Dr. Cyclops

With the gradual loss of his sight, Dr Alexander Thorkel calls out to other scientist to come to his deep jungle retreat to assist him. When Drs Bulfinch and Robinson arrive (with Stockton and Baker with them) they are astonished to learn he literally wanted them to confirm a sample with his microscope. Bulfinch is so annoyed that he refuses to leave and the group remain while Thorkel locks himself away in his lab. When Stockton finds some small bones, Bulfinch is excited at the discovery of a new species. However the whole group is even more pleased at the discovery of large quantities of valuable ore and deicide to take it for themselves. Mad with isolation, Thorkel prevents them from leaving and uses his research on his guests.

I'm surprised that so few people appear to have seen this film (judging from the low number of votes for it on this site) because it is a cool piece of Technicolor adventure with some impressive (for the time) effects. The plot is a bit clunky early on as it stutters to the premise we all know is coming when the visitors get shrunk. At this stage it becomes a bit more enjoyable even if it isn't as exciting and spectacular as I wanted it to be. This is perhaps an unfair complaint because of the age of the film and it does provide a small scale (sorry) adventure where the novelty value of the special effects tends to dominate the development of the story.

It is a shame because Dekker gives an intense and interesting performance in the title role. He easily towers over his co-stars (sorry) who are mostly pretty wooden and unconvincing. Halton is OK but Logan makes for a very unconvincing scientist. Her chemistry with Coley is poor as indeed he is as well, although Kilian has a bit of a stiff sway about him. As said before, the effects are the majority of the show and they are impressive.

Overall this is a basic story that goes just where you expect it to but does have entertainment value. The effects are good for the time but, thanks to the heavy Technicolor, still retains a sort of retro cool for modern audiences. The cast aren't that good (although I did enjoy Dekker) because the material isn't there for them, but for what it is it is worth a look.

Partially sighted molecular biologist Dr. Alexander Thorkel (Albert Dekker) invites a team of fellow scientists to help him with his work at his laboratory deep in the Amazon jungle; within hours of their arrival, the problem that Thorkel has been struggling with has been resolved, and the surprised boffins are immediately given their marching orders, none the wiser about the precise nature of their ungrateful host's experiments.

Eager to learn more, the curious group sneaks into Thorkel's room to take a peek at his notes, but discover more than they bargained for when they become the guinea pigs in the secretive genius's next experiment: bundled into a room, they are exposed to a heavy dose of radiation that reduces them to a fraction of their original size.

Directed by Ernest B. Schoedsack, one of the team responsible for bringing King Kong to the screen in 1933, Dr. Cyclops is a fairly routine mad-scientist sci-fi/horror potboiler, but one that benefits immensely from a incredible array of groundbreaking special effects and sumptuous Technicolor photography. Technically, this film is way ahead of its time, looking more like a product of the mid 1950s than the early 40s, and for this reason alone it should be a priority for all fans of fantastic cinema.

Utilising a combination of careful camera placement (low shots to make Thorkel appear huge; high shots to make his victims appear small), detailed over-sized sets and props, rear projection, split screen and mattes, Schoedsack and his effects team create scene after scene of memorable movie magic. Take into account that this movie is now over 70 years old and it cannot fail to impress.

On the downside, the score is extremely heavy handed and some of the performances are less than stellar (Dekker is excellent, but the exaggerated mannerisms adopted by the pint-sized profs are embarrassingly trite). Thankfully, these are minor quibbles when measured against the film's massive technical accomplishments and the film remains a consistently entertaining experience nonetheless.

7.5 out 10, rounded up to 8 for the sight of yummy egghead Dr. Mary Robinson (Janice Logan) in her sexy makeshift toga: she might be reduced to a foot in height, but she's certainly no shrinking violet.

This is a peculiar film to have come out of any studio in 1940, much less the stylish Paramount. Since the same year saw the equally bizarre Hal Roach production, One Million, B.C., it might not be unreasonable to assume that there was either something in the water that made them do it or else the studio chiefs were smoking weed that year. Produced and directed by the King Kong team of Merian Cooper and Ernest Schoedsack, Dr. Cyclops is a far cry from their earlier, vastly superior work, yet it's still worth seeing. The jungle, probably a backlot job, is marvelously rendered, and the Technicolor photography is as beautiful as any I've seen. There's a vividness to the color that makes it jump out at you that's almost psychedelic.

This is basically a mad scientist tale with a gimmick, which is the eponymous doctor's ability to shrink people to the size of elves. Much of the action revolves around the little people's attempts to elude the mad doctor and escape from his jungle laboratory. The movie feels more like a product of the fifties than the early forties, as this theme would be returned to again in later science fiction. It's also a tough movie to categorize, as it's not quite horror or pure sci-fi. Like Kong Kong, it's an action movie and technical tour de force that takes quite a few liberties with nature.

As an oddball experiment the movie works, up to a point, though it could have used more humor and irony; and the pace is less than thrilling. It's hard to pull this sort off of story on a good day, as the improbable material needs all the help it can get. Alas, aside from the stunning color and imaginative sets, it doesn't get much here. Most of the actors in the film are unknowns and would remain unknown, though prissy character actor Charles Halton has a decent role as one of the "shrunken", which he plays well. The most impressive performer is also the lead player, Albert Dekker, whose life and movie career were almost as strange as this film. He is both believable and intimidating as the mad doctor, and gives the movie a touch of class.

I had watched this as a kid on a now-defunct Sicilian TV channel, but it seems to have vanished off the face of the Earth in the interim – that is, until the recent DVD release from Universal as part of their second "Sci-Fi Collection". The film was yet another infrequent genre entry from Paramount – after 1931's DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE and the trio from 1933 ISLAND OF LOST SOULS, MURDERS IN THE ZOO and SUPERNATURAL; interestingly, it was a Technicolor production – the first to be shot in this process after Warners' two earlier experiments DOCTOR X (1932) and MYSTERY OF THE WAX MUSEUM (1933). Plot-wise, DR. CYCLOPS was a variation on the "shrinking" theme explored in MGM's THE DEVIL-DOLL (1936) – which proved quite popular over the years, as can be attested by the likes of THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN (1957), ATTACK OF THE PUPPET PEOPLE (1958), CURSE OF THE DOLL PEOPLE (1961), etc. The titular character – for which underrated character actor Albert Dekker is probably best-remembered and his most notable genre contribution alongside the dual role in AMONG THE LIVING (1941) – would, of course, fit in with the era's virtually interminable parade of mad scientists; though, typically, he means well by his experiments, his approach to science (and his fellow man) is utterly ruthless. Working in seclusion but deterred by his failing sight, he invites three eminent colleagues to confirm his findings without actually divulging the nature of his experiments; when they begin to get curious and decide to stick around, he does not shrink {sic} at the prospect of using them for guinea pigs! Soon enough, they are fighting for their lives – and not just from the wily doctor, as everyday objects become inaccessible (a door-knob) or otherwise take menacing proportions (a cat)!; on the other hand, they take advantage both of their current dimension (hiding in places where Dekker cannot get at them) and the doctor's own physical drawback (breaking the spare sets of lenses, kept handy in a drawer, while he is sleeping). Interestingly, the shrinking process eventually halts and the subjects start reverting to normal size – which is how the heroes, having gotten rid of "Cyclops" in the very well where he stores his all-important ray-gun, are able to return to civilization after several months of 'convalescence'. The handsome-looking film, an entertaining and efficient 76 minutes, makes for a worthy addition to director Schoedsack's genre resume' (which includes seminal titles like THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME {1932} and KING KONG {1933}, notable ones like SHE {1935} and MIGHTY JOE YOUNG {1949}, not to mention the lesser but endearing SON OF KONG {1933}).

After killing his assistant Dr. Mendoza (Paul Fix), the insane Dr. Thorkel (Albert Dekker) summons the biologists Dr. Bulfinch (Charles Halton) and Dr. Mary Robinson (Janice Logan) to meet him in a remote area in the jungle of Peru. They travel with the mineralogist Bill Stockton (Thomas Coley) in mules owned by Steve Baker (Victor Kilian) that insists to go with them. After the long journey, Dr. Thorkel asks them to help him to identify a sample in a microscope and after receiving the answer, he thanks the support of his colleagues and say farewell to them. They decide to stay and find that there is a uranium mine in the spot. Further, they break in Thorkel´s laboratory to snoop into his research. Thorkel lures the group and locks them and his servant Pedro (Frank Yaconelli) in a room with an apparatus developed by him. He activates the device and shrinks the group that flees from him. Now Dr. Thorkel hunts them down.

"Dr. Cyclops" is a 1940 horror film with impressive special effects and sets. The story of a mad scientist that shrinks people when he feels threatened by them is funny. However the screenplay and edition have many flaws, such as the color of the miniature people clothes that change from white to different colors. The famous Dr. Bulfinch and Pedro are murdered by Dr. Thorkel but everybody seems to have forgotten in the end. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "O Delírio de um Sábio" ("The Delirium of a Wise")