I, Monster (1971)

In the Nineteenth Century, in London, the psychologist Charles Marlowe researches a new drug capable to release inhibitions and uses his patients as guinea pigs. He discusses the principles... See full summary »

Director:

Stephen Weeks

Writers:

Robert Louis Stevenson (novel), Milton Subotsky (screenplay)

Stars:

Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Mike Raven

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Christopher Lee	...	Marlowe / Blake
Peter Cushing	...	Utterson
Mike Raven	...	Enfield
Richard Hurndall	...	Lanyon
George Merritt	...	Poole
Kenneth J. Warren	...	Deane
Susan Jameson	...	Diane
Marjie Lawrence	...	Annie
Aimée Delamain	...	Landlady (as Aimee Delamain)
Michael Des Barres	...	Boy in alley

Storyline

In the Nineteenth Century, in London, the psychologist Charles Marlowe researches a new drug capable to release inhibitions and uses his patients as guinea pigs. He discusses the principles of Freud with his friend Dr. Lanyon and decides to experiment his drug in himself. He becomes the ugly and evil Edward Blake and his friend and lawyer Frederik Utterson believes Blake is another person that might be blackmailing Charles. Meanwhile Charles loses control of his transformation.

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Plot Keywords:

comma in title | murder | serum | personality change | victorian era | 

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Genres:

Horror

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Attempts (and is mostly successful) to exploit the Pulfrich effect to provide a 3-D experience. To see this, use a pair of glasses with the right lens much darker than the left. These are available for other videos or can be made by removing the left lens from a pair of sunglasses. Some clever camera work and choreography that keeps the foreground moving to the right and the background moving left makes this possible.

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Goofs

At c. 53 minutes Utterson says he would recognise the exact details of the ornate head of Blake's cane. However he has only seen this cane for a fraction of a second, at night-time, when it was used to assault him earlier in the film.

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Quotes

Dr. Charles Marlowe: The face of evil is ugly to look upon. And as the pleasures increase, the face becomes uglier.

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Connections

Version of The Duality of Man (1910)

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Soundtracks

Eine Kleine Nachtsmusik
By Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (uncredited)

User Reviews

No Super Ego Here

Brilliant, clever, well-acted adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's great The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Dramatized by Amicus producer Milton Subotsky, I, Monster follows the original tale about as closely as any other with some major deviations. The characters in this film are Dr. Marlowe and Mr. Blake(?). Maybe they wanted to separate themselves from the original source material as much as possible or perhaps had a Rights issue. At any rate, I, Monster is a movie that builds and builds as Dr. Marlowe(Christopher Lee) tinkers with this new serum he has created that eliminates one part of the three parts of the brain(according to Freud). The reaction for each individual is different. For Lee, it sheds his formal, authoritative persona of its superego which then allows him to act any way he wants without any moral, ethical, or logical constraints. Lee's transformation is simple, effective, and strong. He goes from the stiff upper lip to the wicked, lecherous, carefree smile of a man of no moral code whatsoever. His eyes dance from one thing to another as the strangely effective music of Carl Davis plays a tune of light madness. Lee gives a great performance in this one and makes the film work. Without his skills, I, Monster would have little else going for it. Yes, Peter Cushing is in it. He plays Marlowe's attorney and is as always very solid in his otherwise mundane role. The rest of the cast is really nothing to speak of either. I have always liked Amicus and most of their horror entries from the late 60's and the 70's. They have the Hammer look about them without Hammer production values: translated that means that they look like Hammer imitations. Nonetheless, they usually have good stories and frequently paired Cushing and Lee together or singly. Subotsky's screenplay is laced with several philosophical layers. Director Stephen Weeks does a solid job behind the camera. For my money, I, Monster is definitely one of the best screen adaptations of Stevenson's work.

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

April 1973 (USA)

Also Known As:

I, Monster

Filming Locations:

Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Amicus Productions, British Lion Film Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

75 min 81 min (extended cut)

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1