Ever since I first saw it decades ago,
Dr Ehrlich’s Magic Bullet, released by Warner Bros. in 1940 (with a screenplay that included John Huston among the talented writers), has struck me as one of the most memorable and noble films in Hollywood s inventory of biopics. The word that defines this film is
uplifting. Edward G. Robinson, an unforgettable actor of immense range, is simply magnificent in his portrayal of Ehrlich. As the anonymous author of the retrospective appreciation we publish below correctly notes, he is virtually absorbed by the role: Robinson is wonderful in
Dr Ehrlich’s Magic Bullet, disappearing into the character of Paul Ehrlich in a way that, given the strength and distinctiveness of his own personality, is quite remarkable. The rest of the cast is equally outstanding. This is indeed an extraordinary, timeless, film that redeems the much maligned studio system, and will remain one of the gems of the genre, produced, not by accident, by Warner Bros,