Dr Fischer of Geneva *** (1984, James Mason, Alan Bates, Greta Scacchi) – Classic Movie Review 10,262

Director Michael Lindsay-Hogg’s 1984 British television film Dr Fischer of Geneva stars James Mason, Alan Bates and Greta Scacchi.

Graham Greene’s lukewarm novella proves ideal material for a TV movie, at least this TV movie, with a memorable late performance by James Mason as Dr Fischer, a wealthy manipulator of mankind, all of whom have their price. As part of his plan to expose human greed, he holds a bizarre party where people run the gauntlet of death by explosion to get to their presents.

The thin material, scripted by Richard Broke, is exposed here in an over-elaborate production, but the film builds to a strong finish and the acting is riveting. Alan Bates plays Mason’s son-in-law to be, Dr Alfred Jones, who teaches him a lesson, Greta Scacchi plays Anna-Luise Fischer, and Clarissa Kaye (aka Mrs Mason) scores as a grasping socialite, Mrs Montgomery.

It is Mason’s penultimate movie: he died of a heart attack at his home in Switzerland the following year (27 July 1984) after filming The Shooting Party, shortly after principal photography wrapped. The Assisi Underground (1985) was his final released film, released a year after his death.

Also in the cast are Hugh Burden, Cyril Cusack, Barry Humphries, David de Keyser, Jacques Herlin, Nicholas Le Prevost and Simon Chandler.

It is made by British Broadcasting Corporation and Consolidated Productions.

Clarissa Kaye met Mason when they appeared in Age of Consent (1969) and they married in 1971. They both appeared in Salem’s Lot (1979) (sharing no scenes) and Frankenstein: The True Story (1973) (sharing scenes).

It is the final movie of Hugh Burden (as Divisionaire Krueger).

© Derek Winnert 2020 Classic Movie Review 10,262

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