As always, there may be spoilers here. And the trailer may be NSFW and/or NSFL.
Session: Cheap Thrills! (Week 2)
Movie: The Ape (1940)
Directed by Jean Yarborough
Kindly Doctor Adrian is working to cure a young woman's polio, but his work is ethically questionable. Horror ensues.
Reaction and Other Folderol:
I hate Danny. I fucking hate hate Danny. And in case I forget to say it, I hate Danny.
For reference, Danny (played by Gene O' Donnell) is Frances' (Maris Wrixon) boyfriend. Frances is the young lady with polio, whom Dr. Adrian (Boris Karloff) is trying to cure. But Danny doesn't like it -- insisting that he likes Frances the way she is, and even acting in a threatening way toward Adrian. At the end, he comes around, and is grateful for Frances' being cured. But the transformation is too sudden, and I never got the feeling that Danny redeemed himself. And that's the only thing I really didn't like about this movie.
Otherwise, there's a straightforward plot that, though simple, touches on serious issues related to medical ethics. It's a lean movie, without any extra fat. Interestingly, in some ways it had the feel of a traditional American Western. Sheriff Halliday (Henry Hall), with his acerbic delivery and that metal star, seems like a Western movie sheriff, even if the setting and plot aren't really typical fodder for those kinds of movies. It all really worked well.
But fuck Danny.
Ratings
Me: 8
Bob-O: 9
Christina: 8.7
Dave: 9.5
Ethan: 8
Joe: 10
Jonas: NR
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