Lee and Cushing come together for I, Monster (1970) by director Stephen Weeks, a film that can fittingly be referred to as a bastard child of Stevenson's Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, especially since it barely acknowledges Stevenson in the technical credits and press book and instead chooses to play up the contributions of producer and screenwriter Milton Subotsky as "an unusual variation" that "has an extra ingredient - strong Freudian overtones and controversial accent on the proper (and improper) use of drugs in therapy." M.J. Simpson, writing a plug for the film on the back-flap to the new dvd release of I, Monster, refers to various attempts by the filmmakers to downplay a connection to Stevenson's classics, such as changing the names of Henry Jykyll to Charles Marlowe and Edward Hyde to Edward Blake, as "inexplicable." It's unusual, after all, to see a film so clearly based on a classic work, one that even quotes some of Stevenson's lines verbatim, not then try to shamelessly cash in on the name recognition of its literary genesis.
I, Monster transports viewers to 1906, London, where we meet Dr. Charles Marlowe (Christopher Lee), a psychologist who begins experimenting with an inhibition-blocking drug that leads to the creation of violent and uncontrollable personality that takes up a separate residence and personality as Edward Blake. Stepping into the fray is Marlowe's lawyer, Utterson (Peter Cushing), who believes Marlowe is acting strangely and possibly being blackmailed by Blake. Utterson thus takes it upon himself to intervene and soon finds himself in peril.
As director, Weeks does the best he can with borrowed sets from Oliver! (1968) and Anne of the Thousand Days (1969), but he felt he was picked for the job by Subotsky because he was young an inexperienced, and thus possibly malleable. Weeks may have thus been at a slight disadvantage, but he can be credited with notable scenes that include a haunting nightmare sequence and a confrontation between the monster and a child that is oddly stirring. There was obviously some frisson between Subotsky and Weeks that ultimately may have hampered the end product, and this is well detailed in Jonathan Rigby's book, English Gothic: A Century of Horror Cinema. Rigby writes that a "matter of days before I, Monster was due to start shooting, 22-year-old Stephen Weeks was engaged to direct the film on the recommendation of its star, Christopher Lee. Peter Duffell and Freddie Francis had already turned the job down, telling Milton Subotsky that his determination to photograph the film in an amateurish 3-D process was utter folly. Not only was Subotsky alone in being able to see the stereoscopic effects, he was also the only person who didn't get a splitting headache trying. In the end the process was abandoned, which left large sections of the film uncuttable and therefore unusable. The film's sluggish rhythm, occasionally incoherent narrative and bizarre camera movements are a direct consequence of Subotsky's scheme, which was inspired by an article in New Scientist magazine."
Some might find a poetic irony that Subotsky's technological inspirations from a New Scientist magazine may have ultimately uncorked their own monstrous chaos into an otherwise straightforward narrative, but even inhibition-blocking junkies would do well not to toss out the baby with the bathwater if they fancy a quick stroll down a dark cobble-stone alley that harkens back to a different time, one with familiar faces, and timeless themes. Retromedia's dvd release of I, Monster includes an original trailer, a still gallery, includes an original British pressbook reproduction, and is digitally letterboxed (1.85:1 ratio).
For more information about I, Monster, visit Image Entertainment. To order I, Monster, go to TCM Shopping.
by Pablo Kjolseth
