Dr. Socrates gave up his brilliant career as surgeon in a prominent hospital because his betrothed died under his knife. He is now a struggling doctor in a small town that has a gangster's hideout.
Acting
Paul Muni's haunted eyes carry 70 minutes of self-loathing.
Direction
Dieterle's shadows make this B-picture look expensive.
Director
William Dieterle
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Paul Muni filmed this between his Oscar-winning turns in The Story of Louis Pasteur and The Life of Emile Zola, making it his 'forgotten' prestige year.
Released June 1935, this captures the exact moment the Hays Code started strangling Hollywood—note how the gangster almost gets away with everything.
US
