The Man Who Lost Himself

The beginning of The Man Who Lost Himself is hilarious: Brian Aherne meets his lookalike in a bar and the two Brians share a drink. One of the Brians has just been double-crossed by his work partner, and the other has just escaped from a mental asylum. The next morning, one of the Brians wakes up in a mansion, waited on hand and foot by a valet, S.Z. Sakall, being called the other Brian's name. The morning papers reveal the other Brian (the millionaire) was killed the night before, jumping in front of a subway train, pretending to the pauper. If the real pauper (the one who woke up in the mansion) reveals the mix-up, he'll be accused of murder. But if he stays put, he'll have to impersonate the other Brian with his wife, Kay Francis, his girlfriend, Dorothy Tree, and his friends.

Are you confused yet? Good, because I was enormously confused. The opening scene with Brian playing a drinking game with himself is very funny, but as soon as they swapped, I remained confused until the end. I never did figure out all the twists and turns, but since this is a silly comedy, I suppose it doesn't really matter. I loved Cuddles Sakall, who provided adorable quips every time he opened his mouth. If you liked the madcap Merrily We Live, you'll probably like to see Brian using his comic talents again in this one. And who wouldn't want two Brian Ahernes to look at?

John Evans (Brian Aherne) is shocked to meet his exact double, the rich man Malcolm Scott (also Aherne). However, after Scott is killed, everyone thinks Evans is this rich guy...including Scott's wife (Kay Francis). However, John likes the wife and after a while realizes it might not be so bad to BE Malcolm. But can he manage to right the screwed up life that Malcolm left him? And, just how much of a bad guy was Malcolm and what sort of dirty work was he doing??

If this sounds a lot like the 1993 film "Dave", well then you, too, see pretty much what the movie is like. This isn't to say that "Dave" is a copy or remake...more a reworking. And, as such both are much more than comedies and have a lot of nice romantic elements.

It's rather interesting that the film co-stars Kay Francis, as this once HUGE Hollywood star's career was in decline...yet she was given such a dandy script. Overall, it's a lovely film...one of Aherne's and Francis' best....with excellent acting, direction and more.Pretty much the film "Dave".

Just sometime back saw another - and this one is almost a remake of that (though the story credit-wise these are different). All these are different variants of Prisoner of Zenda etc - where a Hero replaces his look-alike dissolute and gets the fiancee/ wife fall in love with him.

It was The Masquerader (1933) as most of the reviewers are equating it to Dave - the Dave is very highly influenced by - not this but the Masquerader - there too the delinquent person was an ex-great Political leader. Comparing the casts, naturally Ahrne and Colman, both are great, and fitted the role almost perfectly, may be Colman got a slight edge. But on female lead, the estranged wife Kay balanced the edge against Elissa Landi.

But there the comparion ends - Sakall as teh confidante doesn't come anywhere in portraying what Hobbes did in masquerader.

And compared to that story - or should I say execution ? Well, this was atrocious. TM's basic advantage was the believable meeting as well as twin-image - the good man was first cousin of the bad-politician, estranged for long (the aunt, probably after an undesirable marriage, not clarified, had skipped the country). Hobebs however could guess it soon, and that was one of the reason for him to encourage the masquerade, and also keep the, now again in love, wife away from the husband. here somehow it looked too concocted act. Only saving grace, for me, were the two leads, both of whom are in my 'like' group. But after all, they can't give too much of a push, can they ?

I stretched to give this film eight stars because the screenplay is not worthy of that. The script is not only choppy, with many holes in places, but it's confusing, especially with the opening. It's never clear what Malcolm Scott's background or standing is - his business, family, stature, etc. Rather, the film is replete with references to him as a womanizer, adulterer, probable alcoholic, maybe even a crook and all around ne'er-do-well. His real background and physical problems are just touched on toward the end.

My stretch in rating "The Man Who Lost Himself" is based on the acting. First, of Brian Aherne's character, especially after his John Evans gets into the role of his look-alike, Malcolm Scott. And second, by the wonderful cast of some of the top comedy supporting actors of the period. Any comedy that includes S. Z. Sakall or Sig Ruman is bound to be good if only for their presence and roles. They aren't rollicking roles here, but play very nicely with Aherne's character(s). Henry Stephenson is another supporting actor who always adds a nice touch to any film he is in. And Kay Francis is very good as Adrienne Scott.

It's sort of amusing when someone comments on a movie made in 1941 as similar or identical to one made 50 years later. I've read some reviews like that. Shouldn't it be the other way around? Or is this some sort of different prescience - in reverse, maybe (defying the very logic of the meaning)? There have probably been three dozen or more movies made based on two characters who look alike (doppelganger is the term for look-alikes who are not related, as in identical twins, or look-alike cousins).

Anyway, this movie is based on a 1918 English novel by Henry De Vere Stacpoole. In it, American Victor Jones travels to London and finds that he's an exact look-alike of a member of the British aristocracy. Other than the fact that this and many other movies have doppelgangers as the core of the stories, there is little similarity in plots.

Here are a couple favorite lines from this film.

Adrienne Scott, "You know, you really shouldn't leave boobie woobie all alone in the library. She might be frightened by a book."

John Evans, "I didn't sleep a wink. I don't know what bothered me more - my thoughts or your snoring."

John Evans (Brian Aherne) is shocked to meet his exact double, the rich man Malcolm Scott (also Aherne). However, after Scott is killed, everyone thinks Evans is this rich jerk...including Scott's wife (Kay Francis). However, John likes the wife and after a while realizes it might not be so bad to BE Malcolm. But can he manage to right the screwed up life that Malcolm left him? And, just how much of a jerk was Malcolm and what sort of dirty work was he doing??

If this sounds a lot like the 1993 film "Dave", well then you, too, see pretty much what the movie is like. This isn't to say that "Dave" is a copy or remake...more a reworking. And, as such both are much more than comedies and have a lot of nice romantic elements.

It's rather interesting that the film co-stars Kay Francis, as this once HUGE Hollywood star's career was in decline...yet she was given such a dandy script. Overall, it's a lovely film...one of Aherne's and Francis' best....with excellent acting, direction and more.