"The Veil" 1958 is a series that sounds like the show of a Classic Horror fan's dreams: None other than the great Boris Karloff narrates mysterious stories about the 'unexplainable, which lies behind the veil' in 10 episodes. And "The Veil" is a treat for lovers of classic spookiness indeed. The episodes do differ in quality, of course, some of them ("The Ripper", "Summer Heat") are creepy and atmospheric, others ("Genesis") are quite cheesy, but the entire series is very entertaining. This fourth episode, "The Doctors" is a very atmospheric one. Yet, it is not among the best episodes of the series. The story revolves around Dr. Carlo Marcabienti (Kaloff), a country doctor whom the people of a remote Italian village rely on, and his son Angelo, who is also a doctor. In a stormy night, both father and son have to get out in order to help the sick of the village... This episode delivers a nice little story and a nice atmosphere, and yet I somehow had the feeling they could have made more out of it. This could have been a lot better with some more time than 25 minutes, or if the 25 minutes had been used slightly more effectively. Still, this is a moody and more than worthwhile episode to the series. Recommended.
8 Reviews
Nice episode
Woodyanders31 October 2010
Warning: Spoilers
Slightly cocky, but merry and eager young doctor Angelo Marcabienti (a likable portrayal by Tony Travis) tries to persuade his tired, yet kindly and dedicated physician father Carlo Marcabienti (a delightfully spry and engaging performance by the always splendid Boris Karloff) to retire and let him take car of the superstitious residents in a small Italian village. However, strange things occur when Angelo tries to take care of a sickly little girl. Director George Waggner and writer David Evans offer a vivid and flavorsome evocation of the remote rural region and milk a good deal of tension and atmosphere from the pleasingly simple premise. The peasant locals are well drawn and never degenerate into crude hick caricatures. The slight supernatural twist doesn't occur until the very end, but it's still pretty nifty and treated with the show's characteristic mix of subtlety and intelligence. Karloff's usual dignified presence helps a lot; he brings a winning warmth and energy to his role of a fiercely responsible country doctor. Argentina Brunetti also contributes a lively and enjoyable turn as Carlo's loyal and excitable servant Maria. Moreover, this show delivers an interesting central message about basic religious faith having more value than cold scientific reason. Howard Schwartz's sharp black and white cinematography and Leon Klatzkin's spare shivery score further add to the overall sound quality of this solid and satisfying episode.
The Veil: The Doctors
Scarecrow-8815 August 2011
Warning: Spoilers
Atmospheric episode of "The Veil", directed by George Waggner (The Wolf Man), with an enigmatic twist towards the end that gives it an extra eerie potency, has Italian peasants needing their beloved country doctor, "El Doctore" Dr. Carlo Marcabienti (a delightful Karloff), to come at once as a little girl in the family is dying of diphtheria and could pass away at any moment. Carlo's son, Angelo(Tony Travis), a city surgeon who wishes his aging father, clearly worse for wear due to his busy duties always on call to help the peasants all over the countryside, would come to live with him, is visiting. Angelo, because Carlo is out attending to another sick local, decides to go to the peasant family but their insistence on El Doctore could cost them the young child's life. What gives the episode a nice spooky feel is the heavy winds depicting an ominous storm a brewing, but even more fascinating is the twist involving El Doctore, "arriving" almost too late as Angelo was unable to get the father of the sick child to agree to let him perform a much needed tracheotomy unless Carlo is present, which provides a definite feeling of surprise because it really comes out of nowhere and is unexpected. I like to think it says that even if a doctor is not necessarily "present" in body, he is in spirit, and that is able to work wonders. Just a sparkling performance from Karloff as a caring village doctor who looks at the locals who live on the countryside as if they were his children, depending on him not just as a physician but a friend and confidant, trusted and dependable, shunning the mere thought of leaving them as his son requests.
Pretty good.
planktonrules5 January 2014
This is an odd episode of "The Veil" because everyone in the show except for the two leads talks with thick Italian accents. However, the two doctors are supposed to be Italian--so why no accent? The show begins with Dr. Angelo Marcabient returning home to his small town. He is a very proficient doctor in the big city and his father, Carlo (Boris Karloff) is a small-town doctor--and a very tired one. Carlo is old and his patients keep him VERY busy. Angelo hopes to get his father to retire and come back to the city with him--Carlo will have none of that. Soon after this discussion, Carlo is called away to deal with a patient. Soon after, someone comes looking for Carlo as there is an emergency, so Angelo goes in his place. What happens next is one of those supposedly real (it ain't) cases of the supernatural.
Apart from the missing accents, this was an intriguing and well made show. Like other episodes I've seen from the series, Karloff not only narrated but was one of the principal players in the episode.
Apart from the missing accents, this was an intriguing and well made show. Like other episodes I've seen from the series, Karloff not only narrated but was one of the principal players in the episode.
Out of Body Experience
Hitchcoc4 November 2016
I liked this one. Boris and his son have a bit of a reunion. They are both doctors. Karloff is the kindly old physician who tends to all the superstitious peasants in the Italian village. He also looks after their emotional needs, but he is getting tired. A family is in desperate need of a doctor for their little girl. It is a stormy night and the old doctor has gone to look after an elderly woman who is dying. Because he isn't there, the son heads out, not realizing that these people are so fixated on the old doctor, they won't let the young, more modern doctor, assist them. What happens after that would spoil the ending. Suffice it to say, it's a nicely told tale and caught me by surprise. I wonder why this series has sat in a vault all these years. For its time, it wasn't earth shattering, but had nice stories to tell.
"Anything that happens, it's ask the doctor."
classicsoncall5 April 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Of the first four episodes in this series, this one is probably the strangest so far, and that includes two prior stories that could be chalked up to a ghostly presence, namely 'The Girl on the Road' and 'Food on the Table'. That's because this one involves a not unheard of, but a very rare phenomenon known as bilocation, in which a person is seemingly in two places at the same time. It occurs when elderly doctor Carlo Marcabienti (Boris Karloff) appears at the bedside of a very sick young girl while his son Angelo (Tony Travis), also a doctor, is also present, but prevented from treating the girl because of the family's superstitious ways. With curtain drawn, the senior Marcabienti tells his son to operate to save the girl from her condition, described as diptheria. That doesn't generally require an operation, but for the sake of the story you'll have to go with it. With the girl out of danger, Dr. Carlo leaves to return home, soon to be followed by Angelo. However, when Angelo arrives, Dr. Carlo, his housekeeper Maria (Argentina Brunetti), and the family chauffeur Giuseppi (Bruno Della Santina) all decisively state that Dr. Carlo never left the house! As host and narrator of the program, Boris Karloff doesn't even try to offer an explanation since there wasn't one. However there have been well known and documented cases of bilocation, the most famous of which is probably that of St. Martin de Porres. In his case, he appeared in two places at once many times during his devout life. Check it out!
Rather genteel
Leofwine_draca31 October 2018
Warning: Spoilers
THE DOCTORS is a rather genteel episode of THE VEIL, in which the supernatural elements are very slight and almost tacked on, right at the end. The setting is Italy, where a rural village is serviced by two doctors, father and son. A crisis occurs and divine intervention may help. Karloff is fun as the senior of the pair, but this is strictly middling.
the faith
Kirpianuscus2 October 2022
A beautiful episode about faith. An old and tired country doctor. His son, doctor himself, visiting his dad. His proposition and a case changing everything. Sure, maybe many critics are fair about this episode but it has the virtue to be one of the most touching of series. Because it explores, sure, in hurry manner, the roots of miracle.
A very simple Italian family, the younger member of family presenting simptoms of diphteria , the intervention of young doctor and the not very pleasant answer to his demands of family.
But something becomes more than convincing, making this episode something between lies of saints and power of prayer and some influences from A country doctor by Franz Kafka.
In short, just lovely.
A very simple Italian family, the younger member of family presenting simptoms of diphteria , the intervention of young doctor and the not very pleasant answer to his demands of family.
But something becomes more than convincing, making this episode something between lies of saints and power of prayer and some influences from A country doctor by Franz Kafka.
In short, just lovely.
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