The Devil Plays (1931)
Genre: Mystery
Duration: 63 minuten
Country:
United States
Directed by: Richard Thorpe
Stars: Jameson Thomas, Florence Britton and Thomas E. Jackson
IMDb score:
5,1 (227)
Releasedate: 15 December 1931
Actors and actresses
Harry Forrest
Diana Amberson
Captain Brown
Sgt. Snyder
Grace Stiles
Gordon Stiles
Dolores Quincy
Dick Quincy
Duncan
Rita Kane
Reviews & comments
Roger Thornhill
-
- 6077 messages
- 2479 votes
Murder in a posh house, mustachioed men in tuxedos, women in low-cut evening gowns and fur coats, lots of cigarettes, a wise-cracking cop who addresses women as "Sister," blackmail about a past affair, even more cigarettes, and a crime novelist who solves the case for the police and presents his findings when all the suspects are present. An early sound film, therefore rather static and without background music, but at least it's briskly delivered and short, as befits a B-movie. Even without any stars or even well-known actors in the cast (because lead actor Jameson Thomas never broke through to the A-list either), but there was someone in the crew who more or less made up for that, because according to IMDb, Richard Thorpe directed a whopping 190 films between 1923 and 1967, including Ivanhoe with Robert Taylor (1952) and Elvis' Jailhouse Rock (1957). He probably won't be remembered for The Devil Plays, but all in all, this is neither a high-quality nor a painful early talkie. (James Mason on Thorpe: "His reputation for only needing one take is why we don't remember his films.") And by the way, I'm still puzzled as to where the film got its title.
Translated from Dutch · View original
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