The Man Who Played God

First and foremost, "The Man Who Played God" (1932) is not a Bette Davis vehicle. She was still a few years away from receiving top billing and graduating into 'A' pictures. However, the mere fact that she's in this overlooked and forgotten film will only push it into wider circulation and rapidly increase its number of viewers. So much has already been said about her, there's very little one can add to further compliment her. Personally, I think she gave some of her best performances in these early 1930s B programmers for Warner Bros. Sure, the material wasn't nearly as good, which only made her performances stand out all the more. But Bette Davis has little to do with what stands out about this movie.

After losing his hearing, a well-loved and respected piano player (George Arliss) becomes a recluse. He rejects most of his old friends and companions, and is cruel to the few he does see. He learns to read lips, but grows more and more depressed at the same time. And finally when he has hit rock bottom, he finds a purpose in his life,... philanthropy. Putting aside his own problems and selfishness, his salvation comes from helping others. This is a theme that would recur over and over again to varying degrees in the Depression era 30s (especially in Frank Capra's movies).

The other thing of interest here is the act of voyeurism. Through the aid of binoculars, he's able to read lips, and essentially, spy on everyday New Yorker's. One can't help but wonder if this little movie may have had some influence or have been the basis for the idea of Cornell Woolrich's short story "It Had to Be Murder", which would be eventually adapted into Alfred Hitchcock's "Rear Window" (1954).

This movie, is, by no means a masterpiece, but its still an important one. With so many interesting ideas going on here, its well worth the watch.

This story has been made and remade many times. The first was back in the 1910s as "The Silent Voice". Then, a decade later, George Arliss made "The Man Who Played God"...and then again, a decade after this, Arliss made a sound version. But that wasn't all...in the 1950s, Liberace made "Sincerely Yours"...yet another version of this story!

The story is about a world famous concert pianist (Arliss), a man who is beloved and loves life. He also has a significantly younger woman (Bette Davis) who wants to marry him. But in spite of this, his life takes a sour turn when he is deafened...and sour is the word for it! This is because the pianist soon becomes bitter and resentful from his hearing loss and he spends much of his time brooding. So what is his salvation? See the movie.

Arliss, as usual, is very good. And, the story is a wonderful tale about loss and coping with it. My only complaint, and it's a minor one, is that the story seems a tad old fashioned. Now this does NOT mean I suggest you see the later Liberace version...it's not particularly good. But the 1932 film is well worth seeing...with a great object lesson for us all.

By the way, late in the film look carefully at the minor character of an embezzler...it's played by the soon to be discovered Ray Milland.

In "The Man Who Played God" the venerable George Arliss plays a famous and sweet-natured concert pianist who must cope with catastrophic hearing loss. There are two male-female romantic love subplots, but the story is essentially about philosophical and moral issues. The movie is best remembered not for Arliss, who was the main attraction, but for a supporting role beautifully played by the future screen queen Bette Davis, who for the most part is also very well photographed by James Van Trees, enhancing her unique presence. Amusingly, Mordaunt Hall of The New York Times in his review of the film faulted her for speaking "too rapidly for the microphone." But Arliss himself, as an artist suddenly forced to reconstruct his whole approach to life, is sympathetic and compelling despite the lipstick he habitually wore, in the style of many male actors of that time. He is ably supported by a thoroughly winning cast including Violet Heming, Ivan Simpson, Louise Closser Hale in an uncharacteristically non-dour role as the pianist's loving, intelligent and supportive sister, and even a very young Ray Milland as half of a distressed young couple whose desperate utterances are deciphered from afar by Arliss with the aid of binoculars and freshly acquired lip-reading skills. The studio-created ambiance of bustling city streets, whether "Paris" or "New York," is less phony looking than the usual replications thanks to careful lighting and well-planned camera angles.

Many of the reviews have focused on Arliss and Davis, and deservedly so. Hence there's no need to rehash that material. I want to highlight the excellent supporting cast.

Violet Heming (1895-1981) plays a suitor for Arliss. She was a British stage actress who worked with Arliss. She made few films (part of Thanhouser) and is best known for her stage work, which is unfortunate for the rest of us since her acting is really exceptional.

Louise Closser Hale (1872-1933) plays Arliss' sister and confidant. She combined a grandmotherly spirit with a quick wit and a sometimes tart edge in supporting roles ("Daddy Long Legs", "Shanghai Express", "Platinum Blonde") and her skill is probably nowhere better on exhibit than in this film.

Ivan Simpson (1875-1951) plays Arliss' manservant. He was a Scottish stage and film actor who worked with Arliss during the silent era. He made more than 100 films and later transitioned to TV. He was used extensively in the British dramas ("Prince and the Pauper", "Lloyds of London", "Captain Blood", "Mutiny on the Bounty"). This is probably the best example of his considerable talents, and the chemistry between he and Arliss is a joy to watch.

Look for Ray Milland (uncredited) in a brief scene in which he plays a man threatened with prison. For Milland (1907-86) this was his 15th film and fame was still a few years ahead. Ultimately he won an Oscar for "The Lost Weekend" (1946).

Also look for Hedda Hopper (1885-1966) as a west coast society matron. She is better known for her gossip columns, but she did, in fact, appear in over 100 films between 1916 and 1946.

This isn't a perfect film. It's a bit too long, Arliss does a few too many silent era long closeups, and the age difference between Arliss and Davis (24 vs. 65) is a bit too much. Otherwise it is a definite treat and holds up well after all these years.

THE MAN WHO PLAYED GOD (Warner Brothers, 1932), directed by John G. Adolfi, from a short story by Gouverneur Morris, stars Academy Award winning actor of 1929s DISRAELI, Mr. George Arliss, in a remake to his 1922 silent screen adaptation. Essentially a showcase for the prestigious Arliss in what might have been just another movie assignment to his credit, it's best known as the motion picture responsible for the advancement of Bette Davis in her first important screen role, following her start at Universal in 1931, thus the beginning of her long association at the Warner studio where she would become its major star attraction before the end of the decade.

Of the George Arliss films in circulation and video today, THE MAN WHO PLAYED GOD holds up remarkably well mainly due to its theme and timely message that never really grows out of date, overlooking the fact that such a story echoes passages from the Holy Bible ("A man who has never suffered has never lived," "If you kill yourself, you'll suffer ten thousand times more" or the age old question, "If God is so merciful, how could he allow this to happen to me?") preached during Sunday services. The title has nothing to do with a actor starring in a religious play, but in fact, about a man whose life becomes an "empty shell" only to change from being a troubled soul after losing his hearing to forgetting his bitterness by helping others. While much of the Arliss movies produced at Warners during the early 1930s were extremely popular, most consist of too much dialog and lack of motion to stir up interest. THE MAN WHO PLAYED GOD is one of those few that doesn't fall into that category thanks to its fine direction, screenplay and supporting players.

The story opens in Paris where 50-year-old Montgomery Royal (George Arliss), a concert pianist, engaged to his protégé, Grace Blaine (Bette Davis), a girl more than half his age, agrees to give a private backstage recital for a monarch. During a performance, an anarchist, intending to assassinate the King (Andre Luguet), explodes a bomb. While everyone has escaped injury, Monty becomes stone deaf. Monte returns to his New York City apartment where he finds it difficult to adjust to his world of silence. He becomes bitter, hating God to a point of canceling his order for an organ he was going to donate to a church in memory of his deaf and religious mother, Margaret Ruth Royal. Without the ability to hear what's precious to him, his music, and becomes an embittered recluse. Coming to the point of suicide by nearly jumping from the window, his loyal butler Battle (Ivan Simpson) saves him in time from eternal suffering by offering him something to occupy his time. Having been taught lip reading, he takes binoculars to spy on people across the street in Central Park, reads their lips, learning of their troubles, and becoming a sort of guardian angel in helping those in desperate need without revealing himself. Finding he now has a purpose in life, he must face another greater challenge involving the loyalty of young Grace.

The supporting cast consists Donald Cook as Harold Van Adam; Louise Closser Hale as Monty's sister, Florence; Oscar Apfel as the Lip Reading Teacher; Paul Porcasi as the Concert Manager; with Hedda Hopper, Murray Kinnell and the unbilled Ray Milland. Of the supporting players, second billed Violet Heming appears to be the least familiar, yet in a role that nearly surpasses the one given by Bette Davis. Her sophisticated mannerisms come close to that of the better known Verree Teasdale, as a widow who secretly loves Monty, in spite of his engagement to another. The Bette Davis trademark is not too much evident at this point, in fact, having the make-up department giving Davis the Constance Bennett manner. Davis would be paired with Arliss one more time in the rarely seen comedy, THE WORKING MAN (1933).

In the midst of horror melodramas, gangsters and pre-code sex dramas playing in theaters at the height of the great depression, THE MAN WHO PLAYED GOD comes as a sort of inspirational drama that offers hope to those who have given up on life, with the moral of the story being, "The Lord works in mysterious ways." Remade by Warners as SINCERELY YOURS (1955) with TV personality Liberace in the role originated by Arliss, whose piano playing served him better than his acting, the latest screen adaptation, that should have improved over the old, didn't, making this 1932 version the one worth viewing. THE MAN WHO PLAYED GOD, which has never been distributed to video cassette or DVD, can be seen on Turner Classic Movies. (***)