''Four Sided Triangle'' is a 1953 British science-fiction film directed by Terence Fisher, adapted from the 1949 novel by

William F. Temple William Frederick Temple (9 March 1914 – 15 July 1989) was a British science fiction writer, best known for authoring the novel-turned-film '' Four Sided Triangle''. Early life and career Temple was born in Woolwich in 1914.Mike Ashley, "Intr ...

. It stars Stephen Murray,

Barbara Payton Barbara Lee Payton (born Barbara Lee Redfield; November 16, 1927 – May 8, 1967) was an American film actress best known for her stormy social life and battles with alcoholism and drug addiction. Her life has been the subject of several bo ...

and James Hayter. It was produced by Hammer Film Productions at Bray Studios. The film dealt with the moral and scientific themes (not to mention "mad lab" scenes) that were soon to put Hammer Films on the map with the same director's ''

The Curse of Frankenstein ''The Curse of Frankenstein'' is a 1957 British horror film by Hammer Film Productions, loosely based on the 1818 novel '' Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus '' by Mary Shelley. It was Hammer's first colour horror film, and the first of t ...

''. ''Four Sided Triangle'' has most in common with Fisher's '' Frankenstein Created Woman'' (1967).

Plot

Dr. Harvey, a rural physician, breaks the

fourth wall The fourth wall is a performance convention in which an invisible, imaginary wall separates actors from the audience. While the audience can see through this ''wall'', the convention assumes the actors act as if they cannot. From the 16th cen ...

to relate an unusual occurrence that happened in his village. The bulk of the story is told in flashback. Bill and Robin are boyhood friends who compete for the affections of Lena, a beautiful girl about their own age. Lena's family moves away, and in adulthood the two men become scientists. They collaborate on the Reproducer, a machine that can exactly duplicate physical objects. Lena returns to the village, and Bill and Robin's forgotten childhood feelings return. In time, they abandon their work on the Reproducer, and Robin leaves the village to learn his family's business. Bill is disappointed to discover that Lena loves Robin and intends to marry him. Hoping that he can win Lena's affections, Bill convinces her to allow him to use the Reproducer to create a duplicate of her. The experiment succeeds, and Bill names the duplicate "Helen". Because Helen is an exact copy, when she is introduced to Robin she also falls in love with him. Bill believes that electro-shock therapy can be used to erase Helen's knowledge of Robin. Not wishing to compete with Lena for Robin's affections, Helen agrees to the therapy. Bill convinces Lena to help him with the procedure. The process proceeds as planned, but the apparatus overheats, explodes and causes a terrific fire. Robin and Dr. Harvey arrive in time to rescue a woman from the fire. Bill and the other woman perish in the flames. Harvey, having been briefed on the situation by Robin, discovers that the woman has amnesia. The two men wonder whom they have saved. Dr. Harvey recalls that Bill had to start Helen's heart with a device that he attached to the back of her neck, leaving two scars. Robin is relieved to find that there are no marks on the neck of the woman they rescued: It is Lena.

Production details

''Four Sided Triangle'' was an early effort by

Hammer Films A hammer is a tool, most often a hand tool, consisting of a weighted "head" fixed to a long handle that is swung to deliver an impact to a small area of an object. This can be, for example, to drive nails into wood, to shape metal (as wi ...

. The laboratory set includes "a welter of retorts, alembics, rheostats and plain, old neon tubing". This chaotic, improvised laboratory setting has been contrasted with the sophisticated labs portrayed by

Universal Horror Universal Classic Monsters (also known as Universal Monsters and Universal Studios Monsters) is a media franchise based on a series of horror films primarily produced by Universal Pictures from the 1930s to the 1950s. Although not initially concei ...

pictures of the 1930s. The picture relies on a minimum of trick photography and special effects, which may have been compromised by its limited budget. Two days of the five-week schedule were filmed in August, 1952, at Lulworth Cove, and photographed for Picture Post magazine of the 30th. of August, that year by George Douglas.

Differences from the novel

''Four Sided Triangle'' features some differences from the original novel by

. In the novel, the duplicate (named Dorothy and nicknamed Dot) falls into depression for being married to Bill while she's in love with Robin. She has a breakdown and has to go on holiday with Bill to recover. When they return, Bill starts working on a power generator which explodes, killing him. Lena tries to convince Robin to accept both her and Dot, but he refuses. A couple of weeks later, Lena and Dot have an accident while diving in a river. One of them dies and the other is seriously injured. Dr. Harvey and Robin are startled when they discover that the surviving woman can't recall anything after the duplication, and suppose she's repressing all the painful memories, so she may be Dot. Dr. Harvey finds in Bill's notes about the marks on Dot's neck and tells Robin, convincing him that the survivor is Lena. In an epilogue, he reveals that he also discovered a note in which Bill recalls that, during her holiday, Dot had undergone plastic surgery to erase the marks, which means there is in fact no way of knowing whether the survivor is Lena or Dot. Dr. Harvey destroys the note, enabling Robin and Lena (or Dot) to remain happy in the certainty that the survivor is Lena.

Cast

(Lena Maitland/Helen) * James Hayter (Dr. Harvey) * Stephen Murray (Bill Leggat) * John Van Eyssen (Robin Grant) * Percy Marmont (Sir Walter) * Glyn Dearman (Bill as a child) * Sean Barrett (Robin as a child) * Jennifer Dearman (Lena as a child) * Kynaston Reeves (Lord Grant) * John Stuart (Solicitor) * Edith Saville (Lady Grant)

References

Sources

Hearne, Marcus & Jonathan Rigby. ''Four Sided Triangle: Viewing Notes'' (accompanying R2 DVD release)

External links

* * {{Terence Fisher 1953 films 1950s science fiction films British science fiction films Films directed by Terence Fisher Films scored by Malcolm Arnold Films shot at Bray Studios Films set in England Hammer Film Productions films Films based on science fiction novels Films based on British novels British black-and-white films 1950s English-language films 1950s British films