The Raven (1935)

After Jean Thatcher has been injured in a car accident, her father, Judge Thatcher, and beau, Jerry implore retired surgeon, Dr. Richard Vollin to perform a delicate operation to restore her to health. Vollin’s insensitivity to human suffering at first refuses, as just then he was too busy negotiating the sale of his Edgar Allan Poe book collection to admit distraction. But a personal visit by Judge Thatcher, who frantically relates to him that in the opinion of Vollin’s former hospital colleagues, only Vollin has the brilliance to perform the operation successfully, eventually pleases his vanity enough to change his mind; he saves her life. He befriends the spirited and grateful Jean, in the process revealing his passion for all things related to Edgar Allan Poe, including his homemade collection of torture devices inspired by Poe’s works (such as a pit, pendulum with crescent razor, shrinking room, etc.), and identifying the raven as his talisman.