The Man Who Could Cheat Death

"HIS HIDEOUS OBSESSION LED HIM TO COMMIT GHASTLY CRIMES OF PASSION AND VIOLENCE."

1959 1h 23m EN

😐

5.8

MID

★5.8TMDB · 79

HorrorScience Fiction

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Dr. Bonner plans to live forever through periodic gland transplants from younger, healthier human victims. Bonner looks about 40; he's really 104 years old. But people are starting to get suspicious, and he may not make 200.

“HIS HIDEOUS OBSESSION LED HIM TO COMMIT GHASTLY CRIMES OF PASSION AND VIOLENCE.”

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Cast

Anton Diffring
Dr. Georges Bonner
Hazel Court
Janine Dubois
Christopher Lee
Dr. Pierre Gerrard
Arnold Marlé
Prof. Ludwig Weiss
Delphi Lawrence
Margo Phillipe
Francis de Wolff
Insp. LeGris
Gerda Larsen
Street Girl
Middleton Woods
Little Man

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Terence Fisher
Writers: Jimmy Sangster
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

83 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

67 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Terence Fisher, shot by Jack Asher. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Richard Rodney Bennett. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor John Dunsford shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Anton Diffring and Hazel Court and Christopher Lee carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "HIS HIDEOUS OBSESSION LED HIM TO COMMIT GHASTLY CRIMES OF PASSION AND VIOLENCE.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0053041 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Terence Fisher directs. Jack Asher behind the camera. Richard Rodney Bennett scores. John Dunsford cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

183 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
267 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Directed by Terence Fisher, shot by Jack Asher. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Richard Rodney Bennett. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor John Dunsford shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Anton Diffring and Hazel Court and Christopher Lee carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "HIS HIDEOUS OBSESSION LED HIM TO COMMIT GHASTLY CRIMES OF PASSION AND VIOLENCE.".
8IMDB entry: tt0053041 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 79 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

The technical file

Cinematography: Jack Asher
Original score: Richard Rodney Bennett
Editing: John Dunsford
Production design: Bernard Robinson
Makeup / hair: Roy Ashton
Runtime: 83 min · 1h 23m
Status: Released
Original language: EN
IMDB: The Man Who Could Cheat Death (1959)

Also by

Terence Fisher

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2019-11-01
★ 5/10
Tepid mix of Jack the Ripper and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, but still enjoyable In 1890, a sculptor in Paris (Anton Diffring) is suspected of something sinister when it’s discovered that he shows up in different city every ten years with missing persons linked to each transition. Hazel Court plays his romantic interest while Christopher Lee rounds out the potential love triangle. "The Man Who Could Cheat Death” (1959) is an obscure Hammer film that should be appreciated by fans of these particular gothic horrors. As my title blurb points out, it meshes elements of Jack the Ripper and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde with the typical style/sets/locations of Hammer horror. If you favor similar flicks like “The Gorgon” (1964), “Frankenstein Created Woman” (1967) and “Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed” (1969), you’ll probably like this one. Yet it’s the least of these due to unnecessarily puzzling elements concerning the sculptor’s sinister doings. Nevertheless, Diffring is effective in the titular role and it’s nice to see Lee in his younger days playing a noble character, plus redhead Hazel Court is ravishing; and blonde Delphi Lawrence ain’t no slouch. The Paris setting is another distinguishing factor. The role of the sculptor was originally offered to Peter Cushing, but he turned it down. The European release featured a tame scene in which Ms. Court briefly appears topless. The movie runs 1 hour, 23 minutes, and was shot at Bray Studios in Berkshire, England. GRADE: C+

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