When watching an old film from either the silent or sound era, you can heighten your enjoyment of it by putting yourself in the place of those who viewed the film during its initial showings. What must it have been like to have seen Douglas Fairbanks in 1924 in 'Thief of Bagdad,' or Renfield enter Dracula's castle in 1931 ('Dracula', 1931) or to have seen Karloff turn around in 1931 and show us the face of Frankenstein's monster (in 'Frankenstein,' 1931), or to have watched the alien ship emerge over Devil's Tower in 1977 (in 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind,' 1977). But don't put yourself in the place of 1940 viewers of this film! They were probably expecting a horror film with on screen clashes or fireworks between Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff, but they never appear together anywhere in the movie and a horror film it's not!
However-- if you watch this film as a film, without any expectations, you will be pleasantly surprised. It's a well made, classy Universal forties movie with a scene stealing performance by the main protagonist played by--- Stanley Ridges! Boris Karloff is really just the co-star, and poor Bela, as has been noted by others, was given a minor role after the role intended for him was given to Karloff, who was to have played Ridges' part. It is interesting to speculate on how Karloff would have performed in the role. In a perfect universe, I think he probably would have been nominated for an Oscar!
The dual 'Jeckyll and Hyde' role of Professor George Kingsley, Professor of English Literature at the University of Newcastle, and Red Cannon, the vicious and violent gangster, was played by British character actor Stanley Ridges, who clearly steals the picture. His dialog and face are so different as each character it's hard to believe it's the same actor! Karloff plays a brain surgeon, Dr. Savoc, who transplants Cannon's brain into Kingley's body after both are victims of a car crash. Savoc takes Kingsley to New York in attempt to discover where Cannon had hidden $500,000. Cannon's memories begin to take over Kingsley's mind and body. The first time you see this film, you will probably not believe, as I didn't, that the same person is playing both parts! Even in the ending credits I expected to see two names.
This is a tight little film with definite gangster film / noirish elements. Karloff is alternately noble (in bright light) and evil (in darkened rooms) in purpose. Cannon's scenes are right out of noir gangster films with their off-kilter angles. The great story telling is by Curt Siodmak, author of the novel 'Donovan's Brain,' and who has countless other wonderful writing credits for 'The Wolf Man' (1941), 'I Walked With a Zombie' (1943), as well as 'Bride of the Gorilla', (1952) among many. It seems he's got split personalities on the brain! But this film moves along quickly, and is satisfyingly done every bit of the way.
We also get Anne Nagal as a night club singer, in one of her 85 bit parts. She plays 'Misty' in 'Don Winslow of the Navy' (1942). Much better is Anne Gwynne, immortalized in her next film as the evil Sonja in 'Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe' (1940), where she tries to seduce Flash by offering him herself and Mongo, too! She appears in 'The Black Cat' (1941), 'House of Frankenstein' (1944) and as Tess Truehart in 'Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome' (1947), but in the latter one Karloff doesn't play her father the way he does here!
Let's give the Oscar to Stanley Ridges for his amazing performance. We can catch him in bit parts in later years, particularly as a doctor in the ground breaking Richard Widmark / Sidney Poitier film 'No Way Out' (1950). But poor Bela. He's relegated to playing an 'American' gangster whom Cannon suffocates in a closet. Well, he'd gotten his acting revenge when he played Ygor in 'The Son of Frankenstein' (1939).
For this thoroughly enjoyable tight little film, I'll give it a 6.
However-- if you watch this film as a film, without any expectations, you will be pleasantly surprised. It's a well made, classy Universal forties movie with a scene stealing performance by the main protagonist played by--- Stanley Ridges! Boris Karloff is really just the co-star, and poor Bela, as has been noted by others, was given a minor role after the role intended for him was given to Karloff, who was to have played Ridges' part. It is interesting to speculate on how Karloff would have performed in the role. In a perfect universe, I think he probably would have been nominated for an Oscar!
The dual 'Jeckyll and Hyde' role of Professor George Kingsley, Professor of English Literature at the University of Newcastle, and Red Cannon, the vicious and violent gangster, was played by British character actor Stanley Ridges, who clearly steals the picture. His dialog and face are so different as each character it's hard to believe it's the same actor! Karloff plays a brain surgeon, Dr. Savoc, who transplants Cannon's brain into Kingley's body after both are victims of a car crash. Savoc takes Kingsley to New York in attempt to discover where Cannon had hidden $500,000. Cannon's memories begin to take over Kingsley's mind and body. The first time you see this film, you will probably not believe, as I didn't, that the same person is playing both parts! Even in the ending credits I expected to see two names.
This is a tight little film with definite gangster film / noirish elements. Karloff is alternately noble (in bright light) and evil (in darkened rooms) in purpose. Cannon's scenes are right out of noir gangster films with their off-kilter angles. The great story telling is by Curt Siodmak, author of the novel 'Donovan's Brain,' and who has countless other wonderful writing credits for 'The Wolf Man' (1941), 'I Walked With a Zombie' (1943), as well as 'Bride of the Gorilla', (1952) among many. It seems he's got split personalities on the brain! But this film moves along quickly, and is satisfyingly done every bit of the way.
We also get Anne Nagal as a night club singer, in one of her 85 bit parts. She plays 'Misty' in 'Don Winslow of the Navy' (1942). Much better is Anne Gwynne, immortalized in her next film as the evil Sonja in 'Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe' (1940), where she tries to seduce Flash by offering him herself and Mongo, too! She appears in 'The Black Cat' (1941), 'House of Frankenstein' (1944) and as Tess Truehart in 'Dick Tracy Meets Gruesome' (1947), but in the latter one Karloff doesn't play her father the way he does here!
Let's give the Oscar to Stanley Ridges for his amazing performance. We can catch him in bit parts in later years, particularly as a doctor in the ground breaking Richard Widmark / Sidney Poitier film 'No Way Out' (1950). But poor Bela. He's relegated to playing an 'American' gangster whom Cannon suffocates in a closet. Well, he'd gotten his acting revenge when he played Ygor in 'The Son of Frankenstein' (1939).
For this thoroughly enjoyable tight little film, I'll give it a 6.