Escapement (film)
| Escapement | |
|---|---|
.jpg) U.S. lobby card | |
| Directed by | Montgomery Tully |
| Produced by |
Alec C. Snowden Jim O'Connolly Richard Gordon |
| Written by |
Charles Eric Maine J. MacLaren-Ross |
| Based on | novel Escapement by Charles Eric Maine |
| Starring |
Rod Cameron Mary Murphy Meredith Edwards |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Anglo-Amalgamated (UK) |
Release dates | 1958 |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Escapement is a 1958 black and white British science fiction film, known in the U.S. as The Electronic Monster.[1] It was based on the novel Escapement by Charles Eric Maine (London, 1956). [2] Original working titles included Zex, the Electronic Fiend. The film was released in England in 1958, but was only shown in the USA in 1960 on a double bill with either 13 Ghosts or the Japanese film Battle in Outer Space.
Production
Producer Richard Gordon later said there were major problems with the film's special effects. He also said that he had a dispute with Anglo Amalgamated, who did not want the movie to get an X Certificate in England whereas Gordon wanted more horror for the US.[3]
Plot
Inquiring into the mysterious death of a Hollywood star, insurance investigator Jeff Keenan uncovers an exclusive psychiatric clinic on the French Riviera. Here, patients who want to escape the stresses of life are hypnotized, then laid out in morgue like drawers and left to dream for several weeks. It turns out that Dr. Zakon, the clinic's ex-Nazi owner, is using a "dream machine" to alter the sleepers dreams, and to impose his will on theirs.
Cast
- Jeff Keenan - Rod Cameron
- Ruth Vance - Mary Murphy
- Doctor Maxwell - Meredith Edwards
- Paul Zakon - Peter Illing
- Doctor Hoff - Carl Jaffe
- Laura Maxwell - Kay Callard
- Blore - Carl Duering
- Verna Berteaux - Roberta Huby
- Commissaire - Felix Felton
- Brad Somers - Larry Cross
- Signore Kallini - Carlo Borelli
- Claude Denver - John McCarthy
- French Doctor - Jacques Cey
- French Farmer - Armande Guinle
- Receptionist (clinic) - Malou Pantera
- Receptionist (studios) - Pat Clavin
- Wayne - Alan Gifford
Critical reception
Leonard Maltin called it a "blah sci-fi programmer" ; [4] while TV Guide noted, "an intriguing feature in that it was among the first to examine the possibilities of psychological manipulation and brainwashing." [5]
References
- ↑ "The-Electronic-Monster - Trailer - Cast - Showtimes - NYTimes.com". nytimes.com.
- ↑ "The Electronic Monster (1960) - Screenplay Info - TCM.com". Turner Classic Movies.
- ↑ Tom Weaver, The Horror Hits of Richard Gordon, Bear Manor Media 2011 p 19
- ↑ "The Electronic Monster (1960) - Overview - TCM.com". Turner Classic Movies.
- ↑ "The Electronic Monster". TVGuide.com.
External links
- Escapement at the Internet Movie Database
- Escapement at TCMDB
- Escapement at BFI