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4.9/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 4.9/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Gift of Gab remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
Honestly, Gift of Gab feels less like a movie and more like someone shoved a radio studio into a blender. If you love early 1930s chaos, you might have a blast. If you prefer, you know, an actual plot that doesn't wander off to find its own shoes every ten minutes, you’re going to hate this.
The whole thing starts with a couple of guys trying to sell ink remover, which is about as exciting as watching paint dry, but then it pivots hard into radio. It’s a total whiplash experience. There's so much going on that you stop trying to keep track of the grifter and just start waiting to see who pops up next.
Seeing Boris Karloff in this is just… bizarre. He's not exactly playing a monster, which feels like a waste, but he’s there, being professional while everything else is falling apart. It’s definitely not The Narrow Street in terms of focus. It's just noisy.
There’s this moment in the studio where the energy just drops off a cliff. It’s like the actors realized they were in a filler scene and decided to just stare at the microphones. Classic.
The whole production has this frantic, sweaty feeling. Like the director was running around screaming about deadlines. It reminds me a bit of the frantic energy in The Little Big House, but with way more microphones and way less point.
Do I recommend it? Maybe if you’re bored on a rainy Tuesday. Just don't go in expecting something that makes sense. It’s a mess, but it’s a loud, talkative mess. Sometimes that's enough. 📻