Paris, France in 1890. The ruthless and unscrupulous Dr. Georges Bonnet (well played with chilling conviction by Anton Diffring) has found the secret to living forever by using glands taken from unwilling donors. More honorable colleague Dr. Pierre Gerrard (the always excellent Christopher Lee) suspects that something is amiss with Bonnet and becomes determined to stop him.
Director Terence Fisher relates the compelling story at a steady pace, offers a flavorsome evocation of the late 19th century period setting, stages the fiery climax with exciting aplomb, and does a nice job of conjuring up a reasonable amount of misty'n'spooky atmosphere in a few back alley scenes. Jimmy Sangster's smart and literate script addresses interesting issues concerning ethics, moral responsibility, and upsetting the balance of nature. Diffring brings a strong sense of urgency and even a touch of pathos to his juicy lead role, with Bonnet paying a heavy lonely and emotional price for his immortality. Moreover, there are sturdy supporting contributions from Hazel Court as the sweet Janine DuBois, Arnold Marle as the aging and ailing, yet resolutely principled Professor Ludwig Weiss, Delphi Lawrence as the bitter Margo Philippe, and Francis De Wolff as the pesky Inspector Legris. Both Jack Asher's vibrant color cinematography and Richard Rodney Bennett's rousing score are both up to par. While this film does occasionally get bogged down in too much talk, it nonetheless still rates as extremely intelligent and entertaining fright fare just the same.
Director Terence Fisher relates the compelling story at a steady pace, offers a flavorsome evocation of the late 19th century period setting, stages the fiery climax with exciting aplomb, and does a nice job of conjuring up a reasonable amount of misty'n'spooky atmosphere in a few back alley scenes. Jimmy Sangster's smart and literate script addresses interesting issues concerning ethics, moral responsibility, and upsetting the balance of nature. Diffring brings a strong sense of urgency and even a touch of pathos to his juicy lead role, with Bonnet paying a heavy lonely and emotional price for his immortality. Moreover, there are sturdy supporting contributions from Hazel Court as the sweet Janine DuBois, Arnold Marle as the aging and ailing, yet resolutely principled Professor Ludwig Weiss, Delphi Lawrence as the bitter Margo Philippe, and Francis De Wolff as the pesky Inspector Legris. Both Jack Asher's vibrant color cinematography and Richard Rodney Bennett's rousing score are both up to par. While this film does occasionally get bogged down in too much talk, it nonetheless still rates as extremely intelligent and entertaining fright fare just the same.