cinema history class (corridors of blood)

Session: Karloff in the Age of Aquarius, Week 1
Movie: Corridors of Blood (1958)
Directed by Robert Day

As always, there may be spoilers here. And the trailer may be NSFW and/or NSFL

Plot:
A devoted surgeon tries to develop anesthesia, but it gets him entangled in a web of murder. Hilarity ensues.

Reaction:
The most important thing that needs to be said about this movie is that it's a case study in false advertising. The screaming title and the trailer both sell it as an exploitation flick. But it was more intelligent and serious than that.

CoB was addressing the subject of pain in surgery before the use of anesthesia. Because of that it reminded me of Preston Sturges' 1944 film, The Great Moment, which covered the same topic, albeit more seriously and more historically accurate.

Boris Karloff did a great job starring as Dr. Bolton. Tortured by the pain he causes his patients, he tries to invent a method to numb the pain. But, experimenting on himself, he slowly becomes addicted. He did an admirable job portraying the Doctor's descent. But the show was stolen by Christopher Lee playing Resurrection Joe. His haunting performance was the high point.

This exceeded my expectations by a wide margin.

Ratings:

Me: 9.25
Dave: 9.8
Ethan: 9.5

Joe: 10
Sean: 2 out of 4