4 Devils

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4 Devils

Released Oct 3, 1928

1h 37m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

82%

Tomatometer

33 Reviews

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Four orphans are taken in by an aging clown and trained to be highwire artists.

Critics Consensus

4 Devils combines thrilling cinematography and an affecting story to produce an absorbing and well-acted drama.

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Wapo Staff

Washington Post

A word must be added for the cameraman, whose shots from above of the circus interior are exceptionally fine.

Jul 25, 2022

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Age Staff

The Age (Australia)

So naturally are the sound effects rendered -- applause, expressions of alarm and so on -- that complete illusion results.

Dec 3, 2020

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Irene Thirer

New York Daily News

You will love this new Murnau film. If it doesn't strike you as quite the arty photodrama Sunrise was, it will, nevertheless, thrill you more, and afford you the opportunity of seeing again the really unsurpassable Janet Gaynor.

Rated: 4/4

Dec 3, 2020

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Robert E. Sherwood

LIFE

Mr. Murnau presents this tripe in all seriousness, just as if he didn't appreciate the fact that it is tripe.

Oct 4, 2021

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Sunday Times Staff

Sunday Times (Australia)

It isn't fair to disclose the plot. See it for yourselves.

Dec 3, 2020

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Edgar Waite

San Francisco Examiner

It is to be doubted that anything Murnau might do could be lacking in interest or merit, for he it one of the few directors who seem able to visualize "the picture" in a moving picture.

Dec 3, 2020

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Audience Member

This is a highly melodramatic circus film where four orphans have lived their lives with a circus clown after their parents died performing. One of them, the handsome one, gets pulled in by a vamp who pretty much ruins his desire to perform, leaving the family behind. That's the setup. Murnau made it well brought it above the tawdry.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/08/23

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Audience Member

Where is the damn Film?

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

01/29/23

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F.W. Murnau

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Janet Gaynor

Marion

Anders Randolf

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Synopsis

Four orphans are taken in by an aging clown and trained to be highwire artists.

Director: F.W. Murnau
Producer: William Fox
Screenwriter: Carl Mayer, Marion Orth
Genre: Drama
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 3, 1928, Limited
Runtime: 1h 37m