The penultimate film from director Tod Browning, whose career was languishing after the release of the then highly controversial (and now legendary) "Freaks" (1932), the inaptly titled "The Devil Doll" finds escaped con Paul Lavond (Lionel Barrymore) seeking revenge on his former partners who framed him. Lavond's co-escapee Marcel (Henry B. Walthall) had invented a process by which animals and people could be shrunk to doll size and Lavond returns to Paris to use the miniatures, which have no memories or will of their own, to attack his betrayers. Barrymore is quite good, playing much of the film in drag as he evades the Gendarmes by disguising himself as an elderly female toymaker (Browning had previously directed the great Lon Chaney in a similar 'drag role' in the silent "The Unholy Three" (1925)). His accomplice, Marcel's crippled and somewhat demented wife Malita, is played by Italian actress Rafaela Ottiano, who brings some nice creepiness to her scenes. The well done miniature animals and people are similar to those in James Whale's outstanding "Bride of Frankenstein" (1933) (and Malita's fright-wig hairstyle is reminiscent Elsa Lanchester's iconic electric bridal-bouffant). The special effects, especially the 'home invasion' by a tiny Grace Ford, are excellent but overall the story is slow moving, highly contrived, and despite the title, the 'dolls' are not very devilish. The ending is pretty flat and somewhat surprising considering that the film is post Hays code, which demanded that all criminal acts be punished.
Review of The Devil-Doll
