Donovan's Brain [DVD]

Let's face it, brains are gross...they're gray, wrinkly, gelatinous, and usually covered with viscous fluids. Sure, some monsters find them rather tasty, but I think most of us would, at the very least, wince with disgust at the thought of handling a brain, that is unless you're some kind of medical professional specializing in brains, a creepy scientist with a hankering to tinker in the realm of the unknown, or just a sickie with a with an unnatural urge to mess around with disgusting things. Regardless, Hollywood has found disembodied brains to be a worthwhile subject for at least a few films from The Brain from Planet Arous (1957), Fiend Without a Face (1958), The Brain That Wouldn't Die (1962) (okay, this one features a disembodied head rather than a disembodied brain, but either way, it's a real stinker), The Brain (1964), The Man With Two Brains (1983), and this film, Donovan's Brain (1953). Of the sub genre, Donovan's Brain isn't the best, but certainly isn't the worst.The film, based on a novel written by the prolific and influential Curt Siodmak (fans of early horror and sci-fi films will recognize the name) and directed by Felix Fiest, Donovan's Brain features Lew Ayres (calling Dr. Kildare...) as Dr. Patrick Corey, a scientist obsessed with unlocking the mysteries of the brain. The film also stars Nancy Davis (future First Lady Nancy Reagan and the woman who taught a whole generation how to `Just Say No') as his wife Janice, and veteran actor Gene Evans, who I last saw in the Steven McQueen western Nevada Smith (1966), as Dr. Frank Schratt, a local practitioner, part-time assistant to Dr. Corey, and a part-time alcoholic (his first scene in the film has him passed out on the floor).The film begins with Dr. Corey and his wife returning from a trip to the local monkey store with a new specimen for Corey's experiments (don't get too attached to that monkey, Janice), that involve, you guessed it, brains...it seems Corey is intent on proving a brain, hooked to electrodes, can survive in a fish tank with dirty water, long after the host body is gone. Why, you ask? Why not, I say...well, after numerous failed attempts, this last one succeeds, and not a moment too soon as Dr. Corey is about to upgrade from monkey brains to human brains. It seems there's been a small plane crash in the area, and since Dr. Schratt is nowhere to be found (he's actually sleeping one off, if you know what I mean...glugg, glugg...), Dr. Corey is called in to tend to possible survivors. Apparently there's only one, a man named W.H. Donovan. Who is W.H. Donovan? Well, I tell you...he's an extremely rich man who possesses a very dark side, as we learn later on in the film. Anyway, attempts to save Donovan, who's very badly hurt, fail, Corey sees an opportunity in harvesting the dead man's brain. With the help of his wife and Dr. Schratt, they manage to not only save the Donovan's brain, but keep it alive...and soon it begins to grow (with a lot of pulsating and glowing involved), and become strong. So strong, in fact, it begins to psychically force its' will on Corey (primarily) and the others. In becoming aware of his predicament and his new found powers, Donovan see possibilities he never before imagined, and plans begin to formulate. What kind of monstrosity has been unleashed on the world? Can it be stopped? Perhaps, but at what cost?I will say I enjoyed this film a lot. It's odd as the film is listed as sci-fi/horror, but it had an underlying `noir' quality, specifically the scenes where Donovan has taken over Corey's body, and is arranging his affairs, dealing with those who think him dead. He's a real meany, compared to congenial Corey who's obsessed but with the best intentions (saving lives, dammit!), to put it simply, and Aryes does a remarkable job switching personalities from Corey to Donovan. It's definitely a Jekyll and Hyde situation, and obvious enough for those who know Corey and have knowledge of the experiment understand what is happening. The direction is very good, and the use of shadows fairly pronounced, eliciting the `noir' quality I spoke of before. The plot is strong, and moves along at a good pace, allowing for little wasted screen time during the 84 minutes running time of the film. There are melodramatic elements included, involving concern for the change taking place with Dr. Corey, and given my limited experience with Siodmak's work, I feel this adaptation stays close to the original material. The effect is meant to infuse meaning and purpose to the characters, effectively turning them from 2-dimensional images on the screen to 3-dimensional characters the audience cares about, something that tends to be missing in a lot of modern day horror films, in my opinion. The special effects are pretty good (you will believe that pulsating brain lives) and enhance the story nicely. I wasn't too impressed with Nancy Davis' performance, but I couldn't decide if it was her acting, the inclusion of her character just because the story called for a female actress, or some of her lame lines (her character seemed resigned to state the obvious and provide little bits of exposition throughout, along with suffering a slight tinge of misogyny not uncommon in films of the time).The film is presented in its' original format (full screen), and looks very sharp, although I did notice some minor speckling throughout, but nothing to get in a bind over (the scenes featuring the stock footage car crash are the worst, showing very noticeable damage). The only special feature is that of a theatrical trailer, but I really wasn't expecting much since this comes from MGM Midnight Movie series, which isn't known for its' inclusion of extras, but can be counted on to provide a good looking transfer.Cookieman108

This review is for the blu-ray version of Donovan's Brain (1953) released on March 22, 2016 by Kino-LorberBLU_RAY DVD: The blu-ray quality is excellent. If you are a fan of this movie and want the best possible picture, this is easily the best version for you.EXTRA'S: There is a commentary track by film historian Richard Smith. It's pretty informative if not terribly exciting. You also get the original trailer and a "Trailers from Hell" presentation from Joe Dante.PLOT/SUMMARY: The movie starts off with Dr. Patrick Correy (Lew Ayers) and his wife Janice (Nancy Reagan!) experimenting on some animals. The experiments involve keeping alive the animal's brains while outside of the body. They are assisted by the town doctor who is also an alcoholic (Gene Evans).They hear of a plane crash and the body of a millionaire, Warren H. Donovan, is brought to his laboratory since he is the only doctor nearby. Dr. Correy removes the brain after he realizes that Donovan is a hopeless cause. Donovan's brain somehow exerts his will over Dr. Correy and begins to plan to permanently take over Dr. Correy's body as well as regain all his assets. Donovan's brain can also force his will upon anybody he makes contact with. A nosy reporter gets wind of what is going on in the lab and attempts to blackmail the doctor. Correy's wife along with friend must figure out how to rest control away from Donovan.PRODUCTION: 'Donovan's Brain' was a successful novel by Curt Siodmak written in 1942. There have been a few other movies based on this novel. None of them follow the plot completely. This one has a different ending than the novel.The acting is very good. As far as I'm concerned it borders on excellent for a movie of this type. Lew Ayers was superb as Dr. Correy. Everybody else was above average to excellent as well.THOUGHTS: Overall I thought this was a pretty good movie despite what some other's think. I enjoyed the parts when Lew Ayers was being controlled by Donovan's brain. I also found it very interesting watching Nancy Davis act. I kept thinking about her speeches as first lady and trying to reconcile the younger and older versions of herself.As far as 'brain' movies go, this one is definitely one of the best, if not the best.Thanks to Kino-Lorber for making this available in blu-ray.Highly Recommended for any 50's sci-fi fans and fans of 'brain' movies!

With the help of his drunken assistant (Gene Evans as Dr. Schratt), a cold and callous scientist (Lew Ayres as Dr. Cory) kills another monkey after he removes its brain. Dr. Cory is obsessed with monkey brains. When a report of a plane crash comes in and his help is required, Dr. Cory can hardly stand to be parted from his monkey brain. He has to be talked into providing care to the four passengers in the crashed plane. Three die, one lives long enough to make it to the doctor’s mountain lair. When the last passenger dies, the doctor feels it would be criminal to waste a perfectly good brain, so he takes it and dumps it in a fish tank. Soon, the insensitive doctor realizes he’s met someone even more manipulative than he is..........Donovan’s brain!!! Through telepathy, Donovan possesses the mad scientist and gets him to do his every bidding. Mostly this entails gathering a lot of money Donovan has stashed all over the place, so he can rule the world, one bank at a time! Unfortunately for the brain, treasury agents and a nosy reporter show up. The reporter is a blackmailer and the agents want a lot of information the brain doesn’t want to give out. Can anything stop this brain from getting too big for its fish tank!!!It’s wacky, it’s fun, Lew Ayres gets to play a split personality, and Nancy Davis almost approximates a real person in her depiction of Dr. Cory’s beleaguered wife.A fascinating piece of sci-fi horror. The only downside is the character of Dr. Cory. He is so indifferent it’s impossible to feel sorry for him when the brain takes over. Anyone who can kill monkeys right and left with nary a twinge of conscience............

Director Felix Feist was considered a modest talent, but he really goes to town on this 1953 Sci-fi, helped along by some excellent, moody photography and a musical score which helps to ramp up the suspense. Lew Ayres is excellent as the obsessive doctor, who extracts the brain of a dying patient and keeps it alive through electrodes and his own special solution. Nancy Davis, better known as First Lady Nancy Reagan, is warm and intelligent as his worried wife, and Gene Evans gives one of his best performances as the surgeon who assists the doctor, then comes to regret it when the doctor's personality suffers a dramatic and scary change. (No prizes for guessing what that's all about!)The doctor's laboratory is located in the desert, but we also get some trips to the big city, which adds a Noirish quality to the proceedings. The wardrobe is impressive, and the characters look very stylish in their top of the range outfits, driving around in Fifties cars - pure Americana. The ending could have been better, but the overall movie is still above average. A sharp black and white print from Simply Media, with good sound but no subtitles or extras. 83 minutes, aspect ratio 4:3, full screen. (The novel by Curt Siodmak also sounds like a good read.)

Donovan's Brain is a sci fi/horror which somehow seems to feature very little of each genre. This 1953 effort concerns a well to do scientist played by Lew Ayers who acquires the brain of a recently departed man from a plane accident. With his experiements he is able to keep the brain alive, however the more time he spends in the same room as the brain the more he takes on Donovan the dead man and starts to act out of character. Ayers is backed up by Gene Evans and Nancy Davis who would go on to become Nancy Regan. The acting and script are very good- and the many different characters and changes of location only heighten the movies credentials. However since this is a 50s sci fi horror there are quite a few goofy moments and lines and the thing certainly feels dated at times.One could go as far to call Donovan's Brain Jekyll and Hyde- and Ayers with the way he demands things from people may remind Star Wars fans of a Jedi Knight!All in all this is a very good effort, it's nearly a 5 star movie but the wimp out ending knocks this movie down a star.

I love original story.After I watched this Video, it completely followed original story and made me to understand the story.It's old movie, if this story makes using current technique, the movie will be more realistic, but I prefer this movie.

Waited years to see this, very pleased