Donovan's Brain

source: Donovan's Brain

Trailer—Donovan's Brain

Donovan's Brain

After Lew Ayres conscientiously objected in WWII, he couldn't get work in first-rate movies anymore, so he appeared in movies like "Donovan's Brain". He plays Dr. Patrick Cory, keeping a dead man's brain alive. Naturally, the brain starts overpowering him and gets him to do evil things. Most people would probably just classify "Donovan's Brain" as a B-movie, but I would like to assert that it was more than that. It was one of the movies that defined the '50s. The only "dead brain" movie that equaled its coolness was "The Brain that Wouldn't Die". It's hard to believe that was the future Nancy Reagan working with him in the lab. These days, someone needs to tell her to find a better pair of glasses.

Yet another story inspired by a Curt Siodmak science fiction novel. This adapted by Hugh Brooks has an earnest Dr. Pat Cory(Lew Ayres)maintaining the living brain of a dead millionaire. The more research discovered by Cory and his wife(Nancy Davis)and assistant Dr. Schratt(Gene Evans), Dr. Cory begins to be controlled by the power of the ruthless millionaire's brain. Cory subconsciously takes on the mannerisms and thought processes of the brain's owner. A freelance reporter(Steve Brodie)tries to blackmail Dr. Cory by revealing his dangerous experiment to the public. Veteran actor Ayres goes about the role as if routine. Miss Davis, the future First Lady, seems talentless.

This is brainier (yeah, pun intended) than almost all the other 1950's sci-fi/horror movies but that doesn't mean it is that great and it certainly doesn't live up to its billing. Critics have overrated this movie for decades. I give it one thing: unlike most in its genre, it leans more toward the cerebral than the shock or visual. That's the good news. The bad news is that it gets boring by the halfway mark. Even at just 80 minutes, it is not an easy movie stay with, or one that rivet you to your movie seat. Don't believe the "elitists" who like to tell you how "intelligent" - and thus entertaining - this film is, because there is a reason less than 20 people have reviewed it here as of late 2007: it's not that good. B-movie stars Gene Evans, Lew Ayers, Steve Brodie and Nancy Davis star in the film. Evans overacts and is horrible - the worst actor in the film - while Davis - better known as the former First Lady Nancy Reagan - had a pleasant voice back then, but that was about it.

Donovan's Brain is the best version of this story I have seen and makes a change from the usual 50's sci fi of giant monsters and alien invasions. A mad Doctor who experiments trying to keep brains from monkeys alive finally achieves this after several attempts. The same day, a fatality from a car crash, a millionaire (Mr Donovan) is brought in and he decides to use this human brain to see if he can do the same. He succeeds, but gradually, the brain takes over his mind and it gets bigger. This leads to murder. Just as the Doctor is trying to murder his wife during a thunderstorm, lightning strikes their house and this "kills" the brain and burns it. The doctor and his wife are OK. A British version of this story followed in 1962, but this is the best version. The movie stars Dr Kildare actor Lew Ayres, future First Lady and Ronald Reagan's widow Nancy Davis and Gene Evans (The Giant Behemoth). I found this movie very enjoyable and is worth seeking out. Rating: 4 stars out of 5.

There's always someone out there who feels he can do whatever he wants. A scientist finds a man, hanging on to life by a thread, from plane crash. He is unable to save his body, but decides he has the ability to keep the brain alive. It turns out that the brain is that of a man name Donovan who was a ruthless, cutthroat businessman, with no moral or ethical sense. Somehow, the brain begins to inflict its will on the scientist. It isn't long before the brain is ordering the man around and he isn't having him do acts of kindness. This movie is pretty bad, but it has a history, and people seem to enjoy it. My father, who probably saw about three movies in his life, knew this one. If you just want to have some fun and don't want to ask too many questions, this may be your cup of tea. Perhaps they should have sent the thing into politics. They could use some brains in congress.

A doctor tries to keep a brain alive after the body dies, but the brain is too powerful and soon commands the doctor around. With the deceased man's mob connections, life is soon troublesome for the brilliant doc. Starring Nancy Davis (the future Nancy Reagan) and written by Curt Siodmak, who had written many sci-fi and horror films (most notably "The Wolf Man")... this came from his original novel of the same name. Although not the original film version of this story (that would be "The Lady and the Monster" in 1944) it went on to influence a great many other films and television shows, from "Star Trek" to Stephen King's "It". (The "Star Trek" influence is on the episode "Spock's Brain", though it should be noted that a character in this film does say, "I'm a doctor, not an electrician." Bones?)