The greatest movie ever made..!

A Disappointing Continuation

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

The Man Who Changed His Mind (original title) AKA The Man Who Lived Again (1936). This film is another example of Karloff's brilliance of acting skills. He takes a good character, Dr. Laurience, and makes him beyond great. Dr. Laurience has discovered a way transfer the thoughts of one person into the body of another.Lord Haslewood has the money while Dr. Laurience has the knowledge. The medical community has laughed at Dr. Laurience and it is Lord Haslewood that is funding the research. Clayton is Dr. Laurience's wheelchair bound assistant and the only person that knows the doctor's experiments actually work outside of one woman,Dr. Clare Wyatt, that begins to believe Dr. Laurience but can she stop him on time? Murder and lots of body/mind switching at the end of the film- so you will not want to miss who is who and why.9/10

OK, so the opening moments are likely to make a modern audiences grind their teeth a little, as a British journalist spends an inordinate amount of time and energy trying to convince an independent professional woman (in fact, a brilliant surgeon!) to marry him instead of going off to pursue a chance to study with Karloff's character. But it was the 30s and it was Great Britain, so I'll let it slide.This early "mind switch" movie has a great performance from Karloff (which is no surprise) and also from two of the supporting actors (one playing a wheelchair bound paralytic, the other the lead actress' father and millionaire crusading publisher). This isn't to say that everyone isn't fine in "Man", just that the nature of these three parts means that a) they get all the best lines, and b) they all get to play each other (what with the mind transplants and all).The director keeps things moving and the scenes stay energetic and snappy, the black and white photography makes the sets look moody and interesting. The screen play distinguishes itself with some interesting twists ,and the plot spirals down into a sort of comedy of errors in the last third of the movie as Karloff decides to get the girl by committing a murder as himself, then switching bodies with his rival and leaving the poor sap to take the blame. (This actually makes perfect sense in the context of the movie).However, things don't quite work out, and hilarity ensues. Good wins out in the end, because evil can't be bothered to take care of minor details (like ensuring that the victims' bonds are tight) and because that's just how things were done back then.Lots of fun. Well worth seeking out if you are a fan of Karloff or British horror films in general.

A wonderful little horror/science fiction oddity, featuring newly-crowned horror king Boris Karloff in a deliciously over-the-top performance as a mad scientist performing illegal experiments. He made this movie back in Britain after having much Hollywood success. As the eccentric Dr. Laurence, Boris has found a way to transfer the mind and soul of one animal to another. It's only a matter of time before his insanity leads him to using human beings as his newest subjects, and his motivations include both revenge and personal greed. At only just over an hour, this piece moves quickly and is filmed at a lively pace. Karloff's co-star is the beautiful Anna Lee (who would go on to star with him again ten years later in BEDLAM). As a lover of both Boris Karloff and his oft-degraded rival Bela Lugosi, let me point out for anyone who negatively tends to criticize Lugosi's maniacal theatrics in films like Universal's THE RAVEN (1935) -- Boris is no slouch himself in this one as he gives Bela a run for his money in the "ham" department. (Speaking for myself, I love both performances just fine!). *** out of ****

Star Boris Karloff's second British horror film, following THE GHOUL (1933), proves a more satisfying vehicle and quite an underrated (if minor) classic; apart from director Stevenson (later to helm some of the Walt Disney studio's most popular live-action films), its imposing credentials include producer Michael Balcon (one of the most influential in British cinema) and co-screenwriters John L. Balderston (a genre fixture who had worked on some of Hollywood's finest entries) and Sidney Gilliat (later a Hitchcock collaborator and an important film-maker in his own right, often teamed with Frank Launder)!Production-wise, it's a modest effort – mostly confined to studio interiors – but one which, in its brief running-time, exhibits both style and substance in a gripping (if familiar) plot line that manages to encompass drama, comedy, romance, chills and suspense! Incidentally, the transference of souls from one body to another was also the theme of THE BROTHERHOOD OF Satan (1971) – which I just happened to watch the previous day – where it's given an occult slant, as opposed to the sci-fi approach of the Karloff film!! In fact, the star's 'mad scientist' character here (named Laurience but pronounced Lorenz!) was the second in a string of similar roles he played from 1936-1942; I've only watched the first two and the last one but I have two more coming up tomorrow and the day after, while the rest will be released as part of Columbia's Karloff set next month! Anyway, he's excellent as always – driven, menacing or poignant as the situation demands – but he's ably supported by a wonderful British cast: Anna Lee (the director's own wife and with whom Karloff would reteam, memorably, in Hollywood in the Val Lewton-produced BEDLAM [1946]), John Loder, Frank Cellier, Cecil Parker and especially Donald Calthrop; the latter almost manages to steal the show with his crippled and cynical doctor's assistant, whose brain is then put into Cellier's body: the scenes where he tries to act up his new persona provide some delightful – and unexpected – moments of black comedy! As usual, Karloff's love for the leading lady is unrequited (though she sure admires his genius!) and he concocts an elaborate plan to win her affections which, needless to say, is thwarted in the final reel. In fact, the film's climax (in which Karloff and Loder, having switched brains, attempt an impersonation of one another and then the process has to be reversed in order to save the hero's life, Karloff having thrown himself – in Loder's body – from a window to escape police capture!) is somewhat far-fetched but nonetheless exciting. The DVD transfer is acceptable for such a rare item, with the only negative note being some persistent hiss on the soundtrack.