The Mad Genius (1931) watch online HD

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

Warner Brothers were clearly eager to give the 1931 public what it wanted and also consolidate the success of SVENGALI made earlier that year by instantly reuniting the leads from that film – John Barrymore and Marian Marsh – in a quickly rehashed potboiler on similar lines. Barrymore is an embittered puppeteer whose lameness had dashed his dreams of a dancing career but, as fate would have it, is provided with the opportunity of living that glory vicariously through the agile street urchin he saves one day from the clutches of his cruel father (a small role for a pre-fame Boris Karloff). Growing up to be a peerless dancer (played by an uncharismatic Donald Cook) through the ruthless patronage of his foster father, he is ready to give it all up for the love of an innocent girl in the show (Marsh) but, needless to say, Barrymore will not let anything stand in the way of art and his ambitious plans for the prized pupil. Amusing sidekick Charles Butterworth helplessly looks on as Barrymore sadistically convinces dope-addicted choreographer (Luis Alberni) to fire Marsh but Cook overhears their heinous scheme and this causes a rift between impresario and protégé. Years pass but more scheming on Barrymore's part enables the estrangement of the lovers and the rekindling of the working relationship between father and son. Once again, however, fate intervenes with Barrymore eventually getting his just desserts at the hands of the distraught Alberni – on stage during the performance of what was to be Cook's crowning achievement! Admittedly, the plot is much inferior to that of SVENGALI but an unhinged Barrymore is always worth watching, Marsh is typically lovely while Michael Curtiz's expressionistic direction (his first of three notable forays in the genre) and Anton Grot's stylish sets lend the production a touch of class that keeps one watching if not exactly enthralled.

In this interesting variation on the "Svengali" theme, JOHN BARRYMORE plays a crippled puppeteer with a club foot, who lives vicariously his dream of becoming a great dancer when he assumes responsibility for a runaway boy (FRANKIE DARRO) escaping the clutches of his cruel father (BORIS KARLOFF), well disguised with a thick Russian accent and wig that practically makes his features invisible.

Michael Curtiz has directed with enormous help from Anton Grot's well designed sets and a generous use of background music at a time when it was rare for most films to feature so much music on the soundtrack. Of course, dealing with theatrical productions, this was totally necessary. In many ways, the film is way ahead of its time. Not only are the sets on a grand scale, but the B&W photography is richly detailed and Barrymore gives one of his most intense performances as the Svengali-like puppet master who finds he can't control his discovery once love enters the picture.

Doll-faced MARIAN MARSH makes a lovely sort of "Trilby" character but DONALD COOK looks a bit uncomfortable in the role of Fedor, the dancer. The story is a little cumbersome in getting started, but once the plot starts spinning into high gear the suspense mounts and Curtiz stages all of the scenes involving theatrical productions in a manner that puts the film into the A-film category.

Worth seeing for Barrymore's fascinating performance, Russian accent and all, and remarkable in that "the talkies" were only four years old when the film was made and the technical advances are obvious.

When Michael Curtiz directed this odd ballet and horror film he presumably had the recent success of the John Barrymore - Marian Marsh film SVENGALI (from George Du Maurier's TRILBY) in mind. That story was based on a novel wherein a great singer is actually controlled (by hypnosis) by her impresario. Although Svengali's character in the novel was quite obnoxious, the film version softened it to make one realize he was in control of Trilby but loved her and could not be certain if she loved him back. In the end it turned out she did. The story of THE MAD GENIUS was similar - Donald Cook is a brilliant ballet dancer who was trained by impresario Barrymore, and the latter is determined to get his protégé the career he deserves - by all means necessary. This means derailing anything or anyone who Barrymore concludes will prevent this. Marsh is a female member of the ballet company that Cook is falling for, and Barrymore is willing to push her out of the company, and even turn her into a wealthy nobleman's mistress to keep Cook in line.

The film actually works. In the background was a misunderstanding of the relationship between Diaghilev and Nijinski (who many thought was that impresario's puppet). Here one realizes Barrymore is a man who is so hung up on the success of his adopted son that he does not stop even while he realizes he is doing harm to so many others. To perfect the boy's dancing (and the company's) he is willing to be the drug supplier to dance master Luis Alberni (one of the first examples of cocaine use in movies). When not pimping for his wealthy aristocratic backer, he runs a tight ship on all the dancers and his factotum associate Charles Butterworth. But he is human. One of the funniest aspects of the film is how Barrymore picks up his own sexual partners from starry eyed young woman coming in to join the ballet company. He always uses the same line with them, and even the same hour the next day to visit his office (three o'clock). Butterworth adds his bit too, as he tries constantly to interest Barrymore or anyone in a really bad ballet he's written (Barrymore, who is happy and drunk when Butterworth finally corners him, slowly sobers up when hearing this idiotic story line, and ends up saying he never realized what an ass Butterworth really was).

Finally there is a cameo that I find fascinating. This is the film wherein Boris Karloff (for about one minute) shares screen time with John Barrymore. They never did so again.

This film is an ideal companion piece to Barrymore's other mad manipulator "Svengali". It is just as eerie but unfortunately all but unavailable on the video market. I saw it one time on the late show and it stayed with me all my life. It is really an exaggeration of the relationship between impresario Diaghilev and his protégé Nijinski but it also inspired (is there a better word?) the Powell-Pressburger ballet epic "The Red Shoes". Funny how one story gets around...

I've always liked the John Barrymore/Marian Marsh film "Svengali" and have always wanted to see Warner Brothers' re-teaming of the two in "The Mad Genius". Thankfully, Ted Turner seems to own it and shows a very nice print of it on TCM. I've got it recorded and I like to watch it now and again. Although it's not a favorite of mine like "Svengali" is, "The Mad Genius" is still a film that I enjoy. Tsarakov (Barrymore) rescues a small boy from his abusive father (Boris Karloff). As the years pass the boy, Fedor (Donald Cook), grows up to become a seasoned ballet dancer and Tsarakov is the ballets impresario. Tsarakov pampers every move in Fedor's life; getting him leads in ballets and encouraging him to have a steady supply of young women lovers. However, Fedor loves Nana (Marian Marsh) and Tsarakov, seeing this as the ruination of Fedor's career, forces Nana to take up with Count Renaud (André Luget), a good-natured, understanding man. Will Fedor and Nana reunite? What will happen to Tsarkov? Watch "The Mad Genius" and you'll find out. You may marvel at the films casual pre-code approach to sex. Very good film, but not as charming as the classic "Svengali".

In "The Mad Genius" John Barrymore delivers one of his most enjoyable screen performances, playing a club-footed, alcoholic, womanizing Russian puppeteer who takes an abused youth under his wing and molds him into a great star with the Ballet Russe, an accomplishment he could never attain himself due to his deformity. Some may consider his performance hammy, but at least it's Grade A.

The film opens expressionistically somewhere in "Central Europe" on a rain-drenched night with Barrymore and his dim-witted sidekick (the deadpan Charles Butterworth) rehearsing a traveling puppet show when a barefoot youth (Frankie Darro), fleeing a beating from his insanely sadistic father (Boris Karloff), stumbles into their tent. Barrymore and Butterworth hide him and leave town in a horse-drawn wagon shot at a tilted angle as it creaks along a muddy road.

Zip to Berlin several years later. The youth is now a young man (Donald Cook) who is in love with a fellow dancer (Marian Marsh). Barrymore, still the puppeteer but of humans now, wants no one interfering with his controlling relationship and maneuvers Marsh out of the company while elevating a lesser dancer to her position. Meanwhile, Barrymore's dance director (Luis Alberni) is slowly going mad from a cocaine addiction enabled by his employer. The two are locked together, feeding on each other's weaknesses, paralleling the central relationship between teacher-mentor and star-protégé. Barrymore needs Alberni's skills as a dance master; Alberni can't function without the drugs Barrymore provides.

The camera often shoots from low angles, with ceilings visible. Lots of chiaroscuro. Pre-Code subject matter includes extramarital cohabitation, prostitution, drug addiction, and (for the time) grisly violence. Suggestive dialogue abounds.

Barrymore feasts on the role. Luis Alberni plays the frenzied addict to the hilt. Marian Marsh and Donald Cook are sometimes mechanical and artificial but not to the extent that they undermine their roles and both have strong moments. Carmel Myers is excellent in a brief drunken scene with Barrymore.

Donald Cook looks so much like the Warners contract actress Kay Francis that they should have been cast in a movie together as siblings. Just sayin'.

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).

This movie was so obviously an attempt by Warners to cash in on John Barrymore's earlier "Svengali", they even reunited a lot of the cast - Barrymore, Marian Marsh, Carmel Myers and Luis Alberni. This movie was to ballet what "Svengali" was to opera, purportedly based on the relationship between Diaghilev and Nijinsky, although in reality Nijinsky had already created a stir in the ballet world before he met Diaghilev.

John Barrymore gets a chance to play another "warped" genius and his performance dominates the film, without him it would be just a forgettable romance played out against a ballet background. This time he is a crippled puppeteer who, as a child, was rejected by his ballerina mother because of his clubfoot. Since then he has crushed his dreams and now runs a traveling marionette circus. When he gives shelter to a village boy, Fedor, (Frankie Darro) who is hiding from his cruel father (Boris Karloff), Tsarakov (Barrymore) vows "I will make him the greatest dancer of all time"!!! and within 15 years, Fedor (now played by Donald Cook) has taken the ballet world by storm. You definitely don't see Cook perform many intricate steps but he handles the dramatic part of the story okay. Tsarakov is now manager of a "Ballet Russe" (shades of Diaghilev) but behind his kindly uncle demeanor is an evil tyrant who manipulates people through their own weaknesses.

Fedor is in love with the beautiful Nana (Marsh) but that does not fit in with Tsarakov's plans and he plots to have Nana expelled from the company. He forges a letter and forces drug addicted choreographer Bankieff (Luis Alberni) to sign - or he will withhold the drugs that he knows Bankieff craves. His plan backfires however and Fedor and Nana run away together, Fedor getting a job in a seedy cafe (a rare chance to hear Cole Porter's "You've Got That Thing") and sinking into a depression when he realises that ballet is in his blood. There is an interesting plot development when Fedor starts to exhibit the same characterizations as Tsarakov, in his voice and speech but apart from a couple of characters remarking on it, it doesn't go anywhere. It all ends in a completely melodramatic way that would have pleased Barrymore no end.

In a 1985 Films in Review article, Marian Marsh recalled the happy memories she had of working with Barrymore. He was enjoying a period of great calm, he was happily married to Dolores Costello, he wasn't drinking (much) and his wife and little daughter "Dee Dee" often visited him on the set. Miss Marsh said that far from being "the Great Actor" he was very kind to her and helped her in her craft.

I feel like no other decade seems to have as many obscure gems lost to time as the 1930's; case in point, The Mad Genius. Coming out in the same year as the iconic adaptations of Frankenstein, Dracula, and Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde; but in my humble opinion, The Mad Genius is a better and more intriguing film than any of those.

The opening of The Mad Genius does a superb job at setting a time and place; central Europe in the early 20th century. There is an impeccable level of detail in creating the world of a traveling performer; with the falling of the rain, the wind and the sound of horse and carriage taking full advantage of sound technology to create a world. Equally as impressive is Vladimar Ivan Tsarakov's (John Barrymore) Berlin theatre and the large-scale stage set with hints of German expressionism throughout and the widespread use of music in the soundtrack, unlike other early talkies.

John Barrymore is (unsurprisingly) mesmerising as Vladimar Ivan Tsarakov (quite a name), one of the most repulsive characters he ever played as he spends the movie spewing pompous and at times mad scientist like dialogue. He has a misogynistic attitude towards women and is even seen ogling up the skirts of his dancers, in one of the film's very pre-code elements. He is even a drug dealer, although the word drug is never used in the film nor is it identified what substances appear in the film. In one scene in which he refuses to deal drugs with the stage director played by Luis Alberni, I love his summary on drugs when he throws them into the fire; "If I drop this, you will be free, but you will suffer of course, but in the end, you will be happier than you could ever dream". Likewise In one of the movie's comic highlights, there is an early use of profanity in the film; "It's unbelievable that there's any human being living, who should be such a stupid ass".

One of the many interesting observations in The Mad Genius is the combination of elements from other movies. The plot itself is derivative of Barrymore's previous horror outing Svengali, while Tsarakov's desire to create a great ballet dancer out of a young boy is a variation on Dr. Frankenstein (which the movie itself alludes to). When Tsarakov is wearing on overcoat he is bent over like Quasimodo; Barrymore's facial appearance is very similar to that of Bela Lugosi in White Zombie, likewise, his voice is reminiscent of Lugosi's Dracula. The theatre setting has vibes of The Phantom of the Opera and perhaps most interestingly are the elements of The Red Shoes with the film's inclusion of ballet and the themes of going to extremes for one's art. Could Powell and Pressburger have taken inspiration from The Mad Genius?

The Mad Genius is far from the best of John Barrymore's sound films. But it certainly provides a character for him to go full blast in terms of style and yet not seem overacted. Barrymore's plays a cripple who wanted to be a great ballet dancer, but only is confined to doing puppet shows with his sidekick Charles Butterworth.

One day he and Butterworth rescue young Frankie Darro from a cruel father Boris Karloff. Barrymore sees in young Darro the promise and form of the dancer he wanted to be. This was before the Code so the homoerotic ideas in the scene are exploited to the max.

Fast forward a dozen years and Darro is now Donald Cook at the top of his game as a ballet dancer, a veritable Nijinsky. He's also got eyes for pretty Marian Marsh, but so has Barrymore.

Barrymore's years of training in the puppet theater have stood him in good stead as he's now a real puppet master, scheming and manipulating people to his will. His scene with Luis Alberni who is manager of the company to get him to do something he doesn't want to do is unforgettable. I won't reveal what he has over him, but this also was a subject later banned by the Code.

Not the best of Barrymore's work, but it should provide a real introduction to his acting. And he's given great support by the ensemble Warner Brothers and director Michael Curtiz gave him.

John Barrymmore plays a puppeteer who takes in a small boy who grows to be a great dancer. Things get dicey when the boy's eye strays from dancing toward one girl in particular.

Intrguing pre-code film that, at times, has Barrymore giving a great performance. Watch his early scenes and you'll see just how good he was. During bits later in the film he seems to be phoning it in but he's still a joy to behold. The movie itself is a potboiler in the Svengali mode, but it's entertaining. I love the ballet sets which are decidedly of the time the film was made.

Worth a peak.

Taped this picture on the late-late-late movie channel on the NY TV stations and have never seen it again. John Barrymore(Tsarakov) plays a crippled, half-mad puppeteer, who yearns to dance. Upon saving the young boy Fedor(Frankie Darro) from his foster father's (Boris Karloff) abuse, he recognizes the youth's ability and hopes to make him a famous dancer. Karloff's role was very minor, and he did not reappear after the opening sequence. There was a mention of Frankenstein in the script where it refers about a Golem fashioned from mud and given a human soul and is asked by Tsarakov " Frankenstein's man? John Barrymore dominates the entire screen, but they still need Karloff to bring the 193l audiences into the movie houses.

I quite enjoyed this one when I first saw it many years ago, but it doesn't stand up well. Barrymore is the main problem. His is a ranting, self-glorifying, drown out everyone else in the cast performance, which, to my surprise, director Mike Curtiz indulges rather than trying to keep a lid on it. And I don't know that it was a good idea of the screenwriters not only to keep so much of the moribund stage play in the action, thus slowing it down, and then pandering Barrymore with long speeches, and thus slowing things down even further. Director Mike Curtiz seems to be in awe of Barrymore and favor him with eye- rolling close-ups and long takes at the expense of other members of the cast, especially Marian Marsh. In fact some of our favorite people have very little footage, including Boris Karloff who makes a significant entrance and then totally disappears. We do see a lot of Donald Cook, however, despite the fact that he is, at best, a rather stodgy, humdrum actor with – at least in this movie – little in the way of charisma. I'm not surprised the movie failed dismally at the box office. Sometimes, not often, mind you, audiences showed good taste! This movie is available on very good Warner Brothers DVD, but with no extras, alas!

This Follow-Up to Svengali (1931) is a Similar Story, the Lush Art-Deco Production and the Stylish Direction from Michael Curtiz makes this a more Sprawling and Grander Film, but perhaps, not a better one.

There are Many Highlights of Pre-Code Daring that are Evident throughout Dealing with Drug Addiction (Cocaine), Sex, and a number of Scantily Clad Dancers (mostly dancers warming up) and Spicy Dialog with Innuendos Galore. A Bloody Axe-Wielding Ending with a "Phantom of the Opera" Feel and to Lighten things now and then, Charles Butterworth's Smooth Talking Nonsensical Dolt.

There's Boris Karloff, a heartbeat before Frankenstein (1931), in a very Small but Noticeable Role as a Sadistic Child Abuser, and Marion Marsh as a Doll-Faced Dancer that can Light Up the Screen.

John Barrymore's Lead Performance is Captivating Evil and Playful at the same time. Donald Cook is the Love Interest. Barrymore's "Golem" is OK but Unremarkable.

Overall, the Film is Rich with Ingredients as it Globe Hops and most of the Money (evident On Screen) was Not Recovered at the Box Office Forcing WB to Cancel Barrymore's Pricey Contract.

Definitely Worth a Watch for Movie-Buffs, Pre-Code Enthusiasts, Art-Deco Fans, and Early Sound Techniques. The Look of the Movie is Outstanding.

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.

Stars John Barrymore and Charles Butterworth as a team of performing puppeteers. They see a man whipping a child, and come to his rescue. and yes, that's the monster-master Boris Karloff, as the boy's terrible father we see right at the opening. Some elaborately staged scenes, with large casts of uncredited roles, as they choreograph dance numbers on stage. Butterworth had a dry, sarcastic, under-stated humor, and had a career in Broadway before entering film. Has an interesting bio here on imdb... died quite young in a car crash. While wikipedia.org states it was an accident, imdb claims it may be been intentional. The story shows a russian cast putting together a show in berlin. Trials, tribulations, ups, downs, love triangles. Lots of talk... proving that this started out as a play. It's okay. Directed by Michael Curtiz, who had started out in the silent films, as had Barrymore and Karloff. Curtiz' best known work was probably the oscar winning Casablanca in 1944 !

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.

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.

Although not quite as good as Svengali, this follow-up with John Barrymore and Marian Marsh from that film isn't too shabby. Barrymore stars as puppeteer with a bum leg who fancies himself a ballet impresario, discovering a kid with athletic spirit he feels is perfect for what he envisions as the vessel for all his creative energies. Donald Cook is the grown-up Fedor, now an undeniable ballet talent thanks to Barrymore's Vladimir Tsarakov, on marquees heading extravagant stage presentations. Along with loyal and put-upon assistant, Karimsky (Charles Butterworth), Vladimir has shaped and molded the ballet superstar he always wanted to be but his crippled leg wouldn't let him in Fedor. All that could be jeopardized by a female dancer, Nana (Marsh, just a doll), who Vladimir considers a bad influence, with him purposely on the manipulative attack, using whatever psychological tactics his devious, jealous mind could muster. Honestly I could barely recognize Karloff as the abusive peasant father chasing after Fedor when he was a kid, with Vladimir hiding him from harm. The sets, especially the stage houses and operas, are impressive, but Barrymore bugging his eyes, liquoring up and womanizing when able, is once again incredible...a charismatic powerhouse who plays this monster seeing himself a god having created a perfect specimen he feels will be corrupted by Nana to the hilt. Barrymore's alcoholism might have robbed him ultimately from a lucrative career, but this and Svengali offer us rich examples of colorful human beasts, doing whatever it takes to control or destroy those that possibly disrupt his plans. Michael Curtiz's direction may not necessarily command the same attention as future Warner Bros horror pictures like Doctor X or Mysteries of the Wax Museum, but he still knows how to frame faces and delve his cast into the macabre. This film includes a drug addict who trains the performers and is shaken when Vladimir demands he remove Nana from a starring role...precode Hollywood was once quite daring with these kinds of characters. The way Vladimir torments Nana and Fedor's suffering after Vladimir blacklists make up some real dramatic weight in this film. A gem worth seeking out.

John Barrymore had some wonderful performances over his film career. But, he also had some really terrible performances as well--ones which were far from subtle and terribly overacted. One of these embarrassingly bad performances was his famous "Svengali" and another was the follow-up film, "The Mad Genius". In fact, both performances seem just about identical--with Barrymore playing essentially the same sort of guy--a creepy manipulator who is troll- like and with a thick, thick accent. The plot of "Svengali" involves a creepy guy using his hypnotic-like powers to bend a woman to his will and make her a star. Here, it's a guy instead...but otherwise it's the same 'ol same 'ol.

The bottom line is the film lacks subtlety and originality. While it might have played well back in the day, today it just seems very dated and dumb. Barrymore was capable of so much better than this and the film is extremely difficult to finish.