Corridors of Blood (1958)

Director:

Robert Day

Writer:

Jean Scott Rogers (screenplay)
(more)

Release Date:

6 September 1962 (UK)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Horror | Thriller

Tagline:

Tops in Terror!

Plot:

Dr. Thomas Bolton fights for the use of anesthetic in surgery and uses himself as a guinea pig but soon finds himself addicted.

Plot Keywords:

Experiment | Surgery | Tavern | Death Certificate | 1840s

Cast

Boris Karloff	...	Dr. Thomas Bolton
Betta St. John	...	Susan
Christopher Lee	...	Resurrection Joe
Finlay Currie	...	Supt. Charles Matheson
Adrienne Corri	...	Rachel
Francis De Wolff	...	Black Ben (also as Francis de Wolff)
Francis Matthews	...	Jonathan Bolton
Frank Pettingell	...	Mr Blount
Basil Dignam	...	Hospital chairman
Marian Spencer	...	Mrs Matheson
Carl Bernard	...	Ned, The Crow
John Gabriel	...	Baker
Nigel Green	...	Insp. Donovan
Yvonne Romain	...	Rosa (as Yvonne Warren)
Howard Lang	...	Chief Inspector
Julian D'Albie	...	Bald Man
Roddy Hughes	...	Man with Watch
Robert Raglan	...	Wilkes
Charles Lloyd Pack	...	Hardcastle
Bernard Archard	...	Hospital Official
Frank Sieman	...	Evans, Hospital Night Porter
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Josephine Bailey	...	Child (uncredited)
Maureen Beck	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Anne Castaldini	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Gilda Emmanuelli	...	Annie (uncredited)
Charmian Eyre	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Anthea Holloway	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Kaplan Kaye	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Desmond Llewelyn	...	Assistant at Operations (uncredited)
Skip Martin	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Malcolm Ranson	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Mavis Ranson	...	Undetermined Role (uncredited)
Marianne Stone	...	Woman Arrested at Black Ben's (uncredited)
Brian Wilde	...	Man in Operating Theatre Audience (uncredited)

Directed by
Robert Day

Writing credits
Jean Scott Rogers		(screenplay)
Jean Scott Rogers		(story) uncredited

Produced by
John Croydon	....	producer
Peter Mayhew	....	associate producer
Charles F. Vetter	....	producer (as Charles Vetter Jr.)
Richard Gordon	....	executive producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Buxton Orr

Cinematography by
Geoffrey Faithfull		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Peter Mayhew

Art Direction by
Anthony Masters

Makeup Department
Wally Schneiderman	....	makeup artist (as Walter Schneidermann)
Eileen Warwick	....	hairdresser

Production Management
George Mills	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Peter Bolton	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Maurice Askew	....	sound recordist
Peter Musgrave	....	dubbing editor
Cyril Swern	....	sound recordist

Camera and Electrical Department
Frank Drake	....	camera operator

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Emma Selby-Walker	....	dress designer
Doris Turner	....	wardrobe mistress

Music Department
Buxton Orr	....	conductor
Frederick Lewis	....	musical director (uncredited)

Other crew
Susan Dyson	....	continuity

Production Companies

• Amalgamated Productions (as An Amalgamated Production)

Distributors

• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1962) (UK) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1963) (USA) (theatrical)
• Missing in Action (MIA) (1986) (UK) (VHS)
• General Networks Ltd. (1994) (UK) (VHS)
• MPI Home Video (1994) (USA) (VHS) (pan and scan)
• Image Entertainment (1998) (USA) (VHS) (pan and scan)
• Umbrella Entertainment (2005) (Australia) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (2007) (USA) (DVD) (Included in the "Monsters and Mayhem" box set.)
• Image Entertainment (USA) (DVD)
• Janus Films (198?) (worldwide) (all media)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

86 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

UK:15 (video rating) (1986) | UK:X (original rating) (passed with cuts)

Filming Locations:

MGM British Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company:

Amalgamated Productions

Trivia:

Although the film was not released until 1962, it was actually shot in 1958.

Goofs:

Continuity: The light used on Lee's entrance varies from shot to shot.

Quotes:

Mr Blount:A good day's work, Bolton! You're getting faster all the time. Beats me how you do it!
Dr. Bolton:[Bitterly] No matter how fast I still can't save them!
Mr Blount:Yes, most distresing, but, alas, inevitably you can't have operations without screams. Pain and the knife, they're inseparable!
Dr. Bolton:I beg to differ. Someday surgery must and will be made painless.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Corridor Gossip (2007) (V)

Soundtrack:

Luverly Gin

Why did it take four years to release this film? It was excellent and very watchable.

This is a deceptive little film. First off, because it was made and sat for four years before release, you might be inclined to think it is a dud--but that's far from true. The film is very good--good enough to almost earn an 8. Second, while the film has some horrific scenes and features Boris Karloff and Christopher Lee, it is not a horror film but more of a drama. So if you see it, don't expect monsters or madness--instead, there are just bad people and good people doing bad things.

The film is set in 1840 and Karloff plays an exceptionally skilled surgeon who is dismayed that there are no drugs to alleviate the suffering of patients during surgery. Basically, people were wide awake and felt EVERYTHING during surgery and amputations! This is true, as the first anesthesias didn't come about until around 1850. Despite his concerns, other doctors didn't share his enthusiasm for change, so Karloff foolishly begins experimenting on himself--inhaling a mixture of various chemicals (including opium). Not surprisingly, he becomes addicted and this once sweet man becomes an unwilling pawn in the seedy underworld.

The film gets very high marks for construction, writing, direction and the performance of Karloff. There isn't much I'd change about the film, though fans of Christopher Lee might be disappointed that his role isn't that big and his character isn't that interesting (despite the fact he's a cold-blooded murderer). Give this intelligent little film a watch--it's really very good.