Laikals The greatest movie ever made..!

Gutsycurene Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

Sarita Rafferty There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Cassandra Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

drjgardner Many of the reviews have focused on Arliss and Davis, and deservedly so. Hence there's no need to rehash that material. I want to highlight the excellent supporting cast.Violet Heming (1895-1981) plays a suitor for Arliss. She was a British stage actress who worked with Arliss. She made few films (part of Thanhouser) and is best known for her stage work, which is unfortunate for the rest of us since her acting is really exceptional.Louise Closser Hale (1872-1933) plays Arliss' sister and confidant. She combined a grandmotherly spirit with a quick wit and a sometimes tart edge in supporting roles ("Daddy Long Legs", "Shanghai Express", "Platinum Blonde") and her skill is probably nowhere better on exhibit than in this film.Ivan Simpson (1875-1951) plays Arliss' manservant. He was a Scottish stage and film actor who worked with Arliss during the silent era. He made more than 100 films and later transitioned to TV. He was used extensively in the British dramas ("Prince and the Pauper", "Lloyds of London", "Captain Blood", "Mutiny on the Bounty"). This is probably the best example of his considerable talents, and the chemistry between he and Arliss is a joy to watch.Look for Ray Milland (uncredited) in a brief scene in which he plays a man threatened with prison. For Milland (1907-86) this was his 15th film and fame was still a few years ahead. Ultimately he won an Oscar for "The Lost Weekend" (1946).Also look for Hedda Hopper (1885-1966) as a west coast society matron. She is better known for her gossip columns, but she did, in fact, appear in over 100 films between 1916 and 1946.This isn't a perfect film. It's a bit too long, Arliss does a few too many silent era long closeups, and the age difference between Arliss and Davis (24 vs. 65) is a bit too much. Otherwise it is a definite treat and holds up well after all these years.

David Fowler Tpatbour - In your comment you stated that Bette Davis appeared in "B programmers" such as this before she graduated to "A pictures". She did, indeed, appear in many B films during her early years at Warner Bros. "The Man Who Played God", however, is NOT one of them. It is a George Arliss vehicle and it must be clearly understood that George Arliss did NOT make B films! Any Arliss film is unquestionably a prestigious A production. In the 20's and early 30's George Arliss was one of the biggest stars of stage and screen, not just in America, but in the world. You would do well to understand a bit more about the history of a given subject before you attempt to write about it. As for your opinion that this film is "no masterpiece", there are many who would disagree with you.

Myrt98 "Of Human Bondage," (1934) by RKO, to whom Bette Davis was 'loaned' by Warner Brothers, is most often given credit for the beginning of the Queen of the Silver Screen's magnificent acting career. That's not the historical fact, however; this movie, "The Man Who Played God," (1932) must be credited for bringing Bette Davis the recognition as an actor who could hold her own in the lead next to the great screen legend, George Arliss. Davis was only 23 years of age when filming the show that earned her enough screen status for RKO to even desire her to play the leading, (dare I say) 'lady' next to leading man, Leslie Howard in "...Bondage." Arliss is to be credited for having, more or less, discovered Bette Davis; phoned her & the rest of her acclaimed acting career began.So many of the critiquers repeat the myth that "... Bondage" is the film that made the world recognize how great an actor Davis was. But, if it was, RKO would have never even wanted her so badly that they 'got her on loan' from the Warners! RKO recognized the talent of Bette Davis in this film: "The Man Who Played God." So should we.Never underestimate what young adult & teen women can achieve. After all, Mary Shelley wrote "Frankenstein," when she was only 19 years of age in a bet with great poets, Lord Byron & her husband Percy Bysche Shelley. Ann & Nancy Wilson of the rock band "Heart," composed many of their best songs when they were 13 years of age! Davis had already been on Broadway before taking her role in this movie. In fact, her acting career began when she was 15 (in 1923). Davis went on (& on!) to co-lead with Lillian Gish in "Whales of August," (1987), having been in over 100 movies; was the first woman to receive an Oscar at Warner Brothers (for "Dangerous"); the first person to be nominated for an Oscar 5 years in a row; the first woman to receive the AFI's Lifetime Achievement Award; the first person to be nominated for 10 Oscars; the highest paid woman during her prime. She was the epitome of a trail blazer who had to do it "the hard way." Today, Robert Wagner, Miss Davis's son, Michael, & Miss Davis's closest assistant are key figures who keep Bette Davis's acting excellence alive, through the foundation named after her. Meryl Streep was the first actor to benefit from Davis's foundation. Obviously, the foundation board is taking Davis's acting acumen as a serious measure by which to select recipients of foundation awards & scholarships. Davis herself was the one to recognize Streep's acting abilities.That's what kind of lady she was: she'd take a step back on the set to boost someone else's acting career; she'd take steps forward to seek out great scriptwriters, directors, cinematographers, etc. She strove to not only circulate her own gifts, but wanted to help others people do so with theirs--and still does so. Her reputation on the set was not as a "star," struck with ego maniacal lights in her fabulously expressive eyes. Instead, she was known to be a pleasure to work with amongst the team workers; and a real tough lady to contend with when she sensed something was amiss in a line, scene, lighting, direction, or co-worker. But, as Robert Wagner tells of Davis, she was truly a fun person to work with because she "always" came to work prepared to put on her very best performance. And when she goofed, she did so with a kind of cute humility that was full of wit enough to crack-up the co-workers she liked. There's a huge difference between striving for perfection and believing we're perfect. Davis did the former. By the way, she gave her "Jezebel" Oscar to her son, Michael. Steven Spielberg bought her "Dangerous" one that was auctioned (for the second highest price ever) to benefit her foundation. This says to me that Davis herself knew she'd really earned her "Jezebel" Oscar; whereas it was no secret that the masses believed she got the "Dangerous" Oscar as a "consolation prize" for not even being nominated for, "Of Human Bondage." By my standards, Davis was robbed of her third Oscar for playing the role of Charlotte Vale in "Now, Voyager." In Davis's mind, she was robbed of (what would have been her fourth) Oscar for playing Baby Jane Hudson in, "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?"Davis herself credited George Arliss & this movie for jump starting her into untouchable acting achievements. This movie is the movie to own if we want to say we've got a copy of Bette Davis's first great one.

sol1218 (Some Spoilers) Undoubtedly the best of the half dozen or so versions of the film released over the years which included the 1955 Liberace soap opera "Sincerely Yours". The movie "The Man Who Played God" is about how a person who knew nothing but success all his life being forced to see the world the way the vast majority of people see it,cold cruel and unfeeling. As well as have his faith in God and himself tested to the fullest extent possible. Born into money and a world renowned concert pianist Monty Royle has never had a bad thing happen to him in all his fifty years. Having his young and pretty music student Grace Blair fall in love with him Monty tells her that if she still feels the same way about him six months hence as she does now he'll marry her. Later after an exhilarating concert at the Paris Music Hall, which brought the roof down, Monty is about to give a private performance to a European monarch when a group of terrorists, from the Kings country, detonates a bomb that causes a massive explosion outside the hall. Monty completely loses his hearing and quickly falls into a deep depression knowing that the music that he plays and loves so much, that's his only reason for living, will never be played or heard or him again. Back home in New York Monty's depression gets more and more acute and even being taught to lip-read by Dr. Charles E. Adams can't make up for his not being able to hear his beautiful music. It's then that the thought of killing himself enters Monty's head.Attempting to jump out of a window in his suite of apartments Monty is saved from killing himself by his loyal and dedicated butler Battle. Told by Battle what a sniveling coward he his by him trying to do himself in Monty tries to pull himself together as he later starts to become somewhat of a voyeur. Watching the world go by from his porch and patio window overlooking New York's Central Park.It's then when Monty comes up with this idea of reading the lips, through high powered binoculars, of the people milling in and around the park.Finding out about peoples problems and then helping them out from a distance gave Monty the feeling that he was working at the right hand of God and doing God's work for the good of all Mankind. Egotistical yes But Monty's obsession did help the people that he spied upon with money to help them out of their depressing situations in life. In one case he even prevented a couple whom the man, who was about to be arrested for embezzlement, from committing suicide. When Battle came to their rescue by paying back the stolen money, just in the nick of time, before they swallowed a poison cocktail.All this time Mildred Miller who carried a torch for Monty for years knew that Grace had fallen in love with Harold but couldn't bring herself to tell Monty since she felt that it would kill him if she did. Monty later seeing Grace and Harold, who just came back from Pasadena with his binoculars outside in the park. And to the objection of Mildred, who was with him by the window, reads Grace and Harold's lips and realizes that she's not in love with him anymore she's really in love with Harold.Monty now has the biggest decision of his life to make: keep Grace from marrying Harold, whom she's in love with, or letting her guilt-feelings about poor Monty take over her mind and have her marry him. Monty sets Grace free from the emotional tie thats between her and him by letting her know that it's all right to follow her heart and marry Harold and that he'll do nothing to stand in Grace's way. Fine movie about faith in God and in one's own ability to see things through and let the chips fall where they may no matter what the consequences turn out to be. At the start of the move "The Man Who Played God" Monty was interrupted in giving a performance to a king that cost him his hearing. When the movie ended Monty gave the greatest performance of his life at the at the quaint little Manhattan church that his late mother, Margrate Ruth Royal, attended all her life and that he donated the new church organ in her memory. Alone with only Mildred in attendance Monty gave the opening performance of the new church organ not to just any king mind you but to the King of Kings himself.