Spidersecu Don't Believe the Hype

Numerootno A story that's too fascinating to pass by...

filippaberry84 I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Bob This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Stephen Abell This is a strange little number because it's a pretty dark subject matter, which at times is pretty chilling to watch, but then they throw in lots of songs. I'm not too sure what the Directors were going for when they filmed this. I say this because it's evident, at times, that quite a few scenes were added later... and I cannot figure out why.I really like the idea of the mad ventriloquist. In this stories concept, he is in love with his assistant, Mary (Compson), though finds it hard to fully converse with her. As The Great Gabbo (Erich von Stroheim), as he sees himself, he's nasty, offensive, and disagreeable. However, when he speaks through the dummy he can be loving and charming. It's this fissure that eventually leads to his mental breakdown.I know that the musical moments are there because it's set in the vaudeville and theatre life, though for most of the time these feel more like padding - filling out time. I think this could be remade and be an actually powerful movie. Reduce the musical side and expand on the breakdown. There are times in this movie where chills ran down my spine. The part where Mary walks out on The Great Gabbo and the Dummy calls her softly back, to be reprimanded by Gabbo is both heartbreaking and creepy as hell.The film, in general, is entertaining, though I have to say I found the number of musical intermissions too much. These are also 1920's musicals so are not so relevant today. Also, the dancing isn't up to par with bigger productions. Though I have to say the scene where Mary throws herself off a giant spiders web to be caught inches from the ground is breathtaking. I would say, for all creepy doll fans and those who like a psychological edge to their dramas, it's worth a watch.

bkoganbing As director and actor Erich Von Stroheim did some very weird films and The Great Gabbo is certainly one of them. In this Von Stroheim is a star attraction in a Ziegfeld Follies type stage review and he is fixated on Betty Compson who used to be his assistant in his act, but walked out on him because he treated her shabbily.Now she is keeping company with Donald Douglas a young hoofer in the show. He's actually upset as well with her interest in Von Stroheim.In a way it's hard to review this because just the name of Erich Von Stroheim brings up images of barbaric cruelty show on the screen. The name alone is sufficient to conjure up horrible images.So Von Stroheim wants to set up house with her and his dummy Otto. As in most ventriloquist stories the dummy functions as an alter ego.All this with the backdrop of a Ziegfeld type show. That was interesting and like Glorifying The American Girl, The Great Gabbo is a nice filmed record of what these shows were like on stage. Although Von Stroheim is always interesting, The Great Gabbo's best value is as a record of the type musical revue so popular back then.

rooprect Note: This review does NOT contain spoilers!Apparently I typed the word "spoiler" in my review, and IMDb's software flagged it as "may contain spoilers" *slaps forehead* Anyway, read on with confidence...Once again I am dumbfounded at how a great movie can get such a low rating on IMDb. All I can guess is that most of the voters were expecting to see a Gene Kelly-type musical. If this describes you, then leave now. "The Great Gabbo" is about as ANTI-musical as a musical can get. It is a heavy, ponderous, gripping story with more drama than Francis Ford Coppola could ever eke out of a reel of film. It is a compelling and surprisingly complex journey into the mind of a bizarre man.I saw this movie just after watching the 1991 Cannes-award-winning "Van Gogh", and I have to tell you, this beats the pants off of that trash. Whereas the stereotypical story of the misunderstood artist depicts the protagonist as a static character, Gabbo is a highly dynamic individual who keeps us guessing throughout. Is he a good man? Is he a bad man? Is he sane? Is he mad? These questions are not answered until the spectacular & powerful finale, and even then there is much room for speculation.(As an aside to you Kurosawa fans, the structure of this film is much like Kurosawa's 1952 classic "Ikiru", at times slow but building up to a powerful and unforgettable finish. And the final image deserves its place in the Louvre.)Regardless of if you're prepared for this type of experience, one thing is for sure: the amazing performance of Erich von Stroheim will burn itself into your mind forever. This film, being one of the early talkies, does not mix much dialogue and music. That is, the spoken scenes are done in silence with no music underneath (much like the 1931 Fritz Lang masterpiece "M"). This means that the actors must carry the entire scene on their shoulders, like in the old days of Shakespearian soliloquies. Erich von Stroheim rises to the challenge in this minimalist setting, and HE DELIVERS. In some scenes he makes you hate him. In others you love him. He can elicit pity as well as admiration. What a roller-coaster ride! Pitted against the heavy drama, the musical numbers seem jarring and incongruous at first. But on further reflection we realize that this emphasizes the bipolar, schizophrenic nature of the subject. Just like Gabbo, a man divided between two worlds, this film divides itself between Broadway musical and psychological thriller. This movie was at least 80 years ahead of its time, if not more.That's all I'll say because the rest is best experienced as a surprise. This is the best film I've seen in a long time, and the only reason why I'm rating it an 8 instead of a 10 is that, sadly, the original colour scenes were lost, and some of the scenes are in need of restoration on my DVD copy. We can only dream of what it was like to see "The Great Gabbo" as it was originally shown in 1929.

fonosmith The Great Gabbo was made as a musical and altho some of the musical numbers and songs are not as good as those in other films of its time, they are interesting and enjoyable to see and hear, at least for some of us lovers of the popular music of the 1920s (and 30s).