MoPoshy Absolutely brilliant

FirstWitch A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Sammy-Jo Cervantes There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Bessie Smyth Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

utgard14 Grand biopic as only Old Hollywood could do so well. An excellent performance from Edward G. Robinson as Dr. Paul Ehrlich, who works to create a cure for syphilis while battling tuberculosis and his peers' small-mindedness. With direction by the great William Dieterle and a script co-written by John Huston, this is an exceptional film. It's not easy to make a great movie out of what is essentially a medical research story, but they pull it off. Terrific supporting cast including Ruth Gordon, Donald Crisp, Otto Kruger, Donald Meek, Henry O'Neill, Maria Ouspenskaya, Albert Bassermann, Louis Calhern...so many more. Just a great lineup. Pretty daring to make a movie about syphilis at a time when the Production Code was in full effect. Wonderful biopic you should definitely check out.

dbdumonteil Nowadays,people know Ruth Gordon for her sensational parts of Minnie in "Rosemary's baby" and Maude in "Harold and Maude" ,but she was featured in many comedies and she was a writer too.Here ,this is an unobtrusive part,the doctor's admirable wife,supporting him every step of the way and cooking her delicious Kartoffel Puffer (potato pancakes)for him.Edward G.Robinson plays the part of a great scientist who devoted his entire life to relieve his fellow men's sufferings.Many users have noticed how his fight is still relevant today when AIDS (and cancer) are still causing terrible losses.This is an interesting movie ,even for these who,like me,are not really good at biology.Dieterle makes a veiled reference to these viewers in this scene when Ehrlich explains his theory to Mrs Speyer (the marvelous Madame Ouspenskaya): when he stops speaking,the large table is completely empty.The same year,Robinson made "A dispatch from Reuter's " with the same director.Both movies have similar endings when the heroes stand accused and then the facts vindicate them

Air America Though a comment was previously deleted; likely because of the mention of the common name of a disease prominent to the time (I can hazard, no other guess as to the reason); this must really be a unique movie, and I will be on the edge of my seat to view it again and possess the disk for further viewings. It broke the mold for the Hayes censor board with the-then unpardonable mention of Lue's. For Dr. Erlich to persist through 606 compilations is astonishing.An interesting "medical" maxim bringing levity to observers of hip radiographs in some oldsters even as late as the 1960's; often a radiolucent area was noted at the injection sites of the arsenical/mercurial. We used to say, "One night with Venus, and seven years with Mercury," a reference to "exposure" and the subsequent treatment and its length of time and the signs left behind.

blanche-2 "Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet" is the story of the groundbreaking Nobel prize winner Paul Ehrlich, credited with many discoveries still critical in the practice of medicine today, and perhaps most importantly, for finding the cure for syphilis. This is an important film for the use of the word 'syphilis' which was the basis of a fight between the Hays code and Warners. But Ehrlich's story deserved telling, and you couldn't do it without using the word syphilis.The beginning of the film shows Dr. Ehrlich in Germany futilely treating patients who have the disease, though nothing can really help them. It chronicles his rise up the scientific ranks through his use of staining organisms so that they could be seen under the microscope, his work in disease resistance, and finally, after long experiments with an arsenical compound - 606, in fact - the discovery of a cure for syphilis.For me, one reason to watch bios is that I develop interest in the subjects and seek out more information; after all, some Hollywood stories are less factual than others. Though I'm sure a lot of Ehrlich's life had to be telescoped, the film certainly hits the highlights, and portrays him as a gifted scientist and vigorous innovator obsessed with his work.Edward G. Robinson was always a good actor in the right role, but as Dr. Ehrlich, he is magnificent, totally immersing himself in the character and drawing the audience in. Stage actress Ruth Gordon, for whom movie stardom was about 28 years off, gives a lovely, understated performance as Ehrlich's wife. The rest of the cast is excellent, from Otto Kruger as a fellow scientist and friend, right down to a small role by Louis Calhern.The movie is a little too sentimental at times by today's standards, I suppose, but the only thing that really bothered me was the lack of presence of Ehrlich's daughters at the film's end. At the beginning of the movie, we see them as youngsters, and reference is made to them later as being married. Would it have killed Warners to have two female extras at the end of the film? We would have known who they were.I don't know if Ehrlich really said that diseases of the body will not be conquered until we conquer diseases of the soul, but it's a great and true thought. He was in fact a victim of a disease of the soul: there was a street in Frankfurt named after him, but the name was changed in the '30s because Ehrlich was Jewish. Later, it was reinstated.This is a marvelous movie, a real must-see.