Word: compson
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Dates: during 1930-1939
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...Miracle Man (Paramount) was a vast success when acted by Thomas Meighan, Betty Compson and Lon Chaney in 1919. Now, remade as a talkie, it is an anomalous parable, more confusing than inspiring. Certain vicious characters led by a wretched John Madison (Chester Morris) find an old faith-healer (Hobart Bosworth) practicing his innocent seances in a sea-coast village. They form an adroit plan to exploit his doddering abilities. First they procure a knowing minx (Sylvia Sidney) to take care of the faith-healer. Then they have a contortionist named "Froggy" (John Wray) drag himself about on his haunches...
...Diplomat (RKO Radio) is a routine spy story which contains the one necessary new factor in the spy story formula. This factor consists in having two beautiful women both suspected of being spies. One of them, the heroine (Genevieve Tobin), proves to be innocent. The other (Betty Compson) is trapped by a handsome Rumanian officer (Ivan Lebedeff). The fact that Ivan Lebedeff speaks very poor English has been disguised by setting the action in Rumania which, with Bohemia, is usually selected as the mise en scene for cinemas in which the actors are linguistically deficient...
...suffers from such imperfections as polyglot accents among the cast; the fre quent use of miniatures and fake outdoor sets, particularly in the earlier sequences; the absurd theatricality of little, linking scenes that could with no more trouble have been made natural and valid; and the miscasting of Betty Compson who, with her worn, heavily cosmetized prettiness. in a hut in the middle of a forest looks little like a tough Russian girl camping out. Chester Morris, though highly histrionic, makes the part of Grischa believable, and the last sequences, especially the execution, are directed with realism. Best shot...