[HorrorScience] The man who could cheat death

When I started watching moviesHammer Productions' Dracula, I was delighted with his way of interpreting the character of Bram Stoker, because instead of trying to do something similar to what was seen in the filmfrom the 30s, (with Bela Lugosi in the role of the vampire) decided to skip the presentations and show vampire hunters who already know the truth about Dracula, which appears bloodier and more lethal than ever. I loved the duel between Christopher Lee (as Dracula) and Peter Cushing (playing Van Helsing) and perhaps because of that, I ventured to see the rest of Hammer's Dracula films.

The acting tandem between both actors is what stands out the most in all of Hammer's films,Wherever Lee and Cushing appear, there is something worth seeing, even in films that may not be worth as much, both actors show their best side if they appear together on screen. If I had to choosea third name to represent Hammer Productions, that would beTerrence Fisher,director ofHorror of Draculaand its sequel and responsible for other films such asThe Curse of Frankensteinor theHound of the Baskervilles(where he obviously turned to the Lee-Cushing tandem).

I recently discovered the existence of a Terence Fisher film that I didn't know about:The Man Who Could Cheat Death(known in Spanish asThe man who could cheat death), based on a story written by Barre Lydon for the theater. To my surprise, Christopher Lee was also involved in the project, so I had no excuses left to enjoy the classic Hammer Productions flavor once again.

The man who could cheat deathIt begins by introducing us to Dr. George Bonnet, who has gathered his friends to show them his latest sculpture, based on a young model with whom he has a secret romantic relationship. Among the guests are Janine Dubois (Bonnet's former partner) and Dr. Pierre Gerrard (who does not know Bonnet but accompanies Janine).

Abruptly,Bonnet finishes the party and looks anxious and desperate, there is something that eats him inside, he keeps checking the time and asking the service how long it will take until the next train arrives. Here we learn that the protagonistexpects an urgent visit from his old friend, Dr. Ludwig Weiss, who has to operate it urgently. Due to the delay, Dr. Bonnet suffers strange symptoms, his skin turns golden and he acts like a maniac, something that the young model discovers, who appears at the worst moment to pressure him with the intention of making his romance public. A crazed Bonnet grabs her by the mouth and she falls dead with her face burned... apparently Bonnet's illness has horrible side effects, which can only be calmed with a strange potion that delays them.

Finally, the elderly Dr. Ludwig arrives, bringing bad news, as he cannot operate on Bonnet due to tremors in his hand, and advises him to find another doctor for the procedure, which is supposedly simple. Both doctors met at university, when they were exploring ideas on how to prevent aging in humans,one of his attempts was successful and because of it, Bonnet remains young,despite being older than Ludwig.

The appearance of the police inspector, who is looking for the missing young model, as well as an intense conversation between Ludwig and Bonnet, will precipitate the final part of the film, where Pierre and Janine will take part, forced by Bonnet himself who is being cornered by his past and present acts. How much will he be willing to sacrifice in order to continue being immortal?

The man who could cheat deathIt is a strange film, not because of the theme it touches on, but because of the way in which it is executed. There are many elements added to the main idea that make this movie weirder than it should be.

The idea of ​​being immortal through transplants is great, but why a specific gland? Wouldn't it be better if organs that are damaged or aged were not specified or simply replaced? It's one of those cases where reporting as little as possible is much better for the plot.

If the “Immortal” subject does not receive the transplant in time, he or she dies. That's great, because it forces the interested party to do everything in order to obtain their operation, but why does it have to bebecome golden and with the ability to kill simply by touching others?

If the subject is delayed in his operation, he must take a medication that allows it to be temporarily delayed. Everything seems fine here, but why does it seem like a magic potion? Why specify the duration of its effect with such accuracy when Dr. Bonnet is the only patient who has used it and therefore cannot know when it loses its effect?

I'm not asking for realism in a movie like this, but yes.I think they went too far when it came to adding concepts.or rules, of which it would have been better to give less information (in the case of the medical procedure to live longer) and even ignore or eliminate some (the potion, its effects and above all, the condition of becoming golden and lethal). Unfortunately, I have not read the original story, so I do not know if these elements already appear in it or if they were added in order to make the film more striking.

Mix concepts ofThe Portrait of Dorian GrayconEl extraño caso del Dr. Jekyll y Mister Hydeno es mala idea, pero creo que algunas cosas perjudican la historia de la película, aunque solo ligeramente, pues uno de los puntos más flojos de esta película es quetarda bastante en ponerse interesantey quizás es por eso que añadieron las escenas de Bonnet asesinando varias veces al principio de la película.

Los personajes secundarios son escasos y han tenido una suerte dispar en su rol en la película: el Dr. Pierre Gerrard es un personaje íntegro y bondadoso (algo extraño estando interpretado por Christopher Lee, el cual casi siempre interpretaba a villanos) y el profesor Ludwig Weiss es una parte importante de la película, pues gracias a él se nos explica lo que está pasando.Los secundarios más flojos son el inspector LeGris(suficientemente estúpido para creer excusas improvisadas, pero lo suficientemente inteligente como para hilar casos de desapariciones aislados con décadas de diferencia) y sobre todo Janine Dubois, quien tiene el papel de mujer locamente enamorada del protagonista y poco más. Janine está tan desaprovechada que incluso en el cierre de la película, cuando debería hacer algo importante, lo hace un personaje que apenas lleva 5 minutos en la película y ni siquiera cuenta con diálogos.

Dicho todo esto, puede parecer queThe man who could cheat deathes una película horrible, pero lo cierto es que no es así. Es algo lenta, pero afortunadamente es bastante corta (por debajo de una hora y media) yla parte final de la película es muy interesante. Lo que pasa es que siento que podía haber sido mucho mejor con ligeros cambios en la manera de tratar la historia y, sobre todo, con el uso que se les da a algunos personajes, que aportan poco o nada.

No es de lo mejor de Terence Fisher, pero sigue teniendo cosas muy buenas, como su atmósfera (tanto en las escasas escenas de exteriorescomo en los lúgubres decorados). Si sois fans del director, de cualquiera de sus actores o de las películas deHammer Productions, vale la pena echarle un vistazo.

Curiosities

• El papel del doctor Bonnet iba a ser interpretado por Peter Cushing, pero este rechazó el papel poco antes de empezar a rodar, pues había terminado recientemente la película El sabueso de los Baskerville y quería descansar.
• En algunas versiones de la película puede verse el torso desnudo de Hazel Court, cuando posa para la estatua. La actriz cobró 2000 libras por esa escena, que fue censurada en el Reino Unido y Estados Unidos.