IMDb > The Phantom (1931) > Reviews & Ratings - IMDb

Reviews & Ratings for
 The Phantom More at IMDbPro »

Filter: Hide Spoilers:
Page 1 of 2:[1] [2] [Next]
Index 15 reviews in total 

11 out of 11 people found the following review useful:
Early talky that is still quite fun., 18 February 2002
Author: reptilicus from Vancouver, Canada

It starts with a prison break with a man about to be electrocuted jumping over the wall onto a moving train and then being picked up by a plane dangling a rope ladder! And that is just the first 5 minutes! Most of this is an "old dark house" style thriller about a mad killer called The Phantom who is out to kill a local district attorney (former D.W. Griffith regular Wilfred Lucas). The D.A.'s daughter (Allene Ray) and her reporter boyfriend (Guinn WIlliams) team up to catch the cloaked maniac and, in the tradition of movies like this, do a much better job than the cops who have surrounded the house. They trail the madman to an insane asylum where nobody, and I mean NOBODY! is playing with a full deck. For a one hour film the plot gets complicated with things like insanity, kidnapping, revenge and even brain transplants. The only thing missing was a gorilla, and if the plot had run another 10 minutes I'll one would have popped up! It all makes sense (well, sort of) at the end when the prison warden shows up to identify the mad killer. (You don't expect ME to reveal who it is, do you?) Also in the cast is The Clutching Hand himself, Sheldon Lewis. In a cap, tall hat and fright wig he is still playing the character he created for the 1916 serial THE EXPLOITS OF ELAINE and doing it rather well. Lweis was also the only actor to ever play Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde twice. Once in 1920 in the version filmed on location in New York to compete against the John Barrymore and again in 1929 in a one reel talkie short. Art? No way. Fun? You bet! See this one.

Was the above review useful to you?

5 out of 5 people found the following review useful:
Creaky Beyond Words, 24 April 2004
6/10
Author: dbborroughs from Glen Cove, New York

A prisoner named the Phantom is moments away from going to the chair when he climbs over the wall, jumps on top of a passing train and makes a get away when a plane flies down and picks him up. He then threatens the DA, even though he's not the DA who sent him up the river...and then things get complicated.

This is a movie from the early days of sound. Using silent footage with sound effects it broadens what could be done at reasonable expense with the then bulky sound equipment. As a result this film does things that many similar movies from the period couldn't, it goes outside the drawing room, the best example is the jail break at the beginning.

But while it goes places that other films didn't, and it has more twists than a pretzel factory, this film suffers from the same problem that countless other lower budget films did, and that is its limited by sound itself. There is no music and many scenes are staged simply to have people talk, a sequence at the beginning in the newspaper editor's office for example, goes on way too long just so we can hear the characters talking on the phone.

The movie itself is interesting up to a point, but at times it seems to want to get as many of the mystery conventions into the movie as possible so things keep spinning out for no real reason other than to make the film reach a reasonable length. The problem is that as interesting as the plot is, the film's age hinders full enjoyment of it.

If you're in the mood for an antique give it a try, otherwise steer clear.

Was the above review useful to you?

3 out of 3 people found the following review useful:
Great Spooky Fun, 31 July 2007
7/10
Author: reluctantpopstar from North Hollyweird

This is the kind of movie you start watching from the cynical forward-looking viewpoint of 2007 and start complaining that the premise is hokey, the set-ups are creaky and the dialog is loaded with clichés.

Then you realize that this film IS SO DANG OLD that it represents probably the first time that some of these set-ups, situations and dialog were ever seen on the movie screen! This dates from only the third year that talking pictures were widely available, so there wasn't much before this that this film could be ripping off, except probably stage plays. From this perspective, there is at least some originality here by definition, and lots of fun to be had with the murderer-on-the-loose-in-the-creepy-insane-asylum premise.

This would make a great double feature with "The Old Dark House," from 1932, creating lots of fodder which would be mocked in the ensuing decades by Bugs Bunny cartoons, Three Stooges shorts, Abbott and Costello films, sketches on "The Carol Burnett Show," "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," and Larry Blamire's "Dark and Stormy Night."

The four-feature DVD from Retromedia is worth the price if you are a fan of obscure, ancient, creaky horror movies like this. You can look up the other features under the individual titles for reviews, but they are all just about as entertaining as this feature. If black-and-white horror films from the dawn of time are not your bag, you should pass, otherwise this DVD is a worthwhile purchase. And these movies are so old that they won't really scare children except for the smallest tots. Pop some popcorn and go back to the 1930's.

Was the above review useful to you?

2 out of 2 people found the following review useful:
This is a fun little film, if you can find it., 24 May 2002
Author: greggbartley from Seattle, WA

For those who enjoy old films and are not put off by poor prints and bad quality sound, this hard to find film is quite fun. Break out the popcorn on a Saturday night in front of the TV. It is spooky and atmospheric, with a number of very funny, intentionally campy moments thrown in, much in line with The Old Dark House. I loved the bit where the reluctant visitor to the spooky old house was being chased around by one of the deranged looking inhabitants with a large stick. When he was finally cornered and was going to give himself up to whatever fate that awaited him, the ungainly old servant just lightly bopped the guy on the head and asked "Hey, did you lose this?" I was quite struck by the connection this film made with me, even though it was made almost 70 years ago.

Was the above review useful to you?

1 out of 1 people found the following review useful:
This Is Not The Phantom You Want To See, 31 August 2008
3/10
Author: John W Chance (Chance2000esl@yahoo.com) from San Francisco, California

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

This is not 'The Phantom' you want to see. This one is of historical interest only. You want the serial version of Lee Falk's 'The Phantom' (1943) with Tom Tyler, or the feature version 'The Phantom' (1996) with Billy Zane, or even the totally different Murnau 'The Phantom' (1922).

Of the 77 movies made by independent Action Pictures, this one is probably the most famous. Some think it's passable in the manner of 'The Cat and the Canary' (1927) but it's full of early thirties tedium--characters being scared when anything moves or is heard, or when a man in a black cape suddenly appears. It is an historical curiosity because the star, Allene Ray, was a victim of the transition to sound movies. A popular and beautiful serial star who did her own stunts, she had a high voice that didn't carry over well into sound films. This film was it for her. This was the kind of true story satirized by Jean Hagan in 'Singing in the Rain' (1952). Although credited as the star here, Allene hardly appears in it, and often doesn't speak, pretending to be 'unconscious.' Another victim of sound was Georgia Hale, the female lead in Chaplin's 'The Gold Rush' (1925) who made her last film in 1931.

The real star, 'Big Boy' Guinn Williams, seen in western serials and films as well as 49 TV episodes of 'Circus Boy' (1956-1957), does battle with 'The Phantom,' who, in fact is not even in a disguise.

Other than Allene's funny voice, there's nothing to recommend here. Just make sure Netflix doesn't send this to you when you want action or excitement with Lee Falk's 'The Phantom.'

I give it a 3.

Was the above review useful to you?

1 out of 1 people found the following review useful:
for a poverty row production there is a German Expressionism influence, 25 February 2008
5/10
Author: kidboots from Australia

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

Allene Ray was Pathe's premier serial queen of the 1920s but with the advent of sound her voice recorded in a high pitched tone so "The Phantom" was her last film. Her leading man was Guinn "Big Boy" Williams in a regular role as a reporter. This was before he became known for his roles as the hot headed sidekick of Errol Flynn.

"The Phantom" was due to go to the electric chair but he escapes in a daring scene that has him scaling the prison wall, jumping onto a moving train then climbing a ladder suspended from a plane. He vows to get revenge on DA Hampton, who, he believes, sent him to jail.

"The Phantom" plans to meet Hampton at his house at half past mid- night to make him a proposition (we never find out what that is)!!! Dick Mallory (Guinn Williams) also comes to the house to ask if he can marry Ruth (as you would at 12.30 at night)!!!! He is mistaken for "The Phantom".

Once the scene changes to Dr. Waldron's sanatorium - the sets become very striking, reminiscent of German Expressionist cinema. The maid and the chauffeur find themselves trapped in a Caligari like corridor. There are quite a few odd characters. A "phantom" dressed in a black cape eerily reminiscent of "The Cat and the Canary", a weird Karl Dane type with an umbrella. It is pretty scary. Allene Ray shows why she was a serial queen for many years - she is very good at looking fearful and frightened.

Niles Welch was the red herring. He looked very strange and suspicious, but ...I'd better not say.

I wouldn't say it's a great film but it is worth a look.

Was the above review useful to you?

A Worthy Watch, 21 August 2011
Author: Scott Carter

I would think that for the people of 1931, this would be quite a movie. The beginning (as many have already stated), was quite exciting - even by today's standards. Then the movie drags a bit.

But my reason for writing this review is only to add that the eclectic cast is worth watching. You can see the obvious influence of the silent era in their expressions and actions/reactions.

But to me, Lucy (played by Violet Knights) almost steals the show. She seems to me a very funny actress. I hope to get to see her in something else some time. However, I suspect this is probably her crowning achievement as an actress, as she made less than ten talking pictures, and was only credited in two of them. I know her acting is overboard, but her expressions and manners are worth the watching of this movie to me. Without her, I would probably give this movie only one or two stars.

The strange Swede (William Jackie?) is also a great comic in this, his only credited role (according to IMDb).

If you like unusual characters, I think this is definitely a movie worth a watch. Don't expect a great story - as others have mentioned, the plot is a bit over-used. But the cast to me is not a disappointment.

Was the above review useful to you?

Sadly, the film is terribly written and the acting is even worse!, 3 January 2010
2/10
Author: planktonrules from Bradenton, Florida

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

You know that this is NOT going to be a great film when you see that Guinn 'Big Boy' Williams is the star of the show. This isn't to say he's a 100% terrible actor, but in the lead he's clearly out of his league and doesn't have the acting ability or charisma to carry the film. Later, in supporting roles with actors such as Errol Flynn, he found his niche.

The movie is about a character named 'the Phantom'—who is wanted by the police. Additionally, the newspapers are trying to find out who he is as well as catch him. This eventually leads, believe it or not, to a missing doctor from a mental hospital who is actually alive and well…and doing research on brain transplants!! It seems that the good doctor is crazy and he and the inmates are up to no good in this odd variation on an old dark house film.

Sadly, the film is terribly written and the acting is even worse! There's a lady who screams and yells worse than Una O'Connor and another who swoons at the slightest provocation and makes groaning noises. It's all very amateurish and silly—even by the standards of the day.

By the way, towards the beginning of the film, you may notice that a few scenes of silent film footage were used. Because sound pictures run at a slightly faster speed than silent (24 frames per second instead of the varying 16-22 for silents), these few scenes look accelerated compared to the rest of the movie. This is sloppy, but considering the lack of care in this Poverty Row film, I wasn't at all surprised.

Was the above review useful to you?

A Shadow of "The Bat", 13 July 2009
3/10
Author: wes-connors from Earth

After a thrilling opening, Alan James' movie hunkers down into an "Old Dark House" formula. And, it's an embarrassingly poor version of many earlier trips down the same path. Just last year (1930), filmgoers had "The Bat Whispers" follow "The Bat" and "The Cat Creeps" follow "The Cat and the Canary". These movies must have been very popular at the box office, as they continued to make more…

This is a good film to examine for a variety of mostly incongruous acting styles. Allene Ray (as Ruth Hampton) is performing as if she's in a serial (her natural habitat). Tom O'Brien (as Pat Collins) has pure silent film mannerisms (he was one of the John Gilbert's "Big Parade" war buddies). Wilfred Lucas (as John Hampton) looks like an actor waiting for the director (no D.W. Griffith). And, so on…

*** The Phantom (11/1/31) Alan James ~ Guinn Williams, Allene Ray, Niles Welch

Was the above review useful to you?

An Enjoyable Curiosity Piece with Laughs and Suspense, 24 November 2007
8/10
Author: Van Roberts (zardoz@bellsouth.net) from United States

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

"The Phantom" opens at a prison where the notorious title character is scheduled to be fried in the electric chair. When a newspaper reporter asks the warden if the killer has shown any fear about his impending execution, the warden replies that 'the Phantom' is "totally unconcerned." A guard interrupts their conversation and informs the warden that a bi-plane is circling the penitentiary, and the warden asks if the plane has a numbers on its fuselage. The guard points out that there is no number on the plane. The next shot takes in the prison exercise yard as a prisoner scrambles over the top of the extremely high prison wall. How the prisoner managed to scale the high wall is never adequately explained, but he climbs atop the wall just as a passenger train barrels past the facility. He hurls himself off the wall onto the train while the guards armed with rifles blast away at him without any luck. Miraculously, he lands atop the train and clings to the edge while the bi-plane maneuvers itself into position. The pilot swoops down over the speeding train; the bi-plane comes equipped with a wire hook so that the convict can grab it and then the pilot wings the felon away to freedom. Although the stunt is wholly implausible, writer & director Alan James of "The Phantom Thunderbolt" stages this derring-do with considerable finesse, considering that "The Phantom" was made in 1931. This scene foreshadows a similar jailbreak scene from director Blake Edwards' Inspector Clouseau comedy "The Return of the Pink Panther." Immediately, thereafter, Police Chief Murphy (Horace Murphy of "Border Phantom") issues a radio news bulletin alerting all citizens in an otherwise unspecified city that the Phantom is at large. The chief describes the villain pejoratively as "a desperate criminal, a killer, a human tiger, take no chances and shoot to kill." The next scene occurs in the newspaper office of editor Sam Crandall (mustached Niles Welch of "Empty Saddles") as Detective Winters explains to Crandall that a tipster has informed them that the Phantom plans to go after the District Attorney John Hampton. Initially, Crandall doesn't believe it because Hampton didn't prosecute the Phantom. Nevertheless, Willis points out that the Phantom bears a grudge against the D.A.'s office, not so much the individual who sent him up, as "responsible for his conviction." Specifically, Winters wants to see society reporter Ruth Hampton (Allene Ray of "Gun Cargo") about the threat to her father. Meanwhile, trench coat-clad Police Sergeant Pat Collins (Tom O'Brien of "The Phantom of Santa Fe") shows up at the courthouse and tells Hampton that the chief has assigned him to serve as the D.A.'s bodyguard until the authorities recapture the Phantom. As it turns out, Hampton has received a telegram already from the audacious Phantom with a message that the fiend wants to meet him at 12:30 PM at his house. Later, back at Crandall's office, we learn not only that the police are going to watch Ruth, but also that the editor is in love with Ruth. Ruth, however, has her heart and eyes set on another man, Dick Mallory (Guinn 'Big Boy' Williams of "Dodge City"), a young reporter that she wants to wed. Dick wants to make good in order to impress Ruth's father, so Ruth and he can get married. Naturally, Crandall isn't happy with this revelation.

Afterward, "The Phantom" transpires in two geographic settings; first, the principals scurry about Hampton's commodious country manor with Mallory and the Phantom creating considerable commotion and then second the mystery shifts over to a creepy sanitarium for the conclusion. The mansion and the sanitarium boast several secret passages and hiding places. Mallory sneaks into Mr. Hampton's mansion and disables the alarm system, while the cloaked Phantom--walking stooped over like a dastardly vaudeville bad guy himself--lurks on the premises. The Phantom frightens Lucy the maid and tries to abduct Ruth with his writhing fingers inches from her pretty throat when she brandishes a gun. No, the daffy dame doesn't drill him between the eyes. Instead, she threatens to kill him, and he flees mere moments before Dick arrives with gun in hand. Standing behind the door, the Phantom pistol whips Dick, but the big galoot recovers quickly and slings lead at him. Nonetheless, the Phantom eludes the police, but Mallory doesn't fare so well.

Eventually, Mallory and Ruth rush off in the Hampton's limo to a sanitarium to nab the cloaked villain. Shorty, the chauffeur, and Lucy, two sources of comic relief, sought refuge in the same car earlier, and they find themselves accompanying our hero and heroine as they prowl the sanitarium. They encounter a tall, gawky, idiotic Swede who serves as another source of comic relief. Eventually, Dick meets Dr. Charles Weldon (William Gould of "Waterfront") who dreams about performing a brain operation and Ruth becomes his patient.

At this point, "The Phantom" degenerates into a contrived but atmospheric entry in the haunted house comedies inspired by the lightweight horror classic "The Old Dark House." Typically, when he appeared in B-movies, Williams took top billing, but when he played in big-budget epics, like the Warner Brothers westerns with Errol Flynn, he played either one of the sidekicks as in "Santa Fe Trail" or a villain as in "The Comancheros" (1962) with John Wayne. Williams here wears a suit and tie from start to finish. Director Alan James doesn't waste any time setting up the plot. The events depicted in the first two paragraph of this review transpire in less than ten minutes! The predictable but delightful comedy of errors concludes with a happy ending as the Phantom is unmasked. Jack Draper's black & white cinematography is uncharacteristic for its day because everything really looks dark. Interestingly enough, the entire plot takes place over the course of a single day. This is an enjoyable curiosity piece despite its age.

Was the above review useful to you?
Page 1 of 2:[1] [2] [Next]

Add another review

Related Links

Ratings External reviews Plot keywords
Main details Your user reviews Your vote history