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THE DEVIL-DOLL (1936) (revised)
In which Paul Lavond, a French banker framed for murder and theft, escapes from Devil’s Island with revenge on his mind, in company with a man who just happens to have developed the perfect weapon: miniaturised human beings with no minds of their own, capable of being controlled from a distance by the will of another. But even as Lavond’s plans begin to come together, the police begin to close in, forcing Lavond to some desperate measures – and giving us, in the middle of what is essentially science fiction, the most horrifying of sights: Lionel Barrymore in drag.
Tod Browning’s second-last film, The Devil-Doll shoots itself in the foot by dwelling on the angst of the Lavond family instead of on any of its fun stuff, but finally gets a pass mark thanks to a couple – literally a couple – of supporting characters who remind us that nothing says “Mad Science” like pulling some really ridiculous faces.
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#1 by MatthewF on September 18, 2010 - 9:34 am
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Won’t Charles Band give it a rest?
#2 by The Rev. on September 18, 2010 - 11:22 am
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It’s amazing that, even in still shots, you can tell how bad the superimposition is, and how well-done the props are.
I have never seen this, mostly due to reviews like yours that state it’s pretty meh, and that Barrymore in drag is horrendous. I have to admit, your talk about Ottiano’s performance has me a bit intrigued. Well, I suppose at some point it’ll be on TCM and I can catch it then.
I’m glad we got another updated review; I like seeing how they change from what they were. I also look forward to finally reading the Chi Sei? review next week, after TCM plays it.
#3 by lyzard on September 18, 2010 - 4:25 pm
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It’s not bad, Rev – it just never gives you enough of what you want. But it’s certainly worth watching for Rafaela Ottiano, so on that basis you can add it to The List.
As we discussed re: The Antichrist, a screenshot of sub-par superimposition only gives you a portion of how bad it is – the dogs look much worse when they’re moving around – but even in a still, you can tell from that last shot of Radin how poorly done that sequence is.
#4 by Luke Blanchard on September 19, 2010 - 8:16 am
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In Merritt’s novel, Burn Witch Burn!, Madame Mandelip is an actual witch, described as “a giantess(1) whose heavy face with its broad, high cheek bones, mustached upper lip and thick mouth produced a suggestion of masculinity grotesquely in contrast with the immense bosom”.
The witch (SPOILER WARNING) kills chosen victims by stealing something from them – apparently, a malignant part of the personality – that she uses to animate dolls modelled after them. The dolls in turn kill for her using needle like weapons. I’ve not watched any of the Puppet Master films, but there’s one scene in which the puppets cooperate on a night-time murder mission and show characteristics deriving from their models that reminds me of the few bits I have seen from Puppet Master III.
(1) At another point she’s described as “almost six feet”, which I don’t think is all that tall by today’s standards.
#5 by The Rev. on September 28, 2010 - 7:44 am
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Well, thanks to TCM, I can make up my mind on this movie. They’re playing it on Hallowe’en.
I oughta talk to them about getting paid for all this shilling…