''The Doctor's Horrible Experiment'' (french: Le Testament du docteur Cordelier) is a 1959 French black-and-white television film directed by

Jean Renoir Jean Renoir (; 15 September 1894 – 12 February 1979) was a French film director, screenwriter, actor, producer and author. As a film director and actor, he made more than forty films from the silent film, silent era to the end of the 1960s. ...

. It has been released in the United Kingdom as ''Experiment in Evil'' and on DVD as ''The Testament of Doctor Cordelier''. The film is a retelling of the 1886 novella '' Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde'' by Robert Louis Stevenson set in 1950s France. Jean-Louis Barrault plays Dr. Cordelier/Opale, the substitute for Dr. Jekyll/Hyde character; the film is also known for its visual style that is far above the normal television programs of the 1950s.Review by Shawn Levy a
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Plot

In Paris, the lawyer Joly is given the will of his friend and client Cordelier, a well-known psychiatrist, who leaves everything to a patient called Opale. However Joly learns that this Opale is a sadistic pervert and murderer who keeps evading the police. He even causes the death of another leading psychiatrist, Séverin, who challenged Cordelier's views. The climax comes after a smart party at Cordelier's capacious house, when he is heard howling with pain in his laboratory. Breaking in, Joly finds Opale, who admits he is really Cordelier and makes his confession. Guilt over his sexual exploitation of female staff and patients led him, by long research into mind-altering drugs, to create a separate persona through which he could enact his hidden desires without taking responsibility. Swallowing an overdose, he dies.

Cast

* Jean-Louis Barrault as Dr. Cordelier/Opale * * *

Teddy Bilis Teddy is an English language given name, usually a hypocorism of Edward or Theodore. It may refer to: People Nickname * Teddy Atlas (born 1956), boxing trainer and fight commentator * Teddy Bourne (born 1948), British Olympic epee fencer * Teddy ...

as Maître Joly * * *

Jean Bertho Jean René Albert Berthollier (23 January 1928 – 4 January 2023), better known by the stage name of Jean Bertho, was a French actor and film director. He rose to popularity due to his participation in the television show ', as well as 's show, ...

as Premier passant * * * Jacques Ciron as Deuxième passant * * * Jean Topart as Désiré * * * Michel Vitold as Docteur Séverin * * * Jacques Danoville as Commissaire Lardaut (as Jacques Dannoville) * * * André Certes as Inspecteur Salbris

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 100% based on , with a weighted average rating of 7.7/10. Author and film critic Leonard Maltin awarded the film three out of a possible four stars, praising Barrault's performance, and direction.

References

External links

* 1959 television films 1959 films 1959 horror films Films directed by Jean Renoir Films set in Paris French television films 1950s French-language films Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde films French horror films 1950s science fiction horror films Horror television films Films scored by Joseph Kosma 1950s French films {{1950s-horror-film-stub