The Man Who Reclaimed His Head (1934)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Edward Ludwig

Writers:

Jean Bart (play)
Jean Bart (screenplay)

Release Date:

24 December 1934 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

HIS ravaged soul ached for the tender arms of his beloved family...for the happiness of all humanity!

Plot:

A brilliant but impoverished writer, who is a pacifist, goes to work for a publisher and writes anti-war editorials...

Plot Keywords:

Writer | Beautiful Woman | Based On Play

Cast

Claude Rains	...	Paul Verin
Joan Bennett	...	Adele Verin
Lionel Atwill	...	Henry Dumont
Juanita Quigley	...	Linette Verin (as Baby Jane)
Henry O'Neill	...	Fernand de Marnay
Henry Armetta	...	Laurent
Wallace Ford	...	'Curly'
Lawrence Grant	...	Marchant
William B. Davidson	...	Charles (as William Davidson)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Valerie Hobson	...	Mimi (scenes deleted)
Judith Wood	...	Margot (scenes deleted)

Runtime:

80 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording)

Company:

Universal Pictures

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Dead of Night (1988)

THE MAN WHO RECLAIMED HIS HEAD (Edward Ludwig, 1934) ***

This little-known drama is often mistakenly thought of as a horror film by virtue of its luridly suggestive title, its being a Universal production and the appearance of several horror stalwarts. Actually, it's quite splendid and very stylish, making the most of its Grade A budget.

Claude Rains is marvelous as ever in the title role and is superbly supported by a wonderful cast - a blonde Joan Bennett, a treacherous Lionel Atwill, Wallace Ford, Gilbert Emery, Edward Van Sloan (the latter two are actually uncredited and appear very briefly; so, too, does Valerie Hobson according to the IMDb, thought I didn't spot her)! The unusual, thought-provoking (and sadly, more topical than ever) plot, taking a critical look at political opportunism, spin doctoring and warmongering, is nicely handled all around, with as much care given to the touching domestic life of the main characters as to the period detail or its vigorous scenes of warfare and political discussions.

The effectively filmed finale (which gives the film its title) is a highlight and, hopefully, it should be able to get a new lease of life whenever the film is released on DVD, even if it has to be passed off as a horror title to make it; however, I don't think many will complain of this once they've seen it but will instead be very thankful that it has finally been made available on the newest home video format. Are you listening, Universal?