fiction.wikisort.org - Movie

Escapement (aka The Electronic Monster ) is a 1958 British horror science fiction film directed by Montgomery Tully and David Paltenghi (dream sequences) .[1]

Escapement (a.k.a. The Electronic Monster)
U.S. lobby card
Directed by	Montgomery Tully David Paltenghi (dream sequences)
Written by	J. MacLaren Ross (additional dialogue)
Screenplay by	Charles Eric Maine
Based on	Escapement by Charles Eric Maine
Produced by	Alec C. Snowden Jim O'Connolly Richard Gordon
Starring	Rod Cameron Mary Murphy
Cinematography	Bert Mason Teddy Catford (dream sequences)
Edited by	Geoffrey Muller
Color process	Black and white
Production company	Amalgamated Productions
Distributed by	Anglo-Amlgamated Film Distributors
Release date	4 March 1958 (1958-03-04)
Running time	76 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

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

• Rod Cameron as Jeff Keenan
• Mary Murphy as Ruth Vance
• Meredith Edwards as Dr. Philip Maxwell
• Peter Illing as Paul Zakon
• Carl Jaffe as Dr. Hoff (as Carl Jaffé)
• Kay Callard as Laura Maxwell
• Carl Duering as Blore
• Roberta Huby as Verna Berteaux
• Felix Felton as Police Commissaire
• Larry Cross as Brad Somers
• Carlo Borelli as Signore Pietro Kallini
• John McCarthy as Claude Denver
• Jacques Cey as Police Doctor
• Armand Guinle as French Farmer (as Armande Guinle)
• Malou Pantera as Clinic Receptionist
• Pat Clavin as Receptionist at Studio
• Alan Gifford as Wayne - Insurance Company Chief

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.[2]

Critical reception

Leonard Maltin called it a "blah sci-fi programmer" ; while TV Guide noted, "an intriguing feature in that it was among the first to examine the possibilities of psychological manipulation and brainwashing."[3] Moria found that the movie failed to live up to its interesting premise, being overly talky. The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction found the movie was leaning towards a thriller-like plot and had a disinclination to argue too about its often shaky scientific pinning.[4]

References

External links

• Escapement at IMDb
• Escapement at the British Film Institute

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