The Mind Benders (1963)

Sick Product of a Sick System

Purely Joyful Movie!

Memorable, crazy movie

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

I do not usually say this, even of films with actors that I love, but I am very happy that I saw this film. I also do not usually review films on IMDb, this may be either my first or second review in well over a decade, but I feel that it is deserved. Although the first twenty minutes of this film are very, very slow, as soon as you see Dirk Bogarde, in person, the whole screen lights up. He probably looks better in this film than in any post-Victim performance. The cinematography for this film is amazing and dark and although not exactly a scary film, (there is no "monster" in the "Creature of the Black Lagoon" sense) it is nevertheless both terrifying and soul purging. The very best work is to be found in the film's final quarter hour or so with a remarkably realistic (for the 1960s) birthing scene in which you sort of get why Dirk's siblings claim he felt cheated in life for not being a heterosexual, you can see the paternal desire in his eyes in the way he handles the children and the birthing. The scenario is very intriguing, the idea that sensory isolation could cause the mind to be broken down and subjected to any indoctrination is fascinating. Although what the scientists and the Major do is utterly unethical, (Dirk's distant husband of the second half is heartbreaking), Oonagh knows she will eventually get her man back. After all, the brainwashing programmed him to be even more protective of his children, and she is like eight and a half months pregnant....

The implications are the scary thoughts. In the introduction we learn that the film is based on real events at some US universities. Maybe some real experiments did occur? Just as space exploration was starting, it occurred to some people to ask... what would happen when the person is weightless - they would feel nothing, (on earth we at least feel the ground beneath us, and maybe the air moving) and then... what would happen if there was complete darkness and silence. What would happen to their mind? Only one way to find out, put a volunteer into that situation.To replicate the weightlessness they use a water tank with the subject in a wet-suit and with breathing gear. They make it silent and dark... and then listen, and wait. What happens next is so scary.There are added complications when the secret people get involved, a previous volunteer has been given a large sum of money by 'foreign' agents? Why? Maybe the Russians carried out similar experiments, or at least are thinking of it.Dirk Bogarde is outstanding as Longman, (much much better than in African Queen), and the tragic Mary Ure as Mrs Longman is too. She gets to act the birth of a child and is so convincing. The "baby" she produces is either a real very very young actor (uncredited), or a very good prop, all wrinkles. John Clements is also outstanding at the Major.

Good acting, photography, and ideas are not used to their full advantage by the script, particularly when it fell apart in the last few minutes. The opening of the film was quite intriguing. This film may have introduced the idea (familiar today) of an isolation tank. The hero spends some time in the tank and the experience changes him. The basic story line is the same as Altered States, but without the fantasy dimension. The supporting characters in Mind Benders are generally quite bland too. The transfer of the B&W source is quite good. The photography is technically quite good, but flat. Much more could have been done with the photography to enhance the drama. If you are thinking of renting this movie, you would probably find Altered States a better choice.

Intelligent - and, at the time, X-Rated - sci-fi (written by James Kennaway) which I had always been interested in watching, given its theme and credentials.Featuring excellent performances by all the main actors (Dirk Bogarde, Mary Ure, John Clements, Michael Bryant and Wendy Craig), fine black-and-white cinematography by Denys Coop and a good score by Georges Auric, the film deals with sensory-deprivation experiments which if over-exposed can render the subject susceptible to brainwashing. The idea is persuasively handled by the script and director Dearden, and actually predates Ken Russell's ALTERED STATES (1980) by almost 20 years! Still, after an intriguing first hour - with its introduction of suspense elements (where a scientist who has committed suicide is thought to have betrayed secrets to the enemy whilst 'under the influence') and the realistic depiction of the harrowing experiments (hinting at the supernatural), the plot is side-tracked into dealing with the domestic problems of Bogarde and Ure (which are mostly talked about rather than seen!) brought on by his change in personality during his stint in the water-tank - conditioned by Clements' Secret Service man and Bryant's fellow colleague, secretly enamored of his wife.As such, the treatment is somewhat too highbrow (for the most part, it's made by people not usually associated with this type of film) but it's fascinating - and generally satisfying - all the same.