LastingAware
The greatest movie ever!
Konterr
Brilliant and touching
Borgarkeri
A bit overrated, but still an amazing film
Ishallwearpurple
Guilty Hands (1931) Kay Frances, Lionel Barrymore, Madge Evans, Alan Mowbray. Babs(Evans) is wooed and won away from her young sweetheart by older cad, Gordan Rich(Mowbray). Her father, Barrymore(Richard Grant) vows to kill him and get away with it if he won't stop seeing Babs. Marjorie(Kay Francis) loves Gordan and sees what happens. . She threatens to unmask the real killer. It would take a few more years to have films made from the camera point-of-view This is melodrama 1931 style. Most actors came from the stage; lots of scripts were reworking Plays; directors also had mainly stage training. So, if we today criticize, using todays standards, it is very unfair. This is a fairly interesting plot, with mostly pros in the title roles. The star in Barrymore and he is good. Kay Francis has lovely fashions to wear, and holds her own. And because it is pre-code, a surprising ending. 7/10 http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0021933/
bruno-32
Caught this last night on a boring night of TV, and was mildly amused by the concept. Some reviewers here say that Barrymore's performance was hammy, and I have to agree a bit, that it was, but being a primarily stage actor turning to films, is understandable. The real ham acting in my opinion was Miss Kay Francis. Her role was interesting, but her reactions to Barrymore's insinuations were not believable. I thought it an amateurish performance, albeit, she had masterly improved in latter years. The ending was a shocker in a way, but again so amateurishly performed..but hey, this was 1933. Also, the daughters character was out of whack. Most of the movie she was this innocent, fragile child seeking love, and then becomes this wanton creature.
Paularoc
This movie gets off to a good start: we hear but do not see a man (Lionel Barrymore with his so distinctive voice) expound as to whether or not murder is ever justified and if the perfect murder can be committed. Barrymore as Richard grant is a former District Attorney who has prosecuted many murderers. He is on his way to an estate to draw up a new will for his client Gordon Rich (Mowbray). Mowbray convincingly portrays a truly nasty and repulsive human being who informs Grant that he plans to marry Grant's daughter. Grant threatens to kill him. The daughter's (Babs) attraction to Mowbray to the point where she insists she will marry him is unfathomable. This is, for me, the weakest part of the plot. Rich ends up dead and his mistress Marjorie West (Francis) insists that it was murder despite Grant's persuasive argument that it was suicide. Second weak plot point – West's hysterical insistence that it was murder is way overdone and not believable and her doing the "noble" thing at the end of the movie does not ring true. The ending was a shocker (although kinda silly) and, in hindsight, I should have seen it coming. It was Barrymore's performance that made this movie for me. There was one plot devise that falls into the category of "what a coincidence." The same week I saw this movie, I also watched Boston Blackie's Chinese Venture. Although each had a slightly different spin, both movies used the same basic gimmick to establish alibis. A gimmick I don't remember seeing in any other movie and to see it twice in one week was weird.
Larry41OnEbay-2
Thank God that Turner Classic Movies plays these forgotten early films. Using an innovative gimmick, the film starts in the dark with three men discussing the possibility that a truly clever man could get away with murder. And former district attorney Lionel Barrymore should know - he's prosecuted dozens of murderers, but he is soon considering the other side of the law. SPOILERS: Cast against type, Barrymore is a lawyer (soon to be a murderer) working for a spoiled playboy played with intense villainy by Alan Mowbray (also out of his usual element of pompous comedic roles.) Barrymore goes to Mowbray's private island to collect pay-off checks for ex-girlfriends/victims of Mowbray's, to keep them from causing "trouble." Fiendishly, Mowbray explains he's preparing to marry a girl because that's the only way he can "have" her. And he surprises the attorney with the shocking news that it is Barrymore's daughter (Madge Evans) that will soon be his bride conquest! Barrymore seethes with anger and threatens Mowbray with murder. Mowbray counters with "You may but I'll come back from the grave to accuse you." Hours pass with charming scenes of dinner guests oblivious to this hidden war with the likes of C. Aubrey Smith and frumpy Polly Moran filling in the background. But eventually, late that night the deed is done. Will Barrymore outsmart everyone? Will Mowbray have covered all his bases to get revenge, will it appear as a suicide to Barrymore's police buddies or will Kay Francis be the fall-girl? Seeing these two actors play characters opposite for what they are known for could be a risk except the director(s) are no less than W.S. Van Dyke and Barrymore himself! Sexy Kay Francis was the reason we started to watch the film and she is fascinating, but not the only beauty. Madge Evans parades her golden locks, long lashes and a wears a see-through negligee. This pre-code murder mystery comes with an ending that will remind some of THREE ON A MATCH. I recommend you watch it during a thunder storm with the lights down low
