The Man Who Could Cheat Death is a carefully presented and decently crafted movie from Hammer Films; and while for the most part it lacks the gusto of Curse Of Frankenstein and Dracula it's a decent enough addition to Hammer Horror.
The movie does take quite a while to get going, though. The first 45 minutes or so are bogged down in over-talky scenes that occasionally tell the viewer plot details that are already known - or at least strongly guessable - and the film suffers from some quite bad overacting from Anton Diffring in the set up stages of the plot. Like the film, though he improves as things develop and ceases to look as if he's acting, which is the biggest fault in his performance in the early part of the movie.
Diffring plays Georges Bonnet, both a surgeon and noted amateur sculptor, well respected by the art fraternity. Bonnet hides a ghastly secret, however: this 35 year-oldish handsome man is actually 104 (about the same age as Cliff Richard) and through means of a glandular operation has been able to prolong his life, banishing sickness and ageing to boot. Every 10 years the effect wears off, and Bonnet must find a new unwilling donor to increase his already unnatural life span.
Diffring is lent sterling support from Hazel Court and Christopher Lee - this is one of Lee's most relaxed early performances and he does well in the role of a young surgeon coerced into performing the operation on Bonnet - and Hammer's production design is as usual impeccable.
The movie also ends on a neat twist which you will probably see coming, but is effective anyway. All in all a neatly done, not quite top draw Hammer offering. It just needed more pace during the first half.
The movie does take quite a while to get going, though. The first 45 minutes or so are bogged down in over-talky scenes that occasionally tell the viewer plot details that are already known - or at least strongly guessable - and the film suffers from some quite bad overacting from Anton Diffring in the set up stages of the plot. Like the film, though he improves as things develop and ceases to look as if he's acting, which is the biggest fault in his performance in the early part of the movie.
Diffring plays Georges Bonnet, both a surgeon and noted amateur sculptor, well respected by the art fraternity. Bonnet hides a ghastly secret, however: this 35 year-oldish handsome man is actually 104 (about the same age as Cliff Richard) and through means of a glandular operation has been able to prolong his life, banishing sickness and ageing to boot. Every 10 years the effect wears off, and Bonnet must find a new unwilling donor to increase his already unnatural life span.
Diffring is lent sterling support from Hazel Court and Christopher Lee - this is one of Lee's most relaxed early performances and he does well in the role of a young surgeon coerced into performing the operation on Bonnet - and Hammer's production design is as usual impeccable.
The movie also ends on a neat twist which you will probably see coming, but is effective anyway. All in all a neatly done, not quite top draw Hammer offering. It just needed more pace during the first half.