User Reviews

"Dr. Cyclops" was an unusual horror film for its time. It did not use any major stars and was shot in glorious technicolor (unheard of for a film of this type). The plot is a typical "B" movie plot but the special effects and the color photography are what really sets this film apart.

The story involves "Mad Scientist" Dr. Thorkel (Albert Dekker) who summons three scientists (Thomas Coley, Janice Logan, Charles Halton) to his remote South American laboratory to seek their advice on his secret project. Along the way they are forced to bring muleskinner (Victor Kilian) along.

It turns out that the evil doctor has discovered the secret of miniaturization. To prevent them from cashing in on his discovery Thorkel shrinks the three scientists, the muleskinner and nosey local Pedro (Frank Yaconelli) to miniscule size. The rest of the film chronicles their efforts to escape.

The real star of the film are its special effects. Accomplished through a combination of split-screen, rear projection, miniatures and over sized props, the effects are quite convincing for the time. One shot I thought was quite well done was a scene where the evil doctor picks up one of his victims in his hand.

Because most of the budget was spent on color and effects, the quality of the acting suffers. Dekker does OK as the title character (a name given him by his victims because of his failing eyesight). The others are just barely adequate. Veteran Paul Fix, who could have raised the acting up a level, appeared briefly in the opening reel as Thorkel's sceptical assistant.

ALBERT DEKKER is the crazed DR. CYCLOPS who wants to protect his radium discovery by miniaturizing scientists who want to take advantage of his pet project. What's odd is that material that would ordinarily be found in a B-film, with a cast of unknowns aside from Dekker, was turned into a Technicolor A feature by Paramount, with its marvelous special effects (quaint by today's standards) even nominated for Best Special Effects.

Escape from Dr. Cyclops becomes the theme of the film once he has successfully miniaturized the frightened team of scientists. ALBERT DEKKER is fine in the title role.

And, thankfully, as weird as it sounds on paper, it turns out to be not only original, but an entertaining little film that enables any lover of sci-fi to enjoy its tale of a desperate attempt at escape in the Peruvian jungle as they try to elude the clutches of Dr. Cyclops.

Fun to watch--and fun to marvel at--considering it was done in the early '40s without the aid of today's over-used CGI.

I had watched this as a kid on a now-defunct Sicilian TV channel, but it seems to have vanished off the face of the Earth in the interim – that is, until the recent DVD release from Universal as part of their second "Sci-Fi Collection". The film was yet another infrequent genre entry from Paramount – after 1931's DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE and the trio from 1933 ISLAND OF LOST SOULS, MURDERS IN THE ZOO and SUPERNATURAL; interestingly, it was a Technicolor production – the first to be shot in this process after Warners' two earlier experiments DOCTOR X (1932) and MYSTERY OF THE WAX MUSEUM (1933). Plot-wise, DR. CYCLOPS was a variation on the "shrinking" theme explored in MGM's THE DEVIL-DOLL (1936) – which proved quite popular over the years, as can be attested by the likes of THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN (1957), ATTACK OF THE PUPPET PEOPLE (1958), CURSE OF THE DOLL PEOPLE (1961), etc. The titular character – for which underrated character actor Albert Dekker is probably best-remembered and his most notable genre contribution alongside the dual role in AMONG THE LIVING (1941) – would, of course, fit in with the era's virtually interminable parade of mad scientists; though, typically, he means well by his experiments, his approach to science (and his fellow man) is utterly ruthless. Working in seclusion but deterred by his failing sight, he invites three eminent colleagues to confirm his findings without actually divulging the nature of his experiments; when they begin to get curious and decide to stick around, he does not shrink {sic} at the prospect of using them for guinea pigs! Soon enough, they are fighting for their lives – and not just from the wily doctor, as everyday objects become inaccessible (a door-knob) or otherwise take menacing proportions (a cat)!; on the other hand, they take advantage both of their current dimension (hiding in places where Dekker cannot get at them) and the doctor's own physical drawback (breaking the spare sets of lenses, kept handy in a drawer, while he is sleeping). Interestingly, the shrinking process eventually halts and the subjects start reverting to normal size – which is how the heroes, having gotten rid of "Cyclops" in the very well where he stores his all-important ray-gun, are able to return to civilization after several months of 'convalescence'. The handsome-looking film, an entertaining and efficient 76 minutes, makes for a worthy addition to director Schoedsack's genre resume' (which includes seminal titles like THE MOST DANGEROUS GAME {1932} and KING KONG {1933}, notable ones like SHE {1935} and MIGHTY JOE YOUNG {1949}, not to mention the lesser but endearing SON OF KONG {1933}).

With the gradual loss of his sight, Dr Alexander Thorkel calls out to other scientist to come to his deep jungle retreat to assist him. When Drs Bulfinch and Robinson arrive (with Stockton and Baker with them) they are astonished to learn he literally wanted them to confirm a sample with his microscope. Bulfinch is so annoyed that he refuses to leave and the group remain while Thorkel locks himself away in his lab. When Stockton finds some small bones, Bulfinch is excited at the discovery of a new species. However the whole group is even more pleased at the discovery of large quantities of valuable ore and deicide to take it for themselves. Mad with isolation, Thorkel prevents them from leaving and uses his research on his guests.

I'm surprised that so few people appear to have seen this film (judging from the low number of votes for it on this site) because it is a cool piece of Technicolor adventure with some impressive (for the time) effects. The plot is a bit clunky early on as it stutters to the premise we all know is coming when the visitors get shrunk. At this stage it becomes a bit more enjoyable even if it isn't as exciting and spectacular as I wanted it to be. This is perhaps an unfair complaint because of the age of the film and it does provide a small scale (sorry) adventure where the novelty value of the special effects tends to dominate the development of the story.

It is a shame because Dekker gives an intense and interesting performance in the title role. He easily towers over his co-stars (sorry) who are mostly pretty wooden and unconvincing. Halton is OK but Logan makes for a very unconvincing scientist. Her chemistry with Coley is poor as indeed he is as well, although Kilian has a bit of a stiff sway about him. As said before, the effects are the majority of the show and they are impressive.

Overall this is a basic story that goes just where you expect it to but does have entertainment value. The effects are good for the time but, thanks to the heavy Technicolor, still retains a sort of retro cool for modern audiences. The cast aren't that good (although I did enjoy Dekker) because the material isn't there for them, but for what it is it is worth a look.

After killing his assistant Dr. Mendoza (Paul Fix), the insane Dr. Thorkel (Albert Dekker) summons the biologists Dr. Bulfinch (Charles Halton) and Dr. Mary Robinson (Janice Logan) to meet him in a remote area in the jungle of Peru. They travel with the mineralogist Bill Stockton (Thomas Coley) in mules owned by Steve Baker (Victor Kilian) that insists to go with them. After the long journey, Dr. Thorkel asks them to help him to identify a sample in a microscope and after receiving the answer, he thanks the support of his colleagues and say farewell to them. They decide to stay and find that there is a uranium mine in the spot. Further, they break in Thorkel´s laboratory to snoop into his research. Thorkel lures the group and locks them and his servant Pedro (Frank Yaconelli) in a room with an apparatus developed by him. He activates the device and shrinks the group that flees from him. Now Dr. Thorkel hunts them down.

"Dr. Cyclops" is a 1940 horror film with impressive special effects and sets. The story of a mad scientist that shrinks people when he feels threatened by them is funny. However the screenplay and edition have many flaws, such as the color of the miniature people clothes that change from white to different colors. The famous Dr. Bulfinch and Pedro are murdered by Dr. Thorkel but everybody seems to have forgotten in the end. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "O Delírio de um Sábio" ("The Delirium of a Wise")

This is one of two movies (the other being The Valley of Gwangi) I'm reviewing this month that has some connection with King Kong. In this case, it's the fact that the co-director of that one, Ernest B. Schoedsack, helmed this one solo. Also, actor Frank Reicher who plays Professor Kendall here was Captain Englehorn in the original 1933 blockbuster. Anyway, this was a pretty entertaining for its time yarn about a mad scientist (Albert Dekker as Dr. Alexander Thorkel) who invites three of his colleagues to look at his work before quickly dismissing them after only a few minutes of their time since he only needed them because of his gradually failing eyesight. Also along for the ride is a mule owner and a servant with a dog. When they discover what Thorkel's done, he tricks them into a room and shrinks them in order to control them...Okay, anyone expecting some logic as to why certain things happen the way they do should probably stay away from this movie as you'll probably get a headache doing so. Just marvel at some of the interesting visual effects (like how Dr. Throkel holds one of the shrunken in his hand), some cool sound effects (like the loud roar of that black cat), and the campy performance of Dekker (as when he actually tells the fate of what happens when the three survivors stay alive while still shrunken for a long time). Despite not much action (at least not until the last 25 minutes) or very compelling acting (though Charles Halton does have his moments as Dr. Rupert Bulfinch when confronting Thorkel especially when he calls him the title name), this was still a reasonably entertaining movie that won't waste the 77 minutes you spend watching this. So on that note, I recommend Dr. Cyclops. P.S. I'd like to recognize uncredited screenwriter Malcolm Stuart Boylan and player Janice Logan as both native born Chicagoans, like I am. And that Halton played Mr. Carter, the bank examiner, in my favorite movie, It's a Wonderful Life.

Partially sighted molecular biologist Dr. Alexander Thorkel (Albert Dekker) invites a team of fellow scientists to help him with his work at his laboratory deep in the Amazon jungle; within hours of their arrival, the problem that Thorkel has been struggling with has been resolved, and the surprised boffins are immediately given their marching orders, none the wiser about the precise nature of their ungrateful host's experiments.

Eager to learn more, the curious group sneaks into Thorkel's room to take a peek at his notes, but discover more than they bargained for when they become the guinea pigs in the secretive genius's next experiment: bundled into a room, they are exposed to a heavy dose of radiation that reduces them to a fraction of their original size.

Directed by Ernest B. Schoedsack, one of the team responsible for bringing King Kong to the screen in 1933, Dr. Cyclops is a fairly routine mad-scientist sci-fi/horror potboiler, but one that benefits immensely from a incredible array of groundbreaking special effects and sumptuous Technicolor photography. Technically, this film is way ahead of its time, looking more like a product of the mid 1950s than the early 40s, and for this reason alone it should be a priority for all fans of fantastic cinema.

Utilising a combination of careful camera placement (low shots to make Thorkel appear huge; high shots to make his victims appear small), detailed over-sized sets and props, rear projection, split screen and mattes, Schoedsack and his effects team create scene after scene of memorable movie magic. Take into account that this movie is now over 70 years old and it cannot fail to impress.

On the downside, the score is extremely heavy handed and some of the performances are less than stellar (Dekker is excellent, but the exaggerated mannerisms adopted by the pint-sized profs are embarrassingly trite). Thankfully, these are minor quibbles when measured against the film's massive technical accomplishments and the film remains a consistently entertaining experience nonetheless.

7.5 out 10, rounded up to 8 for the sight of yummy egghead Dr. Mary Robinson (Janice Logan) in her sexy makeshift toga: she might be reduced to a foot in height, but she's certainly no shrinking violet.

.. about my review, but this is the one and only movie that I am entirely scared of.

I think this is because I first saw this when I was around 8 years old at a sumner camp. It literally traumatized me, especially when Albert Dekker's Dr Cyclops either knocked out one of the shrunken scientists with chroloform or suffocated them. I still cannot watch this again to this day. Don't know why, but I still am terrified of it. I am petrified of it.7l.88

Dr. Cyclops is a unique film in several regards, having been released in 1940 it's one of the very first (if not the first) Sci-Fi films to be shot in 3-Strip Technicolor, as far as it's special effects go it was certainly an innovative film for it's time (specifically it's "little people" footage), and lastly the highly-excitable music of film maestro Ernst Toch. Special mention must be made regarding the music that's heard during this film's most exciting and distinctively off-kilter of moments - and there are many. Because at the drop of a hat this film is absolutely bouncing off the walls, but in the most delightful and fun-spirited way. This is in large part do to the films eccentric combination of it's numerous processed shots (optical effects), it's oddball scenarios, and a most hyper-active musical score that, as you'll hear, often whips this highly eccentric film into a mad frenzy of unfettered lunacy. Ultimately what this all adds up to is a film that's unique in both look and feel or to put it another way, Dr. Cyclops comes off like a live-action cartoon, in Technicolor

Unfortunately... aside from it's obvious strong-points, Dr. Cyclops I'm afraid, is a rather average movie. For instance it's casting (with the exception of Albert Dekker in the title-role) is serviceable at best and it has no "big names" in it's cast. My guess is that most of the films budget went to it's special-effects photography, which surprisingly enough was filmed in Technicolor no less - a prohibitively expensive process at that time. I find the acting of the film is often workman-like in it's mediocre quality, which ranges from the pompous and super-serious Dr. Bulfinch to "Pedro" a modestly effective comic-relief character, then there's Janice Logan as Dr. Mary Robinson and well she simply makes for a very unconvincing scientist. Once you get past the films spectacular opening credits sequence (all that green mist!), Dr. Cyclops starts out rather slowly as it's cast members, one-by-one, are introduced and the movies scientifically-based back-story is laid out. In that respect Dr. Cyclops, like most movies, does get a lot more exciting in the second half which leads to some truly unique and inspired action sequences. Having seen this movie several times over the years, it tends to leave an impression on you (especially if you see it at a young age) and when considering the subject-matter at hand, well... I think the term "live-action cartoon" is a particularly apt description, with what one can expect from this eccentric Hollywood relic from yesteryear, as it often proves to be a VERY eccentric affair.

If you enjoy Dr. Cyclops you'll probably like "The Incredible Shrinking Man"(1957) as well, as both deal with micronized people, in fact at his smallest The Incredible Shrinking Man stands at a mere 1 inch tall; much smaller than what's seen in Dr. Cyclops. Also "Attack of the Puppet People"(1958) though not as good as the others, is also worth checking out. When one weighs this films many merits and innovative nature Dr. Cyclops does indeed seem more worthy than most for the re-make treatment (I typically don't like re-makes) and with Ant-Man making waves recently, the time seems right or "primed" for a lavishly produced re-make of Doctor C, one that dials-up the craziness and is truly and absolutely unhinged.

It never fails to amaze me when people make short, thoughtless comparisons between the films of yesterday and the films of today. Good films transcend time, regardless of what technical achievements have since been invented, and Dr. Cyclops is just that...a good film. Sure it has outmoded special effects, but those special effects were once highly praised for their uniqueness and creativity. Those special effects were a springboard to other achievements in that technical area. Let's give credit where credit is due and praise this film not for having outmoded effects BUT for having special effects which revolutionized film effects. Enough sermonizing...I know how little good it does. This film tells the story of a mad, a very mad scientist that has discovered the ability to miniaturize things, animals, and even people. Albert Dekker plays easily his finest role as the demented Dr. Cyclops with a real bad sight problem. Dekker's performance is not like your typical raving madman(aka a Lugosi or even early Karloff performance) but more of a subdued evil and obsessive nature. The other actors are adequate and the special effects are wonderful. The film has a good story and I loved the obvious allusion to the mythological Polyphemus, a giant with all the advantages taken "down" by a small, yet brilliant man. This is a thoughtful, interesting, and fun film. Definitely keep more than one eye open when viewing this film!

A mad scientist working in the South American jungle (Albert Dekker) miniaturizes his colleagues when he feels his megalomania is threatened.

When I watched this I did not find it too terribly interesting, almost more of a hokey comedy with science fiction elements. But I did not realize it was from 1940. To have a film in 1940 shot in Technicolor is interesting enough, but then to be a film about shrinking people...

Science fiction of the 1950s loved shrinking people and growing animals. But this film beat them all. Was it the first? I have no idea. But it mixes comedy with camera work, and also color... and even a hint of Greek mythology to boot. Viewed in the proper context, this is quite the film.

I will be perfectly honest, this was a movie that I never heard of until I decided for my podcast to do a Journey Through the Aughts and this movie came up for 1940. I was intrigued when I saw that this is a Universal film and the title was interesting. Other than that, I came in pretty green. The synopsis here is a mad scientist working in the South American jungle miniaturizes his colleagues when he feels his megalomania is threatened.

As the synopsis stated, we are in a laboratory that is the ruins of an Inca structure. The scientist working there is Dr. Thorkel (Albert Dekker). His assistant is Dr. Mendoza (Paul Fix). Mendoza is glad in thinking that Thorkel's experiment has failed, but he reveals that is not the case. Mendoza wants him to stop what he's doing, but Thorkel kills him in the process. This was pretty cool with the effect that they did for this as well.

We then shift to the United States. Dr. Bulfinch (Charles Halton) is being summoned to South America by Thorkel and Professor Kendall (Frank Reicher) gives his recommendation to do it. Also summoned is Dr. Mary Robinson (Janice Logan). They're some of the leading minds in their field. Together they go to Bill Stockton (Thomas Coley) as the doctor Thorkel requested is unavailable. It takes some blackmail, but they get him to join as well.

They head down to South America and encounter Steve Baker (Victor Kilian). They purchased his mules to use, but it appears since they did he bought them in between their contract and now. He declines letting the group use them. It does take some convincing which includes him joining the expedition for Steve to relent.

The group arrives at the camp where they meet Pedro (Frank Yaconelli), a local that is helping Thorkel. He is in the middle of an experiment, but greets them afterwards. He wants Dr. Bulfinch and Bill to confirm what they see under a microscope. Thorkel's eyes have gotten so bad he cannot use the microscope anymore. When they relay what they see, he tells the group that is all he needed and they can return to the US. This upsets them to where they won't leave. This disregard angers Thorkel.

They decide to break into Thorkel's lab to see what he's up to. Pedro has been stating his horse went missing and we see that it has been miniaturized by Thorkel. He's outraged when he discovers them snooping in his lab. He does seem to change his mind on it, but we see he really has a more nefarious plan. He shrinks them all and now is studying them as an experiment.

Having now watched this movie, I can honestly say I wasn't expecting to get this type of story. I figured from the name that it would be a mad scientist movie. That makes sense as I'm starting to see the 1940's did have a lot of sci-fi based horror as we really started to use science more and we're moving more into the Atomic age. We aren't there full blown yet, but starting to see that.

What I found interesting is that while watching this, I really started to think of the 'Odyssey'. This really feels like Odysseus dealing with the Cyclops and it is really fitting that what the title of this movie is. We even get a couple of scenes that are eerily similar to what was done in that myth with this one eyed creature and during the climax of this, Thorkel really only can use one eye as his sight is so bad and one side of his glasses break. I will give credit for using that as a basis here as I found it intriguing.

It also works for me that it takes place in South America. The reason being there was a deposit of radium that is found there. Mendoza and Thorkel started their work there, but when of course he wanted to shut down Thorkel, he kills him. It really works for me some of the things we get with these people staying alive. The reason is that Bill is a mineralogist, Mary and Bulfinch are doctors. I think she is an engineer if memory serves. Steve is a miner. We have these people who are highly intelligent or at least experts in their specific field.

What really surprised me here though is that the movie is pretty vicious for the era. A couple of these characters are killed which I wasn't expecting. We also get an interesting dynamic where there is a dog and a cat. The cat is painted as a villain when we realize that it has been eating some of the tiny animals that were experiments. It does come after the humans, but I think that is more to ramp up the tension for the group being small. The dog on the other hand does respond to Pedro, even in his smaller state.

Since I'm covering the animals, I want to shift this over to the effects of the movie. I'll be honest that I thought they were really good. I know they would film the normal size things and then put our actors on a stage with items from the scene as props but much bigger. They then would superimpose them together and I'll be honest, it looks pretty seamless. It is shocking for a movie that is 80 years old at the time of writing if I'm going to be honest. The cinematography would be lumped in there too. This movie was so in color which is different from a lot of things I've been watching lately as well.

I want to shift this over to the acting for the movie. Dekker is great as this megalomaniac Thorkel. He is bald and he just looks menacing. On top of that, I love that he's treating what he's doing like an experiment and since he's been playing God, it has given him a complex. He does portray this villain very well and he's one of the best parts for this aspect. I'd say the rest of the cast we got was fine. No one really stood out, but they weren't bad. There is a bit of a romance that is tacked on at the end. I don't really feel like it is needed as it doesn't add much to the movie. It is typical for the era though.

The last thing I wanted to state was I wasn't the biggest fan of the explanation that is given to reverse what is happening. It just feels convenient, like they really didn't have an answer so they just threw something in. I would just say that even the few months they say went by, I think some would have happened molecular to them and wouldn't be so clean cut like the movie portrays.

Now with that said, this movie was better than what I was expecting. It has an interesting parallel to the Odyssey and them dealing with the 'Cyclops'. The movie has an interesting story to get them to South America and incorporating the science fiction aspects to the movie worked for me. I'd say that the effects are quite amazing for the time and even today it impressed me. Dekker is the best of the bunch with the acting as he's such a great villain. The rest of the cast rounds this out for what was needed. We have a low running time so I never got bored. The soundtrack didn't really stand out and it also doesn't hurt the movie either. I'd say that this movie is above average in my opinion. I'll reiterate, this is from the 1940s, so if that's a problem then I'd skip this. If not, this is a pretty solid little film that I don't hear a lot about.

This is a peculiar film to have come out of any studio in 1940, much less the stylish Paramount. Since the same year saw the equally bizarre Hal Roach production, One Million, B.C., it might not be unreasonable to assume that there was either something in the water that made them do it or else the studio chiefs were smoking weed that year. Produced and directed by the King Kong team of Merian Cooper and Ernest Schoedsack, Dr. Cyclops is a far cry from their earlier, vastly superior work, yet it's still worth seeing. The jungle, probably a backlot job, is marvelously rendered, and the Technicolor photography is as beautiful as any I've seen. There's a vividness to the color that makes it jump out at you that's almost psychedelic.

This is basically a mad scientist tale with a gimmick, which is the eponymous doctor's ability to shrink people to the size of elves. Much of the action revolves around the little people's attempts to elude the mad doctor and escape from his jungle laboratory. The movie feels more like a product of the fifties than the early forties, as this theme would be returned to again in later science fiction. It's also a tough movie to categorize, as it's not quite horror or pure sci-fi. Like Kong Kong, it's an action movie and technical tour de force that takes quite a few liberties with nature.

As an oddball experiment the movie works, up to a point, though it could have used more humor and irony; and the pace is less than thrilling. It's hard to pull this sort off of story on a good day, as the improbable material needs all the help it can get. Alas, aside from the stunning color and imaginative sets, it doesn't get much here. Most of the actors in the film are unknowns and would remain unknown, though prissy character actor Charles Halton has a decent role as one of the "shrunken", which he plays well. The most impressive performer is also the lead player, Albert Dekker, whose life and movie career were almost as strange as this film. He is both believable and intimidating as the mad doctor, and gives the movie a touch of class.

Albert Dekker stars as Dr. Alexander Thorkel, an obsessed scientist in Peru who encounters four explorers who have come to see him. They are disturbed by the direction his experiments are taking, which involve radium, so in order to get them out of the way, he shrinks them to one-fifth their normal size with an invention of his, placing them in a life or death struggle to restore their normal size, and stop the mad Dr. Thorkel. Filmed in color, Albert Dekker delivers a strong performance, but all the other characters are too bland and poorly characterized to become involved with their plight, and film as a result just isn't believable or compelling.

A reclusive, brilliant scientist living on a remote island shrinks a group of visitors down to finger-size; they struggle to overcome unusual obstacles and escape. Special effects package keeps its tongue in cheek, but was made at a time when visual effects were at their most primitive. Mad doctor Albert Dekker gets the worst part of the deal--he ends up acting in a vacuum. The process shots are clumsy and don't match up, and shrunken players Thomas Coley and Janice Logan end up scrambling around, looking desperate for direction. An entertaining idea that was perfected in the sci-fi/fantasy genre in the years to come. *1/2 from ****