ShangLuda
Admirable film.
Nayan Gough
A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.
Sarita Rafferty
There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.
JohnHowardReid
Copyright 1 April 1935 by Warner Bros Pictures, Inc. A Crime Club Picture, presented by Warner Bros Pictures and The Vitaphone Corp. New York opening at the Mayfair: 26 April 1935. Australian release: 8 May 1935. 7 reels. 70 minutes.SYNOPSIS: Who murdered impresario Victor Ballau? His daughter, currently playing Lucrezia Borgia in a play written by a direct descendant of Cesare Borgia (who is himself under treatment for possible schizophrenia)? A psychiatrist who is subject to sudden, unexplained mood changes? A grim, beaten servant, mousily unobtrusive, who admits she was alone in the house with the victim when the murder was committed? A cat-and-mouse police captain who seems too knowingly off-hand? Or a crazy-looking old woman who successfully bids for the murder candlesticks at an auction of the victim's effects? COMMENT: Hecht's novel deals with three sets of dual personalities which are carried over into this moodily atmospheric film version in such a clever manner that we are really never quite sure of the genuineness or sanity of any of the principal characters.In the best performance of his career, Donald Woods, normally a rather wooden and stodgy actor, not only provides an able and ingratiating study but gives his portrait a neurotic intensity that makes it doubly fascinating. Margaret Lindsay too infuses her characterization with a depth and an edge that makes it seem for a time as if the script is about to duplicate "A Double Life". And as for C. Aubrey Smith, how wonderful it is to see this fine actor filling a role worthy and large enough for his brilliant talents. Henry O'Neill excels too, whilst it's great to find Robert Barrat limning an unusual role in a most entertaining balance of comic/dramatic perfection. Florence Fair made only ten or so sound films, all around this period. If this is a fair sample of her extraordinary histrionic gifts, we are certainly looking forward to seeing her again. In addition to drawing these magnificent performances, director Robert Florey has infused the whole film with a beguilingly brooding atmosphere — assisted by some wonderful sets from Grot and Weyl, plus Todd's superlative lighting and camera-work. The script rivets the attention throughout. The sarcastic and dallying dialogue provided to and so expertly delivered by Robert Barrat offers a neat contrast to the Gothic trappings of a fascinating plot.ANOTHER REVIEW: Three suspects in the novel, but each has a dual personality. In solving the mystery, it's a question not only who benefits but which of the schizos did the deed. In translating this to the screen, the writers have made a large number of equally ingenious changes. Florey's direction is most competent. The set designers have wrought wonders. - JHR writing as George Addison.
kevin olzak
1935's "The Florentine Dagger" finds director Robert Florey ("Murders in the Rue Morgue") doing a trial run for his 1941 Peter Lorre vehicle "The Face Behind the Mask," only here we never actually SEE the face in question. Sad to say, Donald Woods seems totally out of his depth as a tortured Italian descendant of the infamous Lucrecia Borzia, whose legacy of misdeeds get quite a lot of airtime during the picture's first half. Banishing his suicidal thoughts by scripting a play about his ancestors, he falls in love with the star performer (Margaret Lindsay), who also feels a kinship for the Borgias, which puts her in a bad light when her stepfather (Henry O'Neill) is discovered murdered by a Borzia Florentine dagger. There just aren't enough suspects for the whodunit angle, and Robert H. Barrat's grating comic police captain spends more time eating than investigating. The climax does at least feature some salacious and surprising elements, unusual for any Hollywood product of that time. Newcomer Donald Woods was barely passable in "The Case of the Curious Bride," only marginally better as Perry Mason in "The Case of the Stuttering Bishop" (most effective in "Charlie Chan on Broadway"). Florence Fair appeared in 15 titles that year, as did dependable Frank Reicher, but Ruthelma Stevens, so good opposite Adolphe Menjou in a pair of Thatcher Colt mysteries, is sadly wasted as an acting understudy.
Neil Doyle
This little programmer from Warner Bros. features a bunch of studio contract players, all trying to do their best to bring some life into an unlikely story about a man (DONALD WOODS) who thinks he's inherited a tendency to kill because he's from a long line of Borgias. Nevertheless, he's encouraged to write a play about Lucretia Borgia for the daughter of HENRY O'NEILL, played by MARGARET LINDSAY.When O'Neill becomes the victim of a stabbing, the plot thickens as Detective Von Brinkner (ROBERT BARRAT) goes about trying to solve the crime. But it's really C. AUBREY SMITH who does most of the snooping to uncover the reason behind O'Neill's vicious death.However, it's Barrat's lively performance as the playboy detective that gives a lift to the story and a bit of humor that's badly needed.It's really a B-film struggling to look like an A-film with some proper atmosphere and period settings, but the story is told in dull fashion and never quite becomes as fascinating as the film's imaginative title.
Ron Oliver
A young Italian, the last of the Borgias, fears he is cursed with the evil of his infamous family. And now the woman he loves may be guilty of a nasty murder...Based on a novel by Ben Hecht, THE FLORENTINE DAGGER is raised above the level of modest murder programmers on the strength of its unusual plot, moody atmospherics and very fine acting. Sir C. Aubrey Smith graces the proceedings as a kindly old doctor who helps a young playwright and a spirited actress (Donald Woods & Margaret Lindsay) find happiness together, despite homicide and a possible family curse. Robert Barrat is also much fun as an eccentric, flirtatious police inspector; surprisingly, he becomes the story's true hero in the movie's closing moments.The supporting cast includes Henry O'Neill as a Viennese theatrical producer; Florence Fair as his troubled housekeeper; Frank Reicher as a harried stage manager; Rafaela Ottiano & Charles Judels as worried Italian innkeepers; Paul Porcasi as a timid policeman; Eily Malyon as a lady who knows more about the murder than she's willing to say; and wonderful Herman Bing as a flustered Austrian baker.The conclusion comes as a bit of a surprise, considering the Production Code's requirement for the punishment of all movie murderers...*************************Much is said, in the film's first half, about Cesare Borgia. It might prove interesting to review the facts of his life. The illegitimate son of Pope Alexander VI, Cesare (1475-1507) started his rise to power early, first in his ancestral Spain and later in Italy. At the age of seven he was created prothonotary & canon of the cathedral of Valencia - but it was in 1491 at the age of sixteen that his career really started to move. Over the course of the next two years Cesare was quickly created bishop, archbishop & cardinal. In 1498 he renounced his cardinalate to become Captain General of the Papal Army. Working hand in glove with the Pope, his father, they furthered their schemes towards wresting a northern Italian kingdom for Cesare.A marriage that same year with the sister of the King of Navarre and the acceptance of a French dukedom, gave Cesare & Alexander the French support they would need for their plots of conquest. By 1500 Cesare was fully immersed in his generally successful campaigns. (One of his victims was Duke Alfonso of Bisceglie, the husband of Cesare's wicked sister Lucrezia; that unlucky gentleman had been stabbed by a quartet of Cesare's assassins and subsequently strangled in his sickbed by Cesare's servant.) Hated & despised by the rank and file of the citizenry of Italy, Alexander & Cesare had to constantly fight against the overwhelming tide of public opinion.Surviving one rebellion in his army - and treacherously murdering the ringleaders after feigning peace - Cesare's fortunes at last crumbled with the death of his father in 1503. The new pope, Julius II, was an implacable enemy and demanded the release of Cesare's dominions. Cesare was eventually captured by the Spanish, imprisoned in Spain, and made a daring escape. He now offered his services to his brother-in-law, the King of Navarre. Cesare Borgia's short, violent, utterly fascinating life came to an end in 1507 when he was killed in a skirmish with rebels.
