THE CORSICAN BROTHERS
US, 1941, 115 minutes, Black and white.
Douglas Fairbanks Jnr, Ruth Warrick, Akim Tamiroff, Henry Wilcoxon, J. Carroll Naish, H.B. Warner.
Directed by Gregory Ratoff.
The Corsican Brothers is a production by Edward Small, who had brought a number of Dumas adventures to the screen, especially The Count of Monte Cristo and The Man in the Iron Mask. This Dumas story has been remade over the decades, especially for television. It was also parodied in Start the Revolution Without Me, starring Donald Sutherland and Gene Wilder as parodies of the twins.
The film is rather studio-bound, but has enough swashbuckling adventure to make it enjoyable. The characters are larger than life, especially Akim Tamiroff's villain. Douglas Fairbanks Jnr can be seen to be emulating his swashbuckling father and is quite successful, making some differentiation between the twins, especially Lucien who feels all the experiences of his brother Marco and becomes jealous because he is not able to live his own life. Ruth Warrick is a rather colourless heroine.
The film takes us back to the 19th century with its intrigues in such kingdoms as that of Corsica, with rival families and brutal vendettas. The director is Gregory Ratoff, an actor who directed a number of significant films in the '30s and '40s including Intermezzo.
1. The popularity of this kind of swashbuckling Dumas story? Being remade over the decades? The intrigue of adventure, the role of the twins?
2. Black and white photography, studio settings, the atmosphere of Corsica, re-creation of the 19th century décor and costumes? Musical score?
3. The situation in Corsica, the feuding families, the vendetta? The Franchi and the expectations of the birth, the family gathering together, being murdered? The Colonnas presented as more degraded, decadent? The cruelty and brutality in the massacre?
4. The father, his expectation of the birth, the birth of the twins, Siamese, wanting them to be separated? The role of the doctor? Lorenzo and his help? The count and countess being murdered, the babies being taken by the doctor, their later being separated? One child going with Lorenzo to become a bandit? The other going with foster parents to be brought up well in Paris?
5. The passing of the years, Marco in Paris, with his family, the opera, the encounter with Isabel, the duel? Lucien and his raids in Corsica? His dreams and experiencing Marco's pain and love?
6. Becoming 21, the revelation by Lorenzo and the doctor? The bond between the brothers? Their empathy? Lucien and his becoming jealous of Isabel, love for her, kissing her, his antagonism towards Marco, willing him to die, letting him be taken by Colonna, going to his rescue, shooting Tomasso, his being shot? Reconciliation?
7. The two brothers and their schemes, the raids, the puzzle for the Colonnas? The support of the doctor? Lorenzo? The abduction of Isabel? Her being in the camp? Going back, Marco and his impersonation of the dueller, at the banquet, his being unmasked? Flogged, the doctor drugging him, coming back to life, the final fight? Love for Isabel?
8. Isabel as heroine, education in Paris, the opera, her father, his murder, her disdain of Colonna, her shrewdness, in the camp, the return, playing along with Marco? The happy ending?
9. Lorenzo and his fidelity, the doctor and his support?
10. The Colonnas, their cruelty, Tomasso and his ruthlessness? The overthrowing of despots? The restoring of order and the stopping of the vendetta? The popularity of this kind of action adventure?
