FROZEN ALIVE

Two scientists from the World Health Organisation's Low Temperature Unit in Berlin – the American Dr. Frank Overton and Dr. Helen Wieland, a West German, have successfully frozen chimpanzees, stored them at -80 °C for three months, and thawed them with no ill effects. Their goal is to move on to humans and save those suffering from currently incurable diseases.

Frank and Helen are affectionate, but Frank is married to Joan, an alcoholic fashion journalist, who is jealous of the two, although nothing is going on between them. Her lover, Tony Stein, is a newspaper crime reporter.

The director of the Low Temperature Unit, Sir Keith, has forbidden Frank and Helen from human experimentation. They have won a prestigious award for their work with chimps, and are each to receive $25,000. Frank suggests to Joan that they buy a cottage in the country, after which she would quit her job and have babies; she has previously said she wanted children but it becomes clear that she only said it because it was what her husband wanted. Now, Joan is not enthusiastic. She is jealous of Helen as she thinks Frank spends too much time with her. Frank and Joan argue, and Frank storms off to work on an all-night experiment with Helen. Joan, in turns, goes out with Tony.

At Tony's apartment, Joan and he also argue after he cut their date short to write an article, which will take all night. When Tony moves to another room to write in peace, a drunken Joan takes his semi-automatic pistol and leaves. She goes to the lab to confront Helen, but Frank physically removes her from the premises. At home, Joan and Frank row, and Joan says she wishes she was dead. Frank thinks that she is being silly, but then sees she has a gun. As they struggle over it, the pistol discharges but neither is struck by the bullet. Frank pulls out the empty clip and believes the gun is unloaded.

After Joan has sobered up a bit, she asks Frank if he can arrange a short, romantic holiday for them. Frank says yes, but it will mean he must work that night, helping Helen finish a project. At the lab, he tells Helen that despite Sir Keith's order, they must take the next step and deep-freeze a human - him. Lab technician Martin asks Helen how he should enter the experiment in the lab's logbook. Helen says that since the previous experiment was numbered X700, freezing Frank is X701.

Tony goes to Joan to retrieve his pistol. To his surprise, Joan refuses a drink, saying that she is on the wagon. Then she declares that it is time to say "auf wiedersehen" to the old, drunken Joan, melodramatically puts the gun to her abdomen, and shoots herself, not realizing the supposedly empty gun had a live round in the chamber. Tony puts her to bed, where she dies. He leaves her body lying there and leaves, taking the pistol with him. A cleaning woman finds Joan the next morning.

Police Inspector Prentow and Sgt. Grun arrive at the lab to interrogate Frank, the chief subject in what they assume is Joan's murder. Upon learning that he has been frozen, Prentow demands that Frank be thawed immediately.

Meanwhile, Tony sees a headline in a newspaper that reads "Bekannte Mode-Journalisten tot aufgefunden! Ehemann verschwindet!" ("Famous fashion journalist found dead! Husband disappears!") and call his uncle, the Vice President of Police, to explain what actually happened. The message about Joan's accidental death is passed on to Prentow. Frank thaws, alive and well.

A year later, Frank and his friendly boss Prof. Hubbard relax outdoors as Hubbard reads aloud an interview with Sir Keith, who takes full credit for successfully freezing and thawing Frank. Helen walks around the corner of the country cottage, and she and Frank, arm in arm, stroll off together.

Joan accidentally shoots herself with a supposedly unloaded gun; Frank, in cryogenic suspension, becomes the chief suspect in her death as the authorities investigate.

The film’s conclusion ties scientific risk to personal tragedy, as Joan’s accidental death occurs amid marital discord and Frank’s bold leap into human experimentation. The ending underscores the dangers of unchecked ambition and fractured relationships, leaving Frank’s future uncertain as he faces both the perils of suspended animation and the suspicion of murder.