Summary
A poignant exploration of intellectual integrity confronting societal exigencies, "Les gaz mortels" unfurls the narrative of Dr. Hobson, a serpentine scholar whose profound humanism defines his initial existence. His secluded sanctuary, a haven of biological inquiry, is breached by the plight of Maud, a young American woman suffering the cruelties inflicted by Ted, a brutish snake hunter. Hobson's compassionate intervention, rescuing Maud from her tormentor, underscores his inherent dedication to alleviating suffering. This pastoral tranquility, however, is brutally shattered by the encroaching shadow of the First World War. The very intellect once dedicated to understanding the intricate dance of life is perversely conscripted by the French military, compelling Hobson to transmute his scientific prowess into the architect of chemical warfare, a horrifying perversion of his ethical core. The film thus charts a devastating trajectory from empathetic preservation to the reluctant, yet unavoidable, engineering of mass destruction, forcing a man of peace to become an instrument of unprecedented devastation.
Dr. Hobson is a humanist scientist who studies snakes. He saves Maud, a young American girl, who is abused by Ted, a violent snake hunter. But when the First World War begins, Hobson is summoned by the French army to invent deadly gases.
