Dr. Renault's Secret (1942)

Dr. Renault's Secret (1942)
Director: Harry Lachman
Writers: William Bruckner, Robert F. Metzler
A young man visits his fiancée in a remote French villa where her scientist father (George Zucco) resides. There he meets Noel (J. Carrol Naish), Dr. Renault's mysterious assistant, who has a strange attraction to Renault's daughter. Soon he learns Noel's true identity: he is an ape that was turned into a man by Renault's bizarre experiments!
'One of the key reasons I love movies so much is no matter how many years you've been around there's always old gems surface that for one reason or other have slipped you by, and every now and then its a film like this that has the magic to take you right back to when you was young. This for me has that magic, recommended specially to people who adored famous monster movies like Frankenstein or the Wolfman. I mean Dr. Renault's Secret isn't the most unique film ever, its a remake of silent French film Balaoo the Demon Baboon and very Island of (lost souls) Dr. Moreau feeling early on its got the feel of Basil Rathbone era Holmes. But you don't mind because its central performance by J. Carrol Naish as Noel a transmutant ape is so funny, sad and heart warming all at the same time, I loved his Spanish accent and the way his eyes with a glint of a tear knowingly look away when doing something bad, you rarely see acting work in an horror film this good outside of Lon Chaney Snr or Karloff. Recommended to the b&w cinema fans I had a smile the whole 55 minutes.'

(7½ out of 10)