Nigel P Dr. Maxwell Kirshner is a rich, grouchy, white bigot, and is played by Hollywood legend Ray Milland. Born in Wales, Milland won an Academy Award in 1945. By 1972, roles were proving more difficult to come by, which may explain his involvement in this much derided film.Much of the unease this film seems to have caused revolves around Kirshner's blatant racism – and the fact that his experiments result in his head being transplanted onto the body of a black man. The theory is that after Kirshner's head has been accepted by his new host body, then the original head – that of death row inmate named Jack Moss (Rosey Grier – who, apart from acting, has been a singer, Christian minister, and former professional American football player) – would be removed, leaving Kirshner with a new, healthy body. The relationship between Doctor and Convict is played for laughs, with Kirshner's bigotry never once perceived as anything other than archaic. Is this unacceptable? Should the story never have been pursued? Is the fact that Jack Moss is introduced as a criminal stereotypical and distasteful? The fact is that he is ultimately proved to be both a more decent moral character than Kirshner, and eventually innocent of his crime, indicates to me at least, that many of those who criticise this film may not actually have seen it.Putting aside this controversy, the film is a mix of comedy and horror. The surgical scenes of the operation to remove Kirshner's head are excellent. The 'stunt head' is the work of fledging Rick Baker (who became a big name in special effect horror make-ups). One particularly effective moment is when the head is being taken from one body to another, the mouth and eyes open! Unexpected and very well achieved, this – and the earlier scene of an experiment conducted on a two-headed ape – belies the modest budget.The two headed scenes are achieved with Grier filmed in long-shot with the model head attached to his shoulder, or in close-up with he and Milland filmed together, with Milland behind Grier. The imagery is absurd, hilarious and quite horrible. The interaction between the two is – racist slurs aside – pretty funny (Moss driven to distraction by Kirshner's snoring, Kirshner's look of exasperation as Moss tries seducing his girlfriend – 'C'mon honey, I'll cover his head with a pillow case').With Moss determined to prove his innocence, he flees the hospital. The film then seems not to know what to do with the twosome, so a car chase ensues, Dukes of Hazzard-style, which goes on far, far too long.In the end, as Moss says, 'he's got to go', and the spare head is removed and Kirshner is last found abandoned, still plugged into the life-sustaining machinery, pleading with his minions to 'find me another body … please.'

Claudio Carvalho In California, the renowned Dr. Maxwell Kirshner (Ray Milland) is a brilliant transplant surgeon and owner of the Kirshner Transplant Institute. He is dying and develops a technique to transplant his head in another body in a gorilla. Kirshner, who is racist, hires the prominent Dr. Fred Williams (Don Marshall) to help in his surgery but when he sees that the doctor is black, he unsuccessfully tries to call off the contract. He uses his friendship with the Governor expecting to use the body of a convicted in death row that could donate his body to his experiment instead of being executed. The strong and black inmate Jack Moss ('Rosey' Grier) accepts the offer expecting to get more thirty days to prove that he is innocent. However Dr. Philip Desmond (Roger Perry) immediately operates Kirshner and Jack, but he is not able to control Jack that escapes from Kirshner's house. Jack teams-up with his girlfriend Lila (Chelsea Brown) and Dr. Fred Williams, who is convinced of his innocence and decides to remove Kirshner's head. But how to find another compatible body for Dr. Kirshner?The Trash "The Thing with Two Heads" is a stupid, racist, cheesy but also very funny dark comedy. The politically incorrect plot is absurd but makes laugh a lot. It is impressive that Oscar winner Ray Milland ("The Lost Weekend") accepts such a silly role. My vote is four.Title (Brazil): "O Monstro de Duas Cabeças" ("The Monster with Two Heads")

oscar-35 *Spoiler/plot- The Thing with Two heads, 1972. A rich millionaire but racist man is dying. He hatches an elaborate scheme for transplanting his head onto another man's body to stay alive. The millionaire's health deteriorates rapidly, and doctors are forced to transplant his head onto the only available candidate; a large black man from the local prison's death row. The drama starts there.*Special Stars- Rosie Greer, Ray Milland, Chelsea Brown, Dick Whittington.*Theme- Black and white can live together.*Trivia/location/goofs- Location: Paramount Ranch. File footage alert- The make of the police car changes during the car/motorcycle chase. When it's hit from behind and the trunk won't close, it's a Ford. Later, the same car is a Dodge with its trunk open. Soon after, it turns back into a Ford. During the big police-car/motorcycle chase, in a POV shot from the motorcycle, the stunt driver (who looks nothing like any of the characters on the bike) is on the right side of the screen, with the camera shooting over his left shoulder.*Emotion- An unintentional comedic look at prejudice and racism in the decade of the 70's. This film is enjoyably fun to see these two men delivery some of the best sarcastic dialog in the context of the film's ridiculous plot. Great fun for people who know the historic context of the decade in the US.*Based on- Mary Shelley's novel. A mild satiric political statement film about racism of the 70's.

Prismark10 This is a gloriously silly film, almost camp with an anti racism message and a police car chase sequence that reminds you of those Hal Needham/Burt Reynolds films of the 1970s.The early scenes has a remarkable performance with a two headed gorilla, the gorilla's acting is sublime, no surprise as its performed by make up effects supremo Rick Baker, a 7 time Oscar winner (4 more than Daniel Day Lewis!)However the film features more than just future Oscar talent as it also stars former Best Actor Oscar winner and no stranger to schlock films, Ray Milland as a brilliant surgeon now affected by arthritis and cancer with just days to live. Milland is also a racist and in order to save his live with experimental surgery they transplant his head on the body of a convict on death row.Unsurprisingly Milland is not too happy with the result. There features a getaway as Milland hatches a plan to sort himself out.The film has series of high and lows, although more lows as far as I am concerned. It fails as horror as its too laughable, maybe works as social commentary but it needed zipping up a bit and cut down in length. It sort of meanders and gets a bit dull, even with the prolonged chase sequences. Some of the effects are very good unless when both Milland and Rosey Grier try to be together when you can guess one is behind the other. Its campy but should had been more of a hoot.