La balle magique du Docteur Ehrlich

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.

It's very hard to believe that this movie was made in 1940, as much of the plot centers on Dr. Ehrlich's attempts to create a cure for syphilis. At times, the studio appeared to dance around the whole STD aspect of the disease, but it was extremely daring to try to cover such a taboo topic.

It's actually quite amazing that a story as seemingly mundane and medical research is as compelling as it is. I think this is due to excellent directing, writing and acting. In particular, Edward G. Robinson is a standout as the lead. This movie clearly demonstrates that his range far exceeded playing gangsters or that annoying Egyptian in The Ten Commandments.

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.

Grand biopic as only Old Hollywood could do so well. An excellent performance from Edward G. Robinson as Dr. Paul Ehrlich, who works to create a cure for syphilis while battling tuberculosis and his peers' small-mindedness. With direction by the great William Dieterle and a script co-written by John Huston, this is an exceptional film. It's not easy to make a great movie out of what is essentially a medical research story, but they pull it off. Terrific supporting cast including Ruth Gordon, Donald Crisp, Otto Kruger, Donald Meek, Henry O'Neill, Maria Ouspenskaya, Albert Bassermann, Louis Calhern...so many more. Just a great lineup. Pretty daring to make a movie about syphilis at a time when the Production Code was in full effect. Wonderful biopic you should definitely check out.