The Mad Doctor is an obscure 1940 thriller about a doctor who marries wealthy women, only to murder them, and receiving their fortune. Sounds like a Bluebeard type to me! The film is directed by Tim Whelen and has a few legendary and iconic actors including Basil Rathbone, Ralph Morgan, and John Howard. The film has never been released by any studio, basically dormant in the vaults, but it has finally been resurrected and rescued by Kino Lorber, so that we fans and collectors can enjoy this overlooked picture with some great actors.
Dr. George Sebastian (the great Basil Rathbone, Tower of London, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes) as a sinister physician who seduces, marries, and murders for their wealth and riches. He, along with his servant Maurice (Martin Kolsek, The Flesh Eaters) have set up a practice where he plans for his next killing. Linda Bouthe (Ellen Drew, Isle of the Dead, The Monster and the Girl) is the woman that he now plans his latest scheme of murder for money. Gil Sawyer (John Howard, Lost Horizon, Bulldog Drummond’s Revenge) her former fiancé and Dr. Charles Downer (Ralph Morgan, The Monster Maker, The Kennel Murder Case) must rescue her before she becomes the latest victim.
The Mad Doctor is a superb classic thriller with the cast handing in terrific performances. The most effective parts are when there is no music to be heard and the sinister characters are brooding about with their plans. Basil Rathbone is especially great here playing Dr. Sebastian. A few years earlier he had a similar role playing a man who marries and murders women for their wealth in another overlooked classic Love From a Stranger.
Kino Lorber debuts The Mad Doctor on Blu-ray giving the black and white film a new 2K master. There are plenty of speckles throughout and the image tends to appear rather thick, with some softness but overall, it is a nice, attractive transfer with rich black levels, crisp whites, and excellent shadow detail. Film grain is present throughout. Scenery has plenty of details and texture. This release is without the use of DNR or other digital manipulation.
The Mad Doctor Blu-ray has an English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 soundtrack. The dialogue is crisp and clear. There are a few aggressive moments during suspenseful scenes. The score by Victor Young is also clear, although near the end with Dr. Sebastian’s final confrontation with Linda, the dialogue drops a little when the musical score begins. English subtitles are available for this release.
Film Historian David Del Valle provides another outstanding informational commentary track for The Mad Doctor. The other extra are trailers for The Mad Doctor, The Spider Woman Strikes Back, The Black Sleep, The Undying Monster and The Lodger.
This is another fine release from Kino Lorber who continues to tap into the vaults of studios who never gave films such as The Mad Doctor a release. The audio and video quality overall will satisfy, and the commentary track adds another touch of greatness to this package! Highly recommended!
The Mad Doctor
Director- Tim Whelan
Cast- Basil Rathbone, Ellen Drew, Ralph Morgan
Country of Origin- US
Distributor – Kino Lorber, Ellen Drew
Number of Discs – 1
Reviewed by – David Steigman
Date –12/12/2021