tavm Stan Laurel & Oliver Hardy star in this, the first of their comic operettas. They play wandering travelers forced in a life of crime after their loot is stolen. They end up assisting professional thief Dennis King though they're not above betraying him if it meant a better reward. I'll stop there and just mention one good scene of first Ollie singing before King takes over and just slays him with his warbling. I also loved seeing Stan getting drunk and then the laughing both he and Ollie do. Oh, and James Finlayson is also here and does his usual bumbling around the boys. Another supporting player named Henry Armetta is also a hoot here. Neither the songs nor Thelma Todd are bad either but, of course, it's the two men that are slim and heavyset that we've come do see. So on that note, The Devil's Brother gets a recommendation from me. Oh, and if you watch this on DVD, I also highly recommend the commentary track done by Hal Roach historians Leonard Maltin and Richard W. Bann.

Boba_Fett1138 This is yet another long Laurel & Hardy movie which uses a classic and well known story as the basis for the movie. This time its the libretto; Fra Diavolo, set in the early 18th century Italy.Problem with these sort of Laurel & Hardy pictures always is that the story distracts from their antics. It causes the movie to be a bit too often too serious and leaves too little room for Laurel & Hardy's great comical talent and timing. Most of the time the different characters in this movie fulfill the roles of the main characters and Laurel & Hardy turn in into merely comical sidekicks who provide the comical relief.But it definitely is true that this movie is a well made one. It's directed by Hal Roach himself and has some fine looking sets and costumes. It distinct this movie from most other Laurel & Hardy pictures from the same period. It provides the movie with some good looking sequences. The story is nicely told although but at certain points it starts to drag a little. Nevertheless the movie remains for most part a perfectly entertaining one to watch.There still also are plenty of enough comical great sequences by the two boys, who provide the movie with some memorable and enjoyable moments throughout the movie. The movie further more features Laurel & Hardy regulars Thelma Todd and James Finlayson, in big roles, who also add to the entertainment value and comical level of this movie.This definitely isn't the most pleasant or must fun Laurel & Hardy movie around to watch but this movie still offers plenty of enough reasons why this movie still is a perfectly good and entertaining one to watch.7/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

vavoomy71 I can't understand how the comments on this film, thus far, can have been less than spectacular. This is probably among the top five of my favorite L&H films...the scene with drunken Stanlio alone is enough to split my sides every time I see it. L&H are such a joy to watch, and this film truly shows how much chemistry they had, and in the end, how much they truly respected and cared for each other--beyond the slapstick! I also loved the triptych of Thelma Todd, James Finlayson, and Dennis King. Todd was just so beautiful, graceful, and a true diva of her time. She even captures the tittering laughter that is described as typical of ladies-of-court in the late 1700's. James Finlayson, all pepper and brimstone, is a fantastically funny foil (and an alliterative jewel!) to the cast. And what can I say about Dennis King...it is such a shame that this gentleman did not have much in the way of recorded work. He is most dashing, charming, swashbuckling and handsome as the bandit Diavolo and his pseudonym, San Marco. True, he is the villain, but can we really resist him when he sings to the tavern folk, stealing a kiss from the Countess? This is a jewel of a classic. I will need to find a new VHS cassette of it soon, for mine is nearly worn with use. Better yet--wouldn't it be grand if these classics were released on DVD?

Robert D. Ruplenas Of the three features L&H made based on operettas - The Devil's Brother (Auber's 'Fra Diavolo'), The Bohemian Girl (ibid, Balfe & Bunn), and Babes In Toyland (ibid, Sigmund Romberg) - I feel that this one shows off The Boys' comic abilities the best. James Finlayson, an L&H regular, is in his usual fine form, and Thelma Todd is marvelously coquettish. James C. Morton, who appeared so often as a policeman in so many of the L&H shorts, does a brilliant turn in the tiny part of the woodchopper. Best moment: Stan, ordered to hang Ollie, tightens the noose around his neck prior to hauling him up. "Stop that! You're choking me!" complains Ollie.