Disraeli

Film: Disraeli
Year: 1929-30
Cast: George Arliss, Doris Lloyd, David Torrence, Joan Bennett, Florence Arliss, Anthony Bushell, Michael Visaroff, Ivan F. Simpson, Gwendolyn Logan, Charles E. Evans, Norman Cannon, Cosmo Kyrle Bellow, Margaret Mann
Director: Alfred E. Green
Nominations: Best Picture, Best Actor (Arliss), Best Writing

It is so hard for me to evaluate performances from this era of film.

The "Talkies" were still a relatively new thing at this time in history. In fact, all of the actors I've been talking about for this category and year were former silent film actors, and in at least one case this year featured their very first talkies. Technically speaking, this was George Arliss's second talkie, his first being The Green Goddess (review coming soon) but this was released first.

You can tell Arliss isn't entirely used to communicating primarily through words. While he's affable and understated as the well-remembered British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli, he will every now and then milk a giant cow or give an over-exaggerated facial expression, much like a pantomime actor, because that's how silent film stars had to act.

The film focuses on Disraeli's efforts to purchase the Suez Canal, and thus secure a British Empire in Asia. He's convinced that Russia, who are also eyeing the canal, have sent spies to watch him, which his parliamentary enemies think is a paranoid fantasy, and have used it to vote down his foreign policy. But he's right, and he uses his own clever means to ferret them out, but not before they've managed to bankrupt his expenditures for the canal purchase...after they've gone through.

This wasn't the first time Arliss played Disraeli, or even the fifth time, as he'd played him in a silent film and on stage many times before. He does look a lot like Disraeli, and his performance, as I said, is mostly understated and quite enjoyable. I enjoyed his quips, such as, after walking in on his aide making out with the woman he loves (yes, even in 1929), he simply says, with no malice, "Time's up". Later, when he realizes one of the spies has come to call before he's ready, he blurts out "Send her away! Delay her! Kill her!" I dunno, made me laugh.

So far, I would think his win was somewhat a forgone conclusion, as his competition was mainly comedic performances, and one thug (though I haven't seen Condemned and it still hurts to think of that). His other performance in The Green Goddess, for which he was also nominated, seems to be a less serious film as well, but we'll see, as that's next.

Ultimately, there wasn't much to this film. It felt like a filmed play, as most of it takes place in the same room, and has people walking into and out of the given scenes (I say most; early on it does show scenes in Parliament and even out of doors). Watch it mostly for the historical value, but don't expect much.