The Asphyx
1973

In present day (ie 1970s) London, a tramp staggers out into the road and gets hit by a car. Back in Victorian times, a scientist discovers that he can trap the soul of an animal at the point of death, which means that a person could technically live forever, while their soul is trapped (by a camera, of course). In the end he experiments on himself and makes himself immortal. That's him who gets hit by the car at the beginning.
That's about it, really.
This film does have a couple of things going for it, I suppose - the Asphyx thingy looks quite spooky when trapped in the beam of light, and Robert Powell's always good for a chuckle. His co-star, the loony scientist (Robert Stephens), is also a bit of a hoot with his scenery-chewing antics - he's like an over-acting Alan Rickman, if you can imagine such a thing.
So, give it a go, if you want. After all, who am I to tell you what to watch and what not to watch? And I've not told you all the sub-plots, like how Powell nearly kills his boss because he's not concentrating, and how they do kill his wife...

Director: Peter Newbrook Writer(s): Christina Beers (story), Brian Comport
Cast: Robert Stephens - Sir Hugo Cunningham, Robert Powell - Giles Cunningham, Jane Lapotaire - Christina Cunningham, Alex Scott - Sir Edward Barrett, Ralph Arliss - Clive Cunningham, Fiona Walker - Anna Wheatley, Terry Scully - Pauper, John Lawrence - Mason, David Grey - Vicar, Tony Caunter - Warden, Paul Bacon - 1st Member

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