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- Oct 29, 2002
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- East of Suez
The Reptile (1966)
I've finally gone back and watched this and found it very satisfying. As mentioned above it's very Conan-Doylish but with a glaze of orientalism that can't help but make you think of Sax Rohmer. And, indeed, I found that hodgepodge of Eastern elements rather good: some name-dropping geography, spicy cooking, Indian music and the satisfactorily racist subtext that to 'become one of them' is to become a cold-blooded monster that would strike down its own and cannot naturally survive in this green and pleasant land. There are a couple of jumps to be had here, but in truth there's much more of the inherent creepiness of the scenario (shedding skin, hibernating, feeding,).
I mentioned in my earlier aperçu that there was a 'blind' at work here: that the villain is not indelibly villainous and there's a man behind the man; well, had I watched on a couple of minutes more, I would have discovered that the young lady beside the man is also the beast hiding behind the man--so to speak. I guessed the fact that Pierce was the eponymous nasty before the actual reveal, and her campy love for birds and kittens should be more than enough of a hint for savvy viewers. Noel Willman was excellent as (Dr Franklyn) the acerbic and secretive father (an academic who fell in with the wrong crowd while researching unspeakable rituals), and his hyperactive diction was an effective nod towards the psychological strain of a man going (soon to have gone) mad. Michael Ripper is again excellent as our guide around the locale (the local landlord); Jacqueline Pierce is again sensual and attractively clad (except when grey and bitey); the main couple--the newcomers--satisfactory--although as a Grenadier Guardsman you'd have thought he'd be a bit more physical when push came to shove (he does issue a few threats).
There are, it must be said, a few moments of dubious dialogue: Ripper just about gets away with, 'They don't like strangers in these parts'; Willman's only poor delivery is 'My lovely Anna' (no wife: hints of incest or merely possessiveness?); and John Laurie sounds like a loon when he wails ''tis an evil place!' (or words to that effect). Anna's keeper--the mysterious Malay--pretty much did nothing more than stand and stare menacingly, sometime seen, sometime not, and his dialogue was a mite simple. I should have liked to have seen more of his interaction with the reptile (we get only ritualistic chanting) and perhaps a few allusions to his cult. You might recognise the actor who plays him (Marne Maitland) from The Jewel In The Crown. All these points, however, are minor quibbles in a great little standalone film.
Yet another accidental fire (in the same house as Plague of Zombies): this is a ludicrously overused motif in Hammer films--at least there were no curtains.
Verdict: more creepy Cornwall with a dash of spice: 8/10.
Not sure where to go next. I have since acquired The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) and The Mummy (1959) in addition to the box set. I saw the former about twenty-five years ago, so it may be time for a re-evaluation.
Edit: query: did Franklyn actually throw the kitten in the fire or is the quick cut simply meant to imply that he might have done it or was thinking of doing it?
