Four Sided Triangle (1953) - 4K Ultra HD Evaluation

      Four Sided Triangle, 1953.

      Directed by Terence Fisher.

      Featuring Barbara Payton, James Hayter, Stephen Murray, John Van Eyssen, and Percy Marmont.

      SYNOPSIS:

      A scientist constructs an exact duplicate of the woman he loves after she marries his childhood friend.

      This 4K UHD release marks the second offering from the revived Hammer Films label, following the earlier release of the impressive Captain Kronos: Vampire Hunter box set this year. What made that collection particularly appealing to collectors was not the film itself, which has been available in various formats, but the meticulous care dedicated to its restoration. The resulting five-disc set included all possible versions of the film, a wealth of new extras featuring surviving cast members, and beautiful packaging that, even if the main feature wasn’t to your taste, made it a coveted collector’s item that would envy any other boutique label.

      So, what is presented here? For starters, unlike many horror classics, this film isn’t polished and showcased in magnificent Technicolor with favored names from the Hammer stable. However, when you start the main feature, a few names in the credits evoke that warm, familiar feeling often associated with Hammer films, particularly actor John Van Eyssen, producer Michael Carreras, and director Terence Fisher, who went on to direct many of the films we now regard as Hammer Horror classics.

      Four Sided Triangle predates Hammer's more notable sci-fi horror efforts like X The Unknown and The Curse of Frankenstein by a few years. It offers a romantic drama viewed through a sci-fi lens, based on William F. Temple’s novel. The plot revolves around childhood friends Bill, Robin, Lena, and village doctor Dr. Harvey (James Hayter), who serves as the film's narrator. In their youth, Bill and Robin vied for Lena's affection, but once Lena (Barbara Payton) left for college, Bill (Stephen Murray) and Robin (John Van Eyssen) became close friends and scientists, collaborating on a significant project in their barn where they can perfectly replicate any object. When Lena returns from college, both men fall for her, but it is Robin who marries her, prompting the envious Bill to further his experiments and attempt to replicate a person. We can anticipate where this is headed…

      The film opens with a charming depiction of village life in 1950s England, and the 4K UHD restoration revitalizes the black-and-white visuals, with clarity and sharpness providing a freshness that suggests it’s not a film over 70 years old. However, the actors’ exaggerated English accents reflect the era’s style, and while John Van Eyssen and Stephen Murray deliver their lines differently, neither achieves the desired effect: Murray tends to overact as if performing on stage for a distant audience, while Van Eyssen's subdued delivery lacks impact, similar to his brief but memorable role as Jonathan Harker in Hammer’s Dracula five years later.

      James Hayter and Barbara Payton, however, shine in their roles, with Hayter’s warm presence and sweet line delivery contrasting nicely with Stephen Murray’s over-the-top performance. Dr. Harvey is a somewhat peculiar character, as he lacks enthusiasm for the scientific pursuits of Bill and Robin. Nonetheless, in true Hammer fashion, his role is succinctly written, allowing us to accept him as a well-respected doctor in the village, serving as a moral guide for the audience – a concept Hammer revisited with Paul Kremper in The Curse of Frankenstein.

      Although Barbara Payton’s role is somewhat limited, her presence permeates the film due to her alluring ‘blonde bombshell’ persona. During this period, Payton’s career was declining, and her real-life narrative is quite tragic. Nevertheless, she commits fully to her limited direction, adding necessary color to an otherwise male-centric fantasy. Yes, if it isn't already apparent, Bill creates an exact duplicate of Lena, naming her Helen, which leads to complications as Helen possesses not only Lena’s physical traits but her memories as well, resulting in her falling for Robin, too.

      As typical of 1950s sci-fi, special effects are minimal, with the main set design being Bill’s lab, reminiscent of Universal’s Frankenstein, complete with glass tools and blinking lights. Hence, we depend on the script to carry the narrative, and viewed through a 2025 context, issues of morality and social commentary on gender roles and friendship emerge, aspects that the original writers may not have fully recognized, lending deeper layers to Four Sided Triangle than a casual glance might suggest.

      Hammer would later revisit similar themes in films like Frankenstein Created Woman and Doctor Jekyll and Sister Hyde, allowing audiences and scholars to explore such subjects within genre cinema. However, there’s an innocence in Four Sided Triangle that infuses it with charm, an element that Terence Fisher’s straightforward direction fails to emphasize fully, though it stands as an intriguing time capsule.

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