Reviews on movie The Show (2)

I was surprised and surprised by this film. It developed naturally and predictably as a criminal action melodrama. Curious exoticism of illusionist theater, otherwise - boredom. Boredom is increased by the weak acting work of Gilbert, who tries to enrich the character and film with a variety of poses.
And suddenly, closer to the finale, the plot took on a very unexpected development with the complexity of the structure, began to unfold as if another line began, which resulted in an amazingly touching scene between the blind and mentally disturbed father and the character of John Gilbert opposite the window in which the gallows and the execution taking place. Of course, there is an excess of a certain measure of sentimentality in this scene and probably a distorted expressiveness due to Gilbert’s work, but despite everything, this scene in the framework of such a classy unfolding of the plot is worth a separate mention!
6 out of 10

How many times has this famous truism been played out - a real murder under the cover of a theatrical murder. This time, Browning creates a modest but passionate world of small theater. The focus is on Salome and the cutting off of John’s head. Of course, the hastily described passions will lead to an attempted murder. The axe will be replaced from fake to real. But, to be honest, as in many of his other films, the whole intrigue seemed smeared. The master of tension creation, Browning, for me was limited to creating several brilliant films.
In comparison with “Unknown”, which also seriously played the theme of murder during the performance, the film “Show” and bursts from secondary. Lon Cheney’s absence is also not to be discounted – Lionelle Barrymore and the heroic John Gilbert didn’t seem like a substitute at all. Therefore, the picture did not leave me any special impression. Well, a low score to put is also indecent – the film without any special flaws, moderately passionate and actionable. And the fact that lookability and sharpness are lame, so the winners are not judged. Browning's other work earned him the right to respect. But, really, boring and hasty, hasty and boring.
5 out of 10