''Dr. Renault's Secret'' is a 1942 American horror

mystery film A mystery film is a genre of film that revolves around the solution of a problem or a crime. It focuses on the efforts of the detective, private investigator or amateur sleuth to solve the mysterious circumstances of an issue by means of clues, i ...

. The story was written by William Bruckner and Robert Metzler. It is loosely based on the 1911 novel ''Balaoo'' by

Gaston Leroux Gaston Louis Alfred Leroux (6 May 186815 April 1927) was a French journalist and author of detective fiction. In the English-speaking world, he is best known for writing the novel '' The Phantom of the Opera'' (french: Le Fantôme de l'Opéra, ...

. The production was directed by Harry Lachman and is a B movie with both

mad scientist The mad scientist (also mad doctor or mad professor) is a stock character of a scientist who is perceived as " mad, bad and dangerous to know" or " insane" owing to a combination of unusual or unsettling personality traits and the unabashedly a ...

and monster themes.

Plot

A young doctor named Larry Forbes (

Shepperd Strudwick Shepperd Strudwick (September 22, 1907 – January 15, 1983) was an American actor of film, television, and stage. He was also billed as John Shepperd for some of his films and for his acting on stage in New York. Early years Strudwick was ...

) arrives in a French village in order to wed the niece of prominent local doctor, Dr. Renault ( George Zucco). Dr. Forbes learns from the innkeeper that a storm has washed out the bridge to Renault's house and he ends up spending the night at the inn. There he meets most of the film's main characters including Dr. Renault's strangely deformed man servant, Noel ( J. Carrol Naish). It is during the night that the first of the murders occurs. Another tourist takes the room meant for him and is killed mysteriously. The next day, Forbes travels to the house of Dr. Renault, where he is reunited with Renault's pretty young niece, Madeline ( Lynne Roberts). A sequence of strange events, including an incident in which Noel is viciously attacked by a stray dog that Madeline picked up, convinces Forbes that there is something unusual about Noel, but he does not know what it is. Also, it quickly becomes clear that Noel is interested in Madeline as well. After Madeline's stray dog is killed, Renault confronts Noel and it is revealed that his man servant is actually an experiment - an animal given the physical and mental characteristics of a man. Fearing for Forbes' life (as well as his own), Renault locks Noel in a cage, but the former animal is able to use his strength to escape and follows Forbes and Madeline to a carnival. There he is heckled by a pair of villagers, who are promptly murdered in their homes. Forbes' suspicions increase and he sneaks into Dr. Renault's laboratory. There he finds a book detailing the experiments Dr. Renault carried out to transform Noel from an ape into a man. Renault catches Forbes reading his notes and threatens to kill him if he reveals the truth to anyone, but Noel sneaks up on the both of them and attacks and kills Dr. Renault. In the closing sequence, Madeline is abducted by her gardener, an ex-convict named Rogell (

Mike Mazurki Mike Mazurki (December 25, 1907 – December 9, 1990) was a Ukrainian-American actor and professional wrestler who appeared in more than 142 films. His 6 ft 5 in (196 cm) presence and face had him typecast as often brainless athletes ...

), and Noel pursues them. After a lengthy chase, Rogell shoots Noel. Before succumbing to his wounds, Noel strangles Rogell.

Cast

* J. Carrol Naish as Noel *

as Dr. Larry Forbes (as John Strudwick) * Lynne Roberts as Madeline Renault * George Zucco as Dr. Robert Renault

Setting

The viewer is told that the story takes place in France in a remote village outside of Paris. To back this up we are told about the French holiday of

Bastille Day Bastille Day is the common name given in English-speaking countries to the national day of France, which is celebrated on 14 July each year. In French, it is formally called the (; "French National Celebration"); legally it is known as (; "t ...

. However no one in the film speaks with a French accent or uses any known French customs.

Relation to other films

This B-film has been compared to H. G. Wells' ''

The Island of Doctor Moreau ''The Island of Doctor Moreau'' is an 1896 science fiction novel by English author H. G. Wells (1866–1946). The text of the novel is the narration of Edward Prendick who is a shipwrecked man rescued by a passing boat. He is left on the islan ...

'' though the similarities seem minor. The film has also been part of a double-bill with another 1942 horror film ''

The Undying Monster ''The Undying Monster'', also known as ''The Hammond Mystery'', is a 1942 American mystery horror film directed by John Brahm and written by Lillie Hayward and Michel Jacoby, based on Jessie Douglas Kerruish's 1922 novel of the same name.Meehan ...

''. The screenplay was inspired by the lost 1927 film, ''

The Wizard Wizard, the wizard, or wizards may refer to: * Wizard (fantasy), a fictional practitioner of magic * Wizard (supernatural), a practitioner of magic Art, entertainment and media Fictional characters * Wizard (Archie Comics), a comic book supe ...

'', based on a novel by

.Meehan, 2010, p. 97

Notes

References

External links

* * *
Everything2.com
review.
Dr. Renault's Secret (1942)
New York Times. {{DEFAULTSORT:Doctor Renault's Secret 1942 films 1942 horror films American science fiction horror films American black-and-white films Films based on French novels Films based on works by Gaston Leroux Films directed by Harry Lachman Films scored by David Raksin Films scored by Emil Newman 20th Century Fox films 1940s science fiction horror films American monster movies Mad scientist films 1940s English-language films 1940s American films