calvinnme This is an unusual little film starring George Arliss as master concert musician Monty Royale whose young pupil Grace (Bette Davis) confesses her love to him. He's of course flattered but unsure of what the coming years will bring considering their age difference. He agrees to marry her if she feels the same in six months. However, near the beginning of the six month period something happens that leaves Monty unable to enjoy his own music - he is left completely deaf from an explosion. He becomes a bitter man who shuts himself away from everyone. He does take some training in learning to read lips so that he can deal with the world in his new condition, and this training leads him to realize that he now has the means to bring happiness to people in a different and more individualized way than he could as a musician. With the aid of some powerful binoculars left behind by Grace, he can read the lips of the people in the park across the street, learn their troubles, and with his large family fortune and influence, save lives or maybe just bring someone some welcome happiness. Soon the joy of living has reentered Monty's life, and he is happy that the six month waiting period is soon to end and Grace will be returning from California - they can be wed. He's people watching at his window when Grace suddenly appears in the park across the street. She sits down with someone and begins to have a conversation. Monty "listens in". What will he discover and how will he react? Watch and find out. In addition to the fine work of George Arliss and Bette Davis, the supporting roles are well played here too. Ivan Simpson is great as Monty's gentleman's gentleman who has no trouble sternly lecturing his master when he needs it, yet is such a formal person that he cannot leave the house -even on an urgent errand - without his hat, and there is even a very small part played by a very young Ray Milland. Highly recommended for fans of early 30's films. It has some precode elements in it, particularly the part where Monty is wrestling with God and his loss of belief, but I would not call it a precode at all.

Myrt98 "Of Human Bondage," (1934) by RKO, to whom Bette Davis was 'loaned' by Warner Brothers, is most often given credit for the beginning of the Queen of the Silver Screen's magnificent acting career. That's not the historical fact, however; this movie, "The Man Who Played God," (1932) must be credited for bringing Bette Davis the recognition as an actor who could hold her own in the lead next to the great screen legend, George Arliss. Davis was only 23 years of age when filming the show that earned her enough screen status for RKO to even desire her to play the leading, (dare I say) 'lady' next to leading man, Leslie Howard in "...Bondage." Arliss is to be credited for having, more or less, discovered Bette Davis; phoned her & the rest of her acclaimed acting career began.So many of the critiquers repeat the myth that "... Bondage" is the film that made the world recognize how great an actor Davis was. But, if it was, RKO would have never even wanted her so badly that they 'got her on loan' from the Warners! RKO recognized the talent of Bette Davis in this film: "The Man Who Played God." So should we.Never underestimate what young adult & teen women can achieve. After all, Mary Shelley wrote "Frankenstein," when she was only 19 years of age in a bet with great poets, Lord Byron & her husband Percy Bysche Shelley. Ann & Nancy Wilson of the rock band "Heart," composed many of their best songs when they were 13 years of age! Davis had already been on Broadway before taking her role in this movie. In fact, her acting career began when she was 15 (in 1923). Davis went on (& on!) to co-lead with Lillian Gish in "Whales of August," (1987), having been in over 100 movies; was the first woman to receive an Oscar at Warner Brothers (for "Dangerous"); the first person to be nominated for an Oscar 5 years in a row; the first woman to receive the AFI's Lifetime Achievement Award; the first person to be nominated for 10 Oscars; the highest paid woman during her prime. She was the epitome of a trail blazer who had to do it "the hard way." Today, Robert Wagner, Miss Davis's son, Michael, & Miss Davis's closest assistant are key figures who keep Bette Davis's acting excellence alive, through the foundation named after her. Meryl Streep was the first actor to benefit from Davis's foundation. Obviously, the foundation board is taking Davis's acting acumen as a serious measure by which to select recipients of foundation awards & scholarships. Davis herself was the one to recognize Streep's acting abilities.That's what kind of lady she was: she'd take a step back on the set to boost someone else's acting career; she'd take steps forward to seek out great scriptwriters, directors, cinematographers, etc. She strove to not only circulate her own gifts, but wanted to help others people do so with theirs--and still does so. Her reputation on the set was not as a "star," struck with ego maniacal lights in her fabulously expressive eyes. Instead, she was known to be a pleasure to work with amongst the team workers; and a real tough lady to contend with when she sensed something was amiss in a line, scene, lighting, direction, or co-worker. But, as Robert Wagner tells of Davis, she was truly a fun person to work with because she "always" came to work prepared to put on her very best performance. And when she goofed, she did so with a kind of cute humility that was full of wit enough to crack-up the co-workers she liked. There's a huge difference between striving for perfection and believing we're perfect. Davis did the former. By the way, she gave her "Jezebel" Oscar to her son, Michael. Steven Spielberg bought her "Dangerous" one that was auctioned (for the second highest price ever) to benefit her foundation. This says to me that Davis herself knew she'd really earned her "Jezebel" Oscar; whereas it was no secret that the masses believed she got the "Dangerous" Oscar as a "consolation prize" for not even being nominated for, "Of Human Bondage." By my standards, Davis was robbed of her third Oscar for playing the role of Charlotte Vale in "Now, Voyager." In Davis's mind, she was robbed of (what would have been her fourth) Oscar for playing Baby Jane Hudson in, "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?"Davis herself credited George Arliss & this movie for jump starting her into untouchable acting achievements. This movie is the movie to own if we want to say we've got a copy of Bette Davis's first great one.

sol1218 (Some Spoilers) Undoubtedly the best of the half dozen or so versions of the film released over the years which included the 1955 Liberace soap opera "Sincerely Yours". The movie "The Man Who Played God" is about how a person who knew nothing but success all his life being forced to see the world the way the vast majority of people see it,cold cruel and unfeeling. As well as have his faith in God and himself tested to the fullest extent possible. Born into money and a world renowned concert pianist Monty Royle has never had a bad thing happen to him in all his fifty years. Having his young and pretty music student Grace Blair fall in love with him Monty tells her that if she still feels the same way about him six months hence as she does now he'll marry her. Later after an exhilarating concert at the Paris Music Hall, which brought the roof down, Monty is about to give a private performance to a European monarch when a group of terrorists, from the Kings country, detonates a bomb that causes a massive explosion outside the hall. Monty completely loses his hearing and quickly falls into a deep depression knowing that the music that he plays and loves so much, that's his only reason for living, will never be played or heard or him again. Back home in New York Monty's depression gets more and more acute and even being taught to lip-read by Dr. Charles E. Adams can't make up for his not being able to hear his beautiful music. It's then that the thought of killing himself enters Monty's head.Attempting to jump out of a window in his suite of apartments Monty is saved from killing himself by his loyal and dedicated butler Battle. Told by Battle what a sniveling coward he his by him trying to do himself in Monty tries to pull himself together as he later starts to become somewhat of a voyeur. Watching the world go by from his porch and patio window overlooking New York's Central Park.It's then when Monty comes up with this idea of reading the lips, through high powered binoculars, of the people milling in and around the park.Finding out about peoples problems and then helping them out from a distance gave Monty the feeling that he was working at the right hand of God and doing God's work for the good of all Mankind. Egotistical yes But Monty's obsession did help the people that he spied upon with money to help them out of their depressing situations in life. In one case he even prevented a couple whom the man, who was about to be arrested for embezzlement, from committing suicide. When Battle came to their rescue by paying back the stolen money, just in the nick of time, before they swallowed a poison cocktail.All this time Mildred Miller who carried a torch for Monty for years knew that Grace had fallen in love with Harold but couldn't bring herself to tell Monty since she felt that it would kill him if she did. Monty later seeing Grace and Harold, who just came back from Pasadena with his binoculars outside in the park. And to the objection of Mildred, who was with him by the window, reads Grace and Harold's lips and realizes that she's not in love with him anymore she's really in love with Harold.Monty now has the biggest decision of his life to make: keep Grace from marrying Harold, whom she's in love with, or letting her guilt-feelings about poor Monty take over her mind and have her marry him. Monty sets Grace free from the emotional tie thats between her and him by letting her know that it's all right to follow her heart and marry Harold and that he'll do nothing to stand in Grace's way. Fine movie about faith in God and in one's own ability to see things through and let the chips fall where they may no matter what the consequences turn out to be. At the start of the move "The Man Who Played God" Monty was interrupted in giving a performance to a king that cost him his hearing. When the movie ended Monty gave the greatest performance of his life at the at the quaint little Manhattan church that his late mother, Margrate Ruth Royal, attended all her life and that he donated the new church organ in her memory. Alone with only Mildred in attendance Monty gave the opening performance of the new church organ not to just any king mind you but to the King of Kings himself.

Ron Oliver An aging & celebrated concert pianist completely loses his hearing, and with it his faith in The Almighty. After learning to lip read, he realizes he can once again enter into people's lives, alleviating the misfortunes of total strangers. With this much power to do good, he becomes THE MAN WHO PLAYED GOD.Although sadly neglected today, George Arliss was one of the very greatest of film actors of the 1930's. His art was consummate - a whole volume of emotion could be conveyed by the slightest movement of face or posture. He gives a wonderful performance here as a man torn from what he loves the most, blaming God for it and eventually finding peace.A splendid actress of the same period, Louise Closser Hale gives quiet dignity to the role of Arliss' sister. As his protégé, young Bette Davis does a fine job; she always considered this to be her first film role of substance. Ivan F. Simpson is excellent as a very loyal butler. Hedda Hopper has a tiny role as a woman at a picnic & look for an uncredited Ray Milland as a young man in Central Park attempting suicide.