Simply A Masterpiece

i must have seen a different film!!

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

Even though Harold McGrath's novel "The Drums of Jeopardy" had been filmed in 1923 with Wallace Beery, Tiffany's all talking remake featured Warner Oland and was actually a reworking of Florence Ryerson's script "The Return of Fu Manchu" - a character that by 1931 Oland had made his own. It may have been only a Tiffany (probably the most prestigious of poverty row studios) but this must be one of Oland's best films and Mischa Auer, who for years had been playing eccentric bits, finally broke out with his characterization of a decandent syncophant.When scientist Dr. Boris Karlov (Oland) learns his daughter has attempted suicide but refuses to divulge her lover's name, he finds one clue - a necklace known as the "drums of jeopardy", that belongs to the aristocratic Petrov family. Doesn't take the viewer long to figure out which is the cad - the guilty, shifty looks of Prince Gregor (Wallace MacDonald) leave no doubt and with Karlov vowing to return the drums "one - by - one" (as only Oland can deliver that line) the game is now afoot!!1930, New York and Karlov has managed to intercept a letter to Martin Kent (Hale Hamilton) in which the desperate Petrov's ask for help before the crazed Karlov wipes out the entire family!! It's hard not to feel pity for Karlov - for coming to Petrov's house and confronting the family about the suicide of his daughter (Florence Lake, older sister of Arthur) he was sent to Siberia but with the Petrovs fleeing to America, he has more than had his revenge.This is just a rip snorter action packed film - before the boat docks, Nicholas (trusty Lloyd Hamilton) and Gregor are just one step ahead of Karlov, sometimes not even that!! Nicholas receives a blow to the head and finally collapses after convincing apartment owner Kitty (luminous June Collyer) that he is not a bad guy and getting her and her crotchety aunt (Clara Blandick) thoroughly involved in the doings of the mad doctor. For once the romance doesn't slow down the action - Collyer is not a damsel in distress but a vital part of the proceeding - it's the men who are collapsing around her!!A highlight of the film are the witty exchanges between criminologist Martin Kent and Karlov ("I'm disappointed in you Kent, I didn't think you would have walked into my trap so blindly", "Would it surprise you to find out I deliberately let your man lead me here etc...") Gregor, the real villain goes to Karlov's laboratory to point the finger at his unsuspecting brother in exchange for his life. The laboratory is a treasure trove of bubbling test tubes ("I am just going to test this mixture" ... and as the room is filled with blood curdling screams - "Ah yes, it's perfect"!!) - there is also a dungeon where Nick and Kitty are thrown. Nick has to kill Kitty with this huge butcher's knife ("as you killed my daughter, so you must kill the one you love" drawls Karlov who still believes Gregor's lies). Once back with his test tubes he chortles that he hopes they look for an escape, as they loosen the bricks water spurts from nowhere, quick enough to send them to a watery grave!!The production has a sumptuous look - lavish sets (the Petrov palace with a huge oval dining table, an art deco studio flat that has more of the look of a Park Avenue penthouse, an ocean liner and a State of the Arts laboratory)!!!!

WARNING: SPOILERS: It doesn't matter to me how many reference books place this under the genre "fantastic cinema," this does not qualify. The only possible "horror" is that Warner Oland is a bit more sadistic than the normal grieving father, but then again I've seen Mel Gibson in revenge films that far surpassed this one - and Gibson's are not horror either. In fact, "Karlov" (nod to Boris) is more akin to Lenin in this film so, in that regard, this is an anti-Communist message. As for the supposed "curse" of the jewelry, it's a mcguffin that has only a few moments, and no real link to the film. On to "science fiction," the closest we come is a mysterious formula that we know nothing of, that has an effect we don't see. The mere idea that he's a "scientist" is of little interest, even if, in the beginning of the film, we see him tinkering with some test tubes in a secret lab.Now, the film itself is OK, with many clichéd characters, such as Oland's "Fu Manchu" type, gangsters, cops, spunky women, etc. Additionally, the print I saw was choppy with much film damage, but I tried not to let it cloud my judgment. 6 of 10.

I like the movie, for what it is. I would like to see the earlier version, and compare. I've always thought of Warner Oland as kind of a ham. But it's impossible to judge by 1931 standards in 2007, so what do I know? The Karlov question had me curious. This is what Wikipedia had to say (yeah, I know-- it's Wikipedia, so who knows if it's true?): "In 1922 the book was made into a Broadway play and the following year a motion picture. A second film version appeared in 1931. It is said that a young Boris Karloff, who previously had a few uncredited film roles, chose his stage name for his first screen credit in 1920 from a Russian mad scientist character named "Boris Karlov" in this novel. The name 'Boris Karlov' was used from MacGrath's book for the 1922 Broadway play, but by 1923 with actor Boris Karloff using the similar sounding variation, the film version renamed the character, played by Wallace Beery, 'Gregor Karlov'. In the 1931 film version, however, with Warner Oland playing the character, the mad scientist's name is restored to 'Boris Karlov', less than a year before Frankenstein would make Boris Karloff a household word for generations. Ironically, Boris Karloff would play many mad scientists on screen, but never 'Boris Karlov'."As a side note for those interested in original sources, the Harold MacGrath novel "Drums of Jeopardy" is available as a free e-text download at Project Gutenberg.

Warner Oland stars as Dr Boris Karloff, a man out to avenge his daughter's suicide by killing off a Russian noble family that he holds responsible for her death. Warner Oland soon after this movie became famous in his portrayal of Charlie Chan in a series of movies about a famous Chinese detective and the mysteries he solves. Clara Blandick, the future Auntie Em in the Wizard of Oz plays a great character in a supporting role and is excellent in bringing comic relief to this little known drama from 1931. I saw this movie on a DVD by Alpha video. The film does have some scratches and the sound has some problems during the opening credits. It's a short movie at 66 minutes but seems to be right for the pace of the movie. The Drums of Jeopardy is a decent movie. I would call it a murder drama. It's definitely dated though. You can sure tell you're in the 30s both by the dialogue, and situations. You really have to be a fan of older movies to get the most out of this film.