THE MAD GENIUS (Warner Brothers, 1931), directed by Michael Curtiz, reunites the cast of John Barrymore, Marian Marsh, Luis Alberni and Carmel Myers from their previous effort of SVENGALI (1931), directed by Archie Mayo. With SVENGALI being a classic by today's standards, with frequent television revivals and availability on both video cassette and DVD, THE MAD GENIUS is virtually forgotten and almost unknown. Not quite a horror film as the title implies, making one think of Boris Karloff or Bela Lugosi, who specialized in playing mad doctors as such, THE MAD GENIUS, from the play "The Idol" by Martin Brown, very well depicts that of its leading actor, John Barrymore, who is not only mad, but obsessed in helping another become a popular ballet dancer, a possession he wanted for himself but unable to achieve, only to live his life for another.
PROLOGUE: Locale: Central Europe; Time: Fifteen years ago; Scene: A peasant village. As Vladimir Ivan Tsarakov (John Barrymore) and his partner, Karimsky (Charles Butterworth), work on puppets hung on strings doing ballet images, at a near distance, both men witness a brutal father (Boris Karloff) whipping and chasing after his son (Frankie Darro). Falling unconscious due to a fall, the boy is assisted and properly hidden away by Vladimir and Karrimsky, forcing the father to go away when the boy is unable to be found. Seeing the youngster's run and jumping over high fences to avoid his father finds Ivan, whose handicap is his club foot, believing the boy, under his guidance, can become a successful ballet dancer. Almost immediately, the men take their horse and wagon to another destination. THE STORY: Locale: Berlin; Time: Present; Scene: Staatsoper. Now a young man, Feodor (Donald Cook), who has grown to love and respect Ivan as his guide and protector, has become a ballet dancer performing opposite Nana Carlova (Marian Marsh), whom he has grown to love. Because of their relationship, Ivan tries to break them up by firing Nana. Feodor overhears what's going on and leaves Ivan's company, taking Nana with him. Unable to succeed on his own in cabarets, and practically living in poverty, Nana comes to Ivan to have him take Feodor back with him, but will do so if she would do something very much against her wishes. Also in the supporting cast are: Luis Alberni (Serge Bankieff); Andre Luget (Count Robert Renard); Mae Madison (Olga Checkova); and Lee Moran (The Cabaret Director). Carmel Myers as Sonya assumes a smaller role as she did in SVENGALI where she plays a woman who wants but loses the affections of the impresario, Barrymore, while Boris Karloff, receiving no cast credits for his role, is virtually unrecognizable for his few minutes on screen playing an abusive father, yet its his familiar voice that gives him away.
Through nowhere in the same league as SVENGALI, where Marian Marsh was the center of attention, THE MAD GENIUS holds it own in a different light. Marsh's role here, introduced 13 minutes into the story with camera focusing on her ballet dancing feet, isn't much of a main focus as she was in the previous film, that actually going to Donald Cook. Cook seems miscast as a ballet dancer, though some dancing scenes depicted are naturally captured in long shot performed by a stunt double, only using Cook's face in closeup for mood reactions. Barrymore, on the other hand, assumes his obsession on his protege, Cook, as he did as the hypnotist, Svengali, for Marion Marsh's Trilby, and excels in it. As with SVENGALI where Barrymore sports a pointy beard, for his MAD GENIUS, is pointy beard style only appears on bis bottom chin. The only moment of comedy used for THE MAD GENIUS is the support given by Charles Butterworth where his tells him some long-winded story that has the Barrymore character trying desperately to stay awake, calling him an "ass" when the story is completed, otherwise THE MAD GENIUS is straight drama, with shadowy images, haunting score, and some fine staged dance sequences provided. For Barrymore's final film for the Warner Brothers studio, THE MAD GENIUS, which followed SVENGALI (interesting both clocked at 81 minutes) are fine exits for his unusual acting talent.
Never distributed on video cassette, but available on DVD (though this would make a good companion piece on DVD on the flip side of SVENGALI), THE MAD GENIUS is shown occasionally on Turner Classic Movies cable channel. (***)
PROLOGUE: Locale: Central Europe; Time: Fifteen years ago; Scene: A peasant village. As Vladimir Ivan Tsarakov (John Barrymore) and his partner, Karimsky (Charles Butterworth), work on puppets hung on strings doing ballet images, at a near distance, both men witness a brutal father (Boris Karloff) whipping and chasing after his son (Frankie Darro). Falling unconscious due to a fall, the boy is assisted and properly hidden away by Vladimir and Karrimsky, forcing the father to go away when the boy is unable to be found. Seeing the youngster's run and jumping over high fences to avoid his father finds Ivan, whose handicap is his club foot, believing the boy, under his guidance, can become a successful ballet dancer. Almost immediately, the men take their horse and wagon to another destination. THE STORY: Locale: Berlin; Time: Present; Scene: Staatsoper. Now a young man, Feodor (Donald Cook), who has grown to love and respect Ivan as his guide and protector, has become a ballet dancer performing opposite Nana Carlova (Marian Marsh), whom he has grown to love. Because of their relationship, Ivan tries to break them up by firing Nana. Feodor overhears what's going on and leaves Ivan's company, taking Nana with him. Unable to succeed on his own in cabarets, and practically living in poverty, Nana comes to Ivan to have him take Feodor back with him, but will do so if she would do something very much against her wishes. Also in the supporting cast are: Luis Alberni (Serge Bankieff); Andre Luget (Count Robert Renard); Mae Madison (Olga Checkova); and Lee Moran (The Cabaret Director). Carmel Myers as Sonya assumes a smaller role as she did in SVENGALI where she plays a woman who wants but loses the affections of the impresario, Barrymore, while Boris Karloff, receiving no cast credits for his role, is virtually unrecognizable for his few minutes on screen playing an abusive father, yet its his familiar voice that gives him away.
Through nowhere in the same league as SVENGALI, where Marian Marsh was the center of attention, THE MAD GENIUS holds it own in a different light. Marsh's role here, introduced 13 minutes into the story with camera focusing on her ballet dancing feet, isn't much of a main focus as she was in the previous film, that actually going to Donald Cook. Cook seems miscast as a ballet dancer, though some dancing scenes depicted are naturally captured in long shot performed by a stunt double, only using Cook's face in closeup for mood reactions. Barrymore, on the other hand, assumes his obsession on his protege, Cook, as he did as the hypnotist, Svengali, for Marion Marsh's Trilby, and excels in it. As with SVENGALI where Barrymore sports a pointy beard, for his MAD GENIUS, is pointy beard style only appears on bis bottom chin. The only moment of comedy used for THE MAD GENIUS is the support given by Charles Butterworth where his tells him some long-winded story that has the Barrymore character trying desperately to stay awake, calling him an "ass" when the story is completed, otherwise THE MAD GENIUS is straight drama, with shadowy images, haunting score, and some fine staged dance sequences provided. For Barrymore's final film for the Warner Brothers studio, THE MAD GENIUS, which followed SVENGALI (interesting both clocked at 81 minutes) are fine exits for his unusual acting talent.
Never distributed on video cassette, but available on DVD (though this would make a good companion piece on DVD on the flip side of SVENGALI), THE MAD GENIUS is shown occasionally on Turner Classic Movies cable channel. (***)