THE MUTATIONS (1973)
THE MUTATIONS US poster artwork
DONALD PLEASENCE.....Professor Nolter
TOM BAKER.....Lynch
BRAD HARRIS.....Brian
JULIE EGE.....Hedi
MICHAEL DUNN.....Burns
SCOTT ANTONY.....Tony
JILL HAWORTH.....Lauren
Directed by JACK CARDIFF
Written by ROBERT D. WEINBACH and EDWARD MANN
Produced by ROBERT D. WEINBACH
REVIEW BY A.H. WEILER
The scientist whose genius is evil even though his intentions are as good as aspirin is back with us again to no earthshaking effect in The Mutations, which landed in local theaters yesterday. If these British-made science-fiction capers appear to be as up-to-date as genetic research, the end results are as basically familiar---or convincing---as a Boris Karloff going berserk in an underground laboratory.
Jack Cardiff, the talented former cinematographer and director of such notable films as Sons and Lovers, and his writers, seem to be torn between their predilection for freaks and their driven London scientist, Donald Pleasence, who is desperate to "induce mutations" of plants and animals for a combined, efficient "new species." They are, for the record, more successful with freaks---authentic dwarfs, a bearded lady and the like---a couple of whom our researcher uses to capture human guinea pigs from among the students in his college classes.
Tom Baker, playing the facially deformed co-owner (with Michael Dunn) of a sideshow, is the dastardly hunter because, you see, he has been promised a cure by Professor Pleasence. The fact is, despite the professor's collection of animal-devouring plant hybrids and all his talk about DNA and nucleic acids, his victims, Olga Anthony and Scott Antony, turn out to look more like cabbages than humans, and, more important, don't survive his far-out experiments.
As might be expected, neither does Mr. Pleasence nor Mr. Baker, who is a good deal more villainous than the largely pedantic "Professor." Mr. Pleasence seems to be more dedicated than malignantly inclined toward science. And Brad Harris and Julie Ege as lovers, and Jill Haworth as Mr. Scott's fiancee, are merely decorative in these unlikely situations.
"I'm sure there's a logical explanation," one of the mystified students observes after Miss Anthony disappears. Logic, unfortunately isn't one of the attributes of The Mutations.
Review is from the September 26, 1974 edition of THE NEW YORK TIMES.
Review © 1974 THE NEW YORK
TIMES. All Rights Reserved.
Poster artwork © 1974 COLUMBIA PICTURES. All Rights Reserved.
Title and logo designed by Karen Rappaport
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