Dr. Cyclops (1940)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Ernest B. Schoedsack

Writer:

Tom Kilpatrick (original screenplay)

Release Date:

12 April 1940 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Sci-Fi | Horror

Tagline:

Diabolical Dr. Cyclops

Plot:

Four explorers are summoned to Peru by the brilliant physicist Dr Thorkel. They discover a rich source...

Plot Keywords:

Radium | Peru | Rifle | Experiment | Scientist

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar.

Cast

Albert Dekker	...	Dr. Alexander Thorkel
Thomas Coley	...	Bill Stockton
Janice Logan	...	Dr. Mary Robinson
Charles Halton	...	Dr. Rupert Bulfinch
Victor Kilian	...	Steve Baker
Frank Yaconelli	...	Pedro
Paul Fix	...	Dr. Mendoza
Frank Reicher	...	Professor Kendall

Also Known As:

Doctor Cyclops (USA) (poster title)

Runtime:

77 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #5484) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | USA:TV-PG (TV rating) | UK:A (cut theatrical version) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | USA:Not Rated (DVD)

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

One of over 700 Paramount Productions, filmed between 1929 and 1949, which were sold to MCA/Universal in 1958 for television distribution, and have been owned and controlled by Universal ever since.

Quotes:

Dr. Alexander Thorkel: Are we then country doctors? You do not realize what we have here. In our very hands, we have the cosmic force of creation itself. In our very hands, we can shape life, take it apart, put it together again, mould it like putty.
Dr. Mendoza: But what you are doing is mad. It is diabolic! You are tampering with powers reserved to God.
Dr. Alexander Thorkel: That is good. That is very good. That is just what I am doing.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Monster Mania (1997) (TV)

Great Special Effects!

"Dr. Cyclops" was an unusual horror film for its time. It did not use any major stars and was shot in glorious technicolor (unheard of for a film of this type). The plot is a typical "B" movie plot but the special effects and the color photography are what really sets this film apart.

The story involves "Mad Scientist" Dr. Thorkel (Albert Dekker) who summons three scientists (Thomas Coley, Janice Logan, Charles Halton) to his remote South American laboratory to seek their advice on his secret project. Along the way they are forced to bring muleskinner (Victor Kilian) along.

It turns out that the evil doctor has discovered the secret of miniaturization. To prevent them from cashing in on his discovery Thorkel shrinks the three scientists, the muleskinner and nosey local Pedro (Frank Yaconelli) to miniscule size. The rest of the film chronicles their efforts to escape.

The real star of the film are its special effects. Accomplished through a combination of split-screen, rear projection, miniatures and over sized props, the effects are quite convincing for the time. One shot I thought was quite well done was a scene where the evil doctor picks up one of his victims in his hand.

Because most of the budget was spent on color and effects, the quality of the acting suffers. Dekker does OK as the title character (a name given him by his victims because of his failing eyesight). The others are just barely adequate. Veteran Paul Fix, who could have raised the acting up a level, appeared briefly in the opening reel as Thorkel's sceptical assistant.