Sua Excia. o Ministro

Brilliant comedy with Arliss successfully pulling off two twin brothers, completely unalike, a rare opportunity for aspiring actors to study characterization in detail.

Much fun. The plot revolves around an assassinated Arab leader, the attempt to shift the murder onto a Britain, attempts to rescue the heir from assassination as well, and a black sheep saving the day from an incompetent twin who has risen to the top.

Soundtrack suffers from much static noise in the silences, but sound otherwise is fine. Print on the DVD I saw rather through the mill, but still eminently watchable due to Arliss alone.

One of his last films and one to show he was still at the top of his game.

This movie continues to display George Arliss' talent for reinventing characters. The plot itself is complicated and the whole movie serves as a vehicle for Arliss but that is indeed where the movie shines. Arliss plays twin brothers, one the pompous British foreign secretary and the other his street-wise worldly black sheep brother. Through a series of sinister events involving the murder of an Arab sheik, the foreign secretary brings the country to the brink of war with an Arab nation. Its only through the quick thinking and guile of his brother impersonating him that the murder is solved and peace prevails. The scenes with both brother sharing screen time in the same frame are extremely well done, especially in an age where special effects were prehistoric. Arliss' timing in these scenes also demonstrates his fine talents perfectly.