While THE DEVIL’S BROTHER is good, I do have to agree with John Brennan on Laurel and Hardy Central in that I found it a bit underwhelming, as it does seem to have a very popular reputation. I think metaldams’s point about Laurel and Hardy being the comic relief might be the exact reason why I feel like this doesn’t work as well as it could have.
Even though Roach and Charley Rogers are both credited as co-directors, in reality Rogers solely handled the comedy scenes while Roach solely handled the dramatic scenes. Even the cameramen and editors were different between the comedic and dramatic moments. The result is that it feels like two separate films for a majority of it. Laurel and Hardy barely interact with any of the major characters besides Diavolo (I don’t recall them ever interacting with Lady Rocburg), and besides giving away Diavolo’s identity towards the end, they do little to help the romantic interests. The MGM Marx Brothers films, regardless of their individual quality, at least took the time to make sure that the Marx Brothers interacted with the more dramatic characters, so they could have a larger influence. Laurel and Hardy themselves did this much better with their next operetta, BABES IN TOYLAND. I know this may not seem like that big of a deal, but it makes the film feel choppy and the dramatic and comedic moments don’t always balance out.
Still, there is a lot to like about the film. The dramatic moments are handled very well, thanks both to a great cast and some pretty capable direction on Roach’s part. Despite some choppy editing, the story is pretty coherent and the set and costume design is pretty good as well. The one problem with the story is that the romance feels pretty rushed, but, again, it’s still coherent and I’d rather have that than a romance that goes on for way too long and makes the film dull. The song sequences aren’t dull, but like Brennan, the only one I can remember is Diavolo’s song he sings to announce his arrival, and that’s mainly because it’s performed several times throughout the film.
Laurel and Hardy don’t get quite as much opportunity to do some great comedy bits as one might hope, but there still are some highlights. The hanging scene, despite how dark it is, does have a lot of funny lines from Laurel and I also really like the scenes with a sleepy Laurel threatening to ruin everything for Hardy and Diavolo. The kneesy-earsy-nosey and finger wiggle scenes are great on their own, but it is the frustration of Henry Armetta that I consider to be the comedic highlight. He goes even crazier than Hardy did and even after complaining to Laurel for unintentionally introducing the games to him, he still attempts to figure out the tricks throughout the next day. Their screen time is somewhat limited, but they take as much advantage of it as they possibly can.
THE DEVIL’S BROTHER is certainly the most different Laurel and Hardy film up to this point and I do have to admit that it is interesting to see them in a film with such high production values. Personally, I prefer Wheeler and Woolsey’s COCKEYED CAVALIERS to this film. The songs are more memorable, there’s a much larger scale climax, and the story is more focused on its lead comedians while at the same time still allowing them to meet their full comedic potential. THE DEVIL’S BROTHER is still good on its own, managing to both succeed in its drama and comedy, it just doesn’t mix together that well.
8 out of 10
