JohnHowardReid Producer: George Arliss. Copyright 8 October 1929 by Warner Bros. Pictures, Inc. New York opening at the Warner's Theatre, 2 October 1929. 9 reels. 8,044 feet. 89 minutes. (Available on an excellent Warner DVD).SYNOPSIS: Disraeli buys the Suez Canal.NOTES: Prestigious Hollywood award, Best Actor, George Arliss (defeating himself in The Green Goddess, Wallace Beery in The Big House, Maurice Chevalier in The Big Pond and also in The Love Parade, Ronald Colman in Bulldog Drummond and also in Condemned, and Lawrence Tibbett in The Rogue Song).Also nominated for Best Picture (won by All Quiet On the Western Front); Best Writing (won by Frances Marion for The Big House). Best Film of 1929 — Film Daily poll of U.S. film critics. Best Film of 1929 — Photoplay Gold Medal Award (voted by the U.S. public). Best Talking Film of 1929 — Mordaunt Hall in The New York Times.Re-make of 1921 silent movie, also starring George Arliss.COMMENT: Very much a film of its period. There is no camera movement at all except for a slight pan when one of the players is slightly off-center in the middle of a shot, the film being lensed from the restrictive sound booth. The director has tried to give the camera the appearance of movement by sharp inter-cutting between long shots and close-ups, especially in the early part of the film, but the copious use of sub-titles often defeat his efforts.Arliss is introduced in much the same manner as in the later House of Rothschild (and there is even the same business with the flower) but it is not until the play itself starts (and the film is really not much more than a photographed stage play) that the film really grips, thanks almost entirely to the grand dramatic opportunities the script gives Arliss and the way he seizes them with force and power.Miss Bennett looks old in her introductory scenes but she is lit and costumed more attractively as the film progresses. Bushell has a part right up his street and the support players are uniformly competent.Of course, the script is almost entire pure fiction — but don't let that worry you — Arliss turns it into grand entertainment.

smattana In it's history, this is a good film, encapsulating Disraeli's nature and his steadfastness in pursuing the purchase of the Suez Canal. It was quite well acted by all. Nonetheless, I found it quite dull at times, focusing too much on relationships that didn't capture my imagination at all. A greater focus on the rivalry between Gladstone and Disraeli would have made this film more interesting.

mukava991 In this filmed stage play, Arliss enacts the celebrated British statesman as he outsmarts a glamorous spy (Doris Lloyd) working for Russia who is trying to disrupt Disraeli's attempts to arrange for Britain to purchase the Suez Canal. One must commit to listening very carefully to the dialogue and squinting earnestly at the images to work up any involvement in this time- tarnished strip of celluloid, so weak is the soundtrack and so murky are the visuals. If these efforts are made, some entertainment can be derived. Arliss commands attention with his hawklike features, extreme coiffure (a sort of pageboy style with a big curl plastered down the middle of his forehead) and theatrically trained diction. He performs this role which he had played on stage and in the silent era with energy and relish. His real-life wife, Florence, plays his wife here and seems to spend half of her screen time chuckling at her husband's utterances. Joan Bennett in the full bloom of late teenage loveliness does "British lady" very well as a noblewoman whom Disraeli takes under wing, as does the strapping Anthony Bushell as her love interest who also works as Disraeli's secretary and agent.

gary olszewski I just watched DISRAELI on TCM last night, as I was once interested in the work of George Arliss, but no more. I DO enjoy films with historical significance, and political intrigue. However, the closest comparison I can make to this one, is once having tried to read the Biography of Dean Atcheson "Present At The Creation". This may have been Arliss' finest piece, but it was painful to sit through, the story of a man who rarely ever leaves his office, and the endless politico-babble/machinations about the Suez Canal. If you enjoy reading transcripts of the Congressional Record, then by all means, watch this film. Otherwise, the wooden acting, and the inactivity of 90 minutes of watching a man talk, simply put me to sleep. Had it been presented as a more accurate political documentary, I may have found it a bit more interesting. This was not the case. Forget it! (or use it a a sleep aid!) BORING!!!