Two old men escape from prison in France, wandering through a marsh for safety. One of the men (Lionel Barrymore) is a banker accused of killing a man and the other is a mad scientist who has discovered a weird process of shrinking animals down to 1/6th their size. They come to an old house and a crazy-looking woman, who looks like a cross between Igor and the Bride of Frankenstein, answers. This is the scientist's wife, who has been continuing his experiments in his absence. They show Barrymore how they can shrink a dog down to miniscule size and he's amazed. They explain, that with this device, they can solve the world's overcrowding and food shortage, with everything only consuming 1/6th of what they normally would after they were shrunk down. But there's a bad side effect-whatever is shrunk down does not retain its mind and becomes a blank slate, able to be controlled by the brain waves of another. After the mad scientist dies Barrymore agrees to continue his work, yet this isn't altruistic. He wants to get revenge on the three co-workers who had framed him for the crime he was convicted of so he uses the process to get this revenge. The way he eludes police is that he has assumed the identity of an old Lady-and very much looks the part with a dress and a wig.There's also a side story about Barrymore making peace with his daughter, who has learned to hate him for the past seventeen years.The miniature special effects are good, done primarily through huge sets that make the actors appear small. And the story is just so weird it makes for a fascinating viewing.
Two old men escape from prison in France, wandering through a marsh for safety. One of the men (Lionel Barrymore) is a banker accused of killing a man and the other is a mad scientist who has discovered a weird process of shrinking animals down to 1/6th their size. They come to an old house and a crazy-looking woman, who looks like a cross between Igor and the Bride of Frankenstein, answers. This is the scientist's wife, who has been continuing his experiments in his absence. They show Barrymore how they can shrink a dog down to miniscule size and he's amazed. They explain, that with this device, they can solve the world's overcrowding and food shortage, with everything only consuming 1/6th of what they normally would after they were shrunk down. But there's a bad side effect-whatever is shrunk down does not retain its mind and becomes a blank slate, able to be controlled by the brain waves of another. After the mad scientist dies Barrymore agrees to continue his work, yet this isn't altruistic. He wants to get revenge on the three co-workers who had framed him for the crime he was convicted of so he uses the process to get this revenge. The way he eludes police is that he has assumed the identity of an old Lady-and very much looks the part with a dress and a wig.There's also a side story about Barrymore making peace with his daughter, who has learned to hate him for the past seventeen years.The miniature special effects are good, done primarily through huge sets that make the actors appear small. And the story is just so weird it makes for a fascinating viewing.
