‘I’m surprised to know you have spectacular inclinations.’
A young journalist returns to France on assignment for his New York paper. His brief is to write an in-depth article on an isolated sanatorium which has reported incredible results in dealing with the insane. This is apparently thanks to an innovative new system of treatments pioneered by its resident Doctor…
There’s obvious name recognition value when a filmmaker chooses to adapt Edgar Allan Poe, as well as the strength of the classic tale itself. However, Poe’s stories come with a basic problem when making the transfer to the silver screen: they are very short. Even the longer ones tend to be heavier on atmosphere than plot.
So, it’s no surprise that this was pretty much the first attempt at a feature-length adaptation of ‘The System of Dr Tarr and Professor Fether’. This darkly comic tale was originally published in 1845, and is generally regarded as a both of critique of the treatment of the mentally ill and a satire on the American political climate of the time. It had been filmed a few times previously, most notably as ‘Unheimliche Geschichten’ (1932) with German actor Paul Wegener, but earlier versions showcased the tale with other stories rather than forcing it to stand alone.
Reporter Gaston (Arthur Hansel) is travelling through the French countryside with companion Julien (Martin LaSalle) when they arrive at the asylum run by Dr Maillard (Claudio Brook). According to reputation, visitors aren’t welcome, which is fine with LaSalle who is more than happy to leave Hansel to it. However, Brook proves a surprisingly amenable host, only too keen to show the young man around and expound on his revolutionary ‘system of soothing’. This new treatment lets the patients run free, indulges their delusions and imposes no punishment for unusual acts or disruptive behaviour. lt all seems very humane, even if no effort is being made to address the patient’s individual problems.
These early scenes are the most effective in the film. Brook’s asylum is a terrific location; a bizarre cross between what appears to be an abandoned factory site and a medieval castle. Director Juan Lopez Moctezuma delivers this ‘grand tour’ as a series of unsettling vignettes that sees various groups of inmates pursuing their obsessions and different projects in settings that almost have a steampunk feel. Brook is a particularly effective presence at this point too; his verbose declarations descending further and further into psychobabble as the minutes pass. Of course, it’s only too obvious what’s going on; the only mystery is how long it takes the hapless Hansel to tumble to the truth.
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Unfortunately, the film begins to flag around the halfway point when we are reintroduced to LaSalle who has been waylaid in the woods surrounding the asylum along with his sister (Mónica Serna). The sudden injection of knockabout slapstick is far too jarring and abrupt, throwing the second act completely out of balance, even if some of the film’s early musical cues had hinted at a black, comedic approach.
However, up to this point, the audience was being asked to invest in the relationship of Hansel and pretty patient Eugénie (Ellen Sherman), which was being played completely straight and seemingly setting us up for a doomed romance. But, by the time we reach the climax, it’s clear that Moctezuma was aiming for grotesque comedy all along, even if he omits the final joke in Poe’s tale which explains the title. In short, these tonal shifts are rather clumsy and needed to be handled in a far subtler way to be truly effective.
This was Moctezuma’s first film and it does show definite promise. However, subsequent projects such as ‘Mary, Mary, Bloody Mary’ (1975) which starred John Carradine and ‘Alucarda, La Hija De Las Tineblas’ (1977) (again with Brook) are not well-regarded. His only other film of note would seem to be ‘To Kill A Stranger’ (1983) which featured Donald Pleasance. Brook went onto a long career in Mexican films and TV, a small part in Bond adventure ‘Licence To Kill’ (1989) and a major role in Guillermo Del Toro’s debut feature ‘Cronos’ (1993).
A frustrating experience. There are definite moments of quality here, but an uncertainty of tone and an underdeveloped script prove hard obstacles to overcome.
Mark David Welsh 