Doctor Without Scruples


Doctor Without Scruples is a 1959 West German horror film directed by Falk Harnack. The film revolves around a mad doctor searching for the last secret to heart transplantation.
It premiered on September 4, 1959 at the Ufa-Palast in Cologne. It received its North American premiere in Toronto, Canada on January 10, 1963. Two reviews at the North American premiere were lukewarm towards the film on a whole, but found the acting far above average.

Cast

Development

The film was in development under the title Das letzte Geheimnis.

Release

Doctors Without Scruples was released in West Germany on September 4, 1959 at the Ufa-Palast in Cologne, Germany. It was distributed by Gloria Film.
Doctor Without Scruples had its North American premiere on January 10, 1963, at the Fine Arts Theatre in Toronto, Canada. The film was shown with a 96-minute runtime with English subtitles. It was the first new film show at the Fine Art Theatre, which was formerly the Bayview in Toronto, until it was acquired by new ownership.

Reception

Following its premiere in North America in Toronto, a critic in the The Globe and Mail said it was a "run-of-the mill product" while the reviewer in The Toronto Star slow-paced and clumsily made. Both reviewers complimented the acting as being what they expected from the film, with the first newspaper saying it was "uncommonly good" and the latter publication describing Wolfgang Kieling's performance as a highlight.
In Phil Hardy's book Science Fiction, a reviewer found the film similar to in themes another 1959 West German production: The Head and found the latter film to be the highlight of films involving mad scientists performing experimental surgery from Germany.