They Saved Hitler's Brain (1968). Wow. What a concept! What a miserable failure to realize the concept! If Hitler had seen this, he would have begged them to let his brain die. I know most viewers will think their brain has died by the time the credits roll. Don't ask what this DVD cover from Rhino is all about, either. Just ignore it.
This little flick has an odd history, as this is actually an expanded version of The Madmen Of Mandoras (1963). The original running time of the movie was just 64 minutes, and that was too short to sell to TV. In 1968, 20 additional minutes were shot by UCLA film students and added into the film. They Saved Hitler's Brain became the new title. That title is probably known to many people due to parodies of it in shows like The Simpsons, but how many of them have actually seen the movie? Sometimes, ignorance truly is bliss. Unless, of course, watching bad movies are blissful experiences for you. Then, this one is a must see for you.
Okay, here’s the “plot”: As the Third Reich is nearing its ultimate defeat, Hitler has his brilliant Nazi scientists remove his head, place it in a glass jar, and keep it alive. To keep the secret safe, all the scientists are killed, and Hitler's living head is spirited away to the tiny South American country of Mandoras. There the head is kept hidden until the loyal Nazis decide it is time for Hitler to return, and lead the Fourth Reich to world domination. Now, nearly thirty years later in 1963, the still loyal Nazis have decided the time has come. They have a new nerve gas as their secret weapon, and their victory seems assured. A scientist who has created an antidote for the gas is kidnapped by the Nazis, so there is no obstacle to the success of their plan. They force him to help with their plan for world domination, which is known as Operation G. What does the “G” stand for? “Gas”, I am sure, as we know how ingenious the Nazis were in giving clever names to their plans. Government agents from various agencies are dispatched to find the professor, and the Nazi plan starts to unravel.
This a VERY flawed movie, but one that is fun because of that. You can't describe it as “so bad, it's good”, either. “Good” isn't a word that can be applied here. However, there are times when this silly little movie will make you laugh out loud because of how bad it is. It’s the Plan 9 From Outer Space of Nazi conspiracy movies. Watching Hitler's head (played with gusto by Bill Freed) grimace, roll his eyes, and mug in his glass bottle while yelling “Mach Schnell! Mach Schnell!”, will have you holding your sides in laughter.
The additional footage makes the movie even worse than the original. Fashions and hair styles changed drastically from 1963 to 1968, and those changes are glaring. The lighting, the grain of the film, and even the cars used in 1968 are obviously out of place with the rest of the footage. I love the fact that the female agent drives a Volkswagen Bug. Hitler won that round! I should mention that none of the agents who show up in the added footage actually make it to Mandoras. That would have made no sense whatsoever, and this movie needs all the logic it can keep on the head of pin.
The name of the little town in Mandoras, Dos Palabras, which translates as “two words”, also strikes me as amusing, right up the with the highly original Plan G. The acting is bad, and so over the top, that you wonder if the director hired them strictly for their ability to over act. The names of the cast don’t really matter, because you won’t care who they were when the movie is over. I am also sure the writers of this little exercise in bad film making would really prefer it if you forgot their names, too.
Without the added footage, Madmen of Mandoras is only a slightly better film, but not enough even to recommend it as a B-movie classic. This was never a good film. This is a film that deserves a remake as a true comedy, though. Oh, if only I had the money!
If you love bad movies, you will probably laugh yourself silly at this one. Being in the public domain, it can be found very cheaply, and throw in a bag of popcorn, and you will have a fun evening at home. So, run out, and buy this exercise in paranoia. Mach Schnell! Mach Schnell!
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