The Man Who Could Cheat Death

(1959) Directed by Terence Fisher; Written by Jimmy Sangster; Based on the play The Man in Half Moon Street by Barré Lyndon; Starring: Anton Diffring, Hazel Court, Christopher Lee, Arnold Marlé, and Delphi Lawrence; Available on Blu-ray and DVD Rating: ***½ “I must insist in saying that there are no South American versions, nor are there any Japanese versions or any other versions. This is what happens: we shoot the scenes up to the point where we say, ‘This is it; no further; this is how it should be.’ Subsequently, the complete integral version is submitted to the censors of each country, whereupon they decide what could be cut and what should be left in… There was only one scene they asked me to shoot for possible export. That was a waist nude of Hazel Court when she was posing in The Man Who Could Cheat Death.” – Terence Fisher (on shooting alternate film versions for Hammer) Ever since our species have contemplated our mortality, it’s been the dream of philosophers, scientists,…