An arty one-off filmed under the auspices of Madrid-based producer Samuel Bronston (El Cid, King of Kings, both 1961), Dr. Coppelius (1966) was a feature length ballet based on the works of Prussian fantasist E. T. A. Hoffmann. Hoffmann's "The Sandman" and "The Doll," had already served as the inspiration for Léo Delibes' 1870 ballet Coppélia and Jacques Offenbach's 1881 opera The Tales of Hoffmann, which was adapted for films by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger in 1951. Under the direction of American Ted Kneeland (whose wife, Jo Anna, handled the choreography), Dr. Coppelius starred Walter Slezak as a Geppetto-like inventor who creates a clockwork automaton (Claudia Corday) so beguiling to his neighbors that a jealous girl (Corday again) breaks into his workshop to take the doll's place in a bid to win the love of a local swain (Caj Selling). Shot in 70mm Superpanorama and distributed to mature audiences by former kiddie matinee specialists Childhood Productions, Dr. Coppelius garnered good reviews during the 1968 Christmas season but dire box office and legal troubles with its distributor drove the film underground. The Kneelands and Bronston recut the film in 1976, adding narration and animated sequences (one featuring the voice of British actor Terry-Thomas) and retitling the package The Mysterious House of Dr. C. Unfortunately for all involved, the 35mm alternate version sank as well, leaving both takes on the material in limbo for decades and only now available for reassessment.

By Richard Harland Smith