This is bad. Erich von Stroheim stars as a malevolent ventriloquist in "The Great Gabbo", and one can certainly draw parallels between his once auspicious directorial career and the fate of Gabbo. Additionally, there's the other plot of a woman who easily makes it on Broadway as singer and dancer, with all the generic backstage drama of the early movie musicals. Anyhow, the drama and musical plots are horrendous and made worse together.
Most of the early talkie backstage musicals (including this one) are awful--creaky, lacking inspired film-making, lousy musical numbers, bad acting and insipid, hackneyed story-lines. Early in his career, Ben Hecht even wrote this one. A few witty lines, like those he later wrote for screwball comedies, might have enlivened this movie. This type of picture isn't supposed to be dramatic; or, this type of drama doesn't work as a musical.
Stroheim plays his typical tragic man-you-love-to-hate character, but it's out of place--and probably wouldn't have made a decent film alone. He proved himself a capable actor elsewhere (e.g. "La Grande Illusion", "Sunset Blvd.", as well as in films he directed). The musical numbers and backstage dramas make this already worthless story more ridiculous. Neither would have been worthwhile alone, but together, this picture fails enormously.
Most of the early talkie backstage musicals (including this one) are awful--creaky, lacking inspired film-making, lousy musical numbers, bad acting and insipid, hackneyed story-lines. Early in his career, Ben Hecht even wrote this one. A few witty lines, like those he later wrote for screwball comedies, might have enlivened this movie. This type of picture isn't supposed to be dramatic; or, this type of drama doesn't work as a musical.
Stroheim plays his typical tragic man-you-love-to-hate character, but it's out of place--and probably wouldn't have made a decent film alone. He proved himself a capable actor elsewhere (e.g. "La Grande Illusion", "Sunset Blvd.", as well as in films he directed). The musical numbers and backstage dramas make this already worthless story more ridiculous. Neither would have been worthwhile alone, but together, this picture fails enormously.