One of my best purchases in recent years is definitely the Blu-Ray DVD-boxset of "Karloff at Columbia", which includes this little-seen gem as well as a handful of other forgotten 30s horror treasures like "The Black Room" and "Before I Hang". Everybody knows Boris Karloff as the great horror icon in legendary Universal classics like "Frankenstein" and "The Mummy", but this man was one of the greatest actors in history and appeared in so many other stupendous movies.
Karloff was a genius when it came to portraying devoted scientists, varying from misunderstood, over to dangerously obsessive, towards downright mad. In "The Man with Nine Lives", his character goes through all these stages in one massively entertaining film. In 1930 already, Dr. Leon Kravaal was a pioneer in the use of cryogenics for complex surgeries and treatments, but the rest of the medical world wasn't ready yet, and they accused him of murdering a patient. At his secret laboratory in Silver Lake, near the Canadian border, Kravaal saw no other option than to freeze himself, and the four men who accused him. Ten years later, a slightly less successful and talented believer in cryogenic science travels to Silver Lake with his fiancée to find out more about Dr. Kravaal's research. They find and "defrost" Dr. Kravaal, who immediately continues his work, regardless of any ethical objections.
Admittedly, there are several illogical moments and dumb little errors in "The Man with Nine Lives". The number in the title being one of them already, in fact. It's hard to believe that basic items, like blankets and strong coffee, form vital elements in a complicated medical procedure, for instance. It's even more difficult to believe that six prominent people remained missing for nearly a decade, while a random doctor and his nurse can locate their bodies instantly as they arrive at the cabin. Nevertheless, though, the script is massively compelling, and Karloff's performance is nothing short of phenomenal. There's also plenty of action for a 1940-movie, and a few grisly images to please the diehard horror fanatics.
Karloff was a genius when it came to portraying devoted scientists, varying from misunderstood, over to dangerously obsessive, towards downright mad. In "The Man with Nine Lives", his character goes through all these stages in one massively entertaining film. In 1930 already, Dr. Leon Kravaal was a pioneer in the use of cryogenics for complex surgeries and treatments, but the rest of the medical world wasn't ready yet, and they accused him of murdering a patient. At his secret laboratory in Silver Lake, near the Canadian border, Kravaal saw no other option than to freeze himself, and the four men who accused him. Ten years later, a slightly less successful and talented believer in cryogenic science travels to Silver Lake with his fiancée to find out more about Dr. Kravaal's research. They find and "defrost" Dr. Kravaal, who immediately continues his work, regardless of any ethical objections.
Admittedly, there are several illogical moments and dumb little errors in "The Man with Nine Lives". The number in the title being one of them already, in fact. It's hard to believe that basic items, like blankets and strong coffee, form vital elements in a complicated medical procedure, for instance. It's even more difficult to believe that six prominent people remained missing for nearly a decade, while a random doctor and his nurse can locate their bodies instantly as they arrive at the cabin. Nevertheless, though, the script is massively compelling, and Karloff's performance is nothing short of phenomenal. There's also plenty of action for a 1940-movie, and a few grisly images to please the diehard horror fanatics.