Memorable, crazy movie

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

"The Phantom of Paris" is a thoroughly enjoyable film that is, if you think about it, really stupid. The writing obviously is the weak point in this movie, as John Gilbert is excellent and is only hindered by a silly plot.When the film begins, the great magician/escape artist Chéri-Bibi (Gilbert) is performing one of his great stunts. He then goes to his girlfriend's home. Cecile loves him but her father isn't so impressed by him. But, since Cecile obviously is not going to marry the Marquis Du Touchais, he decides to change his will. He previously was going to leave his fortune to the man...and it was assumed he'd marry Cecile. But the father makes a HUGE mistake...he tells the Marquis and soon the father is murdered...and the Marquis and his skanky lady friend pin the murder on Bibi. Soon, Bibi is in prison and awaiting execution.So far, the film is really good. But after Bibi escapes the film kind of falls apart and becomes silly. He hides out in a friend's basement for several years until he learns that the Marquis is dying---and so he rushes off to confront the scoundrel. The Marquis is so sick he admits he set up Bibi...but then dies before there are any witnesses. So (and boy does it get dumb here), Bibi decides to impersonate the Marquis...and claim that he was kidnapped by Bibi and he returns home six months later!! And, inexplicably, all the folks who knew the Marquis suddenly think he IS the Marquis!!! Makes sense? Nah...but the film is entertaining despite being stupid....but stupid it certainly is. And, if you think about it, the film is a bit like the later TV series, "The Fugitive"...but a cheesier version of course!

Forgettable Early Talkie with John Gilbert Giving Hs All, this Pre-Code Film has a Good Premise but is Strained and Stilted. It's one of those that Screams Stage Play, is Well Acted but Not Stylish and a bit Clunky.Everyone goes Through the Motions and in the End, Despite a Twisty, Labored Climax the Movie Borders on Boring. There are much Better Examples of Horror from the Time Period like "Mystery of the Wax Museum" (1933), "Dracula" (1931), and "Dr. X" (1933).Overall, Fans of John Gilbert can witness His Transition to Talkies and Despite a Good Speaking Voice, His Career was Mishandled by MGM and given the Short End by the Studio. While always a Pleasure to Watch (and hear), His Talking Pictures were mostly Mediocre.

Phantom of Paris, The (1931) *** (out of 4) Well-made, if far-fetched, drama from MGM has John Gilbert playing Cheri-Bibi, a famous escape artist who plans on marrying a rich woman (Leila Hyams) even though her father (C. Aubrey Smith) is against it. The father is killed after an argument with Cheri, which causes a detective (Lewis Stone) to arrest him. Facing death in the matter of hours Cheri escapes from prison to prove his innocence. It's rumored that this film was originally meant for Lon Chaney, which if true would be interesting since it's also rumored that Chaney turned down THE SHOW, which then went to Gilbert. Whatever the truth is, this remains a pretty solid "B" movie that has some great acting and a pretty good story. I'm sure many might go into a title like this expecting some type of horror picture but it's pretty much a straight drama with some pretty tense scenes. I think the film takes a turn for the worse in the final fifteen-minutes when Gilbert takes the identity of the man he believes did the real killer. The two didn't look like one another but even if they did manage to fake people their different voices would have certainly given them away. Gilbert turns in another winning performance and what's so nice here is how incredibly charming he is. The early scenes with him doing the magic tricks had him "acting" to large crowds and I thought the charm came through just like you'd expect a real magician to do. Being Gilbert we also get a love story, which has the actor delivering soft lines and doing a nice job with it. Hyams is much better here than she was in her previous film (WAY OF A SAILOR) with Gilbert. The two come across like a real couple and have some pretty good scenes together. Lewis Stone turns in a fine supporting performance as does Jean Hersholt, Natalie Moorhead and Ian Keith. Smith only appears at the start of the film but he too adds nice support. This film was adapted from a novel by Gaston Leroux and for the most part it's pretty successful. I'm sure the original story had more magic but I guess you can only expect so much from a film like this. The 72-minute running time flies by without too many slow spots and in the end it's yet another film to prove that Gilbert did have a voice and he knew how to use it.

This is a story that combines a Houdini-like hero (Gilbert), his blonde leading lady for the third pic in a row (Leila Hyams) and an able cast supporting. It's a case of two lovers separated by the evil dealings of a Marques bent on keeping his fiancee's money, never mind the fiancee. To keep himself in dough, he kills her father, frames her lover and finally dies of the flu.Everybody does well, but all are wasted - and to give a guy who looks like John Gilbert does plastic surgery half-way through the picture is a really bad idea.Mr. Gilbert is good (as always), Miss Hyams is good at what shedoes (and the two of them not only look good together, they play well as lovers); the bad guy (Ian Keith) and his blonde amour (Moorehead) are appropriately sleazy. Everybody looks great in evening clothes.Somebody give them some character development! The actors do what they can, professionals all, but there's no spark. Nobody to blame but the writers!