The Man Who Could Cheat Death (1959)

Director:

Terence Fisher

Writers:

Barré Lyndon (play)
Jimmy Sangster (screenplay)

Release Date:

June 1959 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

His terrifying secret - his hideous obsession made him... [The Man Who Could Cheat Death]

Plot:

A remake of "The Man in Half Moon Street" (1945) (qv.). Dr. Bonner plans to live forever through periodic gland transplants from younger...

Plot Keywords:

Beautiful Woman | Murder | Death In Title | Based On Play

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Anton Diffring	...	Dr. Georges Bonnet
Hazel Court	...	Janine Dubois
Christopher Lee	...	Dr. Pierre Gerard
Arnold Marlé	...	Prof. Ludwig Weiss
Delphi Lawrence	...	Margo Phillipe
Francis De Wolff	...	Insp. LeGris
Gerda Larsen	...	Street Girl
Middleton Woods	...	Little Man
Michael Ripper	...	Morgue Attendant
Denis Shaw	...	Tavern Customer
Ian Hewitson	...	Roget
Frederick Rawlings	...	Footman
Marie Burke	...	Woman At Private View
Charles Lloyd Pack	...	Man At Private View
John Harrison	...	Servant

Runtime:

83 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Certification:

Finland:(Banned) (1960) | Sweden:15 | West Germany:18 | UK:X

Filming Locations:

Bray Studios, Down Place, Oakley Green, Berkshire, England, UK

Company:

Cadogan Films

Trivia:

Anton Diffring was second choice for Dr. Bonnet.

Movie Connections:

Version of The Man in Half Moon Street (1945)

Decent Hammer production.

Anton Diffring plays Dr. Georges Bonnet, an esteemed doctor in 19th century Paris who dabbles in sculpting. He's also a man with a secret: as one can guess from the title, he's managing to put off his demise and extend his life, but he often resorts to very nefarious methods to do so. Morally upright surgeon Pierre Gerrard (a dapper and smooth Christopher Lee) gets enmeshed in his scheme when Janine Dubois (lovely Hazel Court), with whom Pierre is smitten, is targeted by the desperate Bonnet, with whom Janine has a romantic history.

Diffring is quite good and a marvel of edgy, twisted desperation, and manages to arouse a fair bit of sympathy. Court and Lee offer fine support, as well as Arnold Marle as Diffring's disapproving associate and Francis De Wolff as the perplexed Inspector stuck with a strange case to solve. Michael Ripper of many other Hammer films and Charles Lloyd Pack have small roles.

This was based on a play by Barre Lyndon, previously filmed as a 1944 movie called "The Man in Half Moon Street". It has the feel of a play in that it often consists of characters talking, but is also a typically good looking Hammer production and the story is reasonably entertaining. The makeup proves to be disappointing and the ending feels a little rushed, but the actors make it all worthwhile.

Minor criticisms aside, it's still a polished and elegant film from a studio that put a lot of class into its colorful genre pictures.

7/10