Jun 021936
 
two reels

Brilliant but eccentric scientist Dr. Laurience (Brois Karloff) has developed a means of transferring minds between animals. He summons young scientist Dr. Clare Wyatt (Anna Lee) to aid him in his research. His only other aid is the crippled and grumpy Clayton (Donald Calthrop). Wyatt has an extremely pushy boyfriend, Dick Haslewood (John Loder), who is both a reporter and the son of the rich and powerful Lord Haslewood (Frank Cellier). Lord Haslewood offers Dr. Laurience great resources, and then pulls them away again. This pushes Laurience over the edge and he decides to use his mind swapping device to help himself.

This British “quota quickie” mad doctor flick is well made, with solid performances, and excellent ones from Karloff and Cellier who both take on double roles. But it is an odd film, with the first and second halves feeling very different.

The first thirty minutes is unpleasant. I disliked everyone to various degrees and the only thing that could help is if the entire group was engulfed in flame. Dr. Laurience is perfectly reasonable scientifically, but he raves and yells and does indeed act mad, but not in a fun way, and not to any effect. That he happens to be right doesn’t make him better, but brings everyone else down. Clare, who we are supposed to like, is overly conservative, and not much of a scientist. She talks about things being “sacred.” Nothing you want more from an assistant on cutting edge research is statements about how there are things we just shouldn’t know. Her boyfriend, Dick, has two modes: harassment and paternalism. I can’t figure why Clare doesn’t kick him to the curb. Clayton and Lord Haslewood are also horrible in their own distinct ways, but we are supposed to hate them, so that helps. All of these characters and events are taken seriously (more or less), and the last thing this film should be is a serious drama.

Then the film flips. It suddenly realizes that this is all silly and the audience is here for some fun, and it becomes a riot. Karloff casts off being an unhappy man with mental health issues and adopts being a cackling, cinematic, mad scientist and does it with gusto. We get body hopping galore with humor stuck between the murders (the first half had neither comedy nor killings). This is what I came for. What kept running through my mind was why couldn’t this have happened 25 minutes earlier: a short intro and then bam!, body switching. Ah well.

It ends disappointingly, but not unexpectedly, and compared to the beginning, it’s a minor flaw. Watch it, but maybe just read my summery and come in at the halfway mark.

 

It’s also known as The Man Who Lived Again and Dr. Maniac.