Dr. Renault's Secret

Although I've been aware of the existence of this film for years, the sheer fact that I found next to no reading material on it in my father's books on my favorite genre (which I devoured as I was growing up) has led me to believe that it was merely just another ordinary escapist wartime horror programmer. Until it was surprisingly given a recent DVD release – as part of the second entry in the "Fox Horror Classics" collection along with the higher-profile CHANDU THE MAGICIAN (1932; featuring Bela Lugosi) and DRAGONWYCK (1946; with Vincent Price) – I had no previous opportunity to watch it and, now that I have, it's safe to say that it's been one of the most pleasant surprises I've had during this year's bumpy Halloween Challenge.

Unlike Universal, Paramount, RKO and even MGM, 20th Century Fox was hesitant to jump onto the Horror bandwagon and seemed to do so only half-heartedly – as evidenced by John Brahm's all-style-but-no-substance werewolf picture THE UNDYING MONSTER (1942) which, incidentally, was actually paired with DR. RENAULT'S SECRET on original release as the upper half of a double-bill. I'm not sure if it's because I thought the Brahm film suffered in comparison to Universal's THE WOLF MAN that I've found RENAULT to be more satisfactory or merely because I haven't yet watched any of the latter's own progenitors – the Silent French Gaston Leroux adaptation BALAOO (1913), Fox's own intriguing Silent foray into the genre THE WIZARD (1927) and Paramount's well-cast THE MONSTER AND THE GIRL (1941) – or perhaps because it's undoubtedly superior to a similarly-themed contemporaneous Bela Lugosi vehicle THE APE MAN (1943) – which wasn't really all that bad to begin with – but, ultimately, I now consider DR. RENAULT'S SECRET to be an unjustly forgotten vintage gem of this most prolific, beloved and yet maligned of genres.

In essence, the story set in France is typical 'mad scientist' fodder with the titular ultra-Darwinian medico/part-time jungle explorer (George Zucco) attempting to prove conclusively his idol's controversial evolution theories by surgically turning an ape into a man. The cast of characters is supplemented by the doctor's lovely niece (Lynne Roberts), her fiancée who also happens to be a doctor (Shepperd Strudwick – billed here as John Shepperd!), Renault's ex-con gardener (Mike Mazurki) and equally shady butler (Jean De Val), a suspicious Police Inspector (Arthur Shields) and, best of all, J. Carrol Naish as Roberts' enigmatic and highly sensitive protector Noel. The ensemble cast is generally good and sympathetic to the material at hand, but it's clearly Naish's show here in a very poignant performance as the result of Zucco's questionable experiments: a soft-spoken, love-struck handyman, subtly but effectively made to look simian in appearance via a shaggy wig and enlarged nostrils (incidentally, he would play a variation on the role as a hunchback in Universal's HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN [1944] – in which Zucco also appears, by the way). Although Zucco made a slew of similarly ghoulish potboilers around this time (and so did Naish, as already mentioned), I've only watched a couple of them myself so far; seeing him turn from a suave gentleman by day into a whip-wielding sadist with the poor, unfortunate Naish at the receiving end of it, one can't blame producers for simply offering him more of the same in subsequent years!

Being the product of a major studio (albeit a low-budgeted one and running a trim 58 minutes), the solid production values were to be expected but one other aspect that impressed me about DR. RENAULT'S SECRET was the intermittent stylishness of Harry Lachman's direction, all tinted angles (down to the very last shot of the film with Naish's lifeless body practically falling onto the camera!) and evocative chiaroscuro lighting (Zucco's own come-uppance is simply depicted as a shadowy struggle between him and the finally-rebellious Naish). I'm not about to assign auteur status to Lachman (whose last film this proved to be despite going on to live for another 33 years!) or anything, but it's a well-known fact that his version of DANTE'S INFERNO (1935) starring Spencer Tracy (also for Fox) is highlighted by a memorable nightmare sequence set in Hades and also that OUR RELATIONS (1936) was Laurel and Hardy's most polished production and one of their most satisfactory vehicles overall.

This is a movie that I didn't learn about until searching for horror from 1942. What is interesting here is that this is based on a novel from Gaston Leroux entitled Balaoo. I know his more famous works of 'The Hunchback of Notre Dame' and 'The Phantom of the Opera', so I was intrigued since I didn't know anything about this one.

Synopsis: Dr. Larry Forbes (Shepperd Strudwick) visits the château of Dr. Robert Renault (George Zucco), uncle of his fiancée Madelon (Lynne Roberts), who is idolized by Renault's assistant, a strange émigré from Java.

We start this movie in France. Larry is dropped off at an inn by the name of The Black Cat, just in French. He goes inside and states that he's looking for a ride to the château belonging to Dr. Renault. He is informed that Noel (J. Carrol Naish) is there to collect him, but they'll have to wait until morning. They've gotten heavy rains and the bridge is out. It won't be repaired until then. Noel has already book Larry a room as well. Everyone stays up drinking and we get an interesting interaction between Mr. Austin (Jack Norton) and Noel. The former makes a joke about Larry's fiancée and Noel has him by the throat. He is protective over her. This gets calmed down, allowing Mr. Austin to go to bed.

The events of the night don't end there. The gardener for Dr. Renault also shows up. His name is Rogell (Mike Mazurki). Apparently, he made it over before the bridge went out. He needs a room as well. There are people at the inn who fear him. He uses this to his advantage as Rogell is a former criminal. He notices that Larry has quite a bit of money in his wallet.

Larry goes up to bed to find Mr. Austin is in his room. He decides to switch as that is easier. This turns out bad for the latter though. Someone comes into the room and murders him. The main suspect is Rogell, due to his past. It is also considered that Larry was the target, but the killer didn't know the switch happened.

The next morning, Noel takes Larry to Dr. Renault's. It is there we meet him along with Madelon and the other members who work in the house. Dr. Renault conducts experiments here and it seems that he's colleagues with Larry, which is how he met the niece. What should be a joyous time as the wedding approaches, there is more death. Dr. Renault has a secret with an experiment he is conducting and this could be linked to these crimes.

That is where I'm going to leave my recap as well as introduce the characters. Even though this movie is 80+ years old, I didn't want to spoil this as it has an interesting concept. It is one that I will say isn't new. There is another famous book that deals with a similar subject matter so I'm curious if Leroux was influenced by that one. I am trying to cryptic here since if I name the title or the author, I believe it will give away the reveal.

Where I want to start delving deeper is that I've come to notice having watched movies from the early 1940s, cinema wasn't that much different from what it is today. What I mean there is seeing what worked and doing different variations on it. This at the heart is a murder mystery. We have a bit of the 'old dark house' as well with secret passageways. I am a sucker for that. This is also pulling in the mad scientist angle as well. Dr. Renault is conducting experiments in the basement. He has an ape down there. This is also where Noel sleeps. The concept is that he's watching over the laboratory. You could even slide this in as a loose ape film that were popular around this time as well. What I find interesting is that this one doesn't lean into the ape possible being behind the murders. The inspectors look at Rogell. He is a brute of a man and is fast talking. He is the likely suspect for sure. I do think that despite all these different elements, they work well together.

Sticking with everything put into this, this movie runs less than an hour long which shocked me. It is a fast watch as well. It moves through the plot points well. If anything, I'd give credit to the fact that we get a fully fleshed out story with subplots despite that short run time. I don't think the ending is fully predictable, but it makes for an interesting idea.

Since I'm not going into spoilers, let me go over to the acting. I'll start with Naish who has a great performance here. We see from the beginning that there is something off about him. Originally, I just thought he was slow. That isn't necessarily the case. I love how he plays with the idea and truth of his character. Strudwick is good as our hero. I like that he's a nice guy and using reason to find the truth of the slayings. Roberts was cute as Madelon. How she fits into the story is an intriguing one. Noel takes a liking to her. She is kind to him, but it is more of a teacher or motherly way. It adds to the overall story of the movie. I liked Zucco and Mazurki in their roles. The acting here is good across the board.

The only other things to go into would be the filmmaking. What I'll say here is that the cinematography surprised me. How they frame shots was good. There are interesting things done with the 'old dark house' elements. We also don't see things with the use of shadows. There are also close-ups that I found to be well-done. We don't get a lot in the way of effects here. It also isn't that type of movie and doesn't necessarily need them. We do see an ape with Ray Corrigan inside. I have a soft spot for that. The last bit would be the soundtrack. I thought it fit for what was needed.

In conclusion, this is an interesting gem of a movie. It is based off a novel that I hadn't heard of, so that intrigues me. I thought that the acting across the board was good. It isn't the most original as it seems to be borrowing elements from different types of sub-genres that were popular during the era. There are interesting things done with the cinematography. This is a just a well-made movie with a short run time. I'd go as far to call this a hidden gem for me.

My Rating: 7 out of 10.

For a long time this was an overlooked little 'B' picture, but thankfully it's been given new life on the recent FOX HORROR CLASSICS VOL. 2 DVD set. George Zucco is on hand as another mad doctor who experimented on a gorilla, gave him plastic surgery, and then tried to make him into a human. J. Carrol Naish is very good in the part of this man/ape character, and he manages to make him sympathetic and fierce at the same time. This is a brisk and tight film which manages to rise above its 'B' trappings, and the moody shadow photography and capable direction add a lot. Very reminiscent of ISLAND OF LOST SOULS ("The Island of Dr. Moreau"). *** out of ****

Dr. Renault's Secret (1942)

** (out of 4)

Dull horror film about Dr. Renault (George Zucco) and his little secrets including his mentally challenged assistant (J. Carrol Naish). For some reason this is a rather well known film among horror fans but I can't see why because the big "secret" is easy to see within the first five minutes and the rest of the film is slow and boring. The movie is somewhat hard to find so perhaps that's a reason for its cult following. Zucco and Naish are mildly entertaining but the film goes no where in the end and winds up wasting their talent.

While reading a review of another movie this film was mentioned. Deciding to check it out, I found it on line. Unlike some reviews I've read, I found it interesting. The short running time of fifty eight minutes was probably a good decision by the film makers considering the screen play offers few surprises. An American doctor travels to Europe to visit a doctor friend George Zucco and uncle of his intended bride.Forced to stay overnight at an inn because of a storm, the doctor is met by a driver Noel, played by J. Carrol Nash.. A murder occurs, with Noel being a suspect. Arriving at their destination, the investigation continues with other murders occurring. Confusing at times the film comes to a satisfying conclusion. A familiar cast with Lynne Roberts and Arthur Shields as a police inspector make good use of a screen play that drags in spots. Ray Corrigan doubles Nash in the stunt department. Nothing exceptional but a good way to pass an hour.