The Devil-Doll

Turn off your motor.

Hold the light up in those trees.

We'll get them before they leave the island.

- Lavond, my friend, will we make it? - Yes.

The dogs lost our scent when we crossed that river. Come on.

Yes, I've work to do. I've dreamt only of my work.

Well, my work is no dream. I've been awake for 17 years.

But you have only hatred in your heart. My work will help the world to live.

My work will help three men die.

What is it, Prince?

What're you trying to tell me? What's wrong?

Lachna. Go away. Go away, Prince.

Lachna, Lachna, see what's wrong with the dogs.

It's Marcel, my husband!

Call off the dogs, Lachna. Call off the dogs, quickly!

Come here, Prince. Quickly!

Go to the shed. Go to the shed.

- Here. Help me. - We're safe.

Easy now. Easy, old friend. Come along.

Marcel.

- Marcel, my husband. - Malita.

So you've come.

How did you get here? Did they pardon you?

- We escaped. - But the police. They'll be following you.

No. They lost our trail, weeks ago.

Come, let's get inside.

Malita, I knew you'd come here as we planned.

I knew you'd be waiting.

Oh, Marcel. Marcel.

You've been working. I knew it by the howling of the dogs.

But you've failed, you've failed again. I can see it in your face.

Now, now, don't excite yourself, Marcel. He's weak, madame.

- He's been ill a long time. - Who is he? Is he…

I know our mistake now.

It came to me one night in that cesspool of stupid minds.

- Marcel. Marcel. - No more failures, Malita.

The next one will have a perfect brain.

Marcel.

But we're not alone.

Oh, Paul.

- Malita, this is my friend, Paul Lavond. - Madame.

We escaped together.

- He saved my life more than once. - I am grateful, monsieur.

We need have no secrets from him.

Now, Malita, where are they?

- I've thought, I've planned so long. - They're in the next room.

Malita, help me. Help me.

Malita, shut off the tanks.

No.

No.

No.

Malita, some of the others, quick.

Careful. Careful, Marcel, you might hurt them.

No. Just as I thought.

They're all alike.

They might as well not have any brain at all!

What is it?

Is this the great work you've been dreaming of so long? Toy dogs?

Toy?

Forgive me, Lavond. Have you been locked away from life so long…

you don't recognise a prisoner of life itself?

Why, it feels warm.

Almost flesh and bone.

- Like the real animal. - It is.

Eight hours ago it was a full-grown Saint Bernard.

You think I'm mad.

The world would think so, too, if they knew what I was going to do.

Lavond, my friend, millions of years ago…

the creatures that roamed this world were gigantic.

As they multiplied…

the earth could no longer produce enough food.

Think of it, Lavond, every living creature…

reduced to one-sixth its size, one-sixth its physical need!

Food for six times all of us!

Lavond, you know that all matter is composed of atoms?

- Yes, yes, of course, I know. - And all atoms are made of electrons.

- Yes, I know. - Well, I've found a way…

to reduce all atoms in a body simultaneously…

to any desired degree and still maintain life, as in this little dog.

Well, then, the dog should be alive.

It is! It is. Only, in reducing the brain…

all records are wiped off, no memory left…

no will of its own.

A creature capable of responding only to the force of another will.

Malita, place it on the table.

Now, watch.

Malita, a piece of bread.

Lavond, watch the others.

Watch them.

See, Lavond, only a few crumbs is all they need.

Napoleon, Napoleon. Get down. Get down. Get down.

That's a nice dog.

See, Paul? See?

Look! Look, look, the little ones are falling down.

Naturally, I stopped concentrating.

- I broke the beam of thought. - No man can do this.

But I did. You saw me do it.

But tonight, my friend, I'll show you a complete success.

A little dog this high, but perfect with an active brain.

- Malita, get the big dog. - No, no, Marcel, not now.

- Rest. - Rest? How can I rest? I tell you…

Oh, you've done enough tonight. Have you any brandy?

- Yes. - Come along.

Lachna, get some brandy, quick. Quick.

Prince, Prince, go upstairs. Go.

Brandy, brandy, you moron.

Now some hot broth. Hot broth! What use are you? Go!

Malita, where did you get her?

In a Berlin slum.

She's an inbred peasant half-wit, but I wanted no prying wits about me.

Did anyone know she came with you?

No, Marcel, no one knows.

A friend of Marcel's is a welcome guest.

I hope you can stay with us a long time.

You'll be safe here. And you can help us with our work.

Oh, thank you very much, madame, but I'm afraid that'll be impossible.

I have work to attend to myself.

You see, when a man saves an ambition in a dirty dungeon…

for 17 years…

it becomes almost an insane obsession.

Well, with Marcel it was science, with me it was hate.

Hate and vengeance.

I may not look it, madame, but I was once a very successful banker.

Three men, my partners, lied and tricked me into prison.

Well, three lives are going to pay for it.

Well, now you know why I can't take advantage of your hospitality.

I'm leaving for Paris and tomorrow.

- Malita. - Yes, Marcel. I'm coming.

Madame.

Marcel, please, that's all you can do now. You must sleep.

No. No, I must see it through, every detail.

You've corrected her brain, Marcel.

She's no longer the stupid half-wit.

She's going to be beautiful. That's it, Lachna.

Straighten out.

Malita, turn on the tanks.

Wait! This is wrong.

Why? She'll be perfect.

Perfection isn't wrong. Think of it, Lavond.

A human being so high with a perfect brain.

Malita, the mist.

Lavond, tonight, out of this mist…

you will see the birth of a new mankind…

in full control of its destiny.

In just a few seconds, Lavond, just a few seconds, she'll awaken.

Marcel. Marcel!

Marcel. Marcel. Speak to me! Marcel!

Marcel, he's dead.

Poor tortured brain.

Perhaps it's all for the best, Malita.

But our work, our work, we must carry on!

- But this is murder. - No, no.

No, she's not dead.

You must help me. Marcel would want you to.

You must stay here. Quick, quick, help me.

Some cotton. Cotton.

Now, you concentrate. She will respond to your will.

It's like some horrible dream. I don't want any part of this.

- Restore her to what she was. - No.

She will always remain small, small.

We can make the whole world small as Marcel wanted to do.

We can go to Paris.

There are many people there.

There's where we begin our work.

Yes, Malita.

- Yes? - Matin.

- Are you busy? - Yes, very busy.

Well, this is more important than anything else.

- Come in right away. - Oh, all right.

Radin, this is terrible.

Well, what's wrong now?

Indigestion?

If you continue to crucify your stomach, my dear Coulvet, you'll…

Listen to this. "In a sensational statement by the Prefect of Police today…

it was admitted that Paul Lavond, former bank president…

convicted of looting his own bank and killing a watchman…

escaped from prison four months ago."

"He had served 17 years of a life sentence."

"Police censorship had withheld the news until…"

Well, what about it?

It was a pretty plot, Charles, but I knew we'd never get away with it.

Victor, not so loud.

- Don't shout it all over the bank. - No, please.

After all, embezzlement and murder are things we should keep to ourselves.

But you didn't have to kill that man, Emile.

Stop it!

- Keep your mouth closed. - He'll come back to Paris, he'll talk.

You cringe and scream like a woman, Victor.

No, my friends, our former president may be honest…

but he'll never be so stupid as to set foot again in France.

I'd sleep better if I knew Lavond was back in prison.

A 50,000 franc reward would ensure that.

There's a certain amusing irony in offering a man's own money for his capture.

50,000 francs? Why not?

Give me the Prefect of Police.

Instruct all divisions to restudy the features of Paul Lavond…

from the photograph issued, and impress upon them…

it was taken 17 years ago.

My partners and I will increase the reward to 100,000 francs.

- Malita. - Yes, I'm coming, madam.