The Corsican Brothers (1941) User Reviews

Lancaster, UK

[shell-26 · 7/10 · 23 February 2000]

Vendetta, the vicious tribal feuding which ravages the great families of Corsica. The Baron Calonne has ended the Franzi dynasty and made himself supreme.

Or so he thinks..... unbeknownst to him, infant twin sons of the noble line of Franzi did not perish in the inferno he visited on their family. One, was taken to Paris and raised as an aristocrat, the other lived in the Corsican woods as a bandit.

What might have been a predictable revenge saga is given an enterprising twist by the device of making the twins Siamese at birth. Surgically separated as their family is massacred and their home destroyed, they are parted and raised along different paths. Mario grows up to be a cultured and wealthy Parisian, Lucien however is raised in the Corsican woods by outlaws, and it is Lucien who retains a "sixth sense" link with his twin. He feels the pain of his brother and also the pleasure. When Mario fell in love with and fought a duel for a beautiful Countess, Lucien was present in spirit.

The paths of the brothers reconverge at their 21st birthday where they are reunited by the doctor who saved them and told of their destiny.......

Douglas Fairbanks Jr is excellent in the roles of Lucien and Mario. The special effects are limited to crude superimpositions and backprojections but he overcomes their lack of effect by the simple expedient of acting. Lucien is shorter, darker and cunning. Mario is tall, suave and clever. The countess who plays their love interest and who will eventually come between them is not so impressive. A soft focus stereotype in silly skirts simpering through the forest like an umbrella on legs.

The scene is completed by the villain, the evil Baron. What a character ! Short, greasy, and swarthy, complete with twirly moustache he is a worthy adversary for the heroic twins. If trains had been invented, the countess would surely have ended her days tied to some tracks.

The swordplay is frantic, buckles are swashed, the plot is satisfying and Fairbanks is a star twice over. If you can overlook the (awful) technical shortcomings and you like your heroes handsome but flawed and your baddies to twirl their moustaches and get their come-uppances, watch the Corsican Brothers.

Adaptation of the Dumas novel

[blanche-2 · 7/10 · 6 January 2008]

Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. are "The Corsican Brothers" in this 1941 film also starring Ruth Warrick, H.B. Warner, Akim Tamiroff, Henry Wilcoxin and Gloria Holden. Based on the Dumas novel, it's the story of Siamese twins born to the Franchi family (incorrectly pronounced frahnchee instead of frahnkey throughout the movie) just as the Baron Colonna arrives to wipe out the family and take over Corsica. He believes the twins perished in the fire that destroyed their home and the rest of their family; however, the doctor who delivered them (Warner) escapes with them. He is able to separate them, and it is decided that for their own safety, he will raise one, Lucien, and the other boy, Mario, will be raised in Paris. Lucien, however, is the empathic twin, experiencing all of his brother's emotions before he even learns he has one. They meet when they are 21 and vow to get revenge on Baron Colonna (Tamiroff).

This is a very good movie, but the beginning scenes at Colonna's house contain some of the worst acting ever put on film. Apparently the guests at Colonna's house were extras found wandering the set that day and were given lines. Pretty appalling.

Fortunately, the rest of the film isn't like that. It's fast-moving, exciting, and brilliantly acted by Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. who should today be regarded as a much bigger star. Unfortunately, unlike his father, he was working at a time when there was just too much competition, and, like Brian Aherne, he just didn't get to appear in enough of the films remembered today. Handsome, athletic, with magnificent acting technique, Fairbanks creates two completely different characters in Mario and Lucien and has, of course, genetic ability with a sword. Whenever one reads about swordfights, the Tyrone Power-Basil Rathbone swordfight at the end of "The Mark of Zorro" is said to be the best. It's dear to my heart also, but Fairbanks and Tamiroff do a bang-up swordfight in this film. Tamiroff is a real buffoon as the villain - it's a great characterization - he doesn't seem to know he's an idiot. Ruth Warrick, Phoebe Tyler of "All My Children" is lovely as Isabelle, the object of Mario, Lucien and the Baron's affections.

Very enjoyable, if a little awkwardly filmed with dated effects.

A Film Ahead of Its Time

[whpratt1 · 7/10 · 29 December 2007]

It was hard for me to believe this film was made in 1941 because it deals with the operation of Siamese Twins and a doctor named Enrico Paoli, (H.B.Warner) who is able to perform surgery and separate these twin boys and give them a life. However, Dr. Enrico worries about the soul of these twins and hopes that one is not without one. There are times in this film when I think I am seeing a Boris Karloff film with all kinds of experiments bringing people back from the dead and mixing all kinds of steamy chemicals glowing in the dark. The star of this picture is Douglas Fairbanks Jr., (Lucien Franchi/Mario Franchi) who stars in both roles as the twin boys and gives an outstanding performance. Akim Tamrioff, (Colona) plays a ruthless person who controls Corsica where this film takes place and is responsible for the deaths of Lucien and Mario father and mother. This is a film which is way ahead of its time and is very entertaining with Douglas Fairbanks Jr., doing all the sword swinging like his father years ago. Great Film.

Douglas Fairbanks, Jr is great as a swashbuckler

[sundar-2 · 21 November 1999]

Based on the famous Alexander Dumas novel of the same name, Siamese twins, Mario and Lucian Franzi are separated at birth by surgery and adopted by different parents. Lucian is raised in Corsica as a bandit, while Mario grows up in Paris as a suave gallant, but Lucian has a special psychic ability to feel his brother's feelings, though he is not even aware of his existence. At age 21, they are reunited in Corsica by their foster-parents and are informed that their parents were murdered by Count Colorra who has become the ruler of Corsica by killing off all his enemies through vendettas. In typical Sicilian fashion, the bandit brothers swear vengeance and start their campaign by attacking Colorra's interests. Mario becomes romantically involved with Countess Isabelle Gravini who is under pressure from Colorra to marry him and saves her from Colorra's clutches. Lucian who also falls in love with Isabelle,becomes jealous of his brother and abandons him when Colorra captures Mario. How Lucian escapes and gets his girl constitutes the final part of the movie.

The highlight of this movie is Douglas Fairbanks, Jr, who stars in the title roles with great gusto and suavity. He is great in roles in like this, much better than his father was. However, to swashbuckling buffs, the swordfights in this film are, perhaps, only of middling quality. While Fairbanks carries the film on his broad shoulders, his co-star Ruth Warrick is not impressive. And Basil Rathbone would have been a great choice to play the villain Colorra rather than Akim Tamiroff who comes across more as a buffoon than as a sinister Sicilian cutthroat.

In summary, "The Corsican Brothers" is a pleasant, highly watchable movie, with just the right amount of violence to make it exciting. However, the director Gregory Ratoff should have portrayed the unsavory institution of vendetta which blighted so many families in the isle of Sicily, in a less approving light.

Reviewed by Sundar Narayan

Joined at the Hip!

[bsmith5552 · 7/10 · 20 August 2017]

Another rousing swashbuckling adventure from the pen of Alexandre Dumas. Douglas Fairbanks Jr. stars as the storied Corsican Brothers.

The story opens with Count Franchi (Henry Wilcoxen) awaiting the imminent birth of his first born and heir. Twin boys are delivered to Countess Franchi (Gloria Holden). Dr. Paoli (H.B. Warner) delivers the news that the twins are in fact Siamese twins joined at the hip. The Count has prepared a celebration nonetheless, however the evil Baron Colonna (Akim Tamiroff) and his men have infiltrated the gathering and attack the Franchi household burning the estate to the ground killing all inside.

Dr. Paoli and dedicated servant Lorenzo (J. Carroll Naish) manage to escape through a secret passage with the twins. The doctor manages to separate the babies in an operation. They are named Lucien and Mario respectively. They then decide that to protect the twins, they should be raised separately. Trusted Franchi friends, the Dupres (Walter Kingsford, Nana Bryant) agree to raise Mario in Paris while Lorenzo takes Lucien to be raised deep within the Corsican forest.

Twenty years later, the boys have grown. Lucien has become a bandit praying upon Colonna's men. Mario meanwhile, has been living the good life in Paris. When they turn twenty-one they are re-united in the forest camp of Lucien and Lorenzo. The two lead separate raids on Colonna and his men, popping up in two separate places to confuse Colonna and his cousin Tomasso (John Emery) in the process.

Countess Isabelle Gravini (Ruth Warrick) whom Mario had met in Paris arrives on the scene having been forced to listen to Colonna's proposal of marriage following the latter's murder of her father. Isabelle is abducted and taken to the Corsican Brothers camp. Since each twin experiences the feelings and pain of the other, they of course both fall in love with her.

Isabelle prefers Mario which causes feelings of jealousy and vengeance within Lucien. Fearing that she has come between the two, she returns to Colonna's house. Mario impersonating a jewel salesman attempts to rescue her. His ruse is discovered and he is arrested by Colonna. As Mario is being tortured, Lucien feels his pain. Will he ride to save his brother? Will the evil Baron be defeated? Who will win the hand of the lovely Isabelle? And, there's a great sword fight at the story's climax, not to be missed.

Douglas Fairbanks Jr. had been in films since his childhood. Although he tried not to emulate his famous father, he was always at his best in adventure films. This was his final film before entering WWII after which (six years later) his career never regained its momentum. Akim Tamiroff makes a suitably distasteful and slimy villain. J. Carroll Naish turns in another of his solid supporting roles. Henry Wilcoxen's role is all but too brief, but he does get in a little sword play before his exit. Ruth Warwick makes a fetching Countess worthy of the brothers competition.

Other recognizable faces in the cast include William Farnum (who had worked with Doug Sr.), Henry Brandon. Ric Vallin, Anthony Carouso and Charlie Stevens.

An exciting adventure in the tradition of The Three Musketeers.

Bound By Something Thicker Than Blood

[bkoganbing · 9/10 · 29 June 2006]

Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.'s final film before enlisting in Uncle Sam's navy was The Corsican Brothers. It's the tale of the feuding houses of Franchi and Colonna who've got a thing going on Corsica that would outstrip what those Hatfields and McCoys are doing in the Appalachians in the USA.

Malevolent Baron Colonna and his brother Tomaso played by Akim Tamiroff and John Emery respectively launch a preemptive strike against the House of Franchi which has gathered to celebrate the birth of twin sons. However it turns out that the twins are Siamese twins. As the Colonna clan descend on the feasting Franchis and massacre all the adults, family physician H.B. Warner takes the twins and successfully separates them at birth. Family friend Walter Kingsford takes one twin to Paris and the other is given to Franchi family retainer J. Carrol Naish to raise deep in the Corsican woods.

Of course the twins grow up to both be Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. and when they are reunited, start their own reign of terror on the usurping Colonnas who at first can't figure out what's happening.

Alexandre Dumas, pere who wrote this novel was a very clever fellow indeed. Though the concepts of ego and id hadn't been invented by Sigmund Freud, Dumas was writing about man's dual nature seen in the characters of both Mario and Lucien Franchi.

Fairbanks in the difficult task of performing two separate characters does a magnificent job. He really does take on a whole different personality as the dashing Mario and the brooding Lucien. What drives them apart temporarily is that both fall big time for Ruth Warrick who if this film had been made at Warner Brothers, Olivia DeHavilland would have had the part.

The Corsican Brothers, though one of Dumas's minor works is brought to the screen with dash and aplomb. Enough swashbuckling action to satisfy that taste and some real good acting, especially by Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.

This film just didn't capture my attention

[planktonrules · 5/10 · 1 January 2008]

This film is about a set of conjoined twins who are separated shortly after their entire wealthy family is wiped out by a rival clan in Corsica. Because the clan wants ALL of this family dead, the boys are raised separately to protect their identity. One is raised in luxury in Paris, the other as a bandit in the Corsican countryside. Later, upon reaching their 21st birthdays, they are reunited (though Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. looked about 30). Together, they vow to exact revenge for their dead parents and spend most of the rest of the film wiping out the evil clan until the ultimate showdown with the #1 evil-doer, Akim Tamiroff.

While I usually love swashbuckling adventure films, this one never really caught my attention. Part of it could have been the silliness of the notion that once separated, these twins had a sort of psychic bond--where even if they are hundreds of miles apart, they can feel what the other is experiencing. Part of it might be the script. I never read the Dumas novel so I don't know if it's his fault or the script writers--but the film offered few thrills and the one twin was so selfish and unlikable, I had a hard time caring about him. I don't blame the cast, as in other later adventure films, Fairbanks, Jr. did an excellent job.

Regardless, this film is basically a nice looking time passer and not much more. For a funnier and totally ridiculous version of the Dumas story, try watching START THE REVOLUTION WITHOUT ME. This comedy completely jumbles several Dumas stories into an incomprehensible but hilarious film that is a must-see for weird movie buffs.

Great Movie

[HUretsky1 · 9/10 · 1 December 2005]

I saw the movie as a youngster and many times again as an adult. It was Great. Douglas Fairbanks Jr. played well in both roles as the twin brothers. Ruth Warrick was absolutely gorgeous as Countess Gravini. Akim Tamiroff was perfect as Baron Colonna and John Emery as his Cousin,Tomasso. J. Carrol Naish was wonderful as always as the caretaker of Brother Lucien, the almost bad brother. The old time actor H.B. Warner was excellent as the doctor who separates the twins at birth, and takes care of them as adults. The action was good and comical at times. The ending sword play was just fine and ended in a good conclusion. I highly recommend this movie.

For Harry Stradling fans only!

[JohnHowardReid · 5/10 · 15 November 2016]

It always amazes me that some critics will give a movie a rave review and then reward it with a score of seven out of ten. When I went to school, seven was the lowest mark you could achieve without being punished. It is not a good mark at all. But I would give this movie only five. Despite good acting and pleasing photography, it's something of a bore - thanks mostly to Gregory Ratoff's plodding direction of an equally uninspired script by George Bruce that was worked up by Bruce himself and Howard Estabrook from the once-very-popular Dumas novel. Drastic cutting would have helped considerably, but neither the supervising editor, Grant Whytock, nor his offsider, William Claxton, took that measure. A disappointingly banal music score by Dimitri Tiomkin doesn't help either.

Loose Adaptation of Dumas

[burkeinca · 17 July 2012]

I'm glad I had a chance to see "The Corsican Brothers" on TCM. It was exciting, exotic, romantic, and, best of all, from my point of view, based on a classic.

In the opening credits, it's stated that the film has been "freely adapted," or, in other words, loosely adapted, from the original Dumas novella. Here's what is similar and different between the two versions. Both film and novella feature Siamese twins, surgically separated, with one living in Paris, the other in the Corsican hills, and thereafter able to sense each other's feelings with a kind of ESP. In both, the Parisian twin learns of a bet between two gentlemen to connive (or force, in the original) a date with a beautiful lady, and the Parisian gallantly intervenes only to be injured. Of course, his twin living back in Corsica in both cases is able to sense the injury. This is the center of the original Dumas story, and all of this is in the movie as well.

The film, though, in order to fill out a full-length feature, adds a great deal to this original plot. In the film, it is imagined that the reason for the original separation of the twins is related to a massacre of the twins' parents and family which is part of a larger family feud (this is Corsica, after all). When the twins become of age, they take up this feud as personal vendetta and begin killing the members of the other family, using their identical appearance as a method of trickery. The romance between Louis and the beautiful lady (here a countess) is also elaborated, and, to complicate matters, both twins both fall in love with her and wind up quarreling. All of this additional material I found diverting and, actually, probably necessary, since the original source was thin.

Although there is much to praise about the movie, I'll mention one aspect I didn't personally like. In order to create two entirely different personalities who look identical but are of separate character types, Fairbanks makes Lucien, who lives in the Corsican hills, surly and sullen—not very likable. As for the Parisian Louis, Fairbanks makes him foppishly verbose—also not very likable. This wasn't part of the original story, where both brothers were appealing, intelligent, and well bred even while being different.

I agree with the other commenter, by the way, that "Start the Revolution Without Me" based on the same conceit and probably the same source, where Donald Sutherland's foppishness is magnified to extreme lengths, is hilariously entertaining.

A Dumas Story about Life and Love for Two

[JLRMovieReviews · 8/10 · 3 April 2013]

Two babies are born connected together in this film adaptation of Alexandre Dumas' story. But in order for them to live a fulfilling and healthy life, their father asks the attending doctor to separate them. They survive the operation and are taken away from the family estate, during a revolt in which the babies' parents are killed. Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. plays the twins and gives good, fleshed out performances as both brothers, as he tries to avenge his parents' death. Ruth Warrick, from All My Children and Citizen Kane, is very lovely as the love interest, who coincidentally is the object of desire of the bad guy, Akim Tamiroff, who killed Doug's parents. Despite Doug carrying the film and pulling off credible performances, it's really Akim as the villain who steals the spotlight from him, as he gives a very compelling and three-dimensional performance, making the character seem even more real to the viewer than anyone else. With the imagination and creativity of Alexandre Dumas, this is one film to discover today.

Ordinary for a Swashbuckler

[drjgardner · 3/10 · 28 June 2015]

The Corsican Brothers" is a 1941 black and white adventure films from the Alexander Dumas novel (1844) of the same name. It was the 8th adaptation of the book to film, and would continue to be adapted including "Cheech and Chong's The Corsican Brothers" (1984) and "Start the Revolution without Me" (1970). This is probably the best of the serious adaptations, but that's not saying much. The acting, photography, and music are all very ordinary, with nothing noteworthy to remark on. The special effects (using Fairbanks as his own brother) are relatively poor, even given the date of the film.

If you like films about France in the pre-industrial age, my favorites are Marat/Sade (1967), Napoleon (1927), A Tale of Two Cities (1935), The Count of Monte Cristo (1934) and The Three Musketeers (1921, 1935).

***

[edwagreen · 8/10 · 15 February 2015]

As their parents are murdered by a ferocious Akim Tamiroff, twin boys are separated at birth and grow up separately only to reunite to extract revenge in this 1941 thriller.

As young adults, the boys, each played by Douglas Fairbanks, are able to feel each other's pain.

When reunited, not only do they seek revenge but of course they fall for the same woman.

The film becomes one of love, extracting revenge and the brothers becoming almost foes as they vie for the love of a woman.

Tamiroff steals the show here for his performance as the irascible tyrant, ready to kill all to gain his objectives.