DON JUAN (1926) **1/2 John Barrymore's Don Juan is a lover and a fighter. First he humps on about every woman in Rome, and then at the end he single-handedly defeats the foreign legion. Laughing all the way. He's also very adept at jumping up and down off balconies. It has all the elements of an epic, particularly length, but just never quite gains that critical mass. Barrymore has a good eye, and eventually notices that Mary Astor is the hottest chick in town. Unfortunately the Borgia, who are suitably haughty and malevolent, have their eye on her too. And him. And they've already got Myrna Loy. The usual problems involving murder and imprisonment and the rack ensue but Barrymore grabs the girl and jumps out the window. The only downside is that eventually they have to relocate in Spain, which is comparably lacking in fine cuisine but well stocked in olive oil.
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