The Mind of Mr. Soames

A new take on the Frankenstein myth. Terence Stamp is the man in a coma since birth but kept alive in a kind of oxygen tank, who is awakened after 30 years. Alan Cooke's "The Mind of Mr. Soames" is an unusually intelligent piece of sci-fi which, like Mary Shelley's novel, is really about the relationship between the doctor who 'awakens' him and his 'creature' , the unfortunate Mr Soames who might have been better off had he been left in his tank. In these roles Robert Vaughan, (the doctor), and in particular Stamp, (Soames), are excellent. If the plot proceeds along a somewhat predictable path, the superb handling and good performances all round, more than redeem it. Not really a success when it came out, it is now destined for cult status.

Sadly he wasn't nominated.

This is a very thought provoking film, I read the book before they made the film, it deviated a bit but still a good rendition with great performances from Stamp and Robert Vaughn, always a great actor sad to see him go at a fine old age.

If you want intelligent Sci Fi then is for you, however if Sci Fi means CGI, non stop action with space ships and aliens then don't bother, it's not.

"The Mind of Mr. Soames" is a very unusual film and about the only movie that I can think of that is similar is Truffaut's "The Wild Child". Both are about someone who basically goes from zero socialization to being forced to interact with the world...whether they want to or not.

When the film begins, you learn that a Mr. Soames (Terrence Stamp) has been in a coma since birth...30 years ago! However, a group of doctors think they can operate on him and bring him out of it. So suddenly they have what is, in essence, a 30 year-old baby. A person who looks like a man but needs to be given an accelerated childhood in order to bring him up to speed for lost time. The problem is that instead of treating him with love and compassion, he's more like a science project and no one wants to listen to Dr. Bergen (Robert Vaughn) who urges them to reconsider their methods.

Not surprisingly, Soames is depressed and angry. After all, folks won't give him clear answers and he's living in an emotionally deprived world. So he escapes from the hospital and goes on an adventure. But not knowing any of the rules of society, he is about as lost as King Kong in New York or the Frankenstein monster! You really have to feel sorry for the guy and you have a strong feeling that nothing good will come of it.

Overall, this is a good film with a bit of a flaw. Terrence Stamp is wonderful as Soames. But I also had a hard time believing that all but one of the doctors could be THAT clueless in how to properly care for this patient...it did seem a tiny bit far- fetched...although treating him like a science experiment, I could believe as this has happened before with feral children brought back to civilization (the famous case of Genie is a sad example). Still, despite this, the film is thought provoking and interesting...and worth seeing.

A unique and fascinating film. Terence Stamp should have received an Oscar for his haunting appearance as an adult man revived after 30 years from a coma he had lapsed into at birth. He is totally convincing as the little child in the body of a grown-up man. Much more effective than Tom Hanks in "Big", but "The mind of Mr. Soames" is not a comedy, although it contains many comical and touching scenes. And in spite of the subject it is surely not an overly sentimental or sensational film, it's rather more a character study (although occasionally it is also very thrilling), in fact it's presented in an almost documentary manner, which makes it the more interesting. The film also gives a nice outlook upon the world & society seen through the eyes of a little child. Outstanding photography, even poetical (the scenes when Soames is happy in the garden), and top quality actors in thoughtful roles. An undeservedly obscure film that should be more widely known.

I would like to see this movie shot today and see what differences an other director would make of the subject. Excellent production values give notice that the effort to make a unique movie for the late 60's was undertaken. Stamp gives a strong performance and the movie is not boring. Robert Vaughn and Nigel Davenport serve as capable teachers to the brain injured man and give fine supporting roles in this less than successful movie. What holds this movie together is the fine close ups of Stamp as he discovers a world of wonderment and allows the viewer an opportunity to see if the human condition is retarded by 30 years of laying in a bed in a vegetative state. Finding out that question is what makes this movie fun.