The Man Who Haunted Himself
Encyclopedia
The Man Who Haunted Himself is a 1970
British
psychological thriller film directed by Basil Dearden
and starring Roger Moore
. It was based on the novel The Strange Case of Mr Pelham
by Anthony Armstrong
.
Despite lukewarm reviews at the time The Man Who Haunted Himself is now considered a very under-rated film and the role is considered one of Moore's finest performances among his fans. Moore's dark portrayal in the film proved that there was much more to Moore than the light-hearted roles he is famous for playing.
worker Harold Pelham appears to become possessed and he has a serious accident at high speed. On the operating table, he briefly suffers clinical death, after which there appear to be two heartbeats on the monitor. When he awakes, Pelham finds his life has been turned upside-down: in his job as a director of a marine technology company he learns that he now supports a merger that he once opposed, and that he apparently is having an affair. Friends, colleagues and acquaintances claim to have seen him in places where he has never been. Does Pelham have a doppelgänger
- or is he actually going insane?
1970 in film
The year 1970 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* January 9 - Larry Fine, the second member of The Three Stooges, suffers a massive stroke, therefore ending his career....
British
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
psychological thriller film directed by Basil Dearden
Basil Dearden
Basil Dearden was an English film director.-Life and career:Dearden was born at Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex. He graduated from theatre direction to film, working as an assistant to Basil Dean...
and starring Roger Moore
Roger Moore
Sir Roger George Moore KBE , is an English actor, perhaps best known for portraying British secret agent James Bond in seven films from 1973 to 1985. He also portrayed Simon Templar in the long-running British television series The Saint.-Early life:Moore was born in Stockwell, London...
. It was based on the novel The Strange Case of Mr Pelham
The Strange Case of Mr Pelham
The Strange Case of Mr Pelham is a 1957 novel by Anglo-Canadian writer Anthony Armstrong about a man involved in a serious car accident. The man recovers only to find himself being stalked by a seemingly identical version of himself...
by Anthony Armstrong
Anthony Armstrong (writer)
George Anthony Armstrong Willis was an Anglo-Canadian writer, dramatist and essayist. He was the son of George Hughlings Armstrong Willis, R. N. and Adela Emma Temple Frere; although his parents were both English, he was born in Esquimalt, British Columbia as a consequence of his father's career...
.
Despite lukewarm reviews at the time The Man Who Haunted Himself is now considered a very under-rated film and the role is considered one of Moore's finest performances among his fans. Moore's dark portrayal in the film proved that there was much more to Moore than the light-hearted roles he is famous for playing.
Plot
Whilst driving his Rover P5B, uptight CityCity
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
worker Harold Pelham appears to become possessed and he has a serious accident at high speed. On the operating table, he briefly suffers clinical death, after which there appear to be two heartbeats on the monitor. When he awakes, Pelham finds his life has been turned upside-down: in his job as a director of a marine technology company he learns that he now supports a merger that he once opposed, and that he apparently is having an affair. Friends, colleagues and acquaintances claim to have seen him in places where he has never been. Does Pelham have a doppelgänger
Doppelgänger
In fiction and folklore, a doppelgänger is a paranormal double of a living person, typically representing evil or misfortune...
- or is he actually going insane?
Cast
- Roger MooreRoger MooreSir Roger George Moore KBE , is an English actor, perhaps best known for portraying British secret agent James Bond in seven films from 1973 to 1985. He also portrayed Simon Templar in the long-running British television series The Saint.-Early life:Moore was born in Stockwell, London...
.... Harold Pelham - Hildegarde NeilHildegarde NeilHildegarde Neil is an English actress.She first appeared on television in a BBC schools' television production of Julius Caesar in 1963 and after that appeared mostly as a guest artiste in a variety of TV series over the last 40 years...
.... Eve Pelham - Alastair Mackenzie .... Michael Pelham
- Hugh Mackenzie .... James Pelham
- Kevork MalikyanKevork MalikyanKevork Malikyan is an English character actor of Armenian descent, perhaps best known for his role as Kazim in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade....
.... Luigi - Thorley WaltersThorley WaltersThorley Walters was an English character actor.He is probably best remembered for his comedy film roles such as in Two-Way Stretch and Carlton-Browne of the FO...
.... Frank Bellamy - Anton RodgersAnton RodgersAnton Rodgers was an English actor and occasional director. He performed on stage, in film and in television dramas and sitcoms.-Life and career:...
.... Tony Alexander - Olga Georges-PicotOlga Georges-PicotOlga Georges-Picot was a French actress.Born in Shanghai, China, she was the daughter of Guillaume Georges-Picot, the French Ambassador to China, and a Russian mother. Olga studied acting at the Actor’s Studio in Paris. Her acting career covered many diverse French and English films and...
.... Julie Anderson - Freddie JonesFreddie JonesFrederick Charles "Freddie" Jones is an English character actor.Jones was born in the town of Longton, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, the son of Ida Elizabeth and Charles Edward Jones. He became an actor after ten years of working as a laboratory assistant with a firm making ceramic products,...
.... Dr. Harris - Psychiatrist - John WelshJohn Welsh (actor)John Welsh was an Irish actor.After an early stage career in Dublin, Welsh moved into British film and television in the 1950s. His roles included James Forsyte in the 1967 BBC dramatisation of John Galsworthy's The Forsyte Saga, as well as the butler Merriman in The Duchess of Duke Street, Sgt...
.... Sir Charles Freeman - Edward ChapmanEdward Chapman (actor)Edward Chapman was an English actor who starred in many films and television programmes, but is chiefly remembered as "Mr. Wilfred Grimsdale", the officious superior and comic foil to Norman Wisdom's character of Pitkin in many of his films from the late 1950s and 1960s.Chapman was born in...
.... Barton - Laurence Hardy .... Mason
- Charles Lloyd PackCharles Lloyd PackCharles Lloyd-Pack was a British film, television and stage actor.He was born in London, England. He was seen in several horror movies produced by the Hammer Studios including Dracula, The Man Who Could Cheat Death, The Revenge of Frankenstein and The Reptile and Quatermass 2, the film version of...
.... Jameson - Gerald SimGerald SimGerald Grant Sim is an English actor who is perhaps best known for playing the Rector in To the Manor Born. He is the younger brother of actress Sheila Sim and brother-in-law of actor/director Lord Attenborough.- Career :...
.... Morrison - Anthony NichollsAnthony Nicholls (actor)Anthony Nicholls was an English film, television, and stage actor.-Life and career:Nicholls was born Sydney Horace Nicholls on 16 October 1902 in Windsor, Berkshire, England, the son of Florence and photojournalist Horace Nicholls. He served in the Royal Artillery...
.... Sir Arthur Richardson - John CarsonJohn Carson (actor)John Carson is a British actor noted for his appearances in film and television.Making his film debut in 1947, he carved out a career appearing in low budget British movies such as Seven Keys ; Smokescreen ; and Master Spy...
.... Ashton
Trivia
- Shortly after the film's release, the film's director Basil DeardenBasil DeardenBasil Dearden was an English film director.-Life and career:Dearden was born at Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex. He graduated from theatre direction to film, working as an assistant to Basil Dean...
died in a horrific car crash on the A40 near the spot where the character Harold Pelham is supposed to have crashed his car in the opening scenes of the film.
- The story had earlier been adapted as an episode of the TV series Alfred Hitchcock PresentsAlfred Hitchcock PresentsAlfred Hitchcock Presents is an American television anthology series hosted by Alfred Hitchcock. The series featured dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. By the premiere of the show on October 2, 1955, Hitchcock had been directing films for over three decades...
.
- Roger Moore ironically references James Bond in the film, when speculating on commercial espionage. He would star in his first Bond film, Live and Let DieLive and Let Die (film)Live and Let Die is the eighth spy film in the James Bond series, and the first to star Roger Moore as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. The film was produced by Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman...
, three years later. - The car that Roger Moore drives when he appears as Pelham's doppelgänger is a Lamborghini Islero SLamborghini IsleroThe Lamborghini Islero is a sports car produced by Italian automaker Lamborghini between 1968 and 1969. It was the replacement for the 400GT and featured the Lamborghini V12 engine...
, and it features prominently throughout the movie, most notably in the car chase that forms the climax of the story. The make and model of car is not named in the script, leaving viewers for the most part mystified as it was such a rare model. Lamborghini only built 100 examples of this 'S' model, and this is one of only 2 that went to the UK. The actual car from the film (chassis #6432) has been restored to perfection and is still in the UK in private ownership. The Islero is regarded by many as one of the best cars Lamborghini ever built, and indeed was the favourite of Feruccio himself. The simplicity and purity of the design exudes power and style without being overly flamboyant. An album of photos of the actual car used in the movie (as it looks today) can be found here.
DVD release
The film was released on DVD format in 2005 with a PG rating. The DVD includes special features which are:- Commentary By Roger MooreRoger MooreSir Roger George Moore KBE , is an English actor, perhaps best known for portraying British secret agent James Bond in seven films from 1973 to 1985. He also portrayed Simon Templar in the long-running British television series The Saint.-Early life:Moore was born in Stockwell, London...
and Bryan ForbesBryan ForbesBryan Forbes, CBE is an English film director, actor and writer.-Career:Bryan Forbes was born John Theobald Clarke on 22 July 1926 in Queen Mary's Hospital, Stratford, West Ham, Essex , and grew up at 43 Cranmer Road, Forest Gate, West Ham, Essex .Forbes trained as an actor at the Royal Academy of... - Stills Gallery
- Storyboard Gallery
- Trailer
- Publicity Materials
- Booklet