Mad genius. "Mad Genius" is a remake of George du Maurier's novel "Trilby" (1894), about a composer-hypnotist who mentally controls a student so that she sang as his ward. Films based on the novel "Trilby" were shot in large numbers - at least seven times in the era of silent cinema. The key point could have been Svengali (1931). But a rule of Hollywood filmmaking intervened: that if something works once, it can play a second. "Mad Genius" is undoubtedly the lightly edited "Svengali," in both films starring Barrymore and Marian Marsh, which reproduce exactly the same roles. But the Mad Genius version does not focus on the hypnotic possibilities that the maestro used, and the main character's clubfoot is used less for the horror effect and more for plot development. And unlike “Svengali”, “Mad Genius” is more like an average melodrama.
Very interesting is the fact that Boris Karloff also plays a small role in the film, and most likely you will not even notice it, since the camera has never given a close-up and it is under a good layer of makeup.
Very pleased with the artistic component. The costumes are meticulously structured, sci-fi and absolutely fine, as is the feverishly executed choreography. As the action gets more intense, the quirky stage sets provide a perfect sense of threat and doom.
Also, there is a feeling that Michael Curtitz was guided by the spirit of the great era of German expressionism (lighting, art deco designs, futuristic ballet costumes, etc.).
5.5 out of 10