Famous scientist Dr Laurience moves from Italy to Britain where newspaper baron Lord Haslewood offers to sponsor Laurience's experiments . After a falling out Laurience takes his revenge on Hslewood and shows him that his sinister experiment works very wellThis is another early take on the mas scientist theme and despite not being in the same league as the one that catapulted Karloff to instant stardom it is rather fun as long as you don't think about it too much . Being a British film there does seem a slight lack of budget and perhaps that little bit of something that is exclusive to Hollywood studios is missing but director Robert Stevenson - who'd later make some very memorable Walt Disney films in the 1960s and 70s - makes the best of what he's got and Karloff is a good asset and never goes camp or over the top unlike in the 1933 British horror flick THE GHOUL It's interesting that Dr Laurience was previously working in Genoa but had to leave for undisclosed reasons . In 1936 Italy would have been under the fascist jackboot for over ten years and I thought perhaps we were going to get some political commentary at this point but we didn't . On a similar matter Lord Haslewood must be based upon Lord Beaverbrook and again I thought this was going to lead to a subtext about one man having too much power but being a mad scientist plot the film concerns itself with concept and plotting As for the plotting it's a strange mix of good and bad . There's a slight flaw of internal continuity when Hsslewood funds a publicity campaign that Laurience is moving to Britain then in the next scene announces that he's going to make Laurience a household name . Hmmm isn't he already a household name then ? It's easy to see where the plot might be heading - the clue is in the title by the way - but at least the film addresses what I thought were going to be gigantic plot holes where character A being swapped in to characters B's body instantly and miraculously knows everything character B does . Okay it's not addressed very well or convincingly but at least it tried . Like so many other films with potential the third act starts to fall apart due to its contrived nature and that's what stops the movie becoming a British classic . That said it is relatively enjoyable

Boris Karloff is reason enough to see any film of his. The Man Who Changed His Mind is not an exception. At 62 minutes, I did think it was too short, you'd expect a TV episode to be that length but not so much a film, and John Loder is rather stiff as a character that is not particularly interesting. However, The Man Who Changed His Mind is well shot with sets that add to the atmosphere. The music score, while it's never going to be one of my favourites, fits with the mood very well, with some memorable parts and it never overbears the drama. The dialogue is tongue-in-cheek and witty, advantaged also by being delivered with zest by the cast. The idea in variations has been done to death, but you don't care here because the story is suspenseful, fun and always interesting with not a moment when it drags. Other plot points such as the love triangle bring a touching yet never over-saccharine element to it but sensibly kept at minimum. Anna Lee is radiant in looks and proves to be a sympathetic actress also. Frank Cellier and Donald Calthrop are great as well, but Boris Karloff comes off best in one of his best ever performances, when he's on screen you cannot look away from him. To conclude, it is a shame that The Man Who Changed His Mind is seldom seen, it's not perfect but Karloff's performance especially makes for a film that I found myself enjoying a lot. 8/10 Bethany Cox

OK, so the opening moments are likely to make a modern audiences grind their teeth a little, as a British journalist spends an inordinate amount of time and energy trying to convince an independent professional woman (in fact, a brilliant surgeon!) to marry him instead of going off to pursue a chance to study with Karloff's character. But it was the 30s and it was Great Britain, so I'll let it slide.This early "mind switch" movie has a great performance from Karloff (which is no surprise) and also from two of the supporting actors (one playing a wheelchair bound paralytic, the other the lead actress' father and millionaire crusading publisher). This isn't to say that everyone isn't fine in "Man", just that the nature of these three parts means that a) they get all the best lines, and b) they all get to play each other (what with the mind transplants and all).The director keeps things moving and the scenes stay energetic and snappy, the black and white photography makes the sets look moody and interesting. The screen play distinguishes itself with some interesting twists ,and the plot spirals down into a sort of comedy of errors in the last third of the movie as Karloff decides to get the girl by committing a murder as himself, then switching bodies with his rival and leaving the poor sap to take the blame. (This actually makes perfect sense in the context of the movie).However, things don't quite work out, and hilarity ensues. Good wins out in the end, because evil can't be bothered to take care of minor details (like ensuring that the victims' bonds are tight) and because that's just how things were done back then.Lots of fun. Well worth seeking out if you are a fan of Karloff or British horror films in general.

The incomparable Boris Karloff was doubtlessly not only one of the greatest Horror icons in the History of Motion pictures, but one of the greatest actors the world of cinema will ever see, and the 1930s were both a golden age in Horror cinema and the most memorable decade in the genre-deity's career. Take this wonderful film, for example. While "The Man Who Changed His Mind" of 1936 may not be as brilliant as the most essential masterpieces starring Karloff (such as "Frankenstein", "Bride Of Frankenstein", "The Mummy" or "The Black Cat"), it is doubtlessly a terrific example for both Karloff's genius, and for the variety of innovative ideas that dominated the Horror industry in the 30s.Karloff plays the eccentric Dr. Laurience, who is dedicated to the idea of separating the mind from the body, and transferring it to other bodies. After successful experiments with animals, Laurience is eager to 'change minds' in men... The chain-smoking Dr. Laurience alone is a character as eccentric and interesting as only the good old days in Horror, and Karloff is, as always, brilliant in the role. The film includes a bunch of other eccentric characters, such as a cigar-smoking newspaper mogul or Laurience's wheel-chair bound colleague. Anna Lee plays Clare, a young female scientist, and aspiring assistant to Laurience. The only character I found slightly annoying is that of her boyfriend, Newspaper mogul's son. The film is only 63 minutes long, and does not drag for a minute. The fact that the film did not have the production values of contemporary Universal Horror classics does not lessen it in the least. It may not be as rich of impressive cinematography as are some other Karloff classics, but it has a delightful atmosphere of climatic insanity, and a sophisticated tension from the first minute. Overall, "The Man Who Changed His Mind" is a wonderful film for everyone who appreciates Classic Horror that comes with my highest recommendations!