La balle magique du Docteur Ehrlich

Edward G. Robinson was undoubtedly the greatest actor never to have been nominated for an Oscar. Even his honorary Oscar had to be awarded posthumously! One can only surmise that his being constantly overlooked was due to his 'leftist' leanings. Only a theory of course. He is simply stupendous in the title role of this excellent biopic from Warner Bros. Robinson was a man of immense culture and humanity whose performance in this has both intelligence and heart; an unbeatable combination. Although studio bound with a mix of both American and European actors, director William Dieterle has succeeded admirably in convincing us that we are in nineteenth century Germany. The cinematography by James Wong Howe and a Max Steiner score beautifully arranged by Hugo Friedhofer add to its effectiveness. It is possible that Warner Bros would have been the only Hollywood studio at the time to have touched this subject matter. There are a few scenes with Albert Bassermann as Dr. Robert Koch whose own biopic was directed by Hans Steinhoff a year earlier with Emil Jannings in the title role. This also is highly recommended. Dr. Ehrlich, in the film anyway, expresses the hope that the success of experiment 606 marked 'the end of the road' in the fight against syphillis. This alas has not been the case as he had failed to take into account the 'human factor' involved in the spread of STD's! This is a well-intentioned, well made and well acted film but one that I would not recommend to animal rights activists although happily the chimpanzee is cured!

I must echo the glowing comments about this fine film by William Dieterle. The entire cast is superb, from Robinson to Maria Ouspenskaya and Donald Crisp. Some of the cast had appeared in the very fine 'Life of Emile Zola' some 5 years earlier. Everything about this film was well done, from the acting to the photography to the music. A Must see.

Due to the enormous talent, tenacity and courage of Dr. Paul Ehrlich to persevere in his quest to develop a cure for venereal disease, the world was made a safer place. This outstanding biography relates Dr. Ehrilch's quest to conquer disease which plagued 19th century populations.

Edward G.Robinson heads a fine cast, which recognized an outstanding script and rose to the occasion. There is no overacting or exaggerated dramatics here, only earnest and sincere acting work, enhanced by a peerless Max Steiner score and James Wong Howe cinematography. William Dieterle's direction is both sensitive and solid, wrapping up a fine production, presented by Warner Bros.

If you've only seen Edward G. Robinson in gangster films, give this one a chance and see his range as an actor. Here he portrays German physician and researcher Paul Ehrlich, a pioneer at the turn of the 20th century in the treatment of infectious diseases and the man who found a cure for syphilis. Ehrlich starts out as a general practitioner employed by a hospital in order to provide a stable living for his family but whose real love is for research. His inquiring mind and nonconformist views ultimately makes him a leader in his field, but not before his pioneering ideas get him in trouble with the medical establishment in his country. Robinson has excellent support here with Ruth Gordon playing Ehrlich's adoring wife. Otto Kruger ably portrays Emil Adolf Von Behring, Ehrlich's friend and colleague who find himself at odds with his good friend's professional ideas at one point in their careers.

The film was controversial at the time for mentioning the disease "syphilis" by name, and I'm sure a little bit of sensationalism is why Jack Warner thought that Dr. Ehrlich's biography would be good material for a film, but there's something more subtle going on here. Made in 1940, after the Nazi menace had been recognized by many but before America had been attacked, there are many not so subtle digs at Germany to be found here. Early in the film several of Ehrlich's colleagues are ratting him out to the head of the hospital for not following hospital rules. Specifically, Ehrlich realizes that the sweat baths prescribed as the treatment of syphilis at the time - 1890 - are of no value whatsoever. When a patient of Ehrlich's says that the baths sap his strength and may cost him his job, Ehrlich says that he can skip the baths. This humane act of deviating from a useless treatment is the "rule" Ehrlich has broken, and what gets him called on the carpet by the head of the hospital. The whole incident is one of several that make the Germans look rigid and inhumane. The issue of Ehrlich's colleagues doubting his abilities because of his religion - he was Jewish - also comes up a few times. Finally, when the state budget committee that is financing Ehrlich's lab comes by for an inspection they chastise Ehrlich for hiring a "non-German" doctor. It's very effective but subtle criticism of the Germans that Warner Brothers did so well in the years leading up to the war.

One bone that Warner Brothers did have to throw to the censors because of the open discussion and showing of syphilis patients in various stages of the disease is that they could not show any female patients. They were only allowed to show male sufferers. I guess these guys all got this from "an inanimate object" as Dr. Ehrlich says is possible at one point in the film to downplay the sexual transmission angle of this disease. Wasn't the Breen era of the production code a scream?

Of all the great biographical flicks Hollywood pumped out in the late 30's and early 40's, such as "Juarez," "The Story of Louis Pasteur," "Abe Lincoln in Illinois," and "The Life of Emile Zola," "Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet" is the best. And that's saying a lot since the ones mentioned above are screen classics from the Golden Age. In "Magic Bullet" everything seems to gel, from the brilliant acting of all involved, including once-in-a-lifetime performances by Edward G. Robingson, Otto Kruger, Ruth Gordon, and Maria Ouspenskaya, to the outstanding direction of William Dieterle. Also this biography is far more factual and less sensational than the others from the period. Even the subject involved in the biography was somewhat taboo in 1940, syphilis. Many in the movie audiences of 1940 may have reacted the same way the guests at Franziska Speyer's dinner party reacted upon hearing the word. Though not at all shocking today, it must have been somewhat shocking then. I'm sure that's why it was handled with kid gloves by William Dieterle. On the other hand the problems Dr. Ehrlich faced in getting support for his magic bullet is comparable with problems faced by today's scientists in getting funding to do needed research to find a cure for AIDS.

The writers, who included John Huston, did the research needed for an intelligent and well-written script. The viewer may hesitate to watch at first when he/she discovers that the movie is about a German scientist who discovered an effective treatment for syphilis, but just pay attention for a few seconds and there is no turning back. Seeing the entire film becomes necessary. So enjoy a masterpiece from the past.