Video Rewind is a review of an avant-garde, cultish, or otherwise odd film that has a small or large following. That means, by its fans, it can be watched over and over with greater enjoyment. We will feature films that can be accessed either via Netflix, OnDemand, or other sites such as YouTube or Hulu.

Dr. Syn, 1937, 84 minutes, Black and white. Directed by Roy William Neill. Starring George Arliss as Dr. Syn, Margaret Lockwood as Imogene Clegg, John Loder as Denis Cobtree, Meinhart Maur, man with tongue cut out, and Graham Moffatt as Jerry Jerk. Schlock-Meter rating: 7 stars out of 10.

Dr. Syn has fallen into a memory hole, such as Svengali or the old play The Bat, but like those two literary offerings, it was extremely popular long ago and has had more than a couple of screen adaptations. (Dr. Syn, by the way, was a series of books by Russell Thorndike that dealt with a country parson in the southeast of England who in reality was a pirate, Captain Clegg, long-thought dead.)

In the most popular book, “Dr. Syn: A Tale of Romney Marsh,” the good Dr. Syn is also leading a group of spirits smugglers. A squadron of British government soldiers are sent to investigate. Smuggling liquor, etc., is a serious business. It can lead to a death sentence. With the squadron is a man who long ago had his tongue cut out. At one time, he was tortured and left to die by Captain Clegg.

There’s a lot more to the plot. Dr. Syn is trying to protect a young girl, Imogene, who loves a man above her station in life. He loves her too, so that helps. There’s a brutish confederate of Syn’s who wants Imogen for himself, and meanwhile, the soldiers, under Captain Collyer, are getting closer to discovering the spirits operation. It’s quite an enjoyable cat-and-mouse game between Syn and Collyer.

“Dr. Syn” stars George Arliss, an elderly actor who apparently in 1937 rivaled Lionel Barrymore in fame those many generations ago. Arliss is, indeed, a great actor. Although he’s likely 20 years too old to play Syn/Clegg, he has tremendous screen presence and a voice that is both soothing and commanding. He has the ability to transform himself from a non-threatening, caring country parson to an angry, threatening force with the mere changing of his countenance, a quick movement, or a change in the timbre of his voice. It’s quite impressive to witness.

And truthfully, Arliss is the only real reason to see “Dr. Syn.” When he’s not in it, it’s mostly a creaky film with only adequate performances and little sustained drama. There is one great exception. The opening prologue scene, in which a man, (Meinhart Mauer) is dragged to shore, his tongue cut off, and left to die lashed to a tree with a proclamation over his head. The scene is very strong and quite chilling for an era in Great Britain that frowned on horrific images in films.

“Dr. Syn” is hard to find but it can be seen online at http://free-classic-movies.com/movies-03/03-1937-08-25-Doctor-Syn/index.php. 

Portions of this review were originally published at Plan9Crunch blog. (http://planninecrunch.blogspot.com).