Johan Louwet This movie was also a feature on the DVD I had bought because I really wanted to have the movie Mad Love (1935) with Peter Lorre. So I think the Mad Love movie is splendid but the premise of Devil-Doll sounded interesting enough to me to give it a try. I remember there was a scene with miniature people in The Bride of Frankenstein which I thought was kind of cool. And the scenes with these little people and animals are the main attraction of the movie. It was really well made when we see the little lady and the little man running, crawling and climbing around in the houses doing the job that their creator has instructed them to do. The plot on the other hand is less interesting. As the man who invented the process to make people into these living small dolls dies early his prison mate Paul Lavond promises to continue this work. So we get some kind of revenge story of Lavond who dresses up as an old lady running a toy shop and also hoping to win the love of his daughter back. No he is not a good guy didn't feel sorry for him and in the ending I think he got away with it way too easily.

gavin6942 An escaped Devil's Island convict (Lionel Barrymore) uses miniaturized humans to wreak vengeance on those that framed him.This story started out from a 1934 novel by Abraham Merritt called "Burn, Witch, Burn" and a 14-page article Merritt wrote with a Dr. Lowell. The connection is loose, with the overlap being the doll shop. The script, originally called "Witch Doctor of Timbuctoo" and written by Guy Endore ("Mad Love", every werewolf film), removes any mention of Satanism. Of course, exactly what Endore contributed is unclear without reading the script revisions, because over the course of a year his work was re-written by Garrett Fort (who had written both "Frankenstein" and "Dracula"), Robert Chapin, silent star Eric von Stroheim and Richard Schayer ("Frankenstein", "The Mummy").With direction from Tod Browning ("Dracula", "Freaks"), how can you go wrong with this? Though, again, Browning's full contribution is unclear, because retakes were done not by him, but by Leon Gordon, Sam Zimbalist and William Anthony McGuire. None of these men were credited, and it seems they must have worked on it while also doing MGM's "The Great Ziegfeld".Maureen O'Sullivan (Tarzan's Jane) is here, as are Rafaela Ottiano ("Grand Hotel") and Frank Lawton, who had just finished playing the title role in MGM's "David Copperfield". Throw in Lionel Barrymore in women's clothing, and you have quite the story...Interestingly, the biggest star in the film was probably Henry B. Walthall, who played the convict Marcel. His name may not ring many bells today, but in his time he was quite the star under the tutelage of D. W. Griffith and appears on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.While a bit slow at times, and inevitably compared to "Bride of Frankenstein", this is overall a good film with fine direction and a solid story. The original novel seems hard to come by, but the film is available in a box set of horror classics (though, strangely, is the only one of six not to have an audio commentary).

utgard14 Lionel Barrymore escapes from Devil's Island along with an old scientist. The scientist has created a means of reducing humans to the size of dolls. After the scientist's death, his wife (Rafaela Ottiano) continues his work and helps Barrymore carry out his revenge plot. So they travel to Paris, where Barrymore dresses up like an old lady and opens a toy store! Great special effects, good performances, and solid MGM production values make this one of the best non-Universal horror-thrillers from the '30s. This was director Tod Browning's second-to-last film and his last horror film. It shows more polish than some of his earlier talkies. It's sad his career was so short. But he directed several classics, silent and sound, that have endured for decades. This is definitely a good one classic horror fans will want to see.

lugonian THE DEVIL-DOLL (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, 1936) directed by Tod Browning, best known for his macabre collaborations with Lon Chaney of the late 1920s, Universal's Dracula (1931) starring Bela Lugosi, and MGM's bizarre FREAKS (1932), is another interesting variation by Browning combining science fiction and fantasy often confused with horror. The title may seem a bit confusing, indicating this as a predecessor of supernatural themes later popularized on TV's "The Twilight Zone" or the graphic "Child's Play" where an evil doll comes to life to commit grotesque murders. Taken out of context from which it was based, "Burn Witch Burn" by Abraham Merritt, this is definitely not one about the 1623 Salem witch hunt in Massachusetts. In fact, THE DEVIL-DOLL, with director/actor Erich Von Stroheim being one of the screenplay collaborators, is set in Paris, lifting themes to both Browning's THE UNHOLY THREE (MGM, 1925) featuring Chaney, and Alexandre Dumas' literary classic novel of "The Count of Monte Cristo." No doubt THE DEVIL DOLL might have served the great talent of the late Lon Chaney (1883-1930), especially during the silent era, but with Lionel Barrymore, the final result is just as good.Plot summary: Paul Lavond, a bank president who, seventeen years earlier, was falsely accused of embezzlement and the killing a night watchman. After his trial, he's convicted to life imprisonment on Devil's Island. The story opens with Lavond making his most daring escape, accompanied by his cell-mate, Marcel (Henry B. Walthall). Successfully eluding both guards and hound dogs hot on their trail, the convicts seek refuge at Marcel's home and laboratory located in the middle of the woods with his wife, Malita (Rafaela Ottiano) awaiting him. Marcel, a scientist by profession, uses his freedom to perfect an experiment he started years ago by reducing humans and animals one-sixth to normal size, communicating with them through beams of thought. As for Lavond, he intends on using his freedom by going after the three former bank associates, Emile Coulvet (Robert Greig), Rodin (Arthur Hohl) and Charles Matin (Pedro De Cordoba) and avenge for what they had done. After Marcel succumbs to a heart attack, Malita talks Lavond into helping her carry out her late husband's work. Move forward four months. Lavond and Malita team up as owners of a toy shop in Paris, close enough for Lavond, disguised as an old woman, Madame Mandilip, to be close to his aged mother (Lucy Beaumont) without arousing suspicion to the police. Through his visit, Lavond discovers his now grown daughter, Lorraine (Maureen O'Sullivan), working as a laundress and romantically involved with taxi driver, Toto (Frank Lawton), detests her father enough to report him to the authorities if he should ever appear. Keeping his identity a secret to her, though known to his mother, Lavond soon carries out his vengeful plot on the three bankers by using Marcel's miniature human dolls as his weapon. Aside from being one step ahead of a detective (Rollo Lloyd), Lavond must face up to the insanely manner of Malita, who refuses to let him part company with her.Browning directs in his usual style, giving main focus on Barrymore's two characters, the escaped convict and the old woman. Barrymore's grandmotherly disguise comes as a sheer reminder of character actress Beulah Bondi's role in both MAKE WAY FOR TOMORROW (Paramount, 1937) and ON BORROWED TIME (MGM, 1939). Quite original in concept, with scenes borrowing from both silent (1925) and sound (1930) versions of Lon Chaney's THE UNHOLY THREE, one being the confrontation between "old woman" and police inspector as he gets closer to clues and solution without realizing it. Special effects revolving around the miniature people known as devil dolls are an asset, while Franz Waxman's soothing score played during its opening and closing credits give the movie some great distinction. Of its supporting players, Rafaela Ottiano comes off best as the mad widow walking about on one crutch. Her hypnotic eyes, hissing sounding voice, and gray streak of hair on one side of her head is convincing enough to make one believe she's related to Count Dracula. Maureen O'Sullivan and Frank Lawton, who earlier performed together in "David Copperfield" (1935), give capable performances, though not enough to compete against such old pros as Barrymore and/or Ottiano. O'Sullivan is believable as the bitter daughter while Lawton, unlike his title character of "David Copperfield" a year before, is given less to do this time around. He does have two noteworthy scenes (one with O'Sullivan, another with Barrymore) set on top of the Eiffel Tower.While THE DEVIL-DOLL is one of a kind, it is no way connected with the 1964 British-made thriller simply titled DEVIL DOLL. The only connection both films have is the confusion it sometimes causes in the TV listings. Reportedly a personal favorite of actress/singer Jane Powell, thanks to frequent revivals, the status of THE DEVIL DOLL has grown over the years, becoming a favorite for others as well. Formerly presented on video cassette in the 1990s, it's availability on DVD and presentation on Turner Classic Movies is a good way in keeping THE DEVIL DOLL in full view for future generations to come. It's certainly one of many prime examples of creative movie making, especially the notable off-beat style by the one and only Tod Browning. (***)