r. Thorkel (Dekker) is not only a great biologist; he's also fortunate
enough to have learned of an astonishingly rich deposit of radium deep in
the Amazon jungle. Through the use of its concentrated power, he knows he can realize his
secret passion: condensing a living organism without harming it. Years of
experiments in his jungle cloister bring him tantalizingly close to success, but his
eyes are failing, preventing him from finding the final step. He must send
for help.
Three scientists--haughty biologist Dr. Bulfinch (Halton); unflappable young
microbiologist Dr. Mary Robinson (Logan); and indolent mineralogist Bill
Stockton (Coley)--trek 10,000 miles for a chance to work with the eccentric
but indisputably brilliant Thorkel. Consequently they're incensed to
discover that he needed them only to look at one last slide with their fresh
eyes. His questions answered, he politely but firmly dismisses them.
Annoyed, and curious about Thorkel's work, the trio sneaks into his
hut; but Thorkel bursts in, outraged. Realizing he's outnumbered, however,
Thorkel temporizes, explaining his work and showing them the equipment by
which he harnesses the radium lode. Then, suddenly, he locks them in the hut and
turns his machine on. The next morning, the scientists wake up to find they have shrunk to a few inches tall!
Amused by their fear and amazement, Thorkel continues his experiment,
examining Bulfinch despite the victim's consternation. Thorkel's mood turns,
though, as he determines that his guests will eventually return to normal
size--whereupon they'll again threaten his research. He starts hunting down the other two, who scatter terrified into the perilous jungle. Though they nearly escape in a canoe, Thorkel finds them first. Tired of
running, the survivors decide they must turn and fight--but what can
a few tiny people do against a huge and cunning murderer?
Tiny people, big drama
It's sometimes said that director Schoedsack peaked with his best-known film, King Kong; but Dr. Cyclops showcases even better than Kong Schoedsack's core gift: his ability to use special effects to
portray human drama in new dimensions.
There are some interesting parallels. A scene in which Thorkel grasps
Bulfinch, eyeing him dispassionately, is strongly reminiscent of Fay Wray in
Kong's clutches seven years earlier. But this scene runs deeper: No innocent in the hands of a rampaging animal, Bulfinch is viewed with
exactly the same regard that he himself would have given a rat in his own
laboratory.
And though Thorkel looks like another Dr. Moreau, obsessively
plotting biological domination from his isolated laboratory, he's both less
obviously twisted and more opaque: The audience is given few clues to what
underlies Thorkel's obsession, which was certainly not the case with Moreau.
Bulfinch is nonetheless able to articulate Thorkel's flaw: Like Cyclops of mythology, he
thinks size and strength are all. This Cyclops, however, is as clever as his
Ulysses.
The effects, crucial after all to the story, are totally believable. The
superimpositions and oversized sets blend seamlessly into the surrounding
film. Two sequences stand out. In one, Thorkel reaches in front of a
miniaturized horse; it looks quite natural. In the other, Thorkel has
captured Bulfinch in a net; as he carries the net into the house, the little
Bulfinch struggles madly, kicking his feet impotently against the mesh.
The two key performances are also excellent. Dekker plays Thorkel with a wry sanity than shows him to be both complex and chilling. The incredulous
and pedantic Bulfinch might have seemed ridiculous, but Halton imbues him
with great strength of character. Far from the mad-scientist terror flick it
appears to be, Dr. Cyclops is an intriguing and satisfying story
about science, ethics, and human resourcefulness.
