I believe this movie is good enough for discussion. It's actually better than good. It's one of those overlooked gems, I feel. John Gilbert commands the screen in this movie. How does anyone else feel about this movie?
shareI agree this is a really good film and John Gilbert proved that he was a very good actor as well as very intelligent in coming up with the idea for this film, I'm now a fan of both the movie and Mr. Gilbert, too bad he died so young.
I'm Whackjob, I'm insane, and I approve this message
-WhackJob March 18, 2008
I've read a lot about John Gilbert over the years, but had never seen one of his movies until I saw "Downstairs" on TCM today. It was wonderful. I was really impressed by Mr Gilbert's performance.
shareThe movie was good, though a bit old-fashioned for 1932. The talkies seemed to abandon the European settings that were in vogue during the silent era. I think that perhaps this movie would have worked better with an American or English setting. I could not get past how much the butler Albert sounded like Count Dracula. Of course that was not a consideration for the viewers at the time.
shareEr, Paul Lukas (Albert, the butler) and Bela Lugosi were both Hungarian. Guess that's one reason their voices were similar...
May I bone your kipper, Mademoiselle?
I think that perhaps this movie would have worked better with an American or English setting.You may be right that the movie's setting was a turn off for some audiences. It would have been a sore point around this time due to the recent wars. I get that but the setting of the movie plays a crucial role in the story. I suppose England could have been a suitable alternative but definitely not the US.
The movie was good, though a bit old-fashioned for 1932. The talkies seemed to abandon the European settings that were in vogue during the silent era.If that's the case, I don't know why the movie makers wouldn't have known that and made whatever changes were necessary.
I could not get past how much the butler Albert sounded like Count Dracula.Lukas was so good in the role of Albert, I wonder if his casting didn't have something to do with keeping or changing the setting of the movie. If I recall, Albert's family was supposed to have been in the employ of the family for generations. His accent wouldn't have worked if the movie was set somewhere else.