Why on Earth did George Arliss receive an Academy Award for Disraeli? It would have been a bad performance (and a bad movie, frankly) if it had been produced by community theater. There were seven other nominees, and yet he took home the coveted statuette. I'm very anxious to see the other films, so I can place an informed vote for another man.
A biopic on Benjamin Disraeli, the film shows his diplomacy and negotiation tactics as he represents England despite anti-Semitism amongst his critics. He also plays matchmaker to a young couple, Anthony Bushell and Joan Bennett, and is completely devoted to his wife (played by his real-life wife, Florence Arliss). Everything about the movie is melodramatic, as if George is trying to reach the back row. The screenplay is far too "play-ish", which is understandable because it was based on a twice-produced Broadway show; but, it should have been made more accessible. And Joan, though cute as a button in 1930s romantic comedies, was completely out of place in an English drama. Her distinct Jean-Harlow-esque dialect was unchanged! I don't really recommend this movie unless you're doing an Oscar-movie-pub-crawl and want to watch all the winners for sake of comparison.
A biopic on Benjamin Disraeli, the film shows his diplomacy and negotiation tactics as he represents England despite anti-Semitism amongst his critics. He also plays matchmaker to a young couple, Anthony Bushell and Joan Bennett, and is completely devoted to his wife (played by his real-life wife, Florence Arliss). Everything about the movie is melodramatic, as if George is trying to reach the back row. The screenplay is far too "play-ish", which is understandable because it was based on a twice-produced Broadway show; but, it should have been made more accessible. And Joan, though cute as a button in 1930s romantic comedies, was completely out of place in an English drama. Her distinct Jean-Harlow-esque dialect was unchanged! I don't really recommend this movie unless you're doing an Oscar-movie-pub-crawl and want to watch all the winners for sake of comparison.