The Mad Genius

This film feels a little like a Tod Browning production, with John Barrymore in the role of a dark, twisted man that we could imagine Lon Chaney playing for Browning, but it's actually directed by Michael Curtiz. Barrymore leads a ballet troupe and jealously guards his young protégé (Donald Cook), who he's raised from a boy since essentially stealing him from his abusive peasant father (Boris Karloff, briefly). He wants to use him to live out his own frustrated dreams of being a great dancer. He has no problem supplying the young man with lovers from the troupe, but doesn't want him to form any attachments, for fear it will impact his artistic abilities, and also of course because he's afraid of losing control. Enter Marian Marsh, a sweet young dancer who he falls in love with, thus setting up the central conflict in the film.

When he's not busy trying to control the young man, Barrymore is up to no good elsewhere. He supplies drugs to his conductor (Luis Alberni), who is desperately addicted. He makes it clear to young ballerinas (Mae Madison and later Carmel Myers) that if they want to get ahead, they need to "see him" in his private office. He also berates his secretary (Charles Butterworth, who provides some comic relief with his bumbling), responding to one of his ideas by saying "It's incredible. It's unbelievable... that there should be any human being living who is such a stupid ass." Barrymore is excellent throughout the film and turns in a performance that dominates, though Cook and Marsh are reasonably good as well. The brief segments of ballet scenes, often in practice, show realistic and solid dancing.

The film starts strong, but loses a little bit of its steam in the second half, and not completely living up to its potential. The direction from Curtiz is great, with creative shot angles and editing, but the plot is a little simple. It's hard to believe I'd say that a film with open drug use, predatory sexual behavior, and an axe murder wouldn't be dark enough, and yet, somehow I wanted more. Maybe I've been watching too many pre-code movies lately.

This film is an ideal companion piece to Barrymore's other mad manipulator "Svengali". It is just as eerie but unfortunately all but unavailable on the video market. I saw it one time on the late show and it stayed with me all my life. It is really an exaggeration of the relationship between impresario Diaghilev and his protégé Nijinski but it also inspired (is there a better word?) the Powell-Pressburger ballet epic "The Red Shoes". Funny how one story gets around...

There is a story that has since become part of Hollywood folklore that Boris Karloff, still a relatively unknown supporting player, was summoned to the office of director Michael Curtiz. The Hungarian expatriate took one look at the slender, soft spoken Englishman and allegedly said "Good God, you're not Russian! I sent for you because your name is Karloff. It certainly sounds Russian! Oh well, now that you're here I guess I'll have to use you." It seems like a lot to go through for a role that lasts about 2 minutes onscreen and was probably completed in 1 day but Boris got the part anyway. In truth, Boris is so convincing hidden behind a beard and using a Russian accent that many people do not realise it is him! In those pre-FRANKENSTEIN days you could also spot Karloff in THE YELLOW TICKET in which he has no lines at all; or in THE PUBLIC DEFENDER where he is quite noticeable; or even CRACKED NUTS where he appeared opposite comedians Wheeler and Woolsey. It was not long after THE MAD GENIUS that director James Whale asked Karloff to test for, as he (Whale) put it, " . . .a damned awful monster." The rest, as they say, is history. Frankie Darro, whose role is almost as small as Boris', had already costared with Rin Tin Tin Sr in THE LIGHTNING WARRIOR (1930) and would meet up with Rinty Jr in THE WOLF DOG (1934).

Here is another movie that I never heard of until I was looking through Letterboxd for all of the horror movies released in the year of 1931. This one intrigued me when I saw that it starred John Barrymore as well as Marian Marsh, as they starred together in another horror film from this year of Svengali. So aside from that information, I came into this one blind with just having read the synopsis right before starting it. That synopsis is a crippled man finds a boy and vows to make him a great dancer.

The prologue here is Central Europe and 15 years in the past. Vladimar Ivan Tasarakov (Barrymore) is a puppeteer and he works with Karimsky (Charles Butterworth). He's quite mean to him as well. Watching them is a boy by the name of Fedor (Frankie Darro) as they practice. Their puppet show is part of a traveling group. They're interrupted when Fedor's father shows up, scolding and whipping him. His father is played by an uncredited role of Boris Karloff. Fedor gets away and Ivan is impressed with how graceful he is. He ends up hiding the boy and when they leave, he comes with them.

We then shift to the present in Berlin. Ivan's mother was a famous Russian ballet dancer, but he was born crippled, making him unable to dance. This upset her and she ended up leaving him while he was a child. This is quite scarring. Ivan saw the potential in Fedor (Donald Cook) and trained him to be the best. He is now one of the greatest dancers in Europe. Fedor is interested in Nana Carlova (Marsh). Ivan is fine with them being together as long as Fedor doesn't fall in love. He needs his release, but falling for her will ruin his career according to Ivan. He even rebuffs the advances of Count Robert Renaud (André Luguet) who is interesting in Nana, wanting to ensure that Fedor is always happy.

When Ivan learns that his prized pupil has fallen for Nana, he wants her to leave the production and marry Count Renaud though. He believes love will make people do bad things, at least to what he wants. This upsets Fedor who threatens to quit dancing if she is sent away. He has to make a decision, leave the only thing he knows how to do for the love of his life where he will be black-balled by his father figure or play pawn to this mastermind in Ivan.

That is where I'm going to leave my recap as that is really the main story of this movie. There are some deep seeded things with characters under this and that is where I'm going to start. The character of Ivan is interesting. He always wanted to be a dancer and part of this is the fact that his mother was bothered by his affliction. He's been harboring that and sees his chance to live through Fedor. Ivan's mother abandoning him is bad and kidnapping Fedor is as well. Aside from that, wanting to give Fedor a good life is a good thing. It is when he is manipulating those around him to continue to be successful is where this becomes an issue.

Seeing the title of this movie, I figured this would be a mad scientist film. I was pleasantly surprised that we are dealing with someone being very intelligent, but in a different sort of way. Ivan manipulates everyone he encounters to an extent. Nana he tries to send away multiple times. He is mean to Karimsky and bosses him around. Fedor is a character he doesn't necessarily do anything toward directly, but tries to remove obstacles without his knowledge. Sergei Bankieff (Luis Alberini) is the stage manager for his productions and he actually uses drugs to control him. I'm assuming it is opium from the paper it is kept in. He also lies to Sonya Preskoya (Carmel Myers) and Olga Chekova (Mae Madison), who are both dancers that want to be famous. There is also a bit with Count Renaud as well. It is interesting how his conduct leads to his downfall in the end.

Since there isn't much to the story and more to the interactions, I'll go to the acting next. Barrymore is really good as Ivan. I like how he plays the character and I believe he could be this mastermind. Marsh is cute and I feel bad for what she has to decide to do for the betterment of Fedor's life. Butterworth adds some levity. I feel bad for him though. Cook is solid as Fedor who has people being used around him to influence his decisions. I'd say from there that Alberini, Myers, Luguet and the rest round this out for what was needed.

Then really the last thing to bring up here would be the cinematography, effects and the musical selections. I would say that the cinematography is fine. We are getting some interesting looks at the ballet as they are rehearsing. I'm glad they didn't focus on this too much though. It would have felt like filler if they did. This really isn't a movie that has much in the way of effects and the soundtrack also fits for what was needed. It just doesn't necessarily stand out to me.

In conclusion here, this is going to be a bit shorter of a review, but that is mostly due to a simple story. That isn't to say it is bad though. This movie is really focused on the acting which I think is good across the board. It is interesting to see this concept of a mad genius like Ivan who is living through his protégé and seeing what he does to keep this golden goose working for him. I'd say that the technique here of filmmaking is fine. This is quite light in the horror elements, but it makes sense for the era. I would say though that this is movie is over average for me. It is lacking though to go any higher than that personally.

In this interesting variation on the "Svengali" theme, JOHN BARRYMORE plays a crippled puppeteer with a club foot, who lives vicariously his dream of becoming a great dancer when he assumes responsibility for a runaway boy (FRANKIE DARRO) escaping the clutches of his cruel father (BORIS KARLOFF), well disguised with a thick Russian accent and wig that practically makes his features invisible.

Michael Curtiz has directed with enormous help from Anton Grot's well designed sets and a generous use of background music at a time when it was rare for most films to feature so much music on the soundtrack. Of course, dealing with theatrical productions, this was totally necessary. In many ways, the film is way ahead of its time. Not only are the sets on a grand scale, but the B&W photography is richly detailed and Barrymore gives one of his most intense performances as the Svengali-like puppet master who finds he can't control his discovery once love enters the picture.

Doll-faced MARIAN MARSH makes a lovely sort of "Trilby" character but DONALD COOK looks a bit uncomfortable in the role of Fedor, the dancer. The story is a little cumbersome in getting started, but once the plot starts spinning into high gear the suspense mounts and Curtiz stages all of the scenes involving theatrical productions in a manner that puts the film into the A-film category.

Worth seeing for Barrymore's fascinating performance, Russian accent and all, and remarkable in that "the talkies" were only four years old when the film was made and the technical advances are obvious.