Disraeli (1929)

By CinemaSerf

Rather than focus on the relationship between Disraeli and Queen Victoria, this one pays more attention to his cunning wheeze to thwart Russian ambitions for both India and the Suez Canal. Not only must he (George Arliss) combat the Czarist plotting but he has to face a fair degree of antisemitism as those lined up for Gladstone, including the powerful Governor of the Bank of England, refuse to support his plan to find the £5 millions needed to acquire the shares in that vital waterway. Unsure whom he can trust amongst those ostensibly closest to him, he relies more heavily on his wife Mary (Florence Arliss) but he is going to have to keep his wits about him, if he is to succeed. Things come to an head when his banking ally “Myers” (Ivan F. Simpson) finds himself teetering on the edge of bankruptcy after a flagrant act of sabotage risks the stability of the empire - and just as Disraeli is about to confirm that the queen is to be Empress of India! Time is running out and the enemies are baying. The dominant Arliss is in his element here delivering a gently theatrical style of presentation of the shrewd British Prime Minister that, though a little dry at times, is still quite powerful and even a little mischievous. The remainder of the cast don’t really have very much to do and some of their very wordy dialogue drags the pace down - especially the downright hammy efforts of Anthony Bushell as his aide. It is a bit static and the staging is all very basic until the royal reception at the end, but at least it tries to move around and it doesn’t quite have that look of so many early talkies where they are just looking for the microphone spots on the floor. It flows quite well too, and tells a little of a culture where winning might be more important than loyalty - to a man or a country.