Comwayon A Disappointing Continuation

Odelecol Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

Ariella Broughton It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

Lachlan Coulson This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

hwg1957-102-265704 Based on the novel by Russell Thorndike this is a good film set in the village of Dymchurch where a group of sailors led by Captain Howard Collyer R.N. arrrive to look for smugglers. It is the village where the once notorious Captain Clegg was buried and where on the salt marshes strange phantom riders have been seen. The titular Doctor Syn is the local vicar who watches over and helps his flock. The director Roy William Neill keeps a firm hand on the narrative and incident follows incident at a lively pace with amusing and interesting dialogue.In his last film elderly George Arliss plays Dr. Syn and is OK. Margaret Lockwood and John Loder don't have much to do. Fortunately there are great character actors in support; Roy Emerton, Graham Moffatt, George Merritt, Wally Patch and Muriel George. Meinhart Maur mimes and moans as a mulatto. There is a character called Dr. Pepper but I don't think that was an early example of product placement.The version I saw had poor picture quality which was a shame as some shooting was done on location but it was difficult to see. Roy William Neill went on to direct many Rathbone/Bruce Sherlock Holmes films, some of which were excellent.

malcolmgsw As has already been pointed out Arliss was pushing 70 when he made this film and he is about 20 years too old to realistically play this role.It was also the penultimate year of Gaumont British as a viable production company.In 1936 they made 12 films,in 1937 when this film was made,8 and the following and last year 2.The company would close down Lime Grove studios and become involved in the financial disaster that happened in 1938.There was even a Board of Trade inquiry which was inconclusive.As a result Rank purchased the assets and that was the end of Gaumont British.This film creaks along.In fact the makers seemed to forget one little fact.Clegg had not been ordained as a preacher,merely swapped identities with the original preacher.So at the end he conducts the marriage of Loder and Lockwood,but of course they aren't in the circumstances legally married.Rather a better film is "Ask a Policeman" the Will Hay comedy based on smuggling.

jacksflicks This is is a rather creaky, flawed effort, that reminds me a little of Jamaica Inn. And yes, this is George Arliss's last film, and he is indeed getting on. But he hadn't lost that unique Arliss delivery -- exuberant I'd call it -- that's so delicious to watch. And he had that angular look that lent itself to so many vivid characters, from Disraeli to Rothschild to Richelieu. He had a gaze that added the dimension of guile, even to his heroic characters, and also made him a great villain, as he was in The Green Goddess and finally (or as another reviewer says, eventually) in Dr. Syn.Every glimpse of the great Arliss is a treat, and you should grab anything you see him in, because his vehicles are very hard to find. And that includes this one. If for no other reason, see it to see the man who discovered Bette Davis.

Snow Leopard This version of the old legend of "Dr. Syn" is good entertainment, with some effective old-fashioned atmosphere and a story that includes plenty of action. Most of the acting is pretty good, with George Arliss giving a good performance in the lead, a young-looking Margaret Lockwood providing the charm, and Roy Emerton in an energetic if somewhat exaggerated role. Not all of the characters come across as well as theirs do, but more than enough of it is good to make the movie worth watching.The story starts with a government ship coming to a seacoast town where there have been rumors of smuggling, and where secrets abound. It soon leads to an entertaining cat-and-mouse game that takes some interesting, if sometimes implausible, turns. It's a little uneven at times, but it holds your attention, and the way it all comes out still works. Overall, it's a good adventure story that deserves a look.