The Man with Nine Lives (1940)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

Nick Grinde

Writers:

Harold Shumate (story)
Karl Brown (screenplay)

Release Date:

18 April 1940 (USA)

Genre:

Mystery | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

He kills in the name of science...Tombs of ice for the living...Chambers of horror for the dead!

Plot:

A medical researcher visits the deserted home of a pioneer in cryogenic science who disappeared 10 years earlier and finds him frozen in ice but still alive.

Plot Keywords:

Cancer | Cryogenics | Experiment | Ice | Human Guinea Pig

Cast

Boris Karloff	...	Dr. Leon Kravaal
Roger Pryor	...	Dr. Tim Mason
Jo Ann Sayers	...	Nurse Judith Blair
Stanley Brown	...	Bob Adams
John Dilson	...	District Attorney John Hawthorne
Hal Taliaferro	...	Sheriff Ed Stanton
Byron Foulger	...	Dr. Henry Bassett
Charles Trowbridge	...	Dr. Harvey
Ernie Adams	...	Pete Daggett

Also Known As:

Behind the Door (UK)

Runtime:

74 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

Canada:G (Ontario) | USA:Approved (PCA #6183) | USA:TV-G (TV rating)

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Goofs:

Plot holes: When Dr. Mason uses the "standard" method of reviving Dr. Kravaal, it doesn't appear to be anything more than placing him near a fire and putting blankets on him. He asks his nurse for "more coffee," but it's unclear what he's doing with the coffee which would help him resuscitate the doctor as Kravaal is unconscious and can't be drinking it.

Quotes:

Dr. Tim Mason: [realizing they are trapped in a frozen cavern deep underground with a madman] There's no use kidding ourselves - we're in a spot.

A welcome new twist on the whole mad scientist genre

It's not exactly a major shock that Boris Karloff plays a mad scientist in this film, though it is very unusual the way he plays this role. Instead of the evil twisted genius set on making monsters or ruling the world, Karloff's goals are incredibly noble. And, when he later kills, you really understand with and could possibly condone why he did this. The moral implications of the film are astounding! As for the rest of the film, the writing for this sort of B-movie is very good, the acting fine and production values work out well (proving you don't need a huge budget to make a good film). About the only negatives at all are the ending (I would have just ended the film a minute or two earlier without the unnecessary final scene) and a mistake in the film about how deep the lab was under the earth. In the beginning, they count 191 steps to the bottom of the shaft to the lab, but later, it's just a homemade ladder about 12 feet long. Regardless, it didn't harm the film in any serious way and the film is a very good 'mad scientist' flick that actually is good entertainment and well thought-out.