SmugKitZine Tied for the best movie I have ever seen

Lela The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

Haven Kaycee It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

Allissa .Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

BA_Harrison From Tod Browning, the director of horror classic Dracula (1931) and the infamous Freaks (1932), The Devil-Doll is a fun horror/fantasy that, while patently absurd, is very entertaining, with a great cast and some impressive special effects.Lionel Barrymore plays convicted banker Paul Lavond, who was sent to prison after being framed by his co-workers for embezzlement and murder. After 17 years inside, Lavond escapes with fellow prisoner Marcel (Henry B. Walthall), with revenge on his mind. On arrival at the swampland cabin inhabited by Marcel's crazy crippled wife Malita (Rafaela Ottiano), Paul sees something that will make it possible to even the score with his old colleagues: the miniaturisation of human beings that can be controlled by telepathy.After Marcel dies, Levond and Malita travel to Paris, where they set up a toy shop. Disguised as Madame Mandelip, the shop's proprieter, the escaped convict sets into motion his plan for revenge.With not one person-not even the police chief with whom he converses-suspecting that Madame Mandelip is Lavond, the film stretches plausibility quite a long way, but Barrymore is so amusing as his doddery alter-ego that all is easily forgiven. And with some great visual trickery, using a combination of mattes and excellent oversized props, The Devil-Doll is a delight for anyone interested in the history of movie special effects.The film is also very touching at times, with Lavond desperately wanting to clear his name so that his daughter Lorraine (the lovely Maureen O'Sullivan) will no longer hate him. As Madame Mandelip, Lavond has several conversations with his daughter (who also sees nothing peculiar about the heavy set woman with masculine features), but even after proving his innocence, he is unable to reveal his true identity.7.5 out of 10, rounded up to 8 for the awesome line 'She's an inbred peasant halfwit'.

Leofwine_draca An intriguing and often over-looked slice of melodrama from the 1930s, this film remains neglected alongside its bigger 'brothers' - namely Dracula, FRANKENSTEIN, and THE INVISIBLE MAN. However that doesn't mean that it should be forgotten - it's actually a very good little film that plays more like a standard romance tale than your usual horror flick.THE DEVIL-DOLL cleverly intermingles three plot strands into one and it gels nicely. The first is the standard melodramatic tale of a father loving a daughter who hates him for what he has done. All of the cast involved in this give good performances and it works nicely. Maureen O'Sullivan (star of the Tarzan films of the '30s) is excellent as the daughter who learns to forgive and forget.There is also the routine plot about a man returning to wreak revenge on the men who are responsible for his demise, and this section of the story too is quite interesting and enlivened by some varied, inspired acting. The final section - and the best - is the horrific element of the shrinking process involved in the film. Although made over sixty years ago, the special effects of the shrunken people still hold up even to this day. The special effects are elaborate and it isn't obvious that rear-screen projection was used. They're eye-opening and that's saying something.Unfortunately there is also an over the top performance from the woman playing Malita, who seems to think that opening her eyes wide will evoke terror - however all it evokes is laughter. She may be eye-opening but for all the wrong reasons. Along with that are the standard laboratory clichés - bubbling test tubes of poison, steam, foam, lots of glass tubing and containers. Barrymore carries the film somewhat and is excellent in his role as the tormented criminal with a heart of gold. This is one of those little films that has a bit of everything and it's well worth tracking down.

Scott LeBrun In what was unfortunately his next to last directorial effort, Tod Browning creates a fun flick with a good gimmick (and good special effects), fine acting, and ultimately a truly touching quality. As we can see, our vengeance obsessed main character may be an antagonist but is not really a villain. His love for his daughter and mother comes through strongly, and with an actor as compulsively watchable as Lionel Barrymore in the lead, the movie is certainly easy enough to follow.Barrymore plays Paul Lavond, a banker framed by his partners and sent up the river, who at the beginning of the movie breaks out of Devil's Island prison in the company of a persecuted scientist, Marcel (Henry B. Walthall), who's devised what *he* thinks is the answer to the worlds' hunger problem: shrink everybody and everything so that the quantity of the worlds' food will then amount to more. The thing, Marcel and his wife Malita (Rafaela Ottiano) are clearly mad, and despite Pauls' own misgivings about their actions (yes, our antagonist does have some morals) he's still okay with using them towards his own ends.This leads to some fairly well realized sequences in which "miniaturized" dogs, horses, and people are controlled by masters such as Barrymore. The sequences in which Lachna (Grace Ford) and Radin (Arthur Hohl) go about particular missions are entertaining every step of the way. In general, the film is a little talky and never terribly scary, but Browning does generate some palpable suspense and in one great moment, as the clock is ticking, the character Matin (Pedro de Cordoba) feels his conscience getting to him. Maureen O'Sullivan, as Lavonds' daughter Lorraine, and Frank Lawton, as ambitious and cheery taxi driver Toto (!), make for an appealing couple. But getting to watch the interesting Mr. Barrymore at work is really the main reason to watch "The Devil-Doll", especially as he dresses in drag as Lavond masquerades as a doddering old character named Miss Mandilip.Set in Paris, and scripted by Garrett Fort, Guy Endore, and Erich von Stroheim, this does have solid atmosphere going for it, as well as an affecting, emotional ending. This may not be quite as memorable as Brownings' other works, but is worth a look for fans of genre films from this period.Seven out of 10.

GManfred I thought "The Devil Doll" was really pretty good. It didn't sound like it from the description in the TV Guide, but sometimes you can get surprised. Of course, it was an MGM production, with MGM production values, supporting cast and staff.Movies in Hollywood's Golden Age of the 30's and 40's were mostly substance over form, unlike today's movies, which feature special effects over storyline. The miniature people and animals in this picture are primitive by comparison, but the story is so well written and the cast so competent that the picture succeeds on its own. Lionel Barrymore has the lead here as a man who was framed and sent to prison, escapes and plans his revenge with the help of a fellow-escapee. This picture is so old Barrymore walks upright instead of being confined to a wheelchair. Maureen O'Sullivan was OK in a small role, but I thought Rafaella Ottiano as his assistant was a little over-the-top. The rest of the cast was more than competent.It is very worth your time, and Director Tod Browning keeps the action moving at a good clip, so that the 79 minutes running time seems even shorter. It is a fascinating example of an MGM excursion into a genre dominated in the 30's by Universal.