The Man Who Could Cheat Death (1959)

A centenarian artist and scientist in 1890 Paris maintains his youth and health by periodically replacing a gland with that of a living person.

Director:

Terence Fisher

Writers:

Jimmy Sangster (screenplay), Barré Lyndon (play) (as Barre Lyndon)

Stars:

Anton Diffring, Hazel Court, Christopher Lee

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Anton Diffring	...	Dr. Georges Bonnet
Hazel Court	...	Janine Du Bois
Christopher Lee	...	Dr. Pierre Gerrard
Arnold Marlé	...	Dr. Ludwig Weiss (as Arnold Marle)
Delphi Lawrence	...	Margo Philippe
Francis De Wolff	...	Inspector Legris

Storyline

In 1890, in Paris, the artist Dr. Georges Bonnet invites a group of friends for a private exposition of his new sculpture. Among the guests are Dr. Pierre Gerrard and his companion Janine Du Bois that had an affair with Dr. Bonnet ten years ago in Italy. When they see each other, their love rekindle. However Dr. Bonnet has a dark secret since he is 104 years old and needs to have a gland transplanted every ten years to keep his youth. But his partner and friend Dr. Ludwig Weiss had a stroke in Switzerland and cannot perform the surgery.

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Plot Keywords:

psychotronic film | gland transplant | gland | remake | centenarian | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Sci-Fi

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Did You Know?

Trivia

When asked about posing totally nude in the sculpting scene for the European version of this film, Hazel Court said "I was being sculpted by Anton Diffring, who played an artist-the title role, in fact. It was one of the first scenes of its kind to be shot in England. They cleared the set and had just a skeleton crew. Well, the movie warranted my nudity. The character did have to be sculpted, that was part of it. If it hadn't been warranted, I would have objected, but it was beautifully done. It was a shot that no one could object to. There I am, front and back!"

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Goofs

Christopher Lee's hairline raises and lowers from scene to scene.

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Quotes

Janine Du Bois: But, George, you just can't stand there and tell me that you're going away and never coming back without giving me an explanation.
Dr. Georges Bonner: My work makes it necessary.
Janine Du Bois: Because you're a doctor?
Dr. Georges Bonner: Yes, partly. I have to travel where no one has been before I want to lift the curtain of life and see what is beyond.

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Alternate Versions

The "European" print of the film includes scenes of a topless Hazel Court.

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Connections

Featured in TJ and the All Night Theatre: The Man Who Could Cheat Death (1979)

User Reviews

Perpetual life, it's a killer!

The Man Who Could Cheat Death is directed by Terence Fisher and adapted to screenplay by Jimmy Sangster from the Barré Lyndon play The Man in Half Moon Street. It stars Anton Diffring, Hazel Court, Christopher Lee, Arnold Marlé, Francis de Wolff and Delphi Lawrence. Out of Hammer Film Productions, music is by Richard Rodney Bennett and Technicolor photography by Jack Asher.

Paris 1890 and sculptor Georges Bonnet (Diffring) has perfected a way to halt the aging process. Trouble is that it involves murdering young women so as to extract their parathyroid gland to formulate his eternal life elixir.

Disappointingly weak Hammer Horror that would be near unwatchable were it not for the efforts of Asher, Fisher and Bernard Robinson (production design). The source story is made to measure for Hammer, where berserker science mixes with Gothic murder tones, all the ingredients are there for a lively fusion of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde with The Picture of Dorian Gray. But the film is more concerned with much talking and posturing, thinking that sci-fi babble and moral quandaries are going to keep things interesting. We of course want some meat and reasoning for main characters to impact on the plotting, but using up an hour for it, in a film that only runs an hour and twenty minutes, leaves very little room for thrills and drama. It also demands that the finale be explosive, a whirlwind of horror revelations and biting comeuppance, sadly the ending we get is rather a damp squib.

Things aren't helped by the casting of Diffring, who overacts far to often, or that Lee is underwritten and firmly disinterested in making the thin characterisation work. Court looks ravishing and gives the film its best performance, but she is also hindered by a bare bones script from the usually excellent Sangster. The story just plods to its inevitable conclusion, the screenplay never daring to veer away from the safe formula road. While much of the detective work from de Wolff's Inspector LeGris leaves a great deal to be desired. On the plus side it looks real nice, a triumph over low budget restrictions, the minimal sets dressed in period splendour, the colour sizzling and Fisher uses wide shots to make certain scenes that are played out on tiny sets actually look expansive.

Devoid of up-tempo terror and finishing on a whimper, this is very much average Hammer and not easily recommended to the horror faithful. 5/10

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 November 1959 (UK)

Also Known As:

The Man Who Could Cheat Death

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

GBP84,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hammer Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

83 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1