The Man Who Could Cheat Death

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Valerii Ege D Slowburn and unnecessary long face-to-face conversations kill the tempo, but generally, it is a good movie. The story and acting perfect. And also... Christopher Lee was freaking handsome man. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 11/16/23 Full Review Blobbo X These old Hammer films were a reasonable way to spend an afternoon for a 12 year old boy. Not particularly engaging, but possibly better than staring at a B&W tv in the living room. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 05/04/23 Full Review Audience Member Based on the play The Man in Half Moon Street, which was already made into a movie in 1945 and a TV movie 18 months before this was released, this Terrence Fisher-directed film was originally going to star Peter Cushing. However, the actor was exhausted following The Hound of the Baskervilles and stepped out six days before filming was to begin. Hammer threatened him with legal action, but since there was no contract, there wasn't much they could do. The lead role went to Anton Diffring, who had previously played the part of Dr. Georges Bonnet in the aforementioned TV version of the story that had appeared on the British show Hour of Mystery. Released in the U.S. by Paramount, it played drive-ins until well into the 1960s, supporting Dr. Terror's House of Horrors as late as 1965. This is the story of playboy scientist and sculptor Dr. Georges Bonnet, who may look like a vibrant thirtysomething but is truly 104-years-old, staying alive through parathyroid gland transplants every decade. His personal surgeon, Professor Ludwig Weiss, can no longer operate after his stroke, so Bonnet must drink a steaming green drink to get a month of youth at a time. Now, the hunt is on to find a new surgeon to complete his vitality regimen. The police start catching on to Bonnet, as models go missing every time he needs a transplant. Or maybe they just want to arrest him for obscenity — the European release of the film featured a scene in which Court appeared topless, which is cut from the UK and U.S. prints and has been lost — as he loves sculpting nude ladies like Janine Dubois (Hazel Court, who was my favorite character in The Masque of the Red Death, Julianna). Of course, our antagonist soon finds himself running out of options and death starts creeping up on him, at which point he starts killing a number of models and surgeons. He also rekindles his romance with Janine, but it's to no avail. Time comes for all men, even The Man Who Could Cheat Death. And hey! Christopher Lee is a surgeon in this! It's a bit talky, but hey, Hammer is Hammer. It's definitely a high class operation all the way and you could see how a lesser studio would make this much scummier. There's always a veneer of class even when topless art models are having their glands harvested when this studio makes the picture. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Frances H These old Hammer films with Christopher Lee and unintentionally funny! They would make great flicks for Mystery Science Theater 3,000! I can just imagine the commentary as I watch them! Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 04/02/20 Full Review Audience Member Interesting early entry in the Hammer Gothic Horror line. This film is a remake of a 1944 Horror/Thriller The Man in Half Moon Street which itself was adapted from a stage play. This is part of the reason that this film seems more stagey and talkative than other Hammer films. Anton Differing makes an interesting and compelling protagonist, a man who is over a century old but ever ten years or so he must replace certain glands (taken from a healthy and unwilling donor) or he will rapidly age and die. He is artist, urban, and cultured, he is also selfish, egotistical, and quite willing to murder to prolong his life. Hazel Court is an old flame who is still in love with him and doesn't realize what a monster he is while Christopher Lee is our hero, a suave doctor who is in love with Hazel Court's character and is blackmailed into helping Differing's character. It is always good to see Lee in a Hamer film and he always made as engaging a hero as he did a villain and Hazel Court's lovely presence is greatly appreciated and this script gives her more to do than many of the other films she was in during this period but ultimately this film does not stand up as well to other early Hammer films. Director Terence Fisher is still developing his style and the Hammer look is still being developed. Still, it is one of the important early steps from this great studio. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/24/23 Full Review Audience Member The truth is revealed early on leaving nothing much for the rest of the film. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/01/23 Full Review Read all reviews

The Man Who Could Cheat Death

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