Cinema and film analyses have been neglected for a while on this site to deprive the usual trend agency/designer lacking inspirations from stumbling upon this site, find too easily ideas and rip them off. But it's almost the weekend and for many of us Friday is film night, so, for today, let's rediscover a Hollywood classic that is often considered a horror cult film.
The boundary between creation and psychosis is very often blurred in the history of the arts. Unfortunately, quite a few creative minds seem to suffer from mental problems often caused by different reasons, depression being just one of them.
These themes – creativity and madness – are tackled in a film that was released on a bleak November day in 1931.
The film in question is The Mad Genius directed by Michael Curtiz (his fans will obviously remember some of his most famous films, such as Casablanca, 1942, and Mildred Pierce, 1945).
Based on the play The Idol by Martin Brown (and, according to the Warner Bros. screenplay also on a Russian play by S. Diskoy), the movie follows the vicissitudes of a club-footed Russian puppeteer, Ivan Tsarakov (John Barrymore – this was his last film for Warner Bros.) who, frustrated by his physical conditions and envious about other people's agility, decides to hide a young boy, Fedor, who's fleeing from his angry father (Boris Karloff), and turn him into the greatest ballet dancer.
“Have you ever heard of the Golem, made of mud and given a human soul? Or Frankenstein, the monster created by man? Or the Homunculus, the pale being, the product of science?” Tsarakov states after finding the promising young boy. “These are all dreams brought to life by mortals. I will create my own being. That boy – that boy will be my counterpart! He shall be what I should have been. I will mold him – I will pour into him my genius, my soul. In him, all my dreams, all my ambitions will be fulfilled. I will make him the greatest dancer of all time!”
Talking like a mad scientist, Tsarakov eventually manages to make his dream come true: Fedor truly turns into a talented danseur, but soon the impresario reveals himself as a dark soul, envious of his pupil and ready to blackmail Fedor's love to control him.
Thinking that Fedor's career may be ruined by his love story with dancer Nana Carlova (Marian Marsh), Tsarakov tries to pull them apart, but the two lovers run away together. The revengeful Tsarakov makes sure Fedor doesn't get any jobs from other theatres and companies since he has an exclusive contract with him and eventually Nana begs him to give Fedor his job back.
Tsarakov agrees, but in return Nana will have to leave Fedor and accept the love of a previous admirer. Fedor goes back to his passion, ballet, but feels resentful towards Nana; things change, though, when during the final ballet entitled "The Idol" he realises that Nana still loves him.
The ballet, staged in front of a giant idol head with threatening illuminated eyes, will seal the fate of the two lovers and end in tragedy for cruel Tsarakov.
Shot in 21 days and released after Svengali (again with Barrymore and Marsh in the main roles; the film was taken from George du Marurier’s 1894 novel Trilby), the film wasn't a great success when it first came out.
In a way this is perfectly understandable as the story is not entirely new and some of the actors are overshadowed by Barrymore's character who reminds at times of Serge Diaghilev of Ballets Russes fame.
Even Barrymore's looks - black tie, black top hat and long black coat with fur collar (the latter also appeared in Svengali) - calls to mind Diaghilev's attire.
Apart from the fake "Ballets Russes starring Fedor" posters, there is actually a Ballets Russes connection in the film: Warner Bros. called Adolph Bolm, Russian-born American ballet dancer, choreographer and Ballets Russes collaborator to train an entire corps de ballet for this film.
Well-known for his experience with the Imperial Ballet, Bolm created three pieces, "Ballet Mechanic", "The Factory" and "The Idol", but only fragments of the ballets appear in the film (Bolm's ballets were later staged at the Hollywood Bowl in 1932).
Yet the movie features very inspiring moments and subplots (ballet master Serge Bankieff, played by Luis Alberni, crazed by the drugs that Tsarakov supplies is an intriguing one for example...). Some of the most visually exciting and stylish moments are provided by the ballet scenes and the sets.
Gifted and talented art director Anton Grot moved from German Expressionist films such as The Cabinet of Dr Caligari for the sets and employed muslin ceilings to give a more oppressive look and darker light to the theatre sets.
Some sets were completed by Art Deco features (Grot was famous also for his Art Deco architectural extravaganzas in Busby Berkeley's films) - think about the idol decorating the set for the final ballet - and by the actors and actresses wearing quite original ballet costumes by Earl Luick.
Quite a few contemporary fashion designers played at creating tutus for proper ballets or films, in some cases with appalling results, while the costumes in The Mad Genius are strikingly original.
The first time we encounter Nana she is wearing a quite striking tutu ensemble that consists in a body suit and three rigid futuristic rings replacing the classic tulle skirt, a metallic pleated element on her shoulder and a metallic headdress.
Metallic costumes also come back at the very end during "The Idol" ballet. There seems to be a dichotomic relation between creativity and psychosis also in the costumes: though extremely original, the costumes in some cases almost do not fit the film, looking maybe too futuristic for the '30s (we looked in a previous post at Caligari's sets interpreted as a physical representation of madness).
Considered by many as a cult horror classic, even though it features more gothic moods than horror scenes, The Mad Genius still preserves its dark charm.
With many thanks to Kutmusic for digging out of its archives a battered copy of the film for the screens in this post.
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Posted by: Pajamas | November 22, 2012 at 05:46 AM