L'idolo del male

My Ratings: Story 1.00 : Direction 1.00 : Pace 1.00 : Acting 0.75 : Entertaining 0.75 Total 4.50 out of 10.00.

Sometimes you have to go back to the days of overacting and melodrama. Should you have one of those days then this film is for you.

It's a decent story. A doctor, who has been hampered and hindered by government grants, rather than helped, has to find another way to fund his research. Enter the Clifford family. Papa Clifford is not a well man and his new wife, Yvonne, cannot wait for the inheritance. She hires the good doctor so he can run his experiments and get his much-needed money... just as long as hubby doesn't last too long.

I would have to say I would love to read the novel Alice Campbell wrote, as I don't believe the writers did it justice with the screenplay. Many times there's a disjointedness to the tale. This may be down to the quick cutting editor or director, though I cannot help but think it's the writers. Also, a wee bit more characterisation wouldn't have gone amiss. This would have been a nice way to show motive and motivation. That said, it is watchable, just could have been better.

Which is the same for the direction. Henry Edwards isn't a bad director, however, he is a mite pedestrian in his techniques. He stomps through the story at a brisk pace; sometimes with a heavy foot. The climax is the best example of this. If I'd gone to the picture theatre and paid my hard-earned money to watch this film, I would have felt more than an iota of upset. The ending comes quickly and is over just as fast and credits roll. It would have been nice to have a build-up to the ending. Then a couple of short scenes to tie off all the loose threads; of which there are three major yarns left dangling.

As for the acting, Boris Karloff is okay as the good "Bad" doctor Sartorius. Shame they typecast him as the baddie as you've seen this character before. It would have been nice if he had been the father of the Clifford family. Let him stretch his acting wings a little. The best actor was Arthur Margetson, who played Roger Clifford. He is natural and relaxed. His character is the most realistic and believable. He made this film more watchable for me. Now we come to the great melodramatic overtones... while the lead actresses were good, they must have come from the silent era as they were both superb at the pertinent pause and significant stare. The only thing missing was the orchestration of, "Da Dah DAHHH!"

Would I recommend it? Yes, I would. It's not a bad waste of time in this coronavirus void. There's a slight mystery in the story. It's also good to see how things were done in Yesteryear. The way the story is told, and the filmmaking adds an unintentional lightness to the viewing experience... plus it's not that long.

Now briskly stride on over to my The Game Is Afoot list to see where I've ranked this deadly little thriller.

Take Care & Stay Well.

I adamantly disagree with those claiming this is a really bad film. I suppose they want monsters or vampires or whatever but this isn't about all that. Juggernaut is a very well produced, reasonably well written, and quite well acted feature. My only gripe would be the paradox that the Doctor found himself him wasn't fleshed out as well as it could have been. However, this movie is pretty short so that probably explains the shortcuts. You see, essentially Karloff's character (who has a short time to live) has to make a difficult choice: he can let his life's work come to a screeching halt for the most trivial reason (lack of money) or he can turn to murder for hire and finish his research which may benefit mankind greatly. In my opinion the doctor transitioned a bit to smoothly from dedicated man of science and medicine to homicidal maniac.

Despite this problem I enjoyed the entire film. The actress who played the wicked wife was a bit over the top but the role was over the top so...? Opposite her was the understated performance of the other leading lady who was pretty and quite effective. The gent who played the caddish gambler was perfect for his part. Of course Karloff hogged the spotlight in every scene but how could he not. The little smile there at the end when he was found out was simply genius.

I love these old films because they carry you relatively far back in time. It's like having a little window that allows you to peek into a different time and attitude. I love the cars, the fashions, the slang, the hair, even the furnishings. (In one memorable scene there is a stunning nude statue just behind the action...cool!) It makes me wonder a bit as to why the cameras lingered in that area for such a major part of the film...ha. Thankfully many of these oldies have a bit more than just nostalgia value...they are interesting.

The production values were, for the most part, quite good. I really liked the storyline and Karloff really elevated the cast and the movie with his strong presence. Definitely worth checking out but no monsters or vampires for you kiddies.

In JUGGERNAUT, Boris Karloff plays a furious medical specialist who has received a major setback in his research into human paralysis. His desperation for renewed funding- and a hyper-inflated ego- lead him into a devil's agreement with the wife of a millionaire cotton industrialist, who is seeking a way to murder her husband so that she can go on with her high living affair with a jigolo. Running a timely interference are the family members of the rich patriarch, loyal personal servants and an observant and resourceful nurse portrayed by Joan Wyndham. Definitely the stuff of melodrama, and not a particularly unusual role in Karloff's career.

What's interesting about this piece is the pacing- which I suspect seemed very slow to American audiences, even at the time of its release (1936), if contemporary reviews found in books on Karloff are any indicator. Though some of it is indeed histrionic in content, there are only a few spots in the work where "over the top" acting disrupt its continuity. As a whole, of course, it's junk, but it's the junk of guilty pleasure. it's fascinating to watch Karloff breathe life into yet another tripped-up scientist characterization. His Dr. Sartorious is bitter, high strung, barely a note below fury at all moments, far from the characterizations of educated fruitcake benevolence that the actor is so often remembered for.

As for his "slouching" noted by other reviewers, I suspect it had less to do with conscious characterization then with the back ailment and arthritically bowed legs that plagued Karloff most of his life, which were flaring up before the man was in his 50s. You can view almost any of his films and see evidence of the ailment early on.

I think JUGGERNAUT is actually a better film then it's often reviewed as. It's not Karloff at the top of his form, but it's Karloff attempting to bring new flavor to what for many other actors would have long become a shop-worn characterization, and for that reason, well worth the hour or so it takes to take it in.

Boris Karloff is a research doctor who needs money to complete his research. He's returned to Britain to search for backers, and gets involved in one of those family situations. Old Morton Selten is married to young Mona Goya, and she has a young man on the string. Selten is failing, so Karloff is called in, Meanwhile, Selten has changed his will and given power of attorney to his son, Arthur Margetson; he hates Miss Goya and she him. Suddenly, Margetson is dead, and the nurse, Joan Wyndham suspects foul play.

It's a pretty good murder movie, one of the last that Henry Edwards directed for Julius Hagen. Karloff is, as always, a treat to watch, playing his doctor with intelligence, although he clearly finds the screaming and shouting going on a distraction from his duties; Miss Wyndham is good as the nurse who suspects the worse and finds herself trapped. There's also Nina Boucicault as Selten's sister; she was the daughter of the dramatist Dion Boucicault, and the first women to play Peter Pan.

It's a solid effort, with its only flaw the blaring theme by W. L. Trytel. Karloff had made three films in Great Britain in quick succession. After this, it was back to the US; Charlie Chan needed him.

Boris Karloff is cast once again as a man of science in the British independent film Juggernaut released here by the short lived Grand National studio. Science might be Boris's game, but he's not mad just led terribly astray.

It's his research and his own mortality that Karloff is worried about, that he might die before finding a cure for some tropical diseases. He's been cut off from research funds and left at sea.

Enter Mona Goya, trophy wife of rich old Morton Selten who is not in good health, but not dying fast enough to suit Mona. She's already got Anthony Ireland in tow ready to share in the fortune when the old coot croaks. But Selten isn't croaking fast enough to suit her.

Enter Karloff who needs money for his research and do I have to go into the rest of it for you? The whole thing ends in one sudden melodramatic climax as if the rest of the film wasn't melodramatic enough.

What is good about Juggernaut that without his usual makeup and sinister science as part of the plot, Karloff does do a very good job as a man who succumbs to evil so he can put a coda of good on his life. But the whole film is really rather far fetched and could have used better writing and production values.