The Masquerader

CinemaSerf 6/13/2022 6:01:29PM 8.4

I'm a fan of Ronald Colman so was prepared to set aside the rather preposterous nature of the plot and enjoy his "Jekyll and Hyde" style performance as British parliamentarian "Sir John Chilcote". The man is a bit of a boor - constantly drunk, on drugs - a selfish oaf really. Luckily he has a loyal butler in "Brock" (Halliwell Hobbes) and a doppelgänger - his identical cousin ("Loder") - to take his place when the public arena calls for it. Sadly, the plot now descends into melodrama as his wife "Eve" (Elissa Landi) and his erstwhile mistress "Diana" (Juliette Compton) both continue to vie for his love, whilst in true "Prisoner of Zenda" style - the double falls for the girl (or maybe girls?)! It is an OK watch this, the writing is sufficient to keep the thing moving and "Loder" has a few fun near misses. Colman plays both parts efficiently (especially the drunken sot), but the story is just a bit far-fetched and neither woman really set the romance afire either. Make sure you stick around for the ending, though - it's not quite what you expect.