Excellent but underrated film

I was totally surprised at how great this film.You could feel your paranoia rise as the film went on and as you gradually learned the details of the real situation.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

Although it was made in thirties it's a great funny picture from the Fantastic Laurel and Hardy so famous in Brazil,one the best early comedies from the duo,mixing musical and comedy ours friends has to joint with the thieves to try to recover their stolen money,apart them another highlight is the beauty Thelma Todd in a sexy role,sadly years later he was found dead in most mysterious case of murder in Hollywood,unsolved by detectives and even closed and issued as suicide didn't has a proper conclusion for lack of proves,great lost to the cinema!!Resume:First watch: 2018 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 7.25

In this operetta, our boys get to try out a life of crime. They seem to think that you don't have to be very bright to be a thief. They try a con on a rich man, totally fail, and then are bailed out when a cop comes along There are lots of wonderful moments where the boys can show off their stuff, without worrying about the plot. Stan does some of his weird magic with his hands which astonishes Ollie. Ollie makes the mistake of saying he is Fra Diavolo, the master thief. Stan is instructed to hang him with comic results. Behind this is a plot of the adventurous criminal, a beautiful woman, and a theft of 500,000 Francs. Visually quite stunning period piece.

With those words to live by, Oliver Hardy convinces Stan Laurel that this might be just the profession for them in 18th century France. Unfortunately the second guy they decide to rob is the famous bandit, Fra Diavolo, the Devil's Brother played by Broadway star Dennis King in his second feature film role. And to top it all off, these two decide to impersonate Fra Diavolo while doing the robbery.King is justifiably angry about this and orders Stan to hang Ollie who he sizes up rather quickly as the brains of the outfit. But when Stan bungles the job in a most amusing manner, King decides these guys are worth having around for laughs.King's on quest, to rob nobleman James Finlayson of a fortune in jewels and then to woo the lovely Thelma Todd. At that point the action of the film and for that matter the operetta it's based on takes place in an inn where all the principals are staying. These also include Arthur Pierson as the earnest, but rather dull young French officer who wants to capture the notorious Fra Diavolo and Lucille Browne, the barmaid who loves the lug.Stan and Ollie give King cause to regret his choice of confederates on this job before the film is over. Let's just say the rotund Mr. Hardy is not built for swashbuckling and my favorite moment is seeing Ollie swinging from the balcony like the man on the flying trapeze. Best moment for Stan is him getting drunk in the wine cellar. There's a whole lot more.The Devil's Brother was their second film where they have supporting roles in a classic operetta. The first was The Rogue Song where they support Lawrence Tibbett which has unfortunately been lost. Dennis King who primarily concentrated on the stage in his career delivers a far better screen performance in this than he did when he repeated his Broadway role of Francois Villon in The Vagabond King. Dennis King had a strong voice, it's a pity he did not do more musical films.In the end their escape has to be seen to be believed. Let's just say that one of Stan's earlier gags came back to haunt the forces of law and order.The Devil's Brother is Stan and Ollie at their finest with Hal Roach, don't miss it if you are fan of their's.

Two of the funniest scenes in a movie. One where Laurel keeps drinking all the wine he's supposed to be putting in a vat. Soon he's sloshed and starts making a smack noise with his mouth, that gets funnier every time he does it. Soon after, they're both sitting at a table in a restaurant and Laurel can't stop laughing. Ollie tries to make him stop but he is quickly consumed by laughter as well and they are ramping up the laughter with every past moment they reminisce. You can't help yourself from laughing and I was laughing hard.Everything else about this movie is damn good too. The support acting is ahead of it's time and the music is well placed, novel and catchy. And the main female lead is very easy to look at. Check it out, won't we?