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6/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. The Washington Masquerade remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you like old-school political dramas that don't pull their punches regarding how rotten Washington is, maybe. If you need snappy, modern pacing, stay away. This is strictly for people who like watching powerful men lose their minds over younger women and bad policy.
Lionel Barrymore is really the whole show here. He plays this senator with a kind of heavy, hunched-over desperation that makes you want to look away. He’s supposed to be this titan of industry and policy, but the second Karen Morley enters the frame, he just folds. It’s hard to watch sometimes.
Morley is cold as ice, which is the only reason the movie works at all. She isn't playing a damsel; she’s playing a shark. There’s this one scene where she’s barely even listening to him talk about his legacy, and you can just see her calculating the next move. She makes him look like a total amateur.
The writing feels like it was ripped out of a newspaper from the 1930s, which, well, it was. Some of the dialogue is so pointed it almost sounds like it’s trying to pick a fight with the audience. It reminds me a bit of the cynical tone in Man to Man, where everyone is just looking for an angle.
Honestly, the pacing is all over the place. Some scenes drag on until you’re counting the patterns on the wallpaper behind Barrymore’s head. Then, suddenly, the plot jumps forward three steps, and you’re left wondering if you missed a reel. It’s not smooth, but it feels human.
Small things I noticed:
It’s not as slick as a modern thriller. But it’s got this weird, gritty feeling to it. It’s like the film version of a smoke-filled room that you really want to leave, but you’re too curious to see who gets stabbed in the back next. Not a masterpiece, just a reminder that D.C. hasn't changed all that much in a century. 🏛️