The Masquerader

The Masquerader (1933) is a Pre-Code beguiling mix of suspense, romance and humor. Ronald Colman is at his best in a dual role as member of Parliament (with a drug addiction) who asks his look-alike cousin (a political journalist) to fill in for him both professionally and domestically. Elissa Landi, as the wife, offers her unique persona and natural nuance in a captivating portrayal. The multi-gifted actress composed and played the lilting Sonata in F Minor for the film. The performances are complimented by the exquisite deep-focus camerawork of Gregg Toland, and director Richard Wallace's ability to make the fantastic seem probable.

...about a drug addicted British MP, who is falling apart, who encounters a lookalike cousin in a London fog, later seeks him out to replace him in the House of Commons the following day when a great speech is expected of him. Not surprisingly for a melodrama of this kind the cousin accepts the offer and carries off the speech with flying colors to the praise of all England. It then becomes difficult for the cousin to extricate himself from his fake ID, however, things becoming even more complicated when the MP's wife returns home from France.

These two cousins are so alike, not only in appearance but voice that nobody, of course, can tell them apart, including the wife as well as the MP's mistress. Despite the silliness and familiarity of the story, once you get past the implausibilities of the plot, The Masquerader is a fun film (impossible to take seriously, of course) thanks to the charm and skill of Ronald Colman in the dual roles of druggie MP and smooth talking imposter cousin. It reminds one of Colman's similar dual turn four years later in The Prisoner of Zenda.

Elissa Landi plays the MP's wife who, after a strained marriage with the MP, falls in love all over again with her imposter husband. Halliwell Hobbes, forever cast as a butler, is in that familiar role once again, only this time he's the only one in the film who actually knows there are two Colmans. The split screen effects, by the way, in which we see Colman sharing the screen with Colman, are expertly achieved, on a par with the similar effects in Zenda a few years later.

'The Masquerader', an obscure drama starring Ronald Colman, is very similar in its premise and subplots to Colman's great vehicle 'The Prisoner of Zenda' ... but he did 'The Masquerader' first. As in 'Zenda', Colman plays lookalike cousins who meet after many years of living in two different countries ... one of whom has an opportunity to take over the other's life, while falling in love with the other man's disenchanted lady.

Colman's main role is John Loder (no relation to the bland actor of that name), a disaffected journalist who returns to his native England after many years abroad. Loder's more successful cousin is Sir John Chilcote, a prominent member of Parliament. But Chilcote is secretly a morphine addict, and his addiction is becoming harder to conceal. Also concealed (not very well) is Chilcote's philandering relationship with Lady Joyce, while his estranged wife Eve (Lady Chilcote) is humiliated on the sidelines.

When Sir John's addiction causes him to collapse just before he introduces a crucial piece of legislation, Chilcote's loyal manservant Brock persuades Loder to impersonate his cousin. Loder, pretending to be Chilcote, gives an impassioned speech on the floor of Commons. Lady Chilcote has been estranged from her husband for years; now, attending this speech, she wonders why she is suddenly attracted to her husband again ... not realising that this is actually Loder impersonating Lady Chilcote's husband. (Shades of Princess Flavia in 'Zenda'.) Meanwhile, Loder (still pretending to be Chilcote) is utterly cold to Chilcote's mistress Lady Joyce, much to her bafflement.

SPOILERS COMING. Sir John dies of his addiction, without this becoming public knowledge. Brock persuades Loder to abandon his own life and become Sir John Chilcote permanently, appropriating Chilcote's wealth and reputation. Of course, this means that Loder will now be married to Lady Chilcote. Hmmm...

'The Masquerader' is not very plausible, yet it's quite enjoyable. Ronald Colman gives two distinctly different performances in the lookalike roles... although his turn as the drug-addicted Chilcote is a bit too overwrought. Moss Hart's smooth dialogue papers over some of the cracks in the plot line. Gregg Toland's photography is up to his usual high standard, and I was especially impressed by the scenes in which both Ronald Colmans are on screen at the same go. (Most dual-role movies made during this period featured flat sideline lighting during the double-exposure sequences; Toland avoids this.) Also well-photographed is a night sequence in Hyde Park (filmed on the Goldwyn Studio's backlot); Toland keeps the lighting bright enough for us to see the action, but dark enough to minimise the obvious fakery of the scenery. Creighton Hale is good in a small role. In the role of Lady Eve Chilcote, Elissa Landi is appropriately patrician (and slightly less blonde than usual), but her performance is weak. In the role of Lady Joyce, Juliette Compton is so dull and unattractive that I had difficulty believing Sir John would ever prefer her to his wife. The studio reconstruction of the House of Commons is a lot more convincing than I expected it to be, especially for a Yank film. I'll rate this movie 8 out of 10.

The main plot idea in this film is that two cousins are completely alike physically--so much so that when one substitutes for another no one knows! Although this is a familiar film and TV theme (such as in "The Patty Duke Show"), it is rather stupid--cousins don't look THAT close to each other and how could they account for the same voice and mannerisms? My advice is to try to look past this impossibility and just enjoy this wonderful film. And, by the way, that's my same advice for another Ronald Colman film made just a few years later--where, in THE PRISONER OF ZENDA, you are expected to believe that distant cousins are spitting images! Now, provided you can look past all this, the film is actually quite good.

The film begins with Ronald Colman #1. He's a drug-addicted member of the British parliament and his party is disappointed in him again and again because he is almost totally incapacitated by the drug he drinks. They never really say WHAT it is--I assume it's Laudanum. Anyways, when this falling down addict discovers that he's got a long lost and identical cousin (Ronald Colman #2), he begs the cousin to take his place. Unfortunately, things do too well--as the longer the substitute pretends to be the once-great parliamentarian, the bigger his reputation becomes! To make things worse, Ronald Colman #1's estranged wife is now attracted to who she THINKS is her husband and Ronald Colmen #2 is too nice a guy to just sleep with her! The whole thing sounds a bit comedic, but it's not. However, it is a nice drama with romantic overtones.

What makes it so good is the wonderful performances by Colman (he is his usual erudite self) as well as good writing--particularly the ending which is NOT what you'd normally expect and increased my love for this film immensely.

I consider myself fortunate to finally get to see The Masquerader for the first time in about forty years. Ronald Colman's dual performance as a dissolute Member of Parliament and his lookalike writer cousin still holds up well.

Finding out that the basis for the film version, a second version I might add of this film was a 1904 novel knocked certain notions from my head. I do think that the modern crisis alluded to in the film is based on the General Strike that Great Britain was undergoing in 1926. It would not surprise me if newsreels of the period were incorporated into the film. In real life however Stanley Baldwin's government was not toppled, in fact most historians give him great kudos for his handling of the crisis.

As the story opens party members are looking to promising young MP Colman for some brilliant oratory that will topple the existing government which is unable to cope with a domestic crisis. Greatness calls but Colman is not answering. He's become alcohol and drug dependent with the demands of public life coming on top of a bad domestic situation with both wife Elissa Landi and mistress Juliette Compton making his private life hell as well.

A passing run in that Colman has with his lookalike cousin gives butler Halliwell Hobbes an idea. Cousin Colman substitutes for the MP and does rally the party and becomes the toast of the nation. The cousin also has to do some fast thinking on his feet as far as the wife and mistress are concerned.

I think the character of the MP is based on Lord Randolph Churchill who for reasons of his own dissolute enjoyment of the vices took a rapid tumble in a brilliant career to be. His son certainly fulfilled the promise that that father had. As for the film itself I venture to say that the lookalike substitution may have its inspiration from The Man In The Iron Mask. And if you think about the MGM comedy Callaway Went Thataway has a very similar plot development. Of course that one was played strictly laughs and laughs are very few in The Masquerader.

Ronald Colman was nothing short of brilliant here, excelling in both roles. Kudos should also be given to Halliwell Hobbes who played many butlers in his career, but was never better here. In the end Hobbes is entrusted with a secret that could involve the history of the realm itself.

Ronald Colman is better known for playing that other dual role in The Prisoner Of Zenda. He may very well have been cast in that part by David O. Selznick on the strength of what he did here in The Masquerader.