The Brain

I just got myself an old issue of FANGORIA and they had an interview with Freddie Francis inside. It had been quite a while since I had watched a Francis horror film, so I figured why not try one of his films. I watched this one, which was his first horror film (2nd to date) he ever directed. Is it good? Not really. I would say that Francis' work does get leaps and bounds better after his initial horror film. Like TALES FROM THE CRYPT (1972) or THE DOCTOR AND THE DEVILS (1985). Maybe any true Freddie Francis fans might enjoy it more.

Brilliant Dr. Peter Corrie (Peter van Eyck) is conducting experiments on brains to try and further his knowledge in the field. He is working on a monkey's brain in the beginning of the film, which in one shot kind of looks like a watermelon. With the assistance of Dr. Frank Shears (Bernard Lee's next role after he had played M in DR. NO) he gets a hold of a still working brain within a dead body. Turns out it belongs to tyrannical tycoon Max Holt. During the film Holt and Dr. Corrie's brain are on the same wavelength, so Dr. Corrie knows things he shouldn't. In the end it turns into a murder mystery to solve his murder.

Sadly a mixture of good ideas with some kooky ones, which may have to do with it being a B-Movie from the early 60s, so it adds some silly sci-fi angles to things which are not believable. The whole murder mystery element when added really does suck a lot of the horror out of the picture. A blend of two genres that does not really work.

Also starring JacK MacGowran as Furber, who may be the most interesting character in the whole movie. He is aware of Dr. Corrie's theft of Max Holt's brain and is looking for payment to keep quiet.

If the science fiction elements were absent from this film, it would have been a good film noir movie. A remake of "Donovan's Brain", "Ein Toter sucht seinen Morder" (American title: The Brain), falls between two stools. In it, a scientist keeps alive the brain of a dead colleague while keeping the fact a secret from dead man's relatives who he suspects of murdering him; he turns detective and investigates.

The brain is kept alive in what looks a formalin-filled tank with wires sticking out of it - amateurish, but in keeping with the low budget science fiction films of that era. The film noir camera work is excellent as are the other film noir elements in this flick. The movie has a fast pace most of the time. Peter van Eych's acting is wooden at best and he looks too old for the part.

Worth watching if you are into old science fiction films of that era.

(Reviewed by Sundar Narayan)

Back in 1944, Hollywood produced "Lady and the Monster". Not even a decade later, they remade the film as "Donovan's Brain". Now, less than a decade after that, the British remade the film yet again as "The Brain"! I've seen the other two films and decided to see if the British version is any better. And, after seeing it, I am not sure I'd say it was better...more very different.

Dr. Corrie (Peter van Eyck) is one of those researchers whose humanity and ethics take a back seat to his research. He's been working on trying to keep brains alive after the rest of the monkey has died and he's longing to try his experiments out on humans. Soon, an opportunity practically drops in his lap when an airplane crashes nearby. Everyone on board is dead or dying and the one living victim is nearly dead. So, Corrie decides to try out his experiment and he ends up keeping the brain of a cruel industrialist alive.

This brain apparently is from a man with a strong will, as soon it begins controlling Corrie and makes him investigate the airplane crash. Soon, folks are alarmed that Corrie keeps declaring that it was murder and that he seemed to know details of the case he shouldn't have known. How long until the murderer decides that Corrie is a liability and needs to be gotten out of the way?

This film, unlike the other two, is less a horror film and more a murder mystery. Van Eyck's acting is very nice and the story held my interest. Very good and different enough from the others that it's still worth seeing.

By the way, the prop brain they used in the film was too big...more like an elephant's brain than a human one!

There's a certain class of genre flick, seen especially but not exclusively in the 40s or 50s, that ably presents ideas of horror and science fiction but is less able to evoke any strong feelings about the material. Such fare can still be enjoyable on its own merits provided that one is receptive to genre elements that are more thematic than they are actualized. Even with iconic director Freddie Francis on board, I don't think there's much mistaking that 1962's 'The brain' can be described in such terms. We're treated to notions of unsanctioned experimentation, consciousness separated from corporeality, metaphysical communication and manipulation, and questions of identity and ethics - in addition to, of course, murder. And all of it is made to be scarcely more compelling than if we were reading the screenplay itself. I do actually like this, but it definitely reflects a more restrained sensibility of film-making that somewhat limits its potential and the size of its audience.

Or maybe we modern viewers are just too cynical and jaded, or so desensitized to ever-increasing intensity and violence that the storytelling older titles have to offer just can't faze us. After all, there's a delightful aspect of mystery to the proceedings as protagonist Dr. Corrie undertakes an investigation of sorts into the death of millionaire Holt. All those notions that comprise the genre elements do come to bear at different times, to different degrees. Between the effects and art direction, the admirable acting, some smart scene writing and dialogue, and Kenneth V. Jones' music that accentuates select beats, the creepy edge of the story does lightly shine through, and the greater vibrancy that some moments bear. Why, one way or another some scenes are kind of brilliant, and there is much to appreciate here on its own merits. 'The brain' is well made in every regard, including not just those facets I've already mentioned but also Francis' direction, Robert Huke's cinematography, and Oswald Hafenrichter's editing.

While Bernard Lee(!) is the cast member who enjoyed the most broad visibility, Peter van Eyck's role as protagonist Corrie easily gives him the biggest spotlight, and he takes fine advantage of it to illustrate his skills. That's hardly to count out the other actors, all of whom capably help to bring the tale to life. There is perhaps a point to be made that the picture mostly carries itself as a fairly straight crime thriller and mystery, with noir tinges, and the titular organ and subsequent story ideas are just flavoring. Moreover, even at under ninety minutes, it starts to feel before it's all over as if the whole experience has run a little long. Be that as it may the narrative is compelling, with splendid scene writing - and the reveals at the climax, and the ending, are unexpectedly gratifying. No matter how you look at it this is no exemplar by any standard, and it's nothing one needs to go out of their way to see. Modern viewers who have a harder time engaging with older flicks can probably just pass this right on by. Still, 'The brain' is suitably entertaining, and if you do have the chance to watch, it's not a bad way to spend a quiet afternoon.

One of my sci-fi/horror/fantasy reviews written 50 years ago: Directed by Freddie Francis; Screenplay by Robert Stewart and Philip Mackie, based on Curt Siodmak's novel; Produced by Raymond Stross as a British-German co-production for Raymond Stross Productions and CCC. Released in America by Governor Films. Photography by Bob Huke; Edited by Oswald Hafenrichter; Music by Kenneth Jones. Starring: Anne Heywood, Peter Van Eyck, Bernard Lee, Cecil Parker, Jeremy Spenser and Maxine Audley.

British remake of "Donovan's Brain", with an all-star cast. Suspenseful horror-mystery film in which a dead man's brain is kept alive and seeks to uncover the murderer of its body. One of many overlooked fine movies made by the adventurous team of Anne Heywood and her husband Raymond Stross.