UnowPriceless hyped garbage

ShangLuda Admirable film.

Afouotos Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

Tayloriona Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

JohnHowardReid Producer: George Arliss. Copyright 8 October 1929 by Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc. New York opening at the Warner's Theatre, 2 October 1929. 9 reels. 8,044 feet. 89 minutes. (Available on an excellent Warner DVD).SYNOPSIS: Disraeli buys the Suez Canal.NOTES: Prestigious Hollywood award, Best Actor, George Arliss (defeating himself in The Green Goddess, Wallace Beery in The Big House, Maurice Chevalier in The Big Pond and also in The Love Parade, Ronald Colman in Bulldog Drummond and also in Condemned, and Lawrence Tibbett in The Rogue Song).Also nominated for Best Picture (won by All Quiet On the Western Front); Best Writing (won by Frances Marion for The Big House). Best Film of 1929 — Film Daily poll of U.S. film critics. Best Film of 1929 — Photoplay Gold Medal Award (voted by the U.S. public). Best Talking Film of 1929 — Mordaunt Hall in The New York Times.Re-make of 1921 silent movie, also starring George Arliss.COMMENT: Very much a film of its period. There is no camera movement at all except for a slight pan when one of the players is slightly off-center in the middle of a shot, the film being lensed from the restrictive sound booth. The director has tried to give the camera the appearance of movement by sharp inter-cutting between long shots and close-ups, especially in the early part of the film, but the copious use of sub-titles often defeat his efforts.Arliss is introduced in much the same manner as in the later House of Rothschild (and there is even the same business with the flower) but it is not until the play itself starts (and the film is really not much more than a photographed stage play) that the film really grips, thanks almost entirely to the grand dramatic opportunities the script gives Arliss and the way he seizes them with force and power.Miss Bennett looks old in her introductory scenes but she is lit and costumed more attractively as the film progresses. Bushell has a part right up his street and the support players are uniformly competent.Of course, the script is almost entire pure fiction — but don't let that worry you — Arliss turns it into grand entertainment.

Matthew Dickson A top notch film. This historical comedy finally found a formula that worked for talkies. Adapted from a hit play, and staring the actor who had made the play a success on stage, Disreali counteracted the awkwardness that had come with the new medium. This was a script that was meant to be spoken, and George Arliss was an actor who knew how to handle it. Tackling the political intrigue that surrounded Britain's purchase of the Suez Canal, the story centers on Prime Minister of England, Benjamin Disreali (Arliss). Disreali is a truly memorable character in Arliss' hands. He is at once a charming gentleman, a cunning politician, a mentor, a matchmaker, and a doting husband. He plays these parts so well that we almost forget he is also Prime Minister until he is forced to reveal how powerful he can truly be at a critical moment. Arliss does not shy away from showing us the man's flaws as well; his moments of doubt and anger. We see every side of this character including the heartbreak over his wife's failing health. Disreali may not be a perfect film. The supporting cast and production quality leave something to be desired. Yet, it still works on so many levels. Smart, funny and touching, early thirties films don't get much better.

Alan J. Jacobs I was surprised to see this film at my local chain video shop. I couldn't believe that anyone would ever have made a film about such a character, who barely moves from his office. Fortunately, he's got a nice yard to roam around in. Not an action hero.What you've got here is a play with snappy dialog brought to film with great stage actors. And that's not bad at all. The camera movement and sound are primitive (this is a 1929 film, after all) but you never lose interest. The filmmakers have wisely chosen to focus on one particularly pivotal incident in the history of the world: a transfer in ownership of the right to construct and maintain the Suez Canal. They focus on the key character in the drama: Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli. In the course of a few weeks when this drama takes place, we get to see what was appealing about this man, how he handled the prejudices against a Jew leading a country of Anglicans, and how his personal life was intertwined with his carrying out his mission.I have no idea how much of this is true. I assume that the bare facts of the Suez Canal affair are accurate. And this film brings to life the intrigue and romance of the life of a man at the central of English political life at a time when British power reached its zenith.A fine movie.

filmsrfn Even though this film was made in 1929, it is in no way dated. George Arliss' portrayal of Disraeli is brilliant; he had absolute control over his actions and gestures. The cast that backed him up was superb. Though the film may be old, and about a subject that happened over a hundred years ago, you will find that there are as many layers to the seriousness of the film as there are to the quick witted Disraeli.