A little undercooked cake of a movie,
The Man With Two Faces is passable fare and mostly of interest as as one of Edward G Robinson's earlier screen performances (it was not widely released to DVD but is available through the Warner Archive Collection). Adapted from the stage play
The Dark Tower, the simplistic story revolves around a theatrical sleight of hand. Mary Astor and Edward G Robinson play siblings in the same profession: stage actors. Mary's career is jeopardized when her shady, itinerant husband lands on their doorstep after a stint in San Quentin. Despite what we are told (always less effective than what we observe), her husband (played by Louis Calhern) comes across as more of an eccentric jerk than anyone deserving to be chopped into tiny pieces. Edward G Robinson plays a strangely conceived character who is equal parts cad and saviour. He is overly fond of his beer and slapping his wife around a bit - yet we're not supposed to dislike him as much as Louis Calhern! The very naturalistic Henry O'Neill adds a few laughs as the police inspector making Robinson squirm. Verdict: a little jiggly in the centre but worth a nibble.
Edward G Robinson gives "acting lessons" to Mae Clarke
No comments:
Post a Comment