Fluentiama Perfect cast and a good story

Huievest Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

Senteur As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

Curt Watching it is like watching the spectacle of a class clown at their best: you laugh at their jokes, instigate their defiance, and "ooooh" when they get in trouble.

JoeB131 This one is mostly remembered today because it starred Nancy Davis, who eventually went on to be Nancy Reagan, First Lady of the United States.In this film, she plays the wife of a scientist who keeps brains alive after they've been separated from their bodies, who conveniently comes across the brain of a evil billionaire and keeps it alive in an aquarium.The brain grows and develops telepathic powers, and continues its life of greed and corruption by taking over the Scientist's body. "Just say No to Evil Brains!" (Sorry, couldn't help myself.) I think what bugs me about this movie is that everyone knows pretty much from the get-go that this is going to end badly, but they do it anyway. The Nancy character and the drunken assistant go along with it, even though they know this is all horribly wrong.But it's 1950's Science Fiction Cheese at it's very finest, so please enjoy.

jpbarham A neat example of what you can do on a small budget. Dr. Cory starts out a regular, married scientist who just happens upon a body crushed in a car wreck but with the brain still functioning and normal. The brain is removed from the mangled body and kept alive in a fish tank. It isn't long before the brain starts sending telepathic messages to the good doctor. Soon he's doing the bidding of Donovan's living brain, like gaining access to the Donovan fortune and using it to intimidate just about anybody who stands in the late millionaire's path to gain control of most of the country's economic resources. Cory's change of manner is noted by his wife and best friend, and it isn't long before they are both targeted for removal.Lew Ayres is in top form as the good Dr. Cory evolves into misanthrope Donovan. Amusing if one realizes Ayres began his career playing the gentle, heroic Dr. Kildare. Creative casting! Along for the ride is Nancy Davis - - the future Mrs. Reagan - - and Gene Evans, as Cory's loyal but confused assistant. Steve Brodie plays a blackmailing reporter who gets just what he deserves.All in all, "Donovan's Brain" is well worth watching if you're in the mood for something different. It has been selected to premiere on TCM later this month.

dbborroughs Second official film version of the "classic" of a brain in a tank.(First was the Lady and the Monster and The Brain followed) The basic story has influenced probably hundreds of films and stories over the years that proves that there is life in the story despite it now being clichéd and almost laughable in premise.For those that don't know this is the story of the doctors who save a wealthy industrialist after a car accident, or rather they save his brain since his body is badly banged up. The problem is that the industrialist was a real SOB and he somehow manages to use psychic mind control to control those around his tank.Yes it sounds silly, but for what ever reason it still kind of works. The trick is of course you have to go with the basic premise, and assuming that you've picked up the tape or DVD odds are you're at least going to make that effort. Well made and containing its share of tension this is one of the better versions of the story that has come down the pike. Well acted by Lew Ayres as the doctor who probably shouldn't have made the effort and Davis Nancy (soon to be Regan) as his love interest, this is the sort of movie that works because the actors sell it. Ayres in particular manages to make the shifting personalities, his own and Donovan's, believable especially since in this tale we have nothing to go on of what Donovan was like before other than what we are told.If you are in the mood for a good, though slightly silly, thriller for a dark and stormy night this should be right up your alley.Between 6 and 7 out of 10

sol Bearly surviving a plane crash Warran H. Donovan, a multi-millionaire financier, is brought to the home of Dr. Pat Cory, Lew Ayres, since it's the closes to the crash site and Dr. Cory preform emergency surgery in order to save his life. Dr. Cory realizing that Donovan doesn't have a chance to survive has his brain put in a fish tank with electrodes attached to it. The brain responds to his treatment by continuing to function after Donovan's heart stops beating. Together with his close friend and wife Dr. Schaatt and Janice, Gean Evens and Nancy Davis,Dr. Cory keeps the brain alive without it's body to study it for future advancements in the field of neurosurgery, but unknown to Dr. Cory & Co. the brain has a mind and ideas of it's own.The in-your-face and aggressive brain slowly takes over the mind of the meek and harmless Dr. Cory and uses him as a puppet to do the dirty work. The dirty dealings that it, or Warren H. Donovan, was planing to do before his death. Dovonan when he was alive, as a full human being, had plans to corner the monetary and stock markets as well as destroy the IRS and now with his brain working through Dr. Cory he, or the brain, was going to do just that.Early mind-control movie that's still as effective today as it was back in 1953 with Dr. Cory suffering from a severe identity crisis. The brain submerged the fish tank manipulates Dr. Cory to do things that he would never have dreamed or even thought of doing; destroying the US economy and throwing the country into another 1929-like great depression. The brain also uses high placed stooges that it blackmails, through Dr. Cory, who were working with Dovonan and now thinking that he's dead felt he no longer has any control over them. Dovonan's brain takes care of anyone else who threatens it, the brains grandiose schemes,by taking over that persons mind and inducing him to kill himself.Annoying and obnoxious news photographer Herbie Yocum, Steve Brodie, who had an idea about what was going on between Dr. Cory and the dead Donovan, Yocum had photos of Donovon's body in the city morgue minus it's head, has the brain takes over his mind and drives him to drive himself off a cliff and kill himself.Dr. Cory struggling with the Donovan's brain needs all the help he could get in preventing the brain from using him as a conduit for it's earthly and criminal actions.It's only with the help of his wife Janice and Dr. Schaatt that he finally can get Dononan's evil brain out of his head as well as is hair forever.