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Diabolical Doctor Z, The
Ventura // Unrated // April 29, 2003
List Price: $24.99 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
The Movie
I'll be the first to admit that I'm not the biggest fan of older films, typically because I find them dated and boring. However, I was pleasantly surprised by Jess Franco's "The Diabolical Dr. Z", a film which offers the campy zaniness which one would expect from a 60's B-movie, mixed with an unsuspected dash of sex and violence.
The "Dr. Z" of the title is Dr. Zimmer (Antonio Jimenez Escribano), a scientist who has been experimenting in mind-control with the help of his daughter, Irma Zimmer (Mabel Karr). Dr. Zimmer has discovered the physical locations in the body which control good and evil. When he presents this theory to a gathering of his colleagues, he is labeled a madman and dies on the spot. Irma vows to get revenge on the three main scientists who ridiculed her father. With the assistance of an escaped convict (Guy Mairesse), Irma fakes her own death, and then kidnapsa local nightclub dancer, who dances under the name "Miss Death" (Estella Blain). Utilizing Miss Death's extremely long fingernails, Irma programs the dancer to be an assassin, unleashing her to avenge Dr. Zimmer.
"The Diabolical Dr. Z" is only the third Jess Franco film that I've seen, but it is by far the best. The other movies were more modern, and were both incoherent and silly. In contrast, "Dr. Z" offers an interesting story, and is well-paced. Franco has littered the film with artistic angles and uses the black-and-white photography to create a real sense of atmosphere.
As noted above, the film certainly shows it's European influences. The outrageous scientific plot could have appeared in any American film from the 1950s. "Dr. Z" features the requisite laboratory and forboding old house. However, the movie contains a great deal of sexual imagery (everything that Miss Death wears is very revealing, and I must say that I loved her "spider-web outfit"!). Also, the murder scenes, while tame by today's standards, would have been considered very violent in 1966.
Video
Mondo Macabro is a new kid on the block (in the U.S. at least), but they've done a good job with this release. "The Diabolical Dr. Z" has been letterboxed at 1.85:1 and the transfer is enhanced for 16 x 9 TVs. The black-and-white photography looks very good here, as only a handful of shots show any grain. The image is very sharp and clear for the most part. The image does show some minor defects, such as black and white spots, but there is no significant damage, showing that a very nice source print was used for this transfer.
Audio
The DVD offers both the original French dialogue, as well as an English dubbed track. Both tracks are offered in digital mono. The English track is noticably louder, but also has a hint of hissing. The French track doesn't show this hissing and offers clear dialogue. Both tracks are servicable and offer the standard mono effects. The subs are white, but easy to read.
Extras
The DVD features a 15-minute documentary entitled "The Diabolical Mr. Franco". This segment offers interviews with Franco and many of his cronies and admirers, and gives a capsule overview of Franco's life and works. Next, we have the film's main titles with the credits in English, as opposed to French. The remainder of the extras are more standard fare, including a poster gallery, a still gallery, cast & crew bios, and the original trailer for "The Diabolical Dr. Z".
While Jess Franco has many admirers, most feel that he is a hack whose only aim is to make as many movies as possible. "The Diabolical Dr. Z" proves that Franco can make entertaining and fun movies that actually have a story. This DVD offers a very nice transfer of the film, as well as a documentary which will delight Franco fans.
I'll be the first to admit that I'm not the biggest fan of older films, typically because I find them dated and boring. However, I was pleasantly surprised by Jess Franco's "The Diabolical Dr. Z", a film which offers the campy zaniness which one would expect from a 60's B-movie, mixed with an unsuspected dash of sex and violence.
The "Dr. Z" of the title is Dr. Zimmer (Antonio Jimenez Escribano), a scientist who has been experimenting in mind-control with the help of his daughter, Irma Zimmer (Mabel Karr). Dr. Zimmer has discovered the physical locations in the body which control good and evil. When he presents this theory to a gathering of his colleagues, he is labeled a madman and dies on the spot. Irma vows to get revenge on the three main scientists who ridiculed her father. With the assistance of an escaped convict (Guy Mairesse), Irma fakes her own death, and then kidnapsa local nightclub dancer, who dances under the name "Miss Death" (Estella Blain). Utilizing Miss Death's extremely long fingernails, Irma programs the dancer to be an assassin, unleashing her to avenge Dr. Zimmer.
"The Diabolical Dr. Z" is only the third Jess Franco film that I've seen, but it is by far the best. The other movies were more modern, and were both incoherent and silly. In contrast, "Dr. Z" offers an interesting story, and is well-paced. Franco has littered the film with artistic angles and uses the black-and-white photography to create a real sense of atmosphere.
As noted above, the film certainly shows it's European influences. The outrageous scientific plot could have appeared in any American film from the 1950s. "Dr. Z" features the requisite laboratory and forboding old house. However, the movie contains a great deal of sexual imagery (everything that Miss Death wears is very revealing, and I must say that I loved her "spider-web outfit"!). Also, the murder scenes, while tame by today's standards, would have been considered very violent in 1966.
Video
Mondo Macabro is a new kid on the block (in the U.S. at least), but they've done a good job with this release. "The Diabolical Dr. Z" has been letterboxed at 1.85:1 and the transfer is enhanced for 16 x 9 TVs. The black-and-white photography looks very good here, as only a handful of shots show any grain. The image is very sharp and clear for the most part. The image does show some minor defects, such as black and white spots, but there is no significant damage, showing that a very nice source print was used for this transfer.
Audio
The DVD offers both the original French dialogue, as well as an English dubbed track. Both tracks are offered in digital mono. The English track is noticably louder, but also has a hint of hissing. The French track doesn't show this hissing and offers clear dialogue. Both tracks are servicable and offer the standard mono effects. The subs are white, but easy to read.
Extras
The DVD features a 15-minute documentary entitled "The Diabolical Mr. Franco". This segment offers interviews with Franco and many of his cronies and admirers, and gives a capsule overview of Franco's life and works. Next, we have the film's main titles with the credits in English, as opposed to French. The remainder of the extras are more standard fare, including a poster gallery, a still gallery, cast & crew bios, and the original trailer for "The Diabolical Dr. Z".
While Jess Franco has many admirers, most feel that he is a hack whose only aim is to make as many movies as possible. "The Diabolical Dr. Z" proves that Franco can make entertaining and fun movies that actually have a story. This DVD offers a very nice transfer of the film, as well as a documentary which will delight Franco fans.
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