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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great 1930s horror thriller duo, September 2, 2007
This review is from: Mad Love (1935) & The Devil Doll (1936 (DVD)
Karl Freund's Mad Love and Tod Browning's Devil Doll, both from the 1930s, are, along with the James Whale films Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein, as well as Dracula (1931), some of the best horror thrillers of that era. Mad Love (1935), starring Peter Lorre, is, as the title indicates, a tale of amour fou and if you can imagine anyone other than Peter Lorre in the part of a man crazed for love and crazy enough to do wacko things to prove it, I'd be really surprised. And Devil Doll (1936) starring Lionel Barrymore has him dressed in drag as an old woman out for revenge.
In both films, mad scientists--the staple of the time--play a major part. But while this may sound cliched, it's anything but. Freund and Browning were truly skilled directors who knew their stuff, so both movies are still a lot of fun to watch today. Lorre plays it to the max and is great; Barrymore is equally great in his old woman get-up and semi-cantankerous old lady voice. Lorre grafts a killer's hands onto his own to get the girl he wants; Barrymore hooks up with a mad scientist who's perfected a way to shrink people and animals to one-sixth their normal size in order to exact revenge on the three rich bankers who set him up for a fall. Of course Barrymore uses these tiny people to cause irreparable damage to the three traitorous former colleagues.
This DVD is a terrific deal for the money. If you love old movies with solid production values, don't pass this up. It's especially nifty to see how Browning has tiny people moving around among normal-sized people and objects. He did a really great job with this.
Lots of fun; highly recommended.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Two horror gems from MGM, August 21, 2007
This review is from: Mad Love (1935) & The Devil Doll (1936 (DVD)
MGM was not a studio famed for its horror films in the thirties but when they did make one, it was usually a gem. Both of these films are first rate.
"Mad Love" was the film which really launched Peter Lorre in America. It is a riveting story of a pianist who loses his hands in a train crash. Lorre plays a doctor who replaces the pianist's hands with a murderer's. He does so because he is obsessed with the pianist's wife, played by the long forgotten but excellent Frances Drake. The film is one of a few directed by the famous cinematographer Karl Freund and the camera work is stunning. The DVD comes with the original theatrical trailer and an excellent commentary.
"The Devil Doll' is almost as good. It is again a riveting story, a remake of Lon Chaney's famous "The Unholy Three". Lionel Barrymore plays an innocent convict who escapes prison, wreaks revenge on the real culprits and ultimately is declared innocent. If Barrymore lacks the sympathy which Chaney generated, it is still a gripping tale with excellent special effects. The original trailer is included.
Both films benefit from high MGM production values and the prints are in excellent condition.
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1.0 out of 5 stars
Gret Movie,But overpriced., January 25, 2012
This review is from: Mad Love (1935) & The Devil Doll (1936 (DVD)
My review is only for the seperate pricing of this dvd,you are better off buying the box set called legends of horror which is cheaper and includes this movie.keep in mind that these money grubbers are selling a slim case version which comes in that box set.This dvd never had a seperate release the other movies included in that set are excellent.these other reviews pretty much covered how great of an investment it would be to buy just this film,which seems kind of bias to sell this overpriced slim case dvd that comes from a set.Mad love is a spectacular film which i highly recommend,but the devil doll is kinda cheesy and doesnt actually have dolls just shrunk people playing the dolls.So if u want to shell out the money for the dvd seperate then great otherwise i highly recommend to buy the box set which includes this and is far more collectible,as a collector buying the seperately would seem incomplete knowing it came from a box set.
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