THE MEDUSA TOUCH (1978)

The Medusa Touch (1978)
Directed by: Jack Gold
Written by: John Briley, Peter Van Greenaway
Starring: Derek Jacobi, Harry Andrews, Lee Remick, Lino Ventura, Marie-Christine Barrault, Richard Burton

THE MEDUSA TOUCH (1978)
Directed by Jack Gold

When an author is brutally beaten within an inch of his life, leaving him in hospital on life support, Detective Inspector Brunel must piece together who the author is and why someone would wish him dead, but what he doesn’t expect is to unravel some dark secrets about the victim himself which may or may not hold any truth.

THE MEDUSA TOUCH, based on Peter Van Greenaway’s novel of the same name, is a captivating mystery thriller that slowly gets under your skin as it picks apart the details of the life of victim, John Morlar, who we see being savagely attacked in the opening scenes of the movie.

Played by Richard Burton, John Morlar is pretty much unconscious but still alive (just!) throughout the running time of the film. Whilst it would be hilarious if they’d got such a sought-after star just to play the bed-ridden victim, whose head is bandaged up like a mummy throughout the movie to the point it might actually be another actor under there, Richard Burton does get to grace the screen properly during a number of flashbacks as Detective Inspector Brunel, who’s leading the case, attempts to reconstruct his life. Brunel visits numerous people whose paths crossed with Morlar over the years, including his therapist Dr Zonfield (Lee Remick), who regale him with memories about their meetings and experiences with the quirky author. It’s through these discussions, particularly with Dr Zonfield, that he discovers Morlar’s obsession with disaster and death, convinced that from a young age he’s had the power to influence tragedies into occurring. Whilst Zonfield dismisses her client’s notion of being able to wish death and destruction into existence, the stories begin to rack up and Morlar’s consuming tales of incidents, of which he was present or involved in that resulted in tragedy, it becomes easy to begin to believe the delusional, disturbed author.

THE MEDUSA TOUCH works brilliantly as a whodunnit as well as a sinister, supernatural horror mystery, with more details being unravelled as Brunel pulls at the thread. Not only are we looking at who Morlar was as a person prior to the incident and who attacked him, but also the reason why he might have been attacked. Burton’s portrayal of Morlar can be quite intimidating as he presents his notion of being able to make disasters occur merely by thinking about them. His icy glare is enough to send shivers down your spine. Whilst it could all be a load of hokum, the current events circulating the plot – a space disaster and plane crash – certainly makes the viewer, and DI Brunel, entertain the idea.

Lino Ventura is terrific as the French detective inspector who’s committed to getting to the bottom of the attempted murder of Morlar. He approaches the case like a dog with a bone, refusing to stop when he has a hunch or desire for more information. I particularly like how persuasive and firm he can be to get the detail he needs, even when those he’s questioning say they’re already engaged in other business. Brunel’s unwavering determination to solve the case and get to the bottom of the riddle that is Morlar is enthralling one, with the viewer taken along for the ride like the DI’s assistant.

The culmination of THE MEDUSA TOUCH isn’t too surprising as dialogue and events leading up to it make it pretty clear what is about to happen. Nevertheless, it’s entertaining to watch the scenes play out and had me on the edge of the seat as the plot moves up a level with a quickened pace and intensity, making a fitting climax to this story-driven mystery thriller.

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