The World Gone Mad

Although this movie was made by a so-called Poverty Row studio', Majestic Pictures, it stars Pat O'Brien, Neil Hamilton, J. Carrol Naish and Louis Calhern. How this small production company got the services of these screen veterans is anyone's guess, though all of the actors had either seen better days (with Hamilton and Calhern being big stars a few years earlier) or would go on to much bigger stardom (O'Brien). Because of these actors, the film didn't look like a low=budget production but where it really shows is the script--which was pretty dull and convoluted.

"The World Gone Mad" features one of the most annoying child actors in history, with a cloying and whiny performance by the little brat. IMDb doesn't seem to list the 'actor' playing this role--I just hope never to see the kid again in other films. Every moment he was on camera (which were fortunately few), he whined. This also contributed to me giving the film such a low score.

So what IS worth seeing about the film? Well, if you really, really want to hear lots and lots of cursing, this $@*! film has more than can recall having seen in any other Pre-code film. I call it 'Pre-code' because the newer and tougher Production Code of 1934 would eliminate cursing and many other raunchy things that were actually pretty common in Hollywood films of the era. In addition to the cursing, liberal doses of sexual innuendo are included. Yes, it is a novelty today to hear this from the stars of old...but a novelty you can enjoy in many better films of the early 1930s.