Intcatinfo A Masterpiece!

Invaderbank The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

Humaira Grant It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Philippa All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

sol- Opening with Charles Ruggles comically falling down a staircase, this third entry in the 'Invisible Man' franchise distinguishes itself as something very different from the get-go. While the first two films had their lighter, comical moments, this one is a full blown comedy and with an invisibility machine (as opposed to a serum) this time, 'The Invisible Woman' is so far removed from the other films that it really deserves to be considered on its own terms. It is often said that comedy is the most subjective genre, but it is hard to imagine many watching this film without cracking a smile. Virginia Bruce is perfectly spunky as a model who signs up to an invisibility experiment simply for the adventure of it. The ever-versatile John Barrymore also delivers a fine turn as the kooky inventor of the invisibility machine, successfully playing a character at least twenty years his senior, and Ruggles (of 'Bringing Up Baby' fame) is very funny too as the often baffled servant of Barrymore's financer. John Howard is less interesting as the financer in question with the film at its weakest as he starts romancing the invisible Bruce; the gangster supporting characters are also a little one-note. Clocking in at just over an hour though, the film never outstays its welcome, remaining entertaining to the end with solid special effects as glasses float in the air - and cats too! Bruce's ulterior motive - revenge for being treated unfairly at work - also provides the film with a surprising openly pro-feminist angle, which in turn makes the film partially a tale of female empowerment.

Michael_Elliott The Invisible Woman (1940) *** (out of 4)Beautiful model Kitty Carroll (Virginia Bruce) answers an ad in a newspaper asking for a volunteer to become invisible. She's tired of being abused by her boss and would love the chance to stick it to him so she goes to Professor Gibbs (John Barrymore) and sure enough gets turned invisible.This was the first "invisible" film that Universal made since their 1933 masterpiece THE INVISIBLE MAN and I give them credit for trying something different. This really isn't a horror movie but instead it's a very fast and fun comedy that manages to have a terrific cast doing wonderful work and the special effects are also extremely good and especially when you consider they were made 75 years ago. The screenplay certainly doesn't try to do anything ground-breaking but it just goes for some nice jokes and gets them.THE INVISIBLE WOMAN's greatest strength is that it contains a terrific and perfectly charming cast. Bruce is simply delightful in her role and she shows an incredible talent by being able to charm it up even when she's not on screen. As with the 1933 film, the personality of the actor has to come through the voice since the majority of the time we can't see them and Bruce just keeps a smile on your face throughout. Barrymore turns in his final great performance as the nutty scientist and the comic timing the great actor brings is priceless. John Howard, Charles Ruggles and Margaret Hamilton are all very good too and we get a nice performance by Charles Lang and a role by Shemp Howard.As I said, the special effects are quite good for the period and the screenplay perfectly keeps the jokes flowing at a very good pace. A. Edward Sutherland does a very good job handling the material and he just brings a perfect mix of charm and laughs. THE INVISIBLE WOMAN isn't quite as good as the 1933 film but there's no question that it's the second best of the series.

dougdoepke Delightful comedy from start to finish, with plenty of bounce and throw-away lines. Of course, invisible people can be the stuff of horror, but there's plenty of shtick in the idea, as well. For example, the Topper series (1953-55) made good comedic appeal in TV's early days, while Abbott and Costello spoofed the idea in maybe their best " A&C Meet__" (1951).Here, it's a first-rate cast, including some of Hollywood's most colorful lugs— including, Ed Brophy, Donald McBride, Shemp Howard, and mugging it up comedically, John Barrymore. Seems Barrymore's invented a fade-away gizmo that he wants patented, but first has to get seed money from playboy John Howard. Then too he needs to hire a human guinea pig to prove that the gizmo works, and that's dress-model Virginia Bruce who's out for revenge against her cruel boss (Lane). Naturally crooks get wind of the invention and want to hijack it. So, amusing mayhem ensues.Note the lengths the script manages to avoid that awful word "naked". Instead a number of Code euphemisms are employed. Still, the shtick makes funny use of Bruce's being naked when invisible. In fact, the writers go to some lengths making her occasional lack of clothes realistic— e.g. she gets cold up at the cabin. Anyway, the well-timed gags fly thick and fast, along with expert pacing from director Sutherland. At the same time, Charlie Ruggles almost steals the show as the impeccable butler. All in all, this Universal production amounts to a genuine sleeper despite the darkish title, and definitely deserves more frequent revival.

mark.waltz What ultimately harmless fun could you get into? (Or unintentionally harmful depending on the victim...) Harassed model Virginia Bruce answers the advertisement from a wacky scientist (John Barrymore) looking for someone willing to become invisible in order to aid the cause of scientific research. All she really wants is the opportunity to get revenge on the nasty boss (a very funny Charles Lane) who wants to dock her pay an hour for being only a minute late then fires her for telling off the imperious customers who purposely ripped her dress. No sooner has she entered Barrymore's lab then she's "outta there!" and back to give payback to Lane in the funniest way possible. This film gives the viewer instant fantasies for similar employers, and should be shown to imperious supervisors who have had too many complaints from their subordinates.But this only briefly deals with the slapstick brought on by Bruce's determination to show Lane a thing or two. It's about a group of criminals whose boss (Oscar Homolka) has been longing to come back to the United States from Mexico but can't because of being wanted by the fed's. When the two dumb gangster sidekicks (Edward Brophy and Donald MacBride, ironically on the wrong side of the law for a change) go up against Bruce and Barrymore, it's obvious who will triumph. Then, there's flustered butler Charles Ruggles, his playboy boss Cesar Romero and Barrymore's suspicious housekeeper, Margaret Hamilton. "What do you think this is, Halloween?" the former Wicked Witch of the West answers to an invisible presence at the door.Everybody shines, the humor is hysterically funny, and even if it is obviously a rip-off of "Topper", it works, thanks to its parody of "The Invisible Man". Don't sip on a soft drink while watching this film too much, because the laughs are frequent and truly gut-wrenching. For example, the two imperious wealthy women get a true eyeful when Bruce shows back up to model for them again, quite unexpectedly. Granted, this film doesn't require much intelligence to just enjoy for its comedy, but what results is a film that you will want to share with your friends and watch over again.