Doctor X

Summary

“Gentlemen, I am now turning on the 100 milliampere high frequency coil. Your pulses are connected with the magnetic rotators.”

Warner Archive is one of my favorite labels due to its commitment to restoring and releasing films that date all the way back to the pre-code era of filmmaking. What makes the Warner Archive label unique is their diverse range of selections that come from every era of filmmaking. Regardless of which era or genre of film, Warner always puts their best foot forward to present the films on Blu-ray in the best condition that the film has ever been released. Their recent release of Doctor X deserves to be heaped with praise for the work that was put into restoring the film. 

Doctor X was directed by Michael Curtiz in 1932. It’s a film that combines screwball comedy, mystery, science fiction, and finally horror tropes. The film was shot by Curtiz in both color and black and white versions. These versions are different because they were shot simultaneously but use different takes that worked better for their formats. Curtiz is known for his film work on classics such as Casablanca and Yankee Doodle Dandy. This is the second of Curtiz’s early horror films to be released by Warner Archive after last year’s Mystery of the Wax Museum. I was interested in watching the film due to the director at the helm and the title role performance by Lionel Atwill. The film also stars Fay Wray who would later star in King Kong. I watched the film the other night.

In New York City, a series of grisly murders have occurred that have been linked to a killer named by the press as the Full Moon Killer. The murderer is apparently disfigured and has cannibalized his victims after their attacks. The reporter for Daily World that is investigating the killings is named Lee Taylor (Lee Tracy.) Doctor Xavier (Lionel Atwill) is brought in for questioning by the police after a murder, because the scalpel used to disfigure the bodies was specific to his medical academy – The Academy of Surgical Research. Doctor X gathers a group of suspects at the academy to try to figure out who is the murderer. The suspects include: the voyeuristic Haines (John Wray,) the paralyzed Duke (Harry Beresford,) Wells (Preston Foster) who is an amputee that has studied cannibalism, and Rowitz (Arthur Edmund Carewe) who is known for his studies of the moon. Doctor X has a staff on hand that includes a frightened maid named Mamie (Leila Bennett) and the ghoulish Otto (George Rosenberg.) Also at the academy is Doctor X’s daughter, Joanne Xavier (Fay Wray.) As reporter Lee Taylor sneaks into the academy to begin reporting, Doctor X sets up a series of experiments to help determine who has been performing the monstrous killings.

Fans of this era and Lionel Atwill will find a lot to enjoy about Doctor X. The restoration work undertaken by UCLA and Warner is truly remarkable. They have basically poured new life into the film from Jack Warner’s negatives. The restoration work becomes even more impressive after watching the feature included on the disc of what was done to essentially save the film. The technicolor process utilized for the film lends some interesting lighting to the film. When people saw the film in theaters they must have been impressed to see the ways in which Curtiz amplified the strange atmospherics with the red blood on the surgical smocks and the green lighting that permeates many scenes in vivid ways.

The film itself is an enjoyable pre-code horror-mystery. I love the way that these types of films were constructed at the time. Mad scientists, cannibalistic murders, and an extremely satisfying horror finale make the film a successful mish-mash. The film’s horror aspects are not revealed until the final moments, but they pay off. Until then, the film is more involved in mixing mystery and science fiction elements. The screwball comedy in the film has aged poorly, but adds to the quaint nature of the film. Lionel Atwill is one of my favorite actors from that era, and Doctor X is a perfectly constructed vehicle for his type of showmanship. Michael Curtiz does solid work with all of the actors involved and creates a memorable film experience. Fans of pre-code cinema and Lionel Atwill will certainly want to add this film to their collection!

Video

Warner Archive has outdone itself in terms of a pure restoration effort on this release. As one would expect, a color film from 1932 would have certain difficulties being brought up to the standards of high definition for Blu-ray. Warner has done a fantastic job on the transfer of the film using an MPEG-4 AVC codec in its original aspect ratio of 1.37:1. While the film itself can not honestly compare to more recent film in terms of fine detail or range of color, the restoration work is immaculate. The film was scanned in 4K and thousands of instances of print damage were reversed by skilled technicians. To comprehend the lengths that Warner and the UCLA team put into this release, I highly recommend watching the restoration feature on the disc. The film utilized a two strip Technicolor technique that lends itself towards accentuating greens and reds. The resulting film looks truly unique. The fine detail is great considering the original source. The disc also includes the Black and White version of the film which has been given a great restoration as well.

Audio

Warner has provided a good sounding DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track that capably replicates the original sound design of the film. The same way in which they restored the visuals of the film, hum and distortion was reduced as much as possible and the soundtrack was given special attention. The resulting audio is another triumph for the restoration team.

Supplements:

• Black-and-White Version – shot simultaneously by cinematographer Richard Towers, this is a truly alternate version of the film in Black and White. Great care went into its restoration and the film is still attractive, even if it loses a decent amount of spectacle in the transition.

• Audio Commentary – author/film historian Alan K. Rode delivers an excellent and extremely informative track. He is one of the best in the business at discussing films from this era.

• Audio Commentary – Scott MacQueen, head of preservation at UCLA’s Film and Television Archive, discusses the unique aspects of the two strip technicolor process and the restoration work performed.

• Monsters and Mayhem: The Horror Films of Michael Curtiz – Alan K. Rode and Scott MacQueen discuss the three horror films made by Michael Curtiz – The Walking Dead, Mystery of the Wax Museum, and Doctor X.

• UCLA Before & After Restoration Reel – Scott MacQueen narrates this amazing piece about the restoration of the film.

• Theatrical Trailer

Overall Scores:

Video – 5/5

Audio – 4.5/5

Supplements – 4/5

Overall – 4.5/5

Doctor X shows exactly what lengths Warner Archive (in conjunction with the UCLA Film and Television Archive) will go to restore genre films from their vault. This is an enjoyable piece of pre-code filmmaking from director Michael Curtiz starring the wonderful Lionel Atwill. The film blends elements of adventure, screwball comedy, science fiction, mystery, and finally horror into an enjoyable package in under eighty minutes. Fans of Lionel Atwill will be thrilled to see what has been done to this film. For fans of this era and genre, this release comes highly recommended.