Leofwine_draca A stodgy retelling of the classic sci-fi novel, DONOVAN'S BRAIN. Disembodied brains were all the rage when this film was made, with the likes of THE BRAIN THAT WOULDN'T DIE and various Hammer Frankenstein movies playing with the possibility of life after death. However, this being a UK/West Germany co-production, the narrative actually has far more in common with the German krimi genre than a typical sci-fi movie.The narrative sees a millionaire being blown up in a plane crash, and it soon transpires that there was a bomb on board. Novelty value comes from the millionaire's brain being used to hunt down the culprits responsible, and he does so by possessing the body of the man (Peter van Eyck) keeping him alive.The sci-fi elements are kept to a minimum here, with the emphasis instead on the murder mystery genre. As with many krimi films, stark black and white photography is the order of the day, with the cast populated by criminals, detectives and femme fatales. Director Freddie Francis contributes atmosphere to the narrative but this is one of his lesser pieces.The story just doesn't have much in the way of oomph or excitement to it, even though there are a handful of decent moments. There are a couple of familiar faces in the cast, including Miles Malleson and Bernard Lee, but no performances here to get excited about. Definitely a potboiler, this one, and not a decent one either.

Spikeopath An adaptation of film noir legend Curt Siodmak's novel, Donovan's Brain, The Brain offers up a murder mystery narrative to go with the mad science angle. It's not particularly thrilling but it does tick along nicely and director Freddie Francis has a keen eye for scene staging. Cast features Peter Van Eyck, Anne Heywood, Cecil Parker and Bernard Lee, and they all do what is required to make the material work. Stand out moments involve some delightfully monstrous paintings, a lie detector scene and all the sequences where Van Eyck is possessed by the brain of the powerful industrialist who was murdered by person or persons unknown. Good and safe "B" schlocky fare for the so inclined. 6/10

malcolmgsw With a stellar cast of British character actors I was looking forward to seeing this film.Alas I was very disappointed.There are certain similarities to The Scorcerers but they are all invidious.The problem with this film was that it didn't seem to know what it really wanted to be.A thriller or sci fi or mad doctor,and as a result it fell between all of them and quite frankly was both boring and silly.In any event the idea of being able to reclaim the living brain of someone who has died in an aircraft explosion is a bit fantastic.Good to see the likes of Cecil Parker,Miles Malleson and Bernard Lee but otherwise not much else to keep your attention.

sundar-2 If the science fiction elements were absent from this film, it would have been a good film noir movie. A remake of "Donovan's Brain", "Ein Toter sucht seinen Morder" (American title: The Brain), falls between two stools. In it, a scientist keeps alive the brain of a dead colleague while keeping the fact a secret from dead man's relatives who he suspects of murdering him; he turns detective and investigates.The brain is kept alive in what looks a formalin-filled tank with wires sticking out of it - amateurish, but in keeping with the low budget science fiction films of that era. The film noir camera work is excellent as are the other film noir elements in this flick. The movie has a fast pace most of the time. Peter van Eych's acting is wooden at best and he looks too old for the part.Worth watching if you are into old science fiction films of that era.(Reviewed by Sundar Narayan)