The Man Who Haunted Himself (1970)

Harold Pelham encounters a duplicate of himself in the aftermath of a car crash. After that moment, his life is upset.

Director:

Basil Dearden

Writers:

Anthony Armstrong (based on "The Case of Mr. Pelham" by), Basil Dearden (screenplay)

Stars:

Roger Moore, Hildegard Neil, Alastair Mackenzie

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Roger Moore	...	Pelham
Hildegard Neil	...	Eve
Alastair Mackenzie	...	Michael
Hugh Mackenzie	...	James
Kevork Malikyan	...	Luigi
Thorley Walters	...	Bellamy
Anton Rodgers	...	Alexander
Olga Georges-Picot	...	Julie
Freddie Jones	...	Psychiatrist
John Welsh	...	Sir Charles Freeman
Edward Chapman	...	Barton
Laurence Hardy	...	Mason
Charles Lloyd Pack	...	Jameson
Gerald Sim	...	Morrison
Ruth Trouncer	...	Pelham's Secretary

Storyline

While driving one evening, Harold Pelham appears possessed and has a car accident. While on the operating table, there even appears to be two heartbeats on the monitor. When he awakens, Pelham finds his life has been turned upside-down. He learns that he now supports a merger that he once opposed, and that he apparently is having an affair. People claim they have seen him in places that he has never been. Does Pelham have a doppelganger, or is he going insane?

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Plot Keywords:

car | car accident | accident | doppelganger | bowler hat | 

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Taglines:

You will live every shattering moment of terror with... The Man Who Haunted Himself.

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Genres:

Thriller

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Certificate:

GP

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

1970 (Argentina)

Also Known As:

Ein Mann jagt sich selbst

Filming Locations:

Monument to the Great Fire of London, London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

£400,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

EMI Films, Associated British Productions (ABP), Excalibur Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

First of three movies starring Sir Roger Moore, which have included the phrase "The Man..." in the title. They are: this movie, The Man with the Golden Gun (1974), and The Man Who Wouldn't Die (1994), the latter being made-for-television. Moore also appeared in episodes of The Saint (1962), such as The Saint: The Man Who Gambled with Life (1969). In fact, there was a "The Man Who..." episode in almost every season of The Saint (1962).

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Goofs

Just before Pelham's car crashes near the beginning of the film, he forces a Mercedes to move aside from the outside lane to the middle lane, then within seconds he crashes into a barrier. No such barrier would exist on a British motorway and the sequence of events would have led to the Mercedes crashing anyway had this car not been forced to change lanes by Pelham.

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Quotes

The Doppelganger: [on the phone] This is Pelham speaking, who is this?
Harold Pelham: I'm Pelham I'm speaking from my office... Who are you?
The Doppelganger: I told you, I am Pelham.

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Crazy Credits

"(By permission of The Royal Shakespeare Co.)" underneath Hildegard Neil's name in the end credits.

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Connections

Featured in Friday Night Thriller: The Man Who Haunted Himself (1978)

User Reviews

What WOULD you do if it happened to you?

if ever a cumulative rating for a movie was insane it is THIS one! 5.3? yeah right. It's a 7 - end of story!

Long before Moore's incarnation as 007, this is arguably near the top of Moore's filmography. After Harold Pelham has a near-death experience following an auto accident, he makes what appears to be a stoic recovery. It is only with the passage of time that he begins to notice subtle occurrences that don't seem to dovetail with his own personality. Either he is losing his mind or there is something remarkably rotten in the state of Denmark. Friends and business acqaintances swear they have interacted with him, moments BEFORE he arrives at work...his wife notices a radical change in him and ultimately the inescapable truth presents itself - he has a doppelganger!

Call it far-fetched..its about the only weak point in the flick. Moore is just brilliant as he unravels in the face of his doppelganger's one-upmanship. The final scenes where he confronts his "twin" are riveting and should silence the tidal wave of critics who insist Moore could never act!

A few years ago it was rumored that the film was to be re-made in New Zealand (Peter Jackson?) as DOPPELGANGER, with no less a personage than Travolta in the lead, and he would certainly do the role justice. Since then, heard nothing.

This flick is well worth your effort finding somewhere, even on video.