The Mind Benders ** (1963, Dirk Bogarde, Mary Ure, John Clements, Michael Bryant, Wendy Craig) – Classic Movie Review 9,379

Basil Dearden’s 1963 British thriller The Mind Benders is an ambitious, intelligent film with a fascinating theme. It enjoys quality acting, particularly by Dirk Bogarde.

Director Basil Dearden’s 1963 British thriller film The Mind Benders is written by James Kennaway, based on his 1963 novel, and stars Dirk Bogarde, Mary Ure, John Clements, Michael Bryant and Wendy Craig.

To prove Professor Sharpey (Harold Goldblatt), a colleague who committed suicide, wasn’t a foreign spy passing secrets to the Soviet Union, dedicated British scientist Dr Henry Laidlaw Longman (Dirk Bogarde) is submerged in an isolation tank and deprived of his senses in the same sensory deprivation experiment that may have made Sharpey susceptible to brainwashing. But Longman will be brainwashed to stop loving his wife Oonagh (Mary Ure) and the experiment cannot be reversed.

The Mind Benders is an ambitious, intelligent film, and an intriguing, even fascinating theme enjoys quality acting, particularly by Bogarde, but also Clements and Bryant. But the handling is hesitantly nervous and the pacing is poor in a film that turns out to be a bit of a dud, albeit an interesting one.

Something that was probably intended to be smart ends up uncomfortably more like trashy sci-fi thriller hokum.

The producers acknowledged that the story was suggested by experiments on the reduction of sensation then recently carried out by universities in the United States, though the events and characters are fictitious.

It was released by Anglo-Amalgamated in the UK but American International Pictures released the film in the US as a double feature with Operation Bikini.

Also in the cast are Harold Goldblatt as Professor Sharpey, Geoffrey Keen as Calder, Terry Palmer as Norman, Norman Bird as Aubrey, Terence Alexander as Rowing Coach, Christopher Ellis as Peers Longman, Grace Arnold as Train Passenger (uncredited), Timothy Beaton as Paul Longman (uncredited), Elizabeth Counsell as Girl Student on Station (uncredited), Roger Delgado as Doctor Jean Bonvoulois (uncredited), Terence Edmond as 1st Student at Party (uncredited), Edward Fox as Stewart (uncredited), Robin Hawdon as Student in Oxford (uncredited), Georgina Moon as Persephone Longman (uncredited), Edward Palmer as Porter (uncredited), Philip Ray as Father (uncredited), David Weston as Student at Party (uncredited), and Pauline Winter as Mother (uncredited).

The Mind Benders is directed by Basil Dearden, runs 101 minutes, is made by Novus (Michael Relph Productions), is released by Anglo-Amalgamated (UK) and American International Pictures (US), is written by James Kennaway, based on the novel by James Kennaway, is shot in black and white by Denys Coop, is produced by Michael Relph, is scored by Georges Auric, and is designed by Jim Morahan.

The film was released on 21 February 1963 in London and on 1 May 1963 in the United States.

It gave the name to the British pop band Wayne Fontana and The Mindbenders.

Wayne Fontana and The Mindbenders in 1965: Bob Lang, Ric Rothwell, Eric Stewart and Wayne Fontana.

English pop singer Glyn Geoffrey Ellis (born 28 October 1945), known as Wayne Fontana, fronted the Sixties beat group The Mindbenders, recording the hit singles ‘The Game of Love’, ‘It’s Just a Little Bit Too Late’, ‘She Needs Love’, ‘Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um’ (1964) and ‘The Game of Love’ (1965). Leaving for a solo career, Fontana had further UK hits, including ‘Pamela Pamela’ (1966). He later performed on the Sixties nostalgia circuit until his death from cancer on 6 August 2020.

He formed his backing group The Mindbenders in June 1963, the year of the film, and secured a recording contract with, by chance, Fontana Records. He took his stage name from Elvis Presley’s drummer D J Fontana.

The song ‘The Game of Love’ reached No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart in February 1965 and No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 week of 24 April 1965.

James Kennaway’s best known novel was his first book, Tunes of Glory (1956). He was also a successful screenwriter of films including Violent Playground (1958), Tunes of Glory (1960), The Mind Benders (1963) and Battle of Britain (1969). He died of a heart attack on 21 December 1968 while driving home from London at the age of 40.

© Derek Winnert 2020 Classic Movie Review 9,379

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Glyn Geoffrey Ellis (28 October 1945 – 6 August 2020), known professionally as Wayne Fontana.