therealfuster Posted December 1, 2004 Share Posted December 1, 2004 Whoa...what a great movie! Yes, it has taken me since last week to watch my TCM movies taped all in one day. I had Finger of Guilt, The Threat, and Donovan's Brain to watch. I thought I'd seen almost every sci-fi film ever made, but somehow this film had escaped me till now. I knew of its reputation, and had wanted to see it many times, and realized how many other films owed their faulty plot lines to its magnificent story by Curt Siodmak, but somehow had never seen it in its entirety. Well...I was impressed! Firstly, being that I have never been much of a fan of former First Lady, Nancy Reagan, in her Davis acting days, I was amazed to see that in this film, the very things I've often thought of as her shortcomings, were the exact things that made her part so believable. Being that she always seems a bit mundane and boring in films and a tad too sweet, she was perfect as the devouted spouse of Lew Ayres, who plays the doctor/scientist trying to isolate the monkey brain. Also, being that the film did not use any of the usual Hollywood sci fi leads of macho men and beautiful women like John Agar or Lori Nelson, was a supremely effective move...as Ayres seems just like such a regular guy. With no need of special effects, being that the story was strong enough on its own, and though it could seem silly in lesser hands, it moved along nicely and was well done throughout and rather chilling. Ayres was uncommonly good when taking on the persona of the bodily dispossessed millionaire, and the repercussions in numerous films to follow, like "The Brain That Wouldn't Die", "They Stole Hitler's Brain" and countless others is immeasureable. The simple shot of the poor little monkey's brain, floating in fluid, is as unnerving as the part of "Eyes Without a Face" where the surgeon marks with a pen, and lifts off the facial skin of the grafting victim. Yet neither scene contain gratuitous gore...just straightforward set-ups. This film is much superior to the Erich von Stroheim version done first, and has excellent production values throughout and even good old Steve Brodie along for the ride. Did anyone else watch this film? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tcmviewer Posted December 6, 2004 Share Posted December 6, 2004 I actually own the DVD (put out by MGM) of this film. I agree with you in that it is an underrated gem of a horror film. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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