The Man Who Reclaimed His Head

This is an extraordinarily well filmed and written movie. And it'd have a hard time getting produced and distributed today. The Claude Raines character finds his Leftish anti-war writings used by war makers to promote World War I. His efforts to set things right are portrayed as ruthlessly blocked by elements the film portrays as both pushing the war in their own interests and essentially running the government: a ruling class consisting of the corporate elite in the form of munitions-manufacturing interests.

This is quite a political film, dark, tense and tragic. A neglected masterpiece.

This is a great anti-war film with a commentary on the politics of power that is all too relevant today. Claude Rains plays Paul Verin, a pacifist writer with a great heart and mind but no ambition. Lionel Atwill plays Henry Dumont, the head of a newspaper chain who has no heart, a mediocre mind, and great ambition. The second type of man always needs the first type of man, and this sets up our story. Dumont just doesn't want to rule, he wants to make a fortune for himself and his friends through ruling, and he sees the greatest opportunity for monetary gain through war and the munitions business. First, however, Dumont needs to whip up the masses to be in his corner, and thus he turns his attentions to the writing skills of Paul Verin, who is duped by Dumont into believing they have the shared goal of furthering peace.

Joan Bennett plays Verin's wife, Adele, who is a very morally ambiguous character. Until the end, she can never make up her mind whether or not she loves the creature comforts of life more than Paul, and the fact that I couldn't decide whether I liked this person or not is a tribute to her acting.

The beginning starts with a bang, and the movie does have a bit of implied horror in it. The scene opens on a window breaking, a woman screaming, and a delirious Claude Rains staggering out of his house and into the snowy streets of WWI Paris carrying a mysterious satchel with one arm and his small daughter with the other. I'll let you watch and see how this all plays out. Highly recommended.

War is a matter many people take very seriously; whether they're hawks or doves. Unfortunately, some people profit from war, which means that they take making money very seriously; such that they would profit off of death and destruction.

Paul Verin (Claude Rains) was serious about peace. He was dead set against war as he saw it as a tool for certain people to gain money and power. He was a columnist who was well versed in putting his ideas eloquently onto paper. A man named Henry Dumont (Lionel Atwill) wanted to use Paul's abilities for his own newspaper. He claimed that Paul could work at the newspaper on his own terms. Paul refused because he knew it would only be a matter of time before he'd have to cave to the agenda of the newspaper (aka Henry Dumont) and thereby sellout.

Paul's wife, Adele (Joan Bennett), wanted him to take the position so that they could have some financial freedom. Having freedom of thought was fine, but how could that provide nice clothes and a warm bed? So, because of Paul's deep love for his wife, he accepted the position and moved his family to Paris.

The movie began in 1915 with France in the grips of a war. Paul was wearing a soldier's uniform and he was seeking the help of an attorney. He decided to tell the attorney the long version of his predicament, which is how we got his backstory.

"The Man Who Reclaimed His Head" was a deep movie. It was similar to "Men Must Fight" (1932) without the oversimplification of war. Paul was convincing as an intellectual who was satisfied with little more than his ideals and his wife. Such people always have to figure out how to navigate a world dominated by unscrupulous men of wealth. Ideals only take a man so far, and sometimes just a small bit of compromise could lead a person down a slippery slope of shedding their entire identity. Paul didn't want to be that man.

I like "The Man Who Reclaimed His Head." It was a relevant movie for any era. There will always be war and there will always be Paul Verins and Henry Dumonts.

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This little-known drama is often mistakenly thought of as a horror film by virtue of its luridly suggestive title, its being a Universal production and the appearance of several horror stalwarts. Actually, it's quite splendid and very stylish, making the most of its Grade A budget.

Claude Rains is marvelous as ever in the title role and is superbly supported by a wonderful cast - a blonde Joan Bennett, a treacherous Lionel Atwill, Wallace Ford, Gilbert Emery, Edward Van Sloan (the latter two are actually uncredited and appear very briefly; so, too, does Valerie Hobson according to the IMDb, thought I didn't spot her)! The unusual, thought-provoking (and sadly, more topical than ever) plot, taking a critical look at political opportunism, spin doctoring and warmongering, is nicely handled all around, with as much care given to the touching domestic life of the main characters as to the period detail or its vigorous scenes of warfare and political discussions.

The effectively filmed finale (which gives the film its title) is a highlight and, hopefully, it should be able to get a new lease of life whenever the film is released on DVD, even if it has to be passed off as a horror title to make it; however, I don't think many will complain of this once they've seen it but will instead be very thankful that it has finally been made available on the newest home video format. Are you listening, Universal?

An intriguing film about a writer who discovers his ideas have been used to promote WWI, Claude Rains does his usual remarkable job. If you see it listed, try to catch it!