Review: Four-Sided Triangle
Childhood friends Stephen Murray, John Van Eyssen, and Barbara Payton are working on a scientific project – a duplication device. Murray has long harboured feelings for Payton, but the latter becomes engaged to Van Eyssen. What is a scientist with a duplication device and a love triangle to do? James Hayter plays the resident doctor in the small town the characters live in. You won’t find too many films that director Terence Fisher ( “Stolen Face” , “The Curse of Frankenstein” , “Horror of Dracula” ) also worked on the screenplay for. In fact, there’s only two, the mediocre 1953 “Mantrap” and this 1953 sci-fi/drama, both for Hammer Studios. To be honest, it’s pretty clear that Fisher’s strengths aren’t in screenwriting, but this is by far the better of the two films. James Hayter and his narration are terrific, the film has a cosy, small village family movie vibe, at least at first. Imagine “The Fly” done by Frank Capra but set in England, and you’ll have some idea. There’s...