A crippled man finds a boy and vows to make him a great dancer.A crippled man finds a boy and vows to make him a great dancer.A crippled man finds a boy and vows to make him a great dancer.
André Luguet
- Count Robert Renaud
- (as Andre Luguet)
Chester A. Bachman
- Poster Hanger
- (uncredited)
Charles Brinley
- Poster Hanger
- (uncredited)
Boris Karloff
- Fedor's Father
- (uncredited)
Mae Madison
- Olga Chekova
- (uncredited)
George Marion
- Old Soldier at Theatre Stage
- (uncredited)
Walter Miller
- Opera Spectator
- (uncredited)
Lee Moran
- Montmartre Cabaret Director
- (uncredited)
Charles Williams
- Stagehand
- (uncredited)
Harry Wilson
- Curtain Man
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaMichael Curtiz hired Boris Karloff because he mistakenly thought he was Russian.
- GoofsA title card misspells Montmartre as "Montmarte."
- Quotes
Nana Carlova: [after Tsarakov has cunningly expelled her from the Ballet Russe] But, where will I go?
Vladimar Ivan Tsarakov: Well, I hate to advise people, my dear, but it seems to me that you have the best chance of success possibly by placing yourself somewhere where only youth and beauty are necessary.
- Crazy creditsOpening credits are shown over a background of a figure dancing; a reference to the plot which involves a dancer.
- ConnectionsReferenced in Taxi (1931)
- SoundtracksDanse Russe Trépak
(uncredited)
from "Nutcracker Suite, Op.71a"
Written by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Played during the opening puppet sequence
Featured review
Barrymore strong in a dark, twisted role
This film feels a little like a Tod Browning production, with John Barrymore in the role of a dark, twisted man that we could imagine Lon Chaney playing for Browning, but it's actually directed by Michael Curtiz. Barrymore leads a ballet troupe and jealously guards his young protégé (Donald Cook), who he's raised from a boy since essentially stealing him from his abusive peasant father (Boris Karloff, briefly). He wants to use him to live out his own frustrated dreams of being a great dancer. He has no problem supplying the young man with lovers from the troupe, but doesn't want him to form any attachments, for fear it will impact his artistic abilities, and also of course because he's afraid of losing control. Enter Marian Marsh, a sweet young dancer who he falls in love with, thus setting up the central conflict in the film.
When he's not busy trying to control the young man, Barrymore is up to no good elsewhere. He supplies drugs to his conductor (Luis Alberni), who is desperately addicted. He makes it clear to young ballerinas (Mae Madison and later Carmel Myers) that if they want to get ahead, they need to "see him" in his private office. He also berates his secretary (Charles Butterworth, who provides some comic relief with his bumbling), responding to one of his ideas by saying "It's incredible. It's unbelievable... that there should be any human being living who is such a stupid ass." Barrymore is excellent throughout the film and turns in a performance that dominates, though Cook and Marsh are reasonably good as well. The brief segments of ballet scenes, often in practice, show realistic and solid dancing.
The film starts strong, but loses a little bit of its steam in the second half, and not completely living up to its potential. The direction from Curtiz is great, with creative shot angles and editing, but the plot is a little simple. It's hard to believe I'd say that a film with open drug use, predatory sexual behavior, and an axe murder wouldn't be dark enough, and yet, somehow I wanted more. Maybe I've been watching too many pre-code movies lately.
When he's not busy trying to control the young man, Barrymore is up to no good elsewhere. He supplies drugs to his conductor (Luis Alberni), who is desperately addicted. He makes it clear to young ballerinas (Mae Madison and later Carmel Myers) that if they want to get ahead, they need to "see him" in his private office. He also berates his secretary (Charles Butterworth, who provides some comic relief with his bumbling), responding to one of his ideas by saying "It's incredible. It's unbelievable... that there should be any human being living who is such a stupid ass." Barrymore is excellent throughout the film and turns in a performance that dominates, though Cook and Marsh are reasonably good as well. The brief segments of ballet scenes, often in practice, show realistic and solid dancing.
The film starts strong, but loses a little bit of its steam in the second half, and not completely living up to its potential. The direction from Curtiz is great, with creative shot angles and editing, but the plot is a little simple. It's hard to believe I'd say that a film with open drug use, predatory sexual behavior, and an axe murder wouldn't be dark enough, and yet, somehow I wanted more. Maybe I've been watching too many pre-code movies lately.
helpful•70
- gbill-74877
- Sep 18, 2018
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $441,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 21 minutes
- Color
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