The Invisible Man Returns (1940)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Joe May

Writers:

H.G. Wells (characters)
Joe May (story) ...
(more)

Release Date:

12 January 1940 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Plot:

The owner of a coal mining operation, falsely imprisoned for fratricide, takes a drug to make him invisible, despite its side effect: gradual madness.

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Antidote | Invisible Man | Scotland Yard | Madness

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Cedric Hardwicke	...	Richard Cobb
Vincent Price	...	Geoffrey Radcliffe
Nan Grey	...	Helen Manson
John Sutton	...	Doctor Frank Griffin
Cecil Kellaway	...	Inspector Sampson of Scotland Yard
Alan Napier	...	Willie Spears
Forrester Harvey	...	Ben Jenkins
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ernie Adams	...	Bit Part (uncredited)
Jimmy Aubrey	...	Plainclothesman (uncredited)
Billy Bevan	...	Jim (uncredited)
Clara Blore	...	Woman (uncredited)
Stanley Blystone	...	(uncredited)
Matthew Boulton	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Ed Brady	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Louise Brien	...	Griffin's Secretary (uncredited)
Charles Brokaw	...	(uncredited)
Jean Brooks	...	(uncredited)
Frank Coletti	...	(uncredited)
Harry Cording	...	Miner Saying 'Keep the Wig on Willie' (uncredited)
Paul England	...	Detective (uncredited)
Rex Evans	...	Constable Briggs (uncredited)
Edward Fielding	...	Prison Governor (uncredited)
Mary Field	...	Passerby at Willie's House (uncredited)
Mary Gordon	...	Cookie, the Cook (uncredited)
Sidney Grayler	...	(uncredited)
Frank Hagney	...	Bill (uncredited)
Barry Hays	...	(uncredited)
Frank Hill	...	Policeman (uncredited)
Leyland Hodgson	...	Chauffeur (uncredited)
Hugh Huntley	...	Secretary (uncredited)
George Hyde	...	Miner at Radcliffe Colliery (uncredited)
Ellis Irving	...	Miner at Radcliffe Colliery (uncredited)
Boyd Irwin	...	(uncredited)
Colin Kenny	...	Plainclothesman (uncredited)
George Kirby	...	Miner at Radcliffe Colliery (uncredited)
Bruce Lester	...	Chaplain (uncredited)
George Lloyd	...	Miner at Radcliffe Colliery (uncredited)
Edmund MacDonald	...	Miner at Radcliffe Colliery (uncredited)
William Newell	...	(uncredited)
Frank O'Connor	...	Constable at Coal Train (uncredited)
Frances Robinson	...	Clinic Nurse (uncredited)
Ivan F. Simpson	...	Mr. Cotton (uncredited)
Harry Stubbs	...	Constable Tewsbury (uncredited)
Denis Tankard	...	Miner at Radcliffe Colliery (uncredited)
Cyril Thornton	...	Policeman (uncredited)
David Thursby	...	Bob (uncredited)
Crane Whitley	...	(uncredited)
Eric Wilton	...	Fingerprint Expert (uncredited)

Directed by
Joe May

Writing credits
H.G. Wells		(characters)
Joe May		(story) and
Curt Siodmak		(story) (as Kurt Siodmak)
Lester Cole		(screenplay) &
Curt Siodmak		(screenplay) (as Kurt Siodmak)
Cedric Belfrage		(additional writer) uncredited

Produced by
Ken Goldsmith	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Hans J. Salter		(as H.J. Salter)
Frank Skinner

Cinematography by
Milton R. Krasner		(as Milton Krasner)

Film Editing by
Frank Gross

Art Direction by
Jack Otterson

Set Decoration by
Russell A. Gausman		(as R.A. Gausman)

Costume Design by
Vera West		(gowns)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Phil Karlson	....	assistant director (as Phil Karlstein)

Art Department
Martin Obzina	....	assistant art director

Sound Department
Bernard B. Brown	....	sound supervisor
William Hedgcock	....	sound technician

Special Effects by
John P. Fulton	....	special effects
David S. Horsley	....	special effects (uncredited)

Music Department
Charles Previn	....	musical director

Production Companies

• Universal Pictures

Distributors

• Universal Pictures (1940) (USA) (theatrical)
• Realart Pictures (1947) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Screen Gems (1957) (USA) (TV)
• MCA/Universal Home Video (199?) (USA) (VHS)
• Universal (1946) (France) (theatrical) (as Universal Films S.A.)
• Universal Home Entertainment (????) (USA) (DVD)

Runtime:

81 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

Sweden:15 | USA:Approved (PCA #5921)

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

Vincent Price's first horror film, 13 years before House of Wax (1953) typecast him in the genre. He also provided the voice of the Invisble Man in Bud Abbott Lou Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948).

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: In _The Invisible Man (1933)_ the invisibility drug had to be taken repeatedly over several weeks to be effective. Here (and in the later film Invisible Agent (1942)) it works instantly after only one injection.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Mr. Cotton: I - I can't believe it's going to happen. Just two more hours, and they're going to kill him.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Dark Angel: Brainiac (#2.10)" (2002)

Different than the original in many ways, but still a dandy film

In general, it seems that sequels seldom live up to the originals. There are just too many examples I can think of when this was the case. In addition, sequels that take an entirely different approach to the original subject matter often are abysmal failures as well (such as the wonderful VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED and it's incredibly awful and saccharine CHILDREN OF THE DAMNED). In light of this, I was very pleasantly surprised to this see that this film, while quite different from the fantastic original, is still an exceptional film.

Much of the reason for the film being so good was that the film was made by Universal Studios during a very productive period for their horror films. They just knew how to put the whole package together to make a dandy film. Additionally, the cast really helped as well, as Vincent Price (mostly just his voice, as he IS invisible through almost all the film), Cedric Hartwicke, Cecil Kellaway and many others worked together to quite nicely. The writing, also, is a big standout, as the film COULD have easily been just another "hack" sequel. Using bits of humor here and there throughout the film and providing a great ending really made this film worth while.