his performance, superb and mesmerizing as always, along with the pitiful Aline MacMahon as his trusting victim. Actually, Ethel Barrymore was far more trusting, less cynical, and probably more believable simply as far as age was concerned. MacMahon, fresh from Warner Brothers where she played mostly sad but wise women, is not a gray haired old spinster, but still falls prey to Rathbone's treachery here as he takes advantage of her pitying nature. Several visits (always ending with MacMahon seemingly catching onto Rathbone's scheme) have her under his thumb, with an ailing wife and baby, as well as the cockney Dudley Digges and Eily Malyon, who basically terrify her into submission and drug her in an effort to walk off with her fortune.
This is a delightful old style barnstormer, the kind of gothic melodrama that was extremely popular for the first half of the 20th Century yet now seems hopelessly dated. The MGM gloss is present even with B unit director George B. Seitz in the director's chair. Rathbone's delightfully urbane performance is beautifully calculating, with MacMahon getting a glorious prediction and the last laugh after he thinks he's gotten the last word in. Digges and Malyon are perfectly hateful, making the idea of their comeuppance a hopeful emotion while watching this.
This is a delightful old style barnstormer, the kind of gothic melodrama that was extremely popular for the first half of the 20th Century yet now seems hopelessly dated. The MGM gloss is present even with B unit director George B. Seitz in the director's chair. Rathbone's delightfully urbane performance is beautifully calculating, with MacMahon getting a glorious prediction and the last laugh after he thinks he's gotten the last word in. Digges and Malyon are perfectly hateful, making the idea of their comeuppance a hopeful emotion while watching this.