Conspiracy

... and the results are weird and wondrous. If you've always wanted to see Ned Sparks dressed like Darkman jumping up and down on furniture like an ape and constantly addressing himself in the third person such as "Little Nemo" does this and "Little Nemo" does that, this is your film.

The movie opens on a scene in a hotel room with a dead body on the floor, and Bessie Love as Margaret Holt standing over the body with a bloody letter opener in her hand. She's a victim of circumstance right? Wrong, she did it, but there is much more to the story than her looking embarrassingly guilty of cold blooded murder.

Margaret escapes down the fire escape before she can be discovered and goes to a neighborhood house - what passed for social services before there really was such a thing and seeks a job under an alias claiming she's a traveler who has lost her purse and thus all of her money. Unfortunately for her the police know who she is, know what she looks like, and know she was in the room. She'd be caught in no time if not for two people. First, a reporter that figures out who she is and how she figures in the crime but loves the girl at first sight and decides to help her. Second is irritable author "Little Nemo" alias Winthrop Clavering (Ned Sparks). The reporter gets Margaret a job as Clavering's stenographer since Clavering is such a hermit when he's working nobody will ever look for her in his home. The complicating factor here - Clavering is a crime author who is proud of his record of solving every crime he puts his mind to, and his new crusade is to solve and write about the murder Margaret just committed before the police figure it out. This leaves Margaret with the distasteful job of transcribing the details of her own crime. I'll let you watch and see how this all unravels.

Like the other reviewer, you just can't help but be struck by two things - both concerning Bessie Love. First there is that fur, which is actually the entire animal, wrapped around her neck. It looks like she just clubbed the poor beast ten minutes ago and hung it there. Secondly is the over emoting Bessie Love is doing during the entire film. If I hadn't already seen Love in earlier talkies over at MGM and had seen her talent in talking film, I'd have my doubts about her, but given past performances I'll have to chalk this one up to probable bad direction. At the film's midpoint it gets so tedious you want someone to tell the girl to switch to decaf if there was such a thing in 1930.

The real drawing point of the film though, is the irascible Ned Sparks as Little Nemo. This has got to be his weirdest role ever and he just makes the film. He is made up so strangely with that disheveled hair and those dark glasses that if it wasn't for his trademark voice it would be hard to recognize him. He steals the film and I highly recommend that you watch his larceny.

"Conspiracy" is a murder mystery film from Radio Pictures. When it debuted in 1930, audiences most likely enjoyed it but today it's a big hard to take---mostly due to sound issues. What many 1929-30 films struggled with was finding a proper balance for talking now that films had sound. In some, they stood around yapping incessantly--mostly to show off the new medium and also because early microphones were not very good and necessitated the actors standing in one spot near a hidden mic. In the case of "Conspiracy", the film tries too hard to show off the talking--with Ned Sparks playing a character who is about as subtle as a nudist showing up at a Baptist barbecue. He talks and talks and talks--and at a very high volume. For 1930 his performance might not have been too bad...but seen today it stinks. This is also the case for the star of the film, Bessie Love. While she isn't shrill like Sparks, she seems ill at ease talking on camera....and by 1931 (despite an Oscar nomination for a movie made just two years earlier), her time in Hollywood was about at an end. The bottom line is that by 1932-33, mystery films and films in general were better made and age much better....so watch this one at your own risk.

A handful of early talkies are so good that they really surprise you. They make you go 'wow!' This isn't one of those but it's still fun and enjoyable. If you lower your bar and accept that it's going to be a bit ropey and static, there are worse ways to spend an hour - but not many.

Unless you're interested in immersing yourself in pre-depression American culture or have a thing for lovely Bessie Love or just enjoy badly made films, this probably won't appeal. Director Christy Cabanne made literally hundreds of pictures, he was one of the first film directors in the world starting his career before the First World War! That amazing pedigree however didn't really prepare him for Talkies. His cinematographer however was one of RKO's greatest assets who went on to film some of Hollywood's all time classics so at least visually, this does look pretty impressive.

What lets this down isn't just the silent-movie acting style, it's the absolute complete lack of any depth of characterisation. To be fair, Ned Sparks' character is quite amusing if not believable but poor old Bessie Love and Hugh Trevor might as well be cardboard cut-outs. Bessie Love didn't adapt too well to the Talkies although she was actually relatively excellent in BROADWAY MELODY. Poor direction and a weak script let her down in this but she still looks the epitome of prettiness. She was the ultimate 1920s pin-up although I'm not sure the dead fox wrapped around her neck was the best look.

You can tell that Ned Sparks was destined for stardom, or rather semi-stardom from his wacky performance in this. He speaks the last line to camera in this film which kind of sums it all up: Who's writing this rubbish anyway?

Lovely little comedy drama. The stars in this gem are Little Nemo and his housekeeper Martha. The love hate banter, betrayed by mutual acts of affection were wonderful.

I'm pretty sure Ned Sparks was in his 40's when he played Winthrope/Little Nemo at a ripe age above 70?? Maybe??. Ham acting at its finest.

The story is one that could be told again in a modern setting but, I think you would agree, it wouldn't have the charm this original 1930 film has. A time where people had thicker skin and a sense of humour allowed fast hard hitting dialogue. Little Nemo phoning the police chief and addressing him a a 'Flat footed baboon' was a highlight for me.

I just wanted to add to herzogvon's post...about 16 years later! He urges people to see the film but says it it hard to come by. Well, Idk if it was on there then, but it is on Youtube now.

It is available on. Robert M. Jenson Vintage Network on Youtube. Or you could simply open Youtube and type in Conspiracy (1930). Either way it should be easy to find.

Personally I found it definitely a curio. I am interested in seeing the original film. And I might recommend my friend who works in amateur theatre that they do a production. I doubt they will take up my suggestion but I can only offer!

The best part about some of these early films is they don't wear out their welcome.