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PETER CUSHING AND THE TUDOR TEA ROOMS VIDEO CLIP

2012-02-24T17:47:00.004-08:00

THE TUDOR TEA ROOMS:

A QUICK LOOK AROUND THE TUDOR TEA ROOMS, WHITSTABLE. IN THE LAST FIFTEEN YEARS OF PETER'S LIFE MOST DAYS HE WOULD TAKE THE SHORT WALK TO HIS FAVOURITE HAUNT FOR HIS LUNCH.

HE ALWAYS SAT AT HIS RESERVED TABLE, WHERE TODAY A FRAMED PHOTOGRAPH AND PLAQUE BEARING THE INSCRIPTION: 'IN LOVING MEMORY OF OUR DEAR PETER CUSHING. A SADLY MISSED FAMILY FRIEND'

OUR FIRST WINNER! HAMMER FRANKENSTEIN FRIDAYS COMPETITIONS EVERY FORTNIGHT!

2012-02-24T11:28:00.000-08:00

OUR FIRST WINNER! Here's a snap of our first winner in our fortnightly Horror Unlimited / Hammer Frankenstein Fridays Competitions! Colin Beardmore poses proudly here with his prize. A terrific still from Hammer Films 'Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell'.

'Having been the lucky winner and recipient of the competition at The UK Peter Cushing Appreciation, a few words to endorse what a... lovely surprise and what a fantastic photograph of Shane Briant and Peter Cushing from Frankenstein And The Monster From Hell . It is remarkably reproduced and I seen nothing like this before . Clear imagery which looks like 3 D! Especially the plate of brains in the photograph . Thank you to Marcus for a wonderful gift and for the opportunity to own it . Greatly appreciated!' Colin Beardmore.

We be announcing the WINNER TONIGHT of LAST WEEKS COMPETITION here at petercushing.org.uk. theblackboxclub.com and theukpetercushingappreciationsociety FACEBOOK PAGE.

PETER CUSHING: 'TORTURE GARDEN' SOWING THE SEEDS! PROMOTION GIMMICKS!

2012-02-21T08:00:00.000-08:00

THE TRAILER FOR AMICUS FILM PRODUCTIONS 'TORTURE GARDEN' IN 1967. A TIME WHEN CINEMA WAS FUN AND GIMMICKS TO PUT 'BOTTOMS ON SEATS' WAS PART OF THE GAME. HERE THE PAYING PUBLIC WERE PROMISED A PACKET OF 'SEEDS' TO GROW THEIR OWN 'TORTURE GARDEN'!

PETER CUSHING JACK PALANCE: 'TORTURE GARDEN' REVIEW AND GALLERY

2012-02-21T07:14:00.007-08:00

PRODUCTION TEAM:

Director: Freddie Francis. Screenplay: Robert Bloch, Based on his Short Stories. Producers: Max J. Rosenberg & Milton Subotsky. Photography: Norman Warwick. Music: Don Banks & James Bernard. Makeup: Jill Carpenter. Art Direction: Don Mingaye & Scott Simon. Production Company: Amicus film Productions.

CAST:

Burgess Meredith : Dr Diablo. Enoch:- Michael Bryant: Colin Williams. Maurice Denham: Uncle Roger. Terror Over Hollywood:- Beverly Adams: Carla Hayes. Robert Hutton: Bruce Benton. John Phillips: Eddie Storm. David Bauer: Mike Charles. Bernard Kay: Dr Helm. Mr Steinway:- Barbara Ewing: Dorothy Endicott. John Standing: Leo. The Man Who Collected Poe:- Jack Palance: Ronald Wyatt. Peter Cushing: Lancelot Canning.

THE PLOT:

At a carnival exhibit, Dr Diablo takes five customers to a back room where he offers them glimpses of their futures. Enoch:- Colin Williams goes to stay with his uncle, determined to get hold of his fortune. He withholds his uncle’s medicine to force him to tell him where the money is, but instead the uncle dies. Afterwards, Colin meets a cat Balthazar that talks to him and demands that he conduct other killings in return for which it will show him where the fortune is. Terror Over Hollywood:- Aspiring actress Carla Hayes determinedly pursues a part in a film. Cast, she soon finds herself falling for her leading man, the enduring star Bruce Benton. But then she finds the secret of movie stars youthful longevity – that they are being replaced by robot doubles. Mr Steinway:- Journalist Dorothy Endicott goes to interview the introverted concert pianist Leo. They become romantically involved but when she tries to draw Leo away from his beloved grand piano Utopie, it becomes jealous. The Man Who Collected Poe:- Ronald Wyatt, a dedicated Edgar Allan Poe collector, goes to visit Lancelot Canning, one of the foremost Poe collectors in the world. Getting drunk, Canning shows him his secret collection of unpublished Poe works. Wyatt then makes the shocking discovery that Canning has brought Poe back to life to write new stories.

COMMENTARY:

Amicus Films had had great success with the portmanteau anthology Dr Terror’s House of Horrors (1964). They returned with Torture Garden, reuniting director Freddie Francis and star Peter Cushing. Burgess Meredith, in an appallingly fake-looking beard, is clearly cast in the same mold as Peter Cushing’s Dr Schreck in Dr Terror, as a sinister figure introducing the segments on the pretext of showing people their future. On script, Amicus imported American horror author Robert Bloch who was then in the public eye as a result of Alfred Hitchcock’s wildly successful adaptation of his novel Psycho (1960). For Torture Garden, Robert Bloch adapted several of his own short stories published in the 1950s into a script. Bloch later went on to become a mainstay of Amicus, contributing to several other anthologies such as The House That Dripped Blood (1970) and Asylum (1972) and original films like The Skull (1965), The Psychopath (1966) and The Deadly Bees (1967).

Torture Garden is one of the lesser among Amicus’s mostly worthwhile anthologies. The first two stories are flat, Terror Over Hollywood being the especially weak link in the chain. But the next two are sharp and original – compare them to Dr Terror’s humdrum revamping of standard B-movie themes and it becomes clear just what Bloch manages to bring to the party. Freddie Francis brings his customary stylism and sharp pictorial contrasts between fore– and background. Memorable images abound such as Barbara Ewing being chased about the house by a grand piano. The Edgar Allan Poe segment works the best where Jack Palance and Peter Cushing are clearly enjoying themselves. The linking segment is slight. One might also note that, despite the title, the film features no torture, nor any gardens. For that matter, despite the title Terror Over Hollywood, the segment is actually set in an English studio. Much better anthologies would emerge from Amicus – see Tales from the Crypt (1972), From Beyond the Grave (1973) and the aforementioned Bloch titles.

Amicus’s subsequent anthology films include The House That Dripped Blood (1970), Asylum (1972), Tales from the Crypt (1972), The Vault of Horror (1973), From Beyond the Grave (1973), while following the breakup of Amicus, Milton Subotsky on his own made The Monster Club (1980).

Freddie Francis’s other genre films are:- Vengeance/The Brain (1962), Paranoiac (1962), Nightmare (1963), Dr Terror’s House of Horrors (1964), The Evil of Frankenstein (1964), Hysteria (1965), The Skull (1965), The Psychopath (1966), The Deadly Bees (1967), They Came from Beyond Space (1967), Dracula Has Risen from the Grave (1968), Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny and Girly (1969), Trog (1970), The Vampire Happening (1971), Tales from the Crypt (1972), Tales That Witness Madness (1972), Craze (1973), The Creeping Flesh (1973), Legend of the Werewolf (1974), Son of Dracula (1974), The Ghoul (1975), The Doctor and the Devils (1985) and Dark Tower (1987).

Review: Richard Scheib

HERE

Images: Marcus Brooks

PETER CUSHING: 'OH, THE IGNOMINY!' LAP THREE OF PAUL MCNAMEE'S PETER CUSHING MOVIE MARATHON.

2012-02-19T05:55:00.000-08:00

The reason I agreed to do this cinematic trek in the first place is because I love Peter Cushing and by extension pretty much every film I've seen him in, speaking as they often do about his choice of roles. That said, I knew there'd be rough going along the way and no more so than with this trio of terrible terrors. Talent and taste are rarely exclusive and despite Cushing's calibre his filmography is not without its flaws, as I learned this past week.

DRACULA AD 1972 (1972)

Also known as Dracula A.D. '73 and Dracula Chases The Mini-Girls (yes really), it's one of Hammer's last to feature Sir Christopher Lee as the titular tall one, and not really one of the best but it's worth a watch for a giggle as it's actually quite unbelievable that it exists. Remarkably, by setting the film in the then-present, Hammer dated it more than their older Victorian efforts. Sample dialogue: "You can buy that sort of stuff in almost any shady bookshop in Soho, I think it's all kinky, weird, man, way out...", says Stephanie Beacham to grandaddy Peter Cushing (this time playing Lorrimer Van Helsing, descendant of Lawrence). Also, she's informed by a vampire boyfriend who sneaks her into the backdoor of a closed-anyway club that the front entrance is "full of geeks and newspaper men".

There's a pointlessly drawn-out scene at the beginning of the movie where 'rockgroup' Stoneground plays two FULL songs while some hip teens (played by 20 and 30-somethings) dance around. The highlight of such fun is William Ellis as Joe, an Eric Idlealike vagabond in a monk's tunic. He steals any scenes he's in ("if we do get to summon up the big daddy with the horns and the tail, he gets to bring his own liquor, his own bird and his own pot") and then appears in no other films ever. Christopher Lee doesn't show up for ages and we're forced to make to with Christopher 'Mrs Frisby and the rats of ' Neame in poncy idiot worshipper mode as 'Johnny Alucard'. Feel free to reverse his surname, puzzle fans: Cushing does. When he does appear, he has very few scenes but makes a great impression, because he's Christopher Lee, and he eats about ten women and has a kip in his grave. Also, for a while I think he owns a nightclub.

The best two bits in the film I've screencapped below:

Are you serious? "The Legend Of Dracula The Vampire"?! "DRACULA THE VAMPIRE"??? Apparently Lawrence Van Helsing wrote the yellow-bound tome when he was six years old. Also, remember earlier when I mentioned Cushing's figuring out of Alucard's surname? See below just how he did it:

Come on! No-one's that stupid, especially someone played by Peter Cushing! Look at how bad his writing is! Notice also the copy of "The Legend Of Dracula The Vampire" in the top right hand corner of the frame. Indispensable.

The movie also has an inordinate amount of cleavage and a trippy score with that fuzzy guitar distortion like at the start of John Barry's "On Her Majesty's Secret Service". I really like it at times and I'm finding it hard not to recommend, but it's best to watch it a good distance from the other Hammer Draculas, because they're worlds apart in context and quality.

Its immediate sequel, on the other hand, is not worthy of any such half-hearted pseudo-praise and is arguably the barometer by which all future Cushenings shall be judged.

THE SATANIC RITES OF DRACULA (1973)

Dear God. Please gang, never, as part of any course on Sir Pete, horror movies, films of the 1970s or in celebrance (don’t you think that should be a word?) of actual knight Sir Christopher Lee, watch The Satanic Rites Of Dracula. I’m going to keep it brief because THINKING about it numbs me, but you can easily get away with watching ALL other Hammer Drac films (even Scars Of Dracula, in which Dracula stabs people to death and is revived by a giant blood-chundering rubber bat, fergoodnessakes!) and ignoring this one without ever feeling guilty. It is truly one of the worst things ever to have happened to me.

In fact, ‘twixt that last paragraph and this, I made a list of the worst things ever to happen to me, and it ranks just above standing on a rusted nail and letting my Tamagotchi die, and only just under breaking my arm and accidentally drinking a bee. Have you ever drunk a bee? It sucks, sucks worse than The Satanic Rites Of Dracula. But only just...

Within seconds, we’re hit with what sounds a LOT like the theme from Bride Of Frankenstein, and you’ll notice that there’s a sort of silhouette of Dracula in the corner that gets progressively bigger as the credits advance. It’s really, really funny, but it’s certainly not supposed to be and effectively undermines the entire film and just about the entire Hammer catalogue.

The opening shots of London remind us that the film was penned under the working title Dracula Is Alive And Well And Living In London (famously described by Lee as “fatuous”), and they look all the sillier in light of the new title (which is barely relevant) and the setting of a good deal of the action in a rural setting. John Cacavas did great work on the Lee/ Cushing vehicle Horror Express (recently released on Blu-Ray, shopaholics...), and his rock-orchestra score fits this film insomuch as NOTHING fits this film, and everything comes together in a bilious, recursive mess of poor filmmaking.

The costumes are pretty neat (really, whatever happened to the ubiquity of sleeveless sheepskin vests?) and there’s a really neat stunt on a bike, but ultimately the impression I got from this film was that Hammer was producing a totally unrelated spy "thriller” and shoehorned one last Dracula picture onto it in the ugliest manner possible. Kudos to its stars who cooperated no doubt out of loyalty and so as not to cost so many prospective jobs, but there’s really nothing more to say about this wretched bad thing of a thing, so I’ll move on sharpish.

A CHUMP AT OXFORD (1940)

What better way to top off a mini-marathon of 70s Dracula films than with a Laurel and Hardy movie from the 1940s? Well, in hindsight, there are a great number of better ways among which watching another 70s Dracula film ranks high, but to be honest I wanted to go for something I thought I wouldn’t enjoy (let’s make it three for three, I masochistically figured) and so A Chump At Oxford was shortly ticked off the bucket list.

The first thing that hit me about this (horribly colorized version) film is Stan Laurel’s face. He has a great face, easily in the top two faces seen in the opening shot of him and Oliver Hardy sitting in a car. The colorization process (as you may have noticed in Marcus’ lobby cards for most of the films I’ve reviewed) creates a bizarre sort of pastel look in a lot of films and A Chump At Oxford looks like no reality I’ve ever recognized. There’s a shot about five minutes in where the pair leave an employment agency and walk into a completely monochrome exterior that’s really quite nightmarish in a way. Looks we have a horror after all. There’s even a chap dressed as a ghost...

There’s no energy to the film. From what I’ve seen from films from this era their success relies on careful choreography and the ability to knock a gag out before you’ve come to terms with the one before it. A Chump At Oxford seems to delight in giving you enough time not only to appreciate a joke, but to see it coming a mile off, too.

As for Sir Pete, when he does show up, he’s pretty much the only one who genuinely sounds English, whereas the others all sound like that sort of bizarre Colin Clive English that only exists in Hollywood films from 70 years ago. He also plays the sort of snooty college brat you’d more readily expect to see in a frat house in the 1980s. He’s not given a lot to do really and it’s really quite strange seeing his talents put to such waste.

So, is it a Peter Cushing film? No. Absolutely not. He has a total of 66 audible words of dialogue, one indecipherable noise and a few instances of participation in general rabble rousing. I’d not recommend it to my trusty Cushettes, no sooner than I’d recommend it to a person seeking a reasonable way to kill an hour of their life that they’ll never ever get back. Worth seeing as confirmation that even our greatest export was once a jobbing thesp, but an exercise in redundancy through and through.

Next week: GOOD films! I promise...

Reviews: Paul McNamee

Images: Marcus Brooks

PETER CUSHING: THE UK PETER CUSHING APPRECIATION SOCIETY: OPEN TO ALL!

2012-02-18T17:30:00.000-08:00

PETER CUSHING AND THE RETURN OF THE CYBERNAUTS: THE AVENGERS TV SERIES

2012-02-18T12:48:00.000-08:00

50 years ago the very first episode of The Avengers was transmitted. Hot Snow, shown on the 7 December 1961 and introducing Ian Hendry as Dr. Keel and Patrick Macnee as John Steed, doesn't really give much of an indication as to how The Avengers would become the ultimate expression of Sixties pop culture and a global television phenomenon.

Those early episodes are gritty, hard-nosed thrillers and I've already covered Optimum's DVD box set releases of Series Three and Series Four back in 2010 and 2009, charting how this black and white thriller blossomed as the decade moved on, and how, as James Chapman noted in his essay in Windows on the Sixties, "The Avengers both defines and is defined by the 1960s [and reflects] the social changes taking place in Britain during the period" and is a barometer of the "the technological changes that occurred in the television industry moving from 'live' performance to film, and from black-and-white to colour."And with Series 5 we do indeed move into colour, heralded with a caption card 'The Avengers in Color' on each episode as required by the American network ABC who had paid the then-unheard of sum of $2 million for the first 26 episodes and made the series one of the first, if not the first, British series to be aired on prime time U.S. television.

Series 5 takes the fantasy elements prominent in the first Rigg series and exaggerates them with the use of full colour, high-fashion elements (including costumes for Rigg and Macnee designed by Alun Hughes and Pierre Cardin), a bevvy of prominent British character actors playing a wealth of eccentrics and diabolical masterminds and a knowingness about the relationship between the television audience and the programme itself.This knowingness is present both in the number of attempts to break the fourth wall by the leading actors, with asides and direct looks down the lens, to the manipulation of artifice and surface, in set design and narratives that pull apart and glorify the very idea of making films and television programmes. It's very much Clemens and his production team emulating the progress that a director like Federico Fellini was making in his own work in the late 1960s. The Fellinesque qualities of stories such as Epic, Escape in Time and Something Nasty in the Nursery suggest a pop-art style married to increasingly metatextual narratives that comment on the art of storytelling and film-making within the contrived nature of 'Avengersland'.

'Avengersland' is a construction that Fellini would have been proud of and depicts an England of the mind, of the imagination, where increasingly during Series 5 the threats to Steed and Emma become more and more artificially generated. As I discussed in my review of Spirits of the Dead, Fellini's section of that film is about the audience understanding that Terence Stamp's character exists in a knowingly artificial world. Much the same occurs in Brian Clemens concept of The Avengers.

'Avengersland' is therefore postmodernist in nature, and Christopher Sharrett, in commenting on Fellini's work from Spirits of the Dead onwards has called this effect "the sum and substance of postmodernity [where] the piling up of signifiers merely creates new attractions and commodities" and where, by extension, the colour episodes of Avengerland are created "by removing [them] from all social/political/economic context."

This self-evident awareness of its own construction, of the tropes that it uses, marks out the first colour series of The Avengers and is later developed into the Thorson series. Where the previous Rigg series had been 'Britain versus the world' it is worth noting that by 1967 this had shifted to 'Britain is the world' in the colour episodes and was very much in line with London being regarded as the epicentre of the late 1960s explosion of pop, architecture, fashion and design and The Avengers own nostalgia for a non-existent version of England where the troubles of the modern world are eradicated by a desire to recreate Edwardiana via glossy Hollywood pastiche.

Science fiction and fantasy rub shoulders with the series's own comedy of manners and sense of British fair-play, epitomised in everything from the tag sequences, the 'Mrs. Peel We're Needed' introductions and the witty captions that summarise each episode to the gaggle of malcontent British scientists, astronomers, executives, aristocrats, ministers and secret agents who believe they have been treated unfairly in the rush to embrace the 'swinging sixties' modernisation of the nation.

Personally, from Series 5, I would single out:

From Venus With Love - its obsessions about alien invasion from Venus and the deadly threat of laser weapons jostle with a comedy turn from Jon Pertwee and a stylish cameo from Barbara Shelley.

Escape In Time - an utterly surreal story about a man who provides a service to criminals that allows them to escape from the authorities into any part of past history. Superb guest cameo from Peter Bowles and filled with massive chunks of gaudy, dream-like visual/physical comedy that divorces the series entirely from any reality. Looks stunning in its restored format here.

The Winged Avenger - a clever mix of thriller, comic book (the legendary Frank Bellamy supplied the comic strips for the episode) and a tongue in cheek and metatextual nod to the Adam West Batman series in Steed's showdown with the villain where he clouts him over the head with Roy Lichtenstein inspired pop-artwork declaring 'Pow!' 'Blam! and 'Splat!' Another sequence where live action flips back and forth with comic book recreations was way ahead of its time.

Never, Never Say Die - a pastiche of the Frankenstein story with a great guest performance from Christopher Lee.

Epic - stunningly restored here and a wonderfully surreal blend of Sunset Boulevard and Fellini's 8½, thoroughly divorced from realism and driven by completely glorious performances from the triumvirate of Peter Wyngarde, Kenneth Warren and Isa Miranda.

Something Nasty in the Nursery - more surreal and nightmarish imagery that twists childhood memories completely out of shape. It's a very knowing episode that allows the audience in on the artificiality of the storytelling.

Who's Who? - great fun in that it allows Macnee and Rigg to stretch and play against their characters and it features an equally sensational double-act in Freddie Jones and Patricia Haynes as the agents they swap bodies with. The ad-breaks are structured to feature a very tongue-in-cheek recap for the audiences as to who is exactly whom as the story continues.

Return of the Cybernauts - Peter Cushing is sublime as the villainous Paul Beresford, and the story is unusual in that he is actually a friend of Steed and Emma's and there are undercurrents of jealousy from Steed when Paul gets very enamoured of Emma.

Dead Man's Treasure - glorious romp combining a treasure hunt, a cross-country car chase that showcases the English countryside at its most beautiful, a deadly racing-car simulator and Laurie Johnson's bouncy incidental music.

The Positive-Negative Man - more surreal, comic strip inspired material successfully blended with an espionage thriller and featuring Ray McAnally at roughly the same time he went on to make the sublime Spindoe for Granada.

The quality of the image here is again very good and with many episodes it is truly sensational, with vibrant and exceptional colour and contrast that show off the gorgeous sets and location shooting and often revealing fine detail in faces and costumes.

These are blemish free digital masters, exquisitely restored but there is a noticeable shift in the quality of cinematography between the earlier and later episodes in the production run. Certainly the contrast and colour fidelity isn't as robust in The Fear Merchants for example but I would put that down to the way it was shot rather than a fault of the restoration.

The restoration is of such good quality that it simply begs for a Blu-Ray release in high definition and I hope that Optimum will be looking to achieve this in the next year as I think these will look particularly stunning in HD.

The highly effective and memorable music from Laurie Johnson is well represented on the soundtrack but alas, there does seem to be a problem with the sound mix. It is obvious that the vocal track is slightly speeded up and is particularly noticeable with male voices, especially Steed's, which are pitched slightly too high. Optimum have already been made aware of this and are offering replacement discs for this set. A real shame that problems like this are not being identified by the company's own quality control department. It's a blemish on an otherwise fantastic DVD set.

The commentary to The Winged Avenger, moderated effectively by Jaz Wiseman, covers writer Richard Harris's contribution to the original black and white series of The Avengers and the comic book influences that went into the creation of his script for the colour Rigg series. The chat is interesting and informative and very much focuses on his career as a writer, including his work on the Hancock scripts for ATV and developing Man in a Suitcase.

Perhaps the stand-out commentary on this set has to be from the legendary Peter Wyngarde on the episode Epic. Wyngarde is clearly not that concerned about remembering the more intricate details of the episode (although he dedicates it to colleagues James Hill, Isa Miranda, Kenneth Warren and Albert Fennell) but goes on to regale us with tons of anecdotes about his theatrical career, working with Ralph Richardson, and breaks off to put in a performance as George Sanders and later recites various songs and poems. A true 'luvvie', bless him.

Stunt artist Cyd Childs and writer/producer Brian Clemens also offer interesting stories and anecdotes on their own commentaries for, respectively, Return of the Cybernauts and Murdersville.

Once again there is a massive amount of supplementary material on the DVD set:

- Archive German TV interview with Patrick Macnee and Diana Rigg

- Episode trims from The Fear Merchants, Escape In Time, From Venus With Love and The See-Through Man

- The Avengers – A Retrospective (documentary produced for the Lumiere VHS releases)

- ATV newsreel footage (Diana Rigg receives TV Award)

- The Avengers – “They’re Back” archive trailer

- Filmed episode intros by Brian Clemens to The Bird Who Knew Too Much, The Living Dead, Epic, The Correct Way To Kill, The Superlative Seven, A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Station, The Joker and Murdersville

- Granada + points for each episode

- Episode Reconstructions for lost Series 1 episodes One For The Mortuary, Death on The Slipway, Tunnel of Fear and Dragonsfield

- 1960s German Titles

- Insert reprint of series 5 promotional brochure

- Stills gallery for featured episodes (literally hundreds of images)

- PDF material including shooting scripts, TV Times and more

An essential purchase but marred by that sound fault so proceed with caution and check that Optimum are still replacing the erroneous discs and replacing stock in stores.

The Avengers

Digitally Restored Special Edition: The Complete Series 5 / 1966-67

Released 25 October 2010 / Optimum Releasing / OPTD1751 / Region 2 / Cert PG / Running time: 1,127 mins / 4:3

Review: Frank Collins

CLICK HERE

Images: Marcus Brooks

VINCENT PRICE AND PETER CUSHING: PRESS BOOK MADHOUSE (1974)

2012-02-18T03:59:00.000-08:00

GREAT EXAMPLE OF 'MADHOUSE' PROMOTION BACK IN 1974

SUSAN DENBERG, PETER CUSHING AND OTHER HAMMER FILM FACES BEHIND THE SCENES ON 'FRANKENSTEIN CREATED WOMAN' HAMMER FRANKENSTEIN FRIDAY

2012-02-17T17:28:00.003-08:00

SUSAN DENBERG POSES WITH HER CO STAR AND

FRANKENSTEIN'S ASSISTANT THORLEY WALTERS

EVERYONE POSES FOR THE CAMERA! PETER HAS A LAUGH AT

PRODUCER ANTHONY NELSON KEYS, WEARING HIS TOP HAT!

THE TEAM: PETER CUSHING, SUSAN DENBERG, PRODUCER ANTHONY NELSON

KEYS AND DIRECTOR TERENCE FISHER POSE FOR THE CAMERA AT FRENSHAM

PONDS, THE LOCATION FOR THE GUILLOTINE SCENES IN 'FRANKENSTEIN

CREATED WOMAN'

SUSAN DENBERG AND PRODUCER ANTHONY NELSON KEYS SHELTER

UNDER A BROLLY BESIDE A PROP ROAD SIGN BEARING THE NAMES

OF TWO FAMILAUR HAMMER FILM TOWNS :

KARLSBAD AND INNSBAD.

THE BROLLY BECOMES A HANDY PROP AS BOTH PETER AND

SUSAN DENBERG TAKE A STROLL AROUND BRAY STUDIOS, HOME TO

HAMMER FILMS AND SO MANY OF THERE BEST MOTION PICTURES.

MORE POSING FOR THE STILLS MAN

NOTE THE SCRIPT UNDER PETER'S ARM IN THIS SHOT. PENS PENCILS AND

RUBBER BANDS. PETER WAS WELL KNOWN FOR HIS NOTE TAKING AND

SCRIBBLES IN THE MARGINS OF HIS SCRIPTS. POINTERS TO DIALOGUE,

REMINDERS AND ALSO DOODLINGS. PETER LOVED TO DOODLE

WHILST WAITING, SOMETIMES LONG HOURS ON A SET.

AND THE SHOOT WRAPS WITH ONE OF PETER'S SIGNATURE

KISSES TO HIS CO STAR, SUSAN DENBERG

PETER CUSHING: 'FRANKENSTEIN CREATED WOMAN' VINTAGE PRESS CUTTING

2012-02-17T17:00:00.000-08:00

FRANKENSTEIN CREATED WOMAN: THE CLASSIC POSE AND ONE OF THE FIRST PLACES IT APPEARED!

2012-02-17T13:04:00.000-08:00

FRANKENSTEIN CREATED WOMAN: THE CLASSIC POSE AND ONE

OF THE FIRST PLACES IT APPEARED!

THE STORY BEHIND PETER CUSHING AND 'CORRUPTION': COMMENTARY AND GALLERY

2012-02-15T07:07:00.000-08:00

After the end of the second world war, Robert Hartford-Davis worked in a variety of capacities at numerous British studios before making his own short films and episodes of TV shows like Police Surgeon (1960). In mid-1962 he won the contract to make films for Compton-Cameo, who ran profitable cinema clubs specialising in risqué films and now wanted to branch out into film production.

So successful were the 1963 pictures That Kind of Girl (which Hartford-Davis produced), and The Yellow Teddybears (which he produced and directed), that a year later he was appointed 'executive in charge of all production'.

Director of Photography on these films was Peter Newbrook, who had previously worked on such prestigious pictures as The Sound Barrier (1952), Lawrence of Arabia (1962) and In The Cool of the Day (1963). In August 1964, Hartford-Davis and Newbrook formed Titan Productions, immediately making the bizarre pop musical, Gonks Go Beat (1965). Their biggest budgeted film followed in 1966: The Sandwich Man was a comedy produced with money from the National Film Finance Corporation, a funding organisation set up to initiate new independent British film productions.

Not even cameos from numerous top British comic stars could prevent it from being only a modest success, and with none of the other NFK-funded films succeeding, Titan had to look elsewhere for capital. It came in January 1967 from independent American company, Oakshire Films, with whom Titan signed to make three films, all to be distributed through Columbia. The first two announced - The Mask of Innocence, a story of a child's obsessive love for her father, and We, the Guilty, concerning the nationwide pursuit of two prison escapees - both went unmade. The third was Corruption.

Hartford-Davis came up with the original idea and brought in Donald and Derek Ford to write the script. The Fords had written all of Hartford-Davis's Compton-Cameo releases, and had stayed with the company to author the classic Sherlock Holmes versus Jack the Ripper film, A Study In Scarlet (1965).

Peter Cushing was the obvious choice for the top-billed part in any British horror film. Discussing Corruption with Eamonn Andrews on television, he remarked that he was looking forward to his next picture; a horror film in modern dress, for a change.

Receiving equal billing was Sue Lloyd, who had previously appeared as Michael Caine's girlfriend in The Ipcress File (1965) and had a recurring role in The Baron (1966). Hartford-Davis would be so impressed with her work on Corruption that he'd present her with an antique cup inscribed, "To my actress of the year, from your corrupted director." At the end of shooting, Cushing presented her with a special script holder. "I did rather well out of that film!" she now laughs. Kate O'Mara, a relative newcomer to film, was cast as Lynn's sister, and Anthony Booth - then popular as Alf Garnett's son-in-law in Til Death Us Do Part (1966) - played groovy photographer Mike.

When making movies, Hartford-Davis apparently considered actor David Lodge his "lucky charm"; a part, therefore, had to be found for him. Lodge remembers: "I said, 'There's nothing in here for me.' He said, 'There's got to be something. I tell you what, what about one of the hippies?' I said, 'They're kids!' - and I was well into my forties. He said, 'We'll make one of them a big idiot with the mental age of about 12. He's retarded.'" So was born Groper, the strongman of Terry's beatnik gang, blindly obedient to leader Georgie.

Saving money where they could, Titan used Isleworth Studios in south-west London, not far from Hartford-Davis's home. Primarily use for making adverts in the year prior to the Corruption shoot only one other film had been made there.

The film's four-week schedule commenced on 10th July 1967, and most scenes were completed quickly. One exception was the discovery of the head in the fridge by Sandy, a female gang member. Actress Alexandra Dane was so shocked by the sight of an apparently decapitated head that she became quite distressed on the first take. The crewmen who had the job of stuffing the head with various offals referred to it as 'the laughing Japanese shot'. Far East audiences enjoyed a lot of gore, apparently.

The finale - in which the laser disposes of most of the leading characters - was achieved by stringing up lengths of wire around the set, which were then lit, and burned brightly where the laser was supposedly striking. Sue Lloyd remembers that the actors had to be wary of their positions if they were to avoid being injured.

Care also had to be taken in the scene in which Groper holds a brandy glass over Lynn's mouth in order to get information out of her. John Lodge remembers being cautious to leave a small gap so she could still take in air. Location shooting took place at Seaford, between London and Brighton. The scene where Lynn lures Terry's husband, Rik, to the edge of the cliff and forces him over was especially arduous for Sue Lloyd: "I suffer from terrible vertigo and that cliff was a sheer drop. I just couldn't do it. I just froze and in the end they had to get a double in. If you look, you never see my face when she pushes him off."

The murder in the train was also shot on location. This disturbing sequence was shot by Newbrook through a fish-eye lens, lending it a delirious quality. Another murder - that of the prostitute in the flat - was shot twice. In the version seen in Scandanavia, South America, and the Far East, a bare-breasted Marianne Morris, replacing the negligee clad Jan Waters in the regular edition, is attacked quite graphically by a manic Cus hing. Again, Newbrook used a distorting fish-eye lens in the scene.

Over a year after its completion, the film premiered at London's Metropole on 21st November 1968, but was replaced after a week by Carry On Up the Khyber (1968). On general release from 8th December, Corruption was paired with an Alex Cord spaghetti western, Un minuto per pregare, un instante per morire / Dead or Alive (1968).

David Lodge recalls going to see an early screening of Corruption with Peter Cushing and them both chuckling all the way through. Cushing later remarked: "I felt it was a great idea, but the only thing I felt about the picture was that it was repetitive within itself - and it had to be, I suppose, because of what the story was about ... I think with a little more time it could have been more subtle, but even so it was an incredible success in America."

Corruption is still fondly remembered by those who saw it on its initial release but - possibly because of its reputation as a violent film - it has not been transmitted on television since 1977 or ever released on video in this country.

After filming ended, Peter Cushing went immediately into The Blood Beast Terror (1968) (then known as The Deathshead Vampire) at Goldhawk Studios. Sue Lloyd eventually became a regular on the television soap opera Crossroads (1964 - 1988), and later recreated her Ipcress File role in a new Harry Palmer film shot in Russia, Bullet to Beijing (1997). David Lodge continued to appear in many British films (in The Railway Children (1970), his Bandmaster can be seen wearing Groper's pebble-lensed spectacles).

After two more movies, the partnership of Hartford-Davis and Newbrook broke up. Newbrook formed Glendale Productions, responsible for both Crucible of Terror (1971) and The Asphyx (1973). Robert Hartford-Davis formed World Arts and made two further pictures in England before relocating to Hollywood for two more, and some television. In 1977, he was just starting work on the TV movie Murder at Peyton Place when he died, aged 54, of a massive heart attack

CHRISTOPHER LEE 'MOULIN ROGUE' BEHIND THE SCENES

2012-02-15T02:11:00.001-08:00

LOOK CAREFULLY AND YOU'LL SPOT A YOUNG CHRISTOPHER LEE RELAXING ON THE SET OF THE 1952 PRODUCTION OF 'MOULIN ROGUE'. THOUGH THEY NEVER SHARED SCENES TOGETHER, 'MOULIN ROGUE' STARRING JOSE FERRER IS THOUGHT TO BE THE SECOND TIME..... IF YOU COUNT CHRISTOPHER LEE'S APPEARANCE IN 'HAMLET'... WHERE CHRISTOPHER LEE AND PETER CUSHING PATHS CROSSED...EVEN IF THEY DIDN'T KNOW IT!

PAUL MCNAMEE'S PETER CUSHING MARATHON: LAP TWO: A SNOWMAN. SNAKES. HOUNDS AND MORE!

2012-02-15T00:47:00.001-08:00

Welcome back pals. Let's waste not a second longer in cracking onwards with another lap of my marathon to view all 91 films featuring the late, great Peter Cushing!

NINETEEN EIGHTY-FOUR (1954)

Definitely one of the harder Cushing outings to track down (the DVD is unavailable on these English shores), Nineteen Eighty-Four is Nigel Kneale’s adaptation of George Orwell’s ludicrously influential novel/ sermon and serves as a solid launchpad for Cushing’s megastardom alongside Donald “annihilation” Pleasance (I’ve yet to popularise this nickname but am working on it), Andre Morell and Yvonne Mitchell. As a work of fiction it’s astounding still, in spite of the foundation anachronism of a potential (possible, even) future so steeped in past technology it almost renders it rather silly.

At its best it’s outright terrifying (as in the near totality of Big Brother’s scope and the level of control what his abilities MIGHT include exudes over his populace) and at its worst merely circumstantial (the film’s dystopia is never explained and as such feels less rooted in the present than even the worst of today’s myriad imitators). Cushing is offered ample opportunity to impress in Winston Smith’s growth from wimp (let’s be fair) to a hero whose heroics are without effect and swept aside. Of those trends I’ve noticed in most other Cushing films, none appear here: his gentlemanry (expect plenty of fabricated verbiage, friends) could sooner be termed total repression, and not once does he get embroiled in a great bloody Cushing Ruckuss, though by the end of the film he’s missing a tooth and his poor shirt is in tatters.

To be honest I’d not watch the film again, though. Its status as a primitive recording of a live play from the 1950s does it no favours and at times the dialogue was barely audible. Sure, it’s nice to have seen after years of failure to find a copy but it wasn’t an auspicious start to the evening. On the Rambleast Ratings-O-Meter, I’d rank it somewhere between a must-see (for considerable historical significance) and an avoid (for its actual merit as a good thing).

Somewhat wiped out after its relentless grimmery, it was with open arms (and eyes and ears and brain) that I welcomed:

THE ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN (1957)

Now, The Abominable Snowman is a Hammer film, as were the rest for this initial session, but perhaps a Hammer in name only. Made in 1957 (the same year a single gush of garishly coloured vein claret in The Curse Of Frankenstein would change horror forevermore), the film rarely feels like an offering from The Studio That Dripped Blood thanks to a cast of unregulars and its staunch refusal to tick any box marked ‘horror film’. It is, essentially, a great big boy’s adventure film.

Cushing opens the picture in a Himalayan village, making plans to embark on an expedition to find the fabled Yeti against the wishes of the village elder, his typically passive and subservient wife (named Helen after Cushing’s own and on his insistence) before a gaggle of big, smoking Americans show up and the jolly lot of them set off across some very convincingly shot snowy wastes. This is helped tremendously by Val Guest’s direction (in black and white), and no doubt by a handsome budget which facilitates the abundance of aerial shots and an absolutely gorgeous set for the village (later reused for Christopher Lee’s Fu Manchu films).

Cushing makes mention of sacrificing his climbing career after a stupid accident (unexplained, but given his reference-quality civility it probably involved tea-making) which explains why the expedition is so poorly received by his lady love (and his companion Foxy, played by The Bookworm from Batman and possibly by an actual actor also).

Nigel Kneale returns to script the film and provides a typically thoughtful work in which the nature of monstrosity is questioned. Indeed, Kneale is clever not to paint the Yeti (who is not glimpsed in full and only appears significantly in the final five minutes of the film) as a monster: those deaths they are responsible for can be attributed to fear and insanity (not unrealistic reactions to humongous snowbeasts from hell, one should think). The film moves along at a brisk pace and the tensions between the Englishmen and the great big Americans (led by Forrest Tucker who receives top billing to placate Hammer’s US backers and wind the rest of us up, frankly) provide much of the entertainment, so much so in fact that when the beast’s disembodied hand first appears it damn near derails the picture, not unlike the first time Dave Prowse is glimpse in Hammer’s largely unloved Horror Of Frankenstein.

As I discovered later (again and again), for all the studio’s qualities they had a real weakness for underwhelming monster makeup. Anyway, there’s not much more to say about it other than that Michael Brill (whose name is self-descriptive) plays a character that seems very much like the male equivalent of those unfortunate ladies whose sultry charms fell victim to The Count’s incisors in the studio’s Dracula films, and that the whole thing is hardly memorable but a really effective way to pass an hour and a half. Recommended.

THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES (1959)

And now, the confession: BBC’s Sherlock has been to date my only experience with Mr. Holmes outside of this Hammer offering from 1959. Given how much I enjoyed both (and the opportunity to compare versions of a story so vastly different as those from each version) I imagine I’ll make up for it in the future. For now, though, it is only fit to wax verbal on that moor-bound mutt, his misdeeds, and Cushing’s debut as the deerstalker-bedecked ‘tec who was reportedly first done justice regarding his general jerkery in this adaptation of Conan Doyle’s famous (seriously, it’s like rilly rilly famous guys) novel.

What I love about Peter Cushing is the extent to which I’ll compare his performances when watching him, which is TO ZERO EXTENT. I can readily accept him as two generations of Van Helsing, Moff Tarkin and Sherlock Holmes without ever thinking of another of his often iconic roles. To see an established actor slip so easily into an already occupied role and both play it on his own terms and not let it define his career is a treat, a small joy. If I’ve not made it clear already, I LOVE Peter Cushing. When he says “I’ve hurt my leg, I’m cold and I’m hungry” after appearing perched atop a carriage near the end of this film I actually whooped. I made a sound not unlike that of a wild animal in appreciation of his gentle talent. He’s a winner at everything.

So, gush dealt, how fared the film? Well, for a story so famous (as we’ve covered) I was surprised to see how Hammerised it was. I mean, this film has one of the most brazenly Hammer openings possible: big brass music, an unconvincing backdrop and a roll call of the usual suspects (Asher, Keys, Hinds, Bernard, Lee, Morell and Sir Peter, of course). The first scene presents Sir Hugo Baskerville (or ‘of the Baskervilles’, as I always want to type) and he’s a real scumbag, a truly delicious screen villain courtesy of David Oxley. Indeed, he’s such a royal prick that I was sorry to see him go (but not before delivering one of the most dramatic stabbings in film history, unleashing his own pack of cute little Beaglehounds and responding to a twice-dubbed scream that nearly steals the film- it’s THAT good) though his death is fairly pivotal to the story so I can scarcely complain.

Still, for all its Hammer fluster it quickly becomes a rather fusty, talky picture where old, nice men devote a LOT of screen time to saying clever things, being civil and getting murdered. Cushing, who was reportedly fond of props (or ‘prop-fond’, as I’ll be saying from here on out) is well served in 221b Baker Street and just about every other new location he visits, fiddling with pictures and his oft’ present pipe. One wonders just what he was off fondling for the majority of the middle third of the film during which he is absent as Watson (Morell again, this time praising Cushing rather than subjecting him to torture) traipses about Dartmoor, and his Holmes is such a commanding screen jerk (an endearing jerk but a jerk unquestionably) that the film nearly stalls without him.

When he reappears though it only heightened my appreciation, and before long he’s embroiled in some action (I’m telling you, Cushing just loves wrecking about the place), shooting at the world’s biggest dog with the world’s tiniest gun (but such a gentlemanly weapon). The dog’s mask is a bit of a stumbling block, as is Lee’s performance which is oddly stiff, despite his all-commanding presence, and forgive the apparent blasphemy of that statement as I’m sure his decision to play Henry (Of The Baskervilles) was entirely justified.

Anywhat, if it’s a Cushing Ruckuss, an engaging lead role and a film which boasts the phrase “a two-pipe problem”, Baskerhounds is for you.

THE GORGON (1964)

Right, let’s be explosive: The Gorgon is AWESOME. Juvenile as that may sound, it truly is an awesome film, and I enjoyed every moment of it. Joining Mr. Cushing is the atypical Hammer Girl Barbara Shelley, arguably my favourite actress and a sure-fire presence to ground a film in a sense of decency.

As always, Sir Pete is introduced with little fanfare but sports the greatest facial hair of his career. He’s involved in local shenanigans and a good few Hammer Staples crop up – there’s a Paul AND a Bruno, as well as typically jerky locals and a pervading communal fear. The Gorgon herself lives in a matte painting of a castle and spends her nights turning the locals into stone in action lifted straight from Greek mythology, something that fits surprisingly well within Hammer’s Eurocentric literary canon.

Cushing gets involved in a love triangle and adds jealousy and loathing to his bow, but as soon as mustachioed Christopher Lee shows up it’s hard to take your eyes off him in one of his most scenery-wolfing performances. Terence Fisher directs with style, dropping his usual tricks throughout the picture as well as often subtly forecasting events for the benefit of the eagle-eyed. The Gorgon was released on DVD in 2010 and is available for next to nothing- you have no excuse. Own it.

THE LEGEND OF THE SEVEN GOLDEN VAMPIRES (1974)

What does it say about this movie that in describing it to friends I’ve called it all manner of things from Legend Of The Seven Jumping Vampires to Legend Of The Seven Dancing Vampires, bringing with it as it does such a state of confusion because, frankly, it. Is. Bonkers.

It messed with me so much that that opening sentence began as a question and ended as a paragraph. I can’t even write coherently about a movie in which common sense and a respect for the human mind are banished to sunny China so’s some terribly designed vampires (dancing, jumping, golden) can feast on them. That’s right, Cushettes (that’s your new nickname, readers – you’re the Cushettes) – the vampires in this brain-drain feed on CONCEPTS. This is one wacky film, a collaboration between Hammer and the Shaw Brothers in which Sir Pete, lecturing IN ENGLISH in China is recruited by one of seven brothers (though not the same seven brothers for whom the courting of seven wives was, oh, you see where I’m going with that...) to hunt down the aforementioned crap, high-kicking kung-fu fangbangers thanks to the promise that good old Count D is involved and he can give him a jolly good wooden stabbing, as he is so very happy to do picture after picture (and indeed, upon continent after continent).

“Dracula” in this film is played with zero credibility for a couple minutes by John-Forbes Robinson, whose take on the famous bloodsucker is so unbearably (but not out-of-place-ingly) hammy that it is no small relief when, for no reason, he infuses his spirit into that of the Asian vamps’ leader, though he does reappear in the last reel to get his just desserts and a smiting from our Van Helsing. Forbes-Robinson’s brevity of screentime is a blessing because his very presence feels out of place, even in this film starring a 61-year old monster hunter in turn of the century China.

Cushing cannot be faulted. I know I’m writing for a Peter Cushing fan site but such comments need never go unstated. Even here, his exposition is easy to swallow, and as ever he makes that extra effort to best serve the local pronunciation whenever he can. He’s fighting not just vampires but disbelief, as he often does, but metaphysical commentary aside and in spite of his age, the Cushing Ruckuss is present and accounted for, and he can be spotted duelling and dealing death when he’s not DIVING INTO FIRE amidst nigh-on endless scenes of gushing blood, scrapping swordsmen and some of the very best dubbing of screams I’ve ever heard. You’ll also get to see a vampire melt like at the end of 1958’s Dracula, but it’s nowhere as effective and as special effects go, laughably transparent.

Roy Ward Baker (of Quatermass And The Pit) handles his portion of the direction capably (though James Bernard’s use of his Dracula score during Forbes-Robinson’s scenes is wholly unforgivable), but to be honest this is not a film that deserves (or invites) such stoic criticism. It’s great fun, and in that, it deserves viewing....

I’m not sure what I’ll be watching for next Friday, but I’ll be limiting myself to three films as like any partwork magazine you only get twice as much for the first two instalments. I’ve no idea how that applies to this, but it seems a decent enough reason not to burn myself out on Cushing pics. If you missed last week's piece, you can find it HERE! 'Til next time , Cushettes.

REVIEWS: PAUL MCNAMEE
PAUL'S BLOG: CLICK HERE!
IMAGES: MARCUS BROOKS

PETER AND HELEN CUSHING'S SECRET GARDEN: A FEATURE FOR VALENTINES DAY!

2012-02-14T00:13:00.000-08:00

John Harman, British Columbia

Canada remembers Peter and Helen Cushing'sWalled Garden

"All through the '30s, my Dad had a large allotment garden down the

Lower Island (Island Wall). This was located between Island Wall

and the back of the cottages at the far end of Wave Crest..

He had a tool shed on it and various things to scare the birds....

but they did more to frighten me as I was young in the late 1930s.

My brothers George and Ray, who are quite a bit older than me,

well remember playing on the mountains of sawdust at the adjacent

yard of the Whitstable Shipping Co."

"In 1963, when I took my wife, Anne, home to Whitstable to meet

my family, we stayed with mom and dad. Dad told me that a film star,

Peter Cushing, now lived at the Lower Island and had acquired

the allotment. By now, Peter and dad had become quite well

acquainted and dad suggested that I should take Anne to

see what his allotment had become. I understand that Helen Cushing

was ailing at that time and the actor had arranged for the land to be turned

into a beautiful 'walled garden' for her and other local seniors to share!"

"This garden of tranquility was enclosed by a lovely masonry wall.

On seeing it, it was truly beautiful and we took a couple of photographs.

Within the wall were grass lawns, rosebeds and what really

caught my eye...a 'Dovecot'!"

"When I made a further visit to Whitstable in the '70s,
I took a walk past the garden with my brother Ray
and his son, Geoff. The photo below shows them outside
the wall and the 'dovecote' can be clearly seen above the wall."

"When last home in 2005, I was so sad to see that the

garden no longer existed and that it had been replaced

by infill - with a house in its place. What a shame

that this tranquil garden that he created could not have

been preserved in his honour for all to enjoy."

John Harman, British Columbia
Canada

This is a cutting from The Garden News Section of the UK

Daily Express Newspaper, dated Friday 30th September 1966 featuring

Peter and Helen Cushing's walled garden. It was this cutting amongst others

that Linda king too with her when PCASUK met Peter Cushing for the

last time an caused peter to whisper 'My Dear, how terribly kind

of you...to keep this and show it to me today!' Such a sweet gesture

from a very sweet and kind man.... with the greenest of fingers!

Mary Thomas from Whitstable remembers:

"Over the decades and even the centuries, Whitstable has

been home to a number of famous people. But I doubt

that any earned the affection of local people quite as much

as the actor Peter Cushing. After visiting the town in the

early 1950's, Peter and his actress wife Helen Beck,

became local residents when they purchased a seafront house

in Wave Crest during 1959.

"News swept town and it wasn't long before we could all identify

the attractive but perhaps unremarkable property that edhged the West

Beach shingle and backed onto the Lower Island Wall roadway at

the rear. Within in a few years, the Island Wall aspect had changed

quite dramatically as Peter expanded the rear garden and surrounded

it with a high stone wall. Behind the privacy of that wall, he

created a small oasis - one that we kids could only dream about!'

From the outside on the Island Wall, the stone work was very

tastefull done, with rhe wall rounded into the entrance of the garage.

This is the house that sits in the space where Peter Cushing's

Walled Garden once stood. The wall is still standing, though

a little lower. The back entrance to Peter's home, faces this view.

This is the rear of the house that now stands on the area.

Left side of the house. The rear of

Peter and Helen's home can be seen in the middle background.

Fortunately, not everything disappeared. In furnishing the garden,

Peter commissioned a garden seat that reflected

both his romantic nature and deep love for wife Helen.

The seat was designed to accommodate two people

and the carved "back" represented the entwined arms

of two lovers. This complemented the dovecote which

also provided a symbol of love and peace.

Sadly, Helen died in 1971. In 1990, Peter donated the

seat to the people of Whitstable when the town opened

a new viewing platform overlooking the sea at

Keams Yard (Horsebridge). The platform (or, perhaps

more accurately, the scene that it afforded users)

was named "Cushing's View" in his honour and

the seat has occupied pride of place on the structure ever since.

The message on the plaque is simple and poignant.....
Peter died just four years later and, for his funeral,

the town centre came to halt in tribute.

Peter and Helen's "View", of course, lives on.

HAMMER FILM PRODUCTIONS: 'THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES' MORE FANTASTIC ARTWORK FROM THE FLICKER CLUB 'HAMMER AT THE VAULT' SEASON

2012-02-12T16:52:00.000-08:00

ANOTHER GREAT EXAMPLE OF THE FABULOUS PROMOTION ARTWORK FOR THE FLICKER CLUB 'HAMMER AT THE VAULT' SEASON AT THE OLD VIC, LONDON

PETER CUSHING: IT'S ALL WORK AND PLAY!

2012-02-12T11:58:00.000-08:00

PETER CUSHING AND THE GALS! THE VAMPIRE LOVERS: ON SET OFF GUARD

2012-02-07T21:43:00.000-08:00

PETER CUSHING AND DAWN ADDAMS MAKE

THEIR ENTRANCE AT THE BALL

PRODUCER AND WRITER HARRY FINE CHECKS

IN ON SOME LOCATION SHOOTING

NEIL BINNEY SHOOTS INGRID IN VAMPIRE

ACTION WITH FERDY MAYNE

INGRID PITT REHEARSING HER MOVES FOR THE

BALLROOM SCENE

MADELINE SMITH SQUEEZES INTO HER CORSET

THE HUNT FOR CARMILLA IS ON. BUT PETER IS WAITING

FOR THE CALL FOR ACTION!

INGRID PITT RELAXING BETWEEN TAKES

PETER CHATS AND INGRID PITT

DOES SOME LAST TOUCHES!

A CHEEKY SHOT OF INGRID PITT BETWEEN TAKES

MADDIE SMITH IN A POSE THAT MAYBE DIDN'T MAKE

THE PUBLICITY PACK.

INGRID PITT IN BATH, ON SET!

MADELINE SMITH PREPARES TO BE RAVISHED

BY INGRID PITT'S CARMILLA

PETER CUSHING AS GENERAL VON SPIELDORF

PETER POSES FOR PUBLICITY PHOTOGRAPHS IN

FULL GENERAL UNIFORM

IT'S BEEN A LONG DAY OF SHOOTING FOR

PIPA STEEL!

KIRSTEN BETTS SEEMS TO HAVE RUN OUT OF

INSPIRATION AND POSES FOR THE PUBLICITY CAMERA.

PIPA STEEL STRIKES A POSE WITH HER TONGUE

FIRMLY IN HER CHEEK!

INGRID CAUGHT BETWEEN TAKES.

PETER, INGRID PITT AND DAWN ADDAMS

MEET THE PRESS!

FEATURE: Marcus Brooks
IMAGES: Horror Unlimited
click here

PETER CUSHING : 'NOTHING BUT THE NIGHT' DVD REVIEW AND IMAGES

2012-02-07T16:12:00.000-08:00

Directed by Peter Sasday and starring Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing, Nothing But The Night doesn’t get the recognition it deserves within the pantheons of British horror films, which is surprising considering the ties to Hammer Studios. Regardless, Scorpion Releasing have stepped up to the plate and brought this one to DVD for North American audiences, a treat for those of us who have wanted to see it for some time. So how does it hold up?

THE PLOT

Strange things are afoot at the Van Traylen Trust, an orphanage in rural Scotland lorded over by wealthy trustees who seem to be committing suicide at an alarming rate. Of course, these aren’t suicides at all but murders made to look like suicides by whoever is behind them. When a busload of orphans from the trust crashes and burns under some rather strange circumstances, a cop named Colonel Bingham (Christopher Lee) is tasked with solving the case. Not wanting to go it alone, he enlists the aid of his friend, a pathologist at a nearby hospital named Sir Mark Ashley (Peter Cushing). The sole survivor of the incident is a young girl named Mary (Gwyneth Strong) who is understandably put under watch in the hospital where she frequently suffers from vivid nightmares, though those in charge are unsure what’s causing them.

Meanwhile, Anna Harb (Diana Dors), a low rent hooker and convicted criminal with ties to the occult, shows up at the hospital claiming to be Mary’s mother. She wants the girl released into her custody immediately and when the hospital denies her request, begins to cause problems for all involved. Mary, however, would rather go back to the orphanage than deal with Anna, the latter of whom seems to have strange ties to the orphanage in question where all of the murders are taking place.

COMMENTARY:

Nothing But The Night is well acted from all involved, with Lee and Cushing proving as reliable here a always and Dors turning in a pretty impressive turn as the unstable antagonist. The film lacks style, however, and Sasdy, best known for Taste The Blood Of Dracula, doesn’t seem all that interested in creating much in the way of atmosphere until the end of the movie where the film turns out to owe more to The Wicker Man than to any traditional murder mystery you’d care to name. Though the picture does suffer from some pacing issues during its middle part, the ends justify the means and if it takes Sasdy and company a while to get where they’re going, at least once they do the film provides a pretty solid pay off.

Nothing But The Night probably should have been a better film than it is when you consider the talent involved but prolific Doctor Who screenwriter Brian Hayles’ screenplay (adapted from John Blackburn’s novel) doesn’t click as well as it could have to really rank this one up there with the classics that some of these guys were known for churning out. Regardless, fans of British horror will want to check it out as it does bring things to a satisfying conclusion – just be prepared for it to take a while to get there.

TEC SPEC:

Nothing But The Night looks good in this 1.78.1 anamorhpic widescreen transfer. The image is frequently grainy but in a natural looking way and only minor print damage is noticeable. Some of the darker scenes don’t show the greatest shadow detail you’re ever going to see but this looks to be how it was shot and not a transfer problem. There are no issues to note with compression artifacts or edge enhancement and both skin tones and color reproduction look nice and natural. Audio chores are handled by an English language Dolby Digital Mono track. No alternate language options or subtitles are provided. This isn’t a particularly fancy track but for an older film fast approaching its fortieth birthday it sounds just fine. Dialogue is clean, clear and audible and the levels are well balanced.

As this release is part of the Katarina's Nightmare Theater line from Scorpion, you can play this DVD with or without the optional intro/outro from wrestler turned horror hostess, Katarina Leigh Waters. Aside from that, there’s also a trailer for the film, trailers for a few other titles in the Katarina’s Nightmare Theater line, menus and chapter stops. The disc is packaged with reversible cover art so that you can display the case with or without the Katarina’s Nightmare Theater banner showing through.

The Final Word:

Yes, this one is definitely a slow burn, but Nothing But The Night rewards the patient viewer with a great twist ending that actually manages to provide some legitimately unsettling vibes. Scorpion’s DVD release is short on extras but it looks and sounds good making this one that fans of Lee and Cushing will want to look into.

TO BUY: CLICK HERE
REVIEW: IAN JANE

http://www.rockshockpop.com/

IMAGES:MARCUS BROOKS

VINTAGE PETER CUSHING ILLUSTRATIONS BY SHERRIFFS

2012-02-06T00:57:00.001-08:00

PETER CUSHING AND HAMMER FILMS 1958 'THE REVENGE OF FRANKENSTEIN', 'THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN' AND LOVE TRIANGLE 'THE END OF THE AFFAIR' AND THE SKILLFUL HAND AND ILLUSTRATIONS OF SHERRIFFS.

HAMMER FILM PRODUCTIONS: CAN YOU NAME THE FILM PREMIER? TERENCE FISHER AND PETER CUSHING RARE IMAGE

2012-02-05T02:20:00.000-08:00

TWO VERY DAPPER GENTLEMEN SHARE A JOKE AT A HAMMER FILM PRODUCTIONS FILM PREMIER. BUT CAN YOU NAME THE FILM HAVING IT'S OPENING NIGHT?

PETERCUSHING.ORG HORRORUNLIMITED.COM HAMMER FRANKENSTEIN FRIDAYS COMPETITION!

2012-02-03T15:06:00.000-08:00

WELCOME TO THE FIRST OF A WHOLE RANGE OF COMPETITIONS OVER THE NEXT THREE MONTHS DURING OUR HAMMER FRANKENSTEIN FRIDAYS! IT'S YOUR CHANCE TO WIN A SUPERB AMAZING QUALITY PHOTOGRAPH FROM THE ARCHIVES OF HORRORUNLIMITED.COM.

HORROR UNLIMITED TELLS US: "AS WITH ALL HORRORUNLIMITED.COM PHOTOGRAPHS THIS PRIZE IS A 10 X 8 LUSTER GLOSS PHOTOGRAPH AND WAS DEVELOPED IN A PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHIC LAB METICULOUSLY RESTORED AND COLOUR CORRECTED FROM VINTAGE ORIGINAL STUDIO PRODUCTION TRANSPARENCIES. THE PHOTOGRAPH HAS BEEN DEVELOPED ONTO PROFESSIONAL ENDURA METALLIC PHOTOGRAPHIC PAPER AND THE RESULTS ARE REALLY QUITE AMAZING!"

IT'S A GREAT PRIZE AND THE FIRST OF MANY!

OUR THANKS TO HORRORUNLIMITED AND GOOD LUCK IN THE COMPETITION!

'FRANKENSTEIN AND THE MONSTER FROM HELL' BANNER FOR SCREEN SAVER!

2012-02-03T13:37:00.000-08:00

HAMMER FRANKENSTEIN FRIDAYS

PETER CUSHING: INVITE FOR STAR WARS TEST SCREENING 1977

2012-01-28T15:52:00.000-08:00

QUESTIONNAIRE FOR AUDIENCES OF

THE TEST SCREENING OF 'STAR WARS' MAY 1ST 1977.

QUESTION 19: DO YOU THINK THAT THIS MOVIE WILL CHANGE THE HISTORY OF SCIENCE FICTION CINEMA???

'THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN' GERMAN PROGRAMME HAMMER FRANKENSTEIN FRIDAY

2012-01-27T15:31:00.000-08:00

ONE SIDE OF THE GERMAN PRESS BOOK FOR HAMMER FILM PRODUCTIONS 'THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN' HAMMER FRANKENSTEIN FRIDAYS

FRANKENSTEIN MUST BE DESTROYED. PETER CUSHING CLASSIC HAMMER FRANKENSTEIN FRIDAYS

2012-01-27T12:13:00.000-08:00

Cast:

Peter Cushing : Baron Frankentein. Freddie Jones: Professor Richter/Dr Brandt. Simon Ward: Karl Holst. Veronica Carlson: Anna Spengler. Maxine Audley: Ella Brandt. George Pravda: Dr Frederick Brandt. Thorley Walters: Inspector Fritsch.

Crew:Director: Terence Fisher. Screenplay: Ben Batt. Story: Ben Batt & Anthony Nelson-Keys, Producer: Anthony Nelson-Keys. Photography: Arthur Grant. Music: James Bernard. Makeup: Eddie Knight. Art Direction: Bernard Robinson. Production Company: Hammer Films

Synopsis: Frankenstein is forced to flee town again after his experiments are discovered. He signs into the boarding house of Anna Spengler in a new town. When he discovers that Anna’s fiancee Karl Holst has been stealing cocaine from the asylum where he works to help his ailing mother, Frankenstein blackmails them both with threat of calling the authorities. He takes over the boarding house and has Karl steal supplies so that he can set up a laboratory in the basement. He then discovers that his old colleague Dr Brandt is incarcerated in the asylum, having been deemed mad. Frankenstein wants the secrets of how Brandt successfully conducted brain transplants and devises a scheme to break him out with Karl’s help. However, the attempt places Brandt in a coma. Frankenstein makes the decision to transplant Brandt’s brain into the body of the incompetent asylum head Professor Richter. During the process, he cures the problem that was causing Brandt’s madness. However, when Brandt comes around, Frankenstein realizes that he was mad after all. Brandt then escapes, setting a trap to kill Frankenstein.

Commentary:

Terence Fisher is a director around whom a cult has grown, championed in particular by the likes of Anglo-horror critic David Pirie. Fisher had a distinctively florid style that used the full richness of Hammer’s cinematographic and production values and there are times, particularly the climaxes of his Dracula films, where he could bring everything together with dazzling effect. Upon other occasions, Fisher could be a pedestrian director. Fisher’s two finest moments are generally regarded as being Dracula/The Horror of Dracula (1958) and The Devil Rides Out (1968). (See below for Terence Fisher’s other films). Contrarily one might go out on a limb and suggest that Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed is the best of Terence Fisher’s films and certainly the finest of Hammer’s Frankenstein films. It is Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed, Fisher’s penultimate film, rather than Frankenstein and the Monster From Hell (1973), that Anglo-horror-philes should consider Terence Fisher’s swan song. It is the one moment where everything he did knitted together superbly.

Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed is a brilliantly directed film, one that propels Terence Fisher from being an efficient manipulator of the Gothic into a master of mise en scene. The scene where the water main bursts, expelling Brandt’s buried body out of the garden just as the neighbour is visiting, is a sequence that would not go amiss in a Hitchcock film. The opening is a superbly edited piece – one that opens up like a Chinese box of shocks one after the other from the point-of-view of a burglar who breaks into Frankenstein’s laboratory. At first, we see just the feet of the figure coming down the cellar steps, the figure then joltingly revealed to have a bald, hideously scarred face, before this is revealed to be a mask worn by Peter Cushing, and with the burglar then accidentally tripping and knocking over a container that holds a recently severed human head. Of course, the climax with Freddie Jones taunting Peter Cushing and smashing oil lamps to set fire and block every exit from the house is superlative stuff too.

Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed is also a point where the new gore trends were making in-roads into Anglo-horror. Terence Fisher handles that too with an ease that leaves the film in a class way above the random splatter of today’s gore films. There is something that turns the stomach to the shot where Peter Cushing puts the brace-and-bit up against Freddie Jones’s head and starts drilling. Or the scene where he uses a fretsaw to cut open the skull. There is no blood shown in either scene – the effect is all conveyed from off-screen actions and some unnervingly convincing snapping and crunching effects.

Bert Batt’s screenplay is more complex than usual for the Hammer Frankenstein series. For Hammer’s Frankenstein series, unlike Universal’s Frankenstein series, the monster is a relatively anonymous creation that is far less interesting than Peter Cushing’s ruthless Baron. However, Freddie Jones’s creature is the most interestingly complex and well played of all the Hammer’s Frankenstein monsters – it is the only one to come anywhere near Mary Shelley’s novel and her conception of an intelligent and literate creation come to taunt its creator for the condition inflicted on it.

Surprisingly, Terence Fisher also indulges a sense of droll humour throughout the film – like the cut from Veronica Carlson telling Peter Cushing how he will enjoy the peace and quiet at the boarding house to a madwoman screaming at the asylum, or the boarders who sit around discussing Frankenstein’s infamous exploits unaware he is sitting in their midst. There are odd anachronisms, like having cocaine a regularly prescribed drug and the establishment of an international narcotics bureau in the midst of the 19th Century, although these hardly stand in the way of such an exceptional effort.

The other Hammer Frankenstein films are:– The Curse of Frankenstein (1957), The Revenge of Frankenstein (1958), The Evil of Frankenstein (1964), Frankenstein Created Woman (1967), The Horror of Frankenstein (1970) and Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell (1973).

Terence Fisher’s other genre films are:– the sf films The Four-Sided Triangle (1953) and Spaceways (1953), The Curse of Frankenstein (1957), Dracula/The Horror of Dracula (1958), The Revenge of Frankenstein (1958), The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959), The Man Who Could Cheat Death (1959), The Mummy (1959), The Stranglers of Bombay (1959), The Brides of Dracula (1960), The Two Faces of Dr Jekyll (1960), The Curse of the Werewolf (1961), The Phantom of the Opera (1962), The Gorgon (1964), Dracula – Prince of Darkness (1966), Frankenstein Created Woman (1967), The Devil Rides Out/The Devil’s Bride (1968) and Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell (1973), all for Hammer. Outside of Hammer, Fisher has made the Old Dark House comedy The Horror of It All (1964) and the alien invasion films The Earth Dies Screaming (1964), Island of Terror (1966) and Night of the Big Heat (1967).

REVIEW: Richard Scheib

Richard's Page Here

IMAGE: Marcus Brooks

'BAY WATCH!' PETER CUSHING'S 1961 'FURY AT SMUGGLERS BAY' DVD REVIEW

2012-01-25T15:13:00.000-08:00

Though not a Hammer film per se, Fury at Smugglers Bay (1961) has all the earmarks of that studio's swashbucklers. Among other things, Peter Cushing is top-billed, and the picture was directed by John Gilling who, in addition to directing Cushing in the Hammer-esque The Flesh and the Fiends (1960), went on to make seven films for Hammer, including the somewhat similar Pirates of Blood River (1962). Fury at Smugglers Bay is an enjoyable quasi-pirate movie, perhaps Gilling's best work, an old-fashioned melodrama loaded with swordfights and shipwrecks and, for that matter, fury and smugglers.

Though Cushing is top-billed, his is really a supporting part. Indeed, one of the picture's more unusual aspects is that, probably unintentionally, there is no central character. The story is set in 1789, at a remote fishing village off the English coast. Merchant ships frequently crash and are sunk off its rocky coast, and this has led to a fight over the booty brought ashore. On one side are the "Wreckers,Ecutthroat mercenaries led by Black John (Bernard Lee); on the other is the comparatively honest fisher folk, lead by merchant François LeJeune (George Coulouris). Caught in the middle are Christopher Trevenyan (John Fraser), son of the local squire (Peter Cushing), and a Dick Turpin-like highwayman known only as The Captain (William Franklyn).

The film's story is thin and predictable, but its rich atmosphere and continuous action keep things moving. Most of the drama hinges on the nightly shoreline battles between the Wreckers (who light fires on the beach to draw ships into the rocks) and the fisher folk, and Squire Trevenyan's hard line condemnation of the latter when LeJeune and several others are caught red-handed. Complicating matters is LeJeune's daughter, Louise (Michèle Mercier), who is in love with Christopher, though the squire disapproves of his son socializing with the lower classes. The older Trevenyan's behavior is a mystery: Is he in collusion with Black John (who had been a servant to the squire years before) or is he simply an ineffectual snob?

Fury at Smugglers Bay was independently produced, a co-production between Regal Films International and John Gilling Enterprises. This may account for its relative obscurity and the confusion over its cast and their roles (the IMDB is a mess in this regard). Additionally, many sources incorrectly list this as a black and white film; presumably it was exhibited in America that way at some point, either theatrically or on television.

In any case, both the movie and the DVD are definitely in color Evivid color, in fact. Fury at Smugglers Bay was shot in an anamorphic process called Panascope, which apparently had the somewhat unusual aspect ratio of 2:1. Given the limitations of anamorphic lenses of the period, director of photography Harry Waxman (who also shot Swiss Family Robinson and The Day the Earth Caught Fire around this time) does a marvelous job sucking what life he can out of the process. Waxman consistently makes dramatic use of the rocky English coastline, of riders on horseback against the deep blue sky. The picture has a lot of day-for-night photography, and Waxman shoots this more effectively than most. The film's color is especially good -- soldiersEuniforms are vividly red, and in a scene with the Duke of Avon (Miles Malleson), Cushing is seen wearing a royal purple and violet colored jacket that nearly pops off the screen.

Cushing himself is fine, alternately snooty and charming, but he doesn't have much to do. The picture suggests a major dramatic scene where the squire learns (incorrectly, as it turns out) that his son has been killed. One would bet that this scene was scripted but either not shot or deleted prior to release. Whatever the case, its absence denies Cushing an obvious and dramatically-needed scene.

The real surprise, though, is Bernard Lee's Black John. Best remembered as "MEin the first 11 James Bond movies, Lee seems to relish his atypical role in Fury at Smugglers Bay. Sporting a long scar over and around his right eye, wearing a pirate's earring, and sporting a five-day beard, Lee quietly sneers through the role in an effectively ominous manner.

The picture's technical aspects are very good for what was presumably a low-budget film. There are a number of shots of a ship at sea, caught in a violent storm, which eventually crashes into the rocks. This footage is clearly lifted from another film, a black and white picture tinted blue for use here. The film seems rather old and converted to scope from standard 35mm. The filmmakers do such a good job doctoring the footage that their deception almost works, but not quite. John Victor-Smith edited the film, and his cutting of the big action scenes reminds one of the style of Peter Hunt. Victor-Smith and director Gilling over-crank many of the fight scenes, but this is overdone giving some shots the feel of a Keystone Kops short.

Video & Audio
Cinema Club's DVD is letterboxed and, happily, has been 16:9 enhanced for widescreen TVs. In addition to the great color, the transfer itself is good, putting the format in the best possible light. The mono sound is fine if unexceptional. No subtitles or closed captioning are offered. And there are no extras at all, not even a trailer.

Though hardly a masterpiece, Fury at Smugglers Bay, like its evocative title, is an atmospheric, old-fashioned swashbuckler, the kind of throwaway escapist film they just don't make anymore.

Buy DVD: HERE

Original Review: HERE

IMAGES: Marcus Brooks

'STAR WARS' OFFICIAL COLLECTORS EDITION 1977 PROGRAMME: FEATURING PETER CUSHING

2012-01-22T18:42:00.000-08:00

WHEN THIS PROGRAMME WAS PRINTED IN IRELAND IN 1977 'STAR WARS' WAS ALREADY BREAKING BOX OFFICE RECORDS. PETER SAID OF THE FILM 'IT SEEMED LIKE A FUN IDEA. SOMETHING CHILDREN WOULD LIKE...AND GEORGE LUCAS SEEMED LIE SUCH A NICE YOUNG MAN'...THE REST AS THEY SAY, IS HISTORY.

PETER AND HELEN CUSHING: VINTAGE TELEVISION CHILDREN'S HOUR BOOK.

2012-01-22T18:12:00.000-08:00

ONE OF PETER CUSHING'S MANY PASSIONS...THIS IS A FEATURE FROM THE BOOK 'TELEVISION CHILDREN'S HOUR, YOUR TV FRIENDS, INTRODUCED BY MICHAEL WESTMORE' A GREAT BOOK AND ONE OF MANY BOOKS AND MAGAZINES TO CARRY THE STORY OF PETER'S LOVE OF MAKING MODEL THEATERS AND WAR GAMES.

HAMMER FILM PRODUCTIONS: SHANE BRIANT: NEW YORK TIMES HAMMER BLU RAY INTERVIEW NEWS

2012-01-22T07:05:00.001-08:00

THE 'HAMMER FILMS' PUBLICITY MACHINE HAS WELL AND TRULY STARTED ROLLING ON BOTH SIDES OF THE ATLANTIC. PETERCUSHING.ORG HAS LEARNT THAT SHANE BRIANT HAS GIVEN AN INTERVIEW TO THE 'NEW YORK TIMES' TODAY, DUE TO GO TO PRINT IN THE NEXT TEN DAYS.

THE INTERVIEW IS ONE OF MANY FEATURES AND REPORTS THAT WILL BE APPEARING IN THE PRESS OVER THE NEXT FEW WEEKS AS HAMMER FILMS ROLLS OUT THE NEWS OF THEIR 'RESTORATION INITIATIVE' AND THE RELEASING OF SEVERAL HAMMER CLASSICS ON HD AND BLU RAY.

SHANE HAS RECENTLY RECORDED COMMENTARIES FOR THE NEW RELEASES OF HAMMER FILMS 'FRANKENSTEIN AND THE MONSTER FROM HELL' AND 'CAPTAIN KRONOS: VAMPIRE HUNTER' DUE FOR RELEASE EARLY THIS YEAR.

SHANE HAS ALSO RECENTLY RELEASED HIS AUTOBIOGRAPHY, 'SHANE BRIANT: ALWAYS THE BAD GUY'. A VERY GOOD READ!

FIND OUT MORE HERE:
KINDLE: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Always-Bad-Guy-ebook/dp/B006Q6Q0Z6
PAPERBACK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Always-Bad-Guy-Shane-Briant/dp/1463590288
FOR HAMMER BLU RAY NEWS CLICK HERE: HAMMER BLU RAY NEWS!

'FAMOUS FANTASTIC MYSTERIES' OCTOBER 1951 AND THE CUSHING CONNECTION

2012-01-21T11:51:00.001-08:00

Famous Fantastic Mysteries October, 1951 featuring the first ever printing of "The Man Who Collected Poe" by Robert Bloch (beginning on page 98) -- basis for the Peter Cushing and Jack Palance segment of the same name in Amicus Films 1966 film 'Torture Garden' Directed by Freddie Francis.

'TERENCE FISHER FRANKENSTEIN AND THE MONSTER FROM HELL' VINTAGE NEWSPAPER INTERVIEW

2012-01-21T10:13:00.000-08:00

TERENCE FISHER INTERVIEW THAT APPEARED IN THE UK NEWSPAPER 'NEW REVEILLE' BACK IN NOVEMBER 1973 ON THE BACK OF PROMOTION FOR HAMMER FILMS LATEST AND LAST FRANKENSTEIN FILM: 'FRANKENSTEIN AND THE MONSTER FROM HELL' IT HAS SOME INTERESTING LITTLE QUOTES FROM FISHER INCLUDING : 'WE'VE USED SOME NEW TECHNIQUES...THIS TIME THE MONSTER'S MAKE UP IS SO THIN THAT YOU CAN ACTUALLY SEE HIS FACE MUSCLE WORKING. VERY EFFECTIVE.' ...IF ONLY!

THIS PRESS CUTTING IS NOT A PHOTOCOPY AND HAS BEEN SCANNED FROM THE ORIGINAL FULL SIZED TABLOID DOUBLE PAGE NEWSPAPER. SHOULD YOU HAVE DIFFICULTY READING THE TEXT, FEEL FREE TO RIGHT CLICK AND COPY...AND SHARE. NEWSPAPER INTERVIEWS WITH TERENCE FISHER ARE QUITE RARE..!

MARCUS BROOKS

'THE REVENGE OF FRANKENSTEIN' REVIEW TWO ANNA LABARBERA

2012-01-20T21:04:00.000-08:00

Last week I continued my exploration of the Hammer Horror portion of Peter Cushing’s distinguished career by watching The Revenge of Frankenstein (1958) As a rule, I tend not to like sequels but I have to say that as usual with Peter’s films I was more than impressed. The film does show the usual signs of the low budgets for which Hammer is known and loved. I noticed a few takes that probably should have been re shot because an actor fumbled a line and of course most of the detail on the sets was painted on much like a theatre set. But as usual Peter’s performance was completely flawless and carried the film. I can imagine most of his shots were done in a single take because of his ability.

The story was quite interesting and took the Frankenstein story in a different direction entirely from The Curse of Frankenstein (1957). The new monster looked decidedly more human than in the previous film. There was more interaction with the monster. The story was more sophisticated. It made me curious. I had not yet actually read the classic novel so I decided to go to the source. I downloaded Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and found something that did not entirely surprise me, that none of the spin off films really are much like the book, however, The Revenge of Frankenstein comes closer to the classic novel than any other films that I have seen.

In the book, the monster speaks with a sophisticated voice. He reasons. He observes. He is quite sympathetic as is Dr. Frankenstein. The original story is about a man, crushed by his mother’s death, who decides to learn how to cheat death by reanimating a corpse only to have his creation run away. He later finds that the creature has killed someone and catches up with him. At this point the creature speaks perfect English and articulates in quite an educated tone what his thoughts are about the society that he was ‘born’ into.

It was very instructive to me to read the book and compare it in my mind to Revenge. I understand that the Hammer Horrors were originally devised as remakes to the then already classic horror films of the 1930’s and in the case of Curse, that is exactly what you will see. But Revenge is something more. Before reading the book, I noticed that Peter was playing Frankenstein in a much more sympathetic way then he had in Curse.

As I discussed in my last article Peter has a way of working likability into even the most heinous characters actually adding to the creep factor of those characters. In Revenge we still see that Frankenstein is a sociopath but we also see greater depth. We see him take pride in caring for the poor, though of course he takes advantage of this, and he does seem actually to care about them when it is convenient for him of course. Classic Peter.

I very much enjoyed Revenge. I liked a Frankenstein creation that can articulate his desires, think for himself, liberate himself In Revenge, just as in the original novel by Shelley, the creature escapes to gain greater freedom and control over his life only to kill someone. In Revenge the creature shows up at a social event begging for assistance from Frankenstein before his death.

What I enjoyed most about the film was its end. Frankenstein finds that the poor men who he treats in his clinic turn on him and beat him almost to death. Before he dies, Frankenstein is preserved by his assistant who is able to recreate him in the same way that he had created the two previous creatures. The film ends with Dr Frankenstein opening a clinic in England under an assumed name.

I find it brilliant, bringing Frankenstein to the country of the author’s home country and making him a Frankenstein creature. One of the last shots in the film is Peter as the creature version of Frankenstein smiling perhaps a little manically into a mirror, adding a further nuance the character further. I really do enjoy Peter’s work.

REVIEW: Anna Labarbera
IMAGES: Marcus Brooks

'THE REVENGE OF FRANKENSTEIN': REVENGE SERVED COLD HAMMER FRANKENSTEIN FRIDAYS

2012-01-20T17:40:00.000-08:00

SYNOPSIS: With the help of Karl, the crippled dwarf hangman, whom he promises a new body, Frankenstein escapes the gallows and they hang the officiating priest instead. Under the name Stein, Frankenstein sets up practice in the town of Karlsbruck, alternating between volunteer work at the poor hospital, which is a goldmine of parts to build up Karl’s new body, and private practice where his courtly charms draw him the devotion of the upper-classes. He is recognised by eager young Hans Kleve who forces Frankenstein to take him on as an assistant. Together they transplant Karl’s brain into the new patchwork body. The operation is successful but soon the body’s limbs return to their old crippled positions. Karl escapes and brings shame down on Frankenstein when he bursts in on a society function, crying “Frankenstein help me.”

COMMENTARY:

Hammer Films had huge success with their remake of the Frankenstein story, The Curse of Frankenstein (1957). Curse’s revitalization of the Frankenstein story, its plush sets and colour photography and its no-holds-barred shock value for the time made the Hammer horror legend, not to mention the careers of director Terence Fisher, screenwriter Jimmy Sangster and stars Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. All four collaborated on Hammer’s Dracula/The Horror of Dracula (1958) the following year, which was an even bigger success that consolidated the Hammer name beyond a doubt.

The Revenge of Frankenstein was quickly made on the tails of Dracula and was the first of six Frankenstein sequels that Hammer would produce. The Revenge of Frankenstein is one of the rare occasions when a sequel proves equally as inventive as the original. Indeed, in the generally creatively impoverished world of the sequels, The Revenge of Frankenstein may well be one sequel that finds the most ingeniously creative way of continuing on from its predecessor. The Curse of Frankenstein closed with Frankenstein about to be taken off to the gallows – the opening of The Revenge of Frankenstein segues in flawlessly by revealing that Frankenstein and the dwarf hangman conspired to hang the officiating priest instead. Eventually, Jimmy Sangster’s script reaches a positively ingenious twist ending, one that becomes a black joke in the face of the frequent public confusion of Frankenstein and his creation, with Sangster cleverly allowing the two to in effect become one and the same.

Hammer eventually made as many Frankenstein films as Universal did with their Frankenstein series in the 1930s and 40s. Whereas Universal’s series quickly ran to tired formulaic repetition with the monster being revived by some Frankenstein descendant and rampaging through the township before being destroyed in a laboratory explosion, Hammer maintained their Frankenstein series at a much higher degree of creativity. The most noticeable difference is that for Universal the lop-topped, bolt-necked monster became the continuing character, while here it is Peter Cushing’s Baron Frankenstein who is at the centre of the series with the monster remaining a supporting character with different faces and played by different actors. The reasons become clear – for Universal the monster was the continuing character because the underlying anxiety for their series was the horror of science defying divine provenance, represented by the socially cataclysmic effects of the monster unleashed; whereas for Hammer horror was the placidity of upper-class decency being disrupted by repressive forces from beneath such as Frankenstein’s ruthlessly amoral quest for knowledge or Dracula’s ravening animal lust.

Nowhere is the dichotomy that Frankenstein represents for Hammer more evident than here in The Revenge of Frankenstein. Whereas in Curse, Frankenstein represented a cold ruthlessness beneath the mask of upper-class decency and propriety, in The Revenge of Frankenstein the metaphor is expanded to take in the entirety of the divide between upper and working classes. Frankenstein is wittily shown as a Janus-faced figure straddling both sides of the class divide with an equal measure of hypocrisy – on one hand courting the upper-classes with barely disguised contempt, while on the other pillaging the working classes for their limbs while professing the outward manifestations of charity.

The Hammer production crew are on top form with luxuriant photography, a rich and lavish score and exquisitely dressed sets. Terence Fisher is on excellent form too. Especially memorable is the scene where Karl bursts into the ballroom crying “Frankenstein, help me”, which Fisher directs and edits, bringing all the separate elements together with an explosive precision that is quite masterful.

THE REVENGE OF FRANKENSTEIN 1958

CAST:

Peter Cushing (Dr Victor Frankenstein/Stein), Francis Matthews (Hans Kleve), Michael Gwynn (Karl), Eunice Gayson (Margaret Conrad), Oscar Quitak (Dwarf Karl)

PRODUCTION:
Director: Terence Fisher, Screenplay: Jimmy Sangster, Additional Dialogue: H. Hurford Janes, Producer: Anthony Hinds, Photography: Jack Asher, Music: Leonard Salzedo, Makeup: Phil Leakey, Production Design: Bernard Robinson. Production Company: Hammer.

NOTES:
The other Hammer Frankenstein films are:– The Curse of Frankenstein (1957), The Evil of Frankenstein (1964), Frankenstein Created Woman (1967), Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed (1969), The Horror of Frankenstein (1970) and Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell (1973).

Terence Fisher’s other genre films are:– the sf films The Four-Sided Triangle (1953) and Spaceways (1953), The Curse of Frankenstein (1957), Dracula/The Horror of Dracula (1958), The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959), The Man Who Could Cheat Death (1959), The Mummy (1959), BoThe Stranglers of mbay (1959), The Brides of Dracula (1960), The Two Faces of Dr Jekyll (1960), The Curse of the Werewolf (1961), The Phantom of the Opera (1962), The Gorgon (1964), Dracula – Prince of Darkness (1966), Frankenstein Created Woman (1967), The Devil Rides Out/The Devil’s Bride (1968), Frankenstein Must be Destroyed (1969) and Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell (1973), all for Hammer. Outside of Hammer, Fisher has made the Old Dark House comedy The Horror of It All (1964) and the alien invasion films The Earth Dies Screaming (1964), Island of Terror (1966) and Night of the Big Heat (1967).

REVIEW: Richard Scheib
http://www.moria.co.nz/horror/revenge-of-frankenstein-1958.htm
IMAGES: HorrorUnlimited.com and Marcus Brooks

PETER CUSHING BY NUMB3RS!

2012-01-18T09:46:00.000-08:00

A NICE CLEAN AND STYLISH WAY OF PRESENTING TITILLATING

BITS AND BOBS ABOUT PETER CUSHING. STARTS TODAY. HERE AT PETERCUSHING.ORG AND THE PCASUK FACE BOOK GROUP!

PETER CUSHING CHRISTOPHER LEE FLYING CARPETS AND EMMA SAMMS!

2012-01-17T17:41:00.001-08:00

SYNOPSIS:

Set in the Arabian city of Jadur in mystical times past. The three principal characters in this adventure are the evil magician Caliph Alquazar who lives in the palace; Majeed, a poor young Arab boy who arrives in the city looking for water; and Prince Hasan of Baghdad who comes to the city hoping to meet the beautiful Princess Zuleira who lives in the palace. Majeed and the Prince briefly meet up and exchange kindnesses before going their separate ways.

Alquazar is Princess Zuleira's stepfather who has become corrupted by evil and made the once benevolently ruled city a harsh place to live. Alquazar has a secret chamber in which he keeps a magic mirror which enables him to remotely view any location. Alquazar's aspiration is to possess the fabled Rose of Ilil, a talisman so powerful it will enable him to rule the world - but because of his evil he cannot fetch it for himself, it must be delivered to him by someone noble of purpose.

The mirror alerts him that the very person has arrived in the city and shows him an image of Prince Hasan in the company of a young Arab boy. Alquazar sends his guards to capture the Prince - not an easy task because the Prince is a valiant fighter, but eventually he is apprehended. Alquazar says he will permit Hasan to marry Zuleira if he first goes on a quest to bring back the Rose of Ilil. Hasan agrees and Alquazar sends him away on a magic carpet. Along the way Hasan is unexpectedly joined by Majeed who is transported to the carpet by his guardian angel genie Vahishta as a way of evading some city ruffians.

The carpet delivers them to the island of Ilil where there are a number of dangers to overcome as they encounter various protectors of the Rose. Eventually they find the magical Rose but it turns out to be young Majeed who was the noble one that the mirror was showing as able to pluck the glowing crystalline Rose.

The travellers return to Jadur but it soon becomes clear that evil Alquazar is not intending to honour his bargain and is planning to kill them once the Rose is handed over. Majeed works out what to do to defeat the wizard and throws the Rose of Ilil into Alquazar's magic mirror which sucks the evil one inside and reverses all his evil spells.

The kingdom is restored to its previous happy glory and the deposed former ruler is released from the dungeons to reign again. Prince Hasan and Princess Zuleira are married.

COMMENTARY:

This is a movie about the classic 1001 Nights. It was very much overlooked at the time it came out and still is, I guess. For a British low-budget movie it had a big cast: Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Capucine, Mickey Rooney, Milo O'Shea, Emma Sams, Oliver Tobias (well, some of them are or were big). Most of all, this is a tribute from Christopher Lee to Conrad Veidt in The Thief of Bagdad (1940). And he does a marvelous job, clad in black and looking as sinister as in his best Dracula- or Fu Manchu-movies.

Peter Cushing could be called mostly waisted in a small cameo-part, but that was his choice to sign up for a part in it anyway I guess; Mickey Rooney does his usual buffoonery but not totally out-of-place in this movie. The special effects vary from shoddy to amazing. The mechanical fire-breathing monsters don't look too convincing.

The flying carpet-scenes on the other hand are very well executed, in some moments even breath-taking (considering this movie was made in 1979, 2 years after Star Wars and clearly some of the flying carpet-scenes were executed with the knowledge they had already learned from Star Wars). If one compares this movie with the original The Thief of Bagdad from 1940, of course the special effects in An Arabian Adventure are better, even on a small budget. It is a children's-movie, for most parts. Or a family-movie. Not a masterpiece, but very entertaining in its own right.

PETER CUSHING AND CHRISTOPHER LEE : THE LAST MEETING NEW IMAGES AND CLIPS: COMING SOON

2012-01-17T11:22:00.001-08:00

PETER CUSHING 'PIC OF THE WEEK No 1' CHRISTOPHER LEE AND KEVIN CONNOR

2012-01-11T20:06:00.001-08:00

EVERY WEEK A SMASHING STILL PULLED FROM OUR FILES!

THIS WEEK: PETER CUSHING AND CHRISTOPHER LEE BEHIND THE SCENES:

PETER CUSHING CHRISTOPHER LEE AND DIRECTOR KEVIN CONNOR ON THE SET OF 'ARABIAN ADVENTURE' AT PINEWOOD STUDIOS IN 1978. THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME FOR CHRISTOPHER LEE TO RETURN TO WORKING IN A UK STUDIO FOR OVER TWO YEARS. CHRISTOPHER LEE PLAYED THE WICKED CALIPH ALQUAZAR, HIS FIRST MACABRE ROLE IN ELEVEN FILMS. PETER CUSHING HAD A GUEST ROLE AS THE CAPTURED WAZIR AL WUZARA. THE FILM COMMENCED SHOOTING IN SEPTEMBER 1978 AND ALSO STARRED OLIVER TOBIAS, MILO O'SHEA AND EMMA SAMMS ALONG WITH MICKEY ROONEY.

PETER CUSHING: SURPRISE 80TH BIRTHDAY PARTY IMAGES.

2012-01-11T05:31:00.001-08:00

PETER CUSHING'S 80TH BIRTHDAY ON 26TH MAY 1993 WAS CELEBRATED BY A MAGNIFICENT SURPRISE BIRTHDAY PARTY. FRIENDS ATTENDING INCLUDED DON HENDERSON, PAUL EDDINGTON, MICHAEL GOUGH, TIMOTHY WEST, ERNIE WISE, HIS LONG TIME FRIEND PETER GRAY, MICHAEL AND ANN REDINGTON AND MANY MORE.

HERE WE PRESENT SOME IMAGES FROM A VERY HAPPY AND SPECIAL DAY:

Michael Gough worked with Peter in Hammer Films 58 DRACULA as Arthur Holmwood. He is one of the first to arrive at the secret venue.

Paul Eddington, best known to Hammer fans for his role as Richard Eaton in 'The Devil Rides Out' and the highly BBC television series 'Yes, Minister', sneaks in the back door.

As the last of the guests are slipping into the living room, Peter arrives with his secretary Joyce Broughton, who unknown to Peter has arranged the secret party. Peter is told to go into the living room, were someone wants to wish him a 'Happy Birthday'

Sheepishly, Peter peeps around the doorway....

...where everyone surprises him by bursting into song, singing 'Happy Birthday To You'....

Peter is delighted and very surprised and joins in with the singing.

The singing and cheering ends with 'Three Cheers for Peter', as Peter recovers from the shock!

One by one, Peter greets his guest, with hugs and handshakes.

Peter embraces actress Rebecca Lacey, daughter of Ronald Lacey. Someone we suspect Peter has known since she was a child.

Bearing gifts and a Birthday Card...Ernie Wise. One half of the celebrated comedy duo 'Morecambe and Wise'. Peter appeared on their variety television show, a total of six times....asking for his money...!

Another old friend, actor Timothy West.

Fellow actor, Don Henderson who worked with Peter as General Taggi aboard the Death Star in 'Star Wars' and played Peter's 'son in the attic' in Tyburn Films 'The Ghoul' in 1975. With him his wife, actress Shirley Stelfox. Shirley appeared with Peter back in 1967, when she played 'Girl at the Party' in 'Corruption'!

Another chorus of 'Happy Birthday'....

Peter puts on his reading glasses to inspect his Birthday Cake, a one-off creation, decorated with motifs reflecting Peter's life and career.

Finally, as a gesture of thanks and appreciation......

Peter stands to attention...and salutes everyone for a cake and a party very well done, indeed!

Peter poses for the press. Raising a thankful glass in appreciation for a wonderful surprise party and a 'Very Happy 80th Birthday'!

PETER CUSHING: PRESS AD AND PAPER BACK TIE IN 'THE FLESH AND THE FIENDS'

2012-01-10T15:20:00.001-08:00

PAPER BACK TIE AND PRES AD FOR BODY SNATCHERS CHILLER 'FLESH AND THE FIENDS' TRIAD PRODUCTIONS 1959 DIRECTED BY JOHN GILLING

SHERLOCK HOLMES: PETER CUSHING 'THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES'

2012-01-10T10:53:00.001-08:00

Considering that I like the character of Sherlock Holmes so much, it may come as some surprise that I’ve never read a word of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s original stories. My first, and most extensive, contact with Sherlock Holmes comes from the films starring Basil Rathbone as the world’s greatest detective and Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson. I’m aware that the performances these two gave, and the stories they were involved in, varied (sometimes greatly) from the source material, but I like them all the same.

Because I’m so familiar with the Basil Rathbone versions, it’s always interesting when I get to see another actor’s take on Holmes and another set of filmmakers’ approach to the same basic material. Consequently, when the Hammer Films version of The Hound of the Baskervilles aired on MGM HD — an almost, but not quite, variation on Turner Classic Movies — I jumped at the chance. I happen to have a fondness for Hammer productions, so this was a two-fer.

Hammer is known primarily for its horror output (all those Dracula movies foremost among them), so The Hound of the Baskervilles is something different. It still has a quasi-Gothic feel to it — it takes place primarily in a manor house on a moor, after all — so it’s not as divergent from Hammer’s usual product as all that, but it lacks any supernatural elements and is, basically, a straight-up Sherlock Holmes movie with a few Hammer touches.

The Hound of the Baskervilles has been made into a movie 24 times, so I’m going to lay odds you’ve seen at least one version at some time in your life. Accuracy to the source material varies, I’m sure, so arguments can be made about which is more faithful, but for me these kinds of things boil down to who’s playing Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. I’ve already told you that I favor Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce, but in this film we have Peter Cushing and André Morell.

First a quick word about Peter Cushing. I have seen him in other things, most notably as various Van Helsings and Frankensteins in Hammer Films’ other type of movies. Despite all this, the very first thing I think of when I see Peter Cushing is Star Wars. I know it’s unfair to boil an actor down to a single role like that, and it’s equally unfair to Alec Guinness, who likewise had a long and varied career, but Peter Cushing equals Grand Moff Tarkin in my mind. As a result, he had a tough row to hoe when it came to winning me over as Holmes. It may surprise you that it didn’t take long.

Peter Cushing makes a really excellent Sherlock Holmes, and he went on to play the character many times afterward, so I’m not the only one who thought so. He has the almost sneering air of superiority about him that Basil Rathbone did so well, while remaining just likable enough in his brilliance that we can still root for him as the hero. Equally important, André Morell acquits himself quite well as Dr. Watson, something that’s absolutely essential in The Hound of the Baskervilles because Holmes is offscreen for fully one half of the picture.

Morell’s depiction of Watson is completely absent the lovable buffoonery that marks Nigel Bruce’s portrayals of the character and is more in line with (as I understand) his literary roots. Let us not forget that Watson is a decorated war veteran and, while he may not be as gifted intellectually as Holmes, is a medical doctor and partner to the detective. In the whole of this The Hound of the Baskervilles he does precisely one silly thing, which serves as foreshadowing for the demise of one of the other characters.

Story-wise there are differences between this film and the other with which I’m familiar. I consider these the Hammer touches. For example: the Baskerville family apparently suffers under a curse brought upon them by the excesses of an ancestor. In The Hound of the Baskervilles (1939), this information in shared with the audience via good, old-fashioned exposition. In this The Hound of the Baskervilles, we get a prologue set well into the past, where Sir Hugo Baskerville holds a wild party in which murder and rape are on the menu. This is the kind of thing that set Hammer Films apart from, say, Universal’s horror output: the willingness to push the envelope and even feature some (brilliantly colored) blood.

This Hound turns a supporting character into a sultry Spanish temptress, the better to feature her exposed legs and bare feet and bosom to the audience for their titillation, no pun intended. Another supporting character has a grotesque webbed hand. I’m not saying the old Rathbone pictures didn’t have good-looking women in them, or characters with weird traits, but they weren’t quite so in-your-face as these examples are. The difference between making movies in the ’30s versus the ’50s, I expect.

There’s a nice bit of cultural shorthand in The Hound of the Baskervilles that is likewise appropriate to a Hammer film. Christopher Lee — looking tanned, handsome and very aristocratic — plays Sir Henry Baskerville, the latest heir to the Baskerville manor and fortune. While he’s unfailingly polite and gentlemanly, he finds himself nearly out of control with sexual desire when it comes to the aforementioned Spanish temptress, the daughter of one of his neighbors. He presses his sexual attraction on her without an ounce of shame, calling back to a time when the aristocracy were essentially masters of all they surveyed, including the “little people.”

With some exceptions, the mystery plays out pretty much the same as it does in the Rathbone version. I won’t spoil you with the solution to the curse, even though you’ve had over 100 years to read it (I still haven’t), but I will say that the Hammer Films approach to the climax is more violent and, in its way, mean-spirited than the way they handled things in 1939. I’m not saying this is necessarily worse, only that it’s different.

You should check out The Hound of the Baskervilles for a few reasons, including a rare chance to see Christopher Lee playing a good-guy role, and Peter Cushing essaying Sherlock Holmes. The stage-bound, colorful images are an added treat, being as much a Hammer signature as the heaving breasts and blood.

Maybe I’ll actually read the novel now.

REVIEW: Sam Hawken
IMAGES: Marcus Brooks

COMING SOON!

COMING SOON: HEAR FROM THE WOMAN WHO MADE THE HOUNDS MASK ...MARGARET ROBINSON, WIFE OF HAMMER FILMS PRODUCTION DESIGNER, BERNARD ROBINSON, IN A 1980 INTERVIEW ON THE BLACKBOXCLUB.COM PODCAST SOON!

PETER CUSHING: HAMMER FRANKENSTEIN FRIDAYS 'THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN' VINTAGE PRESS CUTTING

2012-01-09T17:45:00.001-08:00

PETER CUSHING AND THE POWER OF GOODNESS. PT ONE AND PT TWO

2012-01-09T16:35:00.001-08:00

PETER CUSHING: THE FLESH AND THE FIENDS: LOBBY CARDS AND REVIEW

2012-01-08T22:19:00.001-08:00

One of the forgotten classics of British cinema, The Flesh and The Fiends (1959) is a blackly comic, almost disturbingly vicious black-and-white horror thriller. Telling the true story of Edinburgh grave robbers Burke and Hare and their dealings with the eminent anatomist Dr Robert Knox, the film bears a superficial resemblance to Terence Fisher's first two movies in the Hammer Frankenstein series (1957, 1958), but makes for a far more cynical, realistic, and uncomfortable viewing experience.

On the back of his recent Hammer hits, Peter Cushing was cast as the amoral Dr Knox in this film, and plays the character with the same arrogance he brought to his Baron Frankenstein. However, despite his top billing, Cushing is by no means required to carry The Flesh and The Fiends, and is instead merely one of an ensemble of actors who deliver almost universally fine performances. Most notable are George Rose and Donald Pleasence, who are both hilarious and chilling as the feckless body snatchers. Pleasence is particularly striking as the selfish, cowardly sociopath Hare, his shabby appearance, evil leer, and sudden lapses into excitable anger and panic being a world away from the controlled stillness of his more famous villains in the likes of You Only Live Twice. Billie Whitelaw is also extraordinarily effective (and extraordinarily sexy) as a hard-faced prostitute who falls victim to the murderous duo.

Produced by the team of Robert S. Baker and Monty Berman shortly after they had a moderate hit with their unremarkable Jack The Ripper (1959), the most impressive thing about The Flesh and The Fiends is the sheer scale of the production, which runs to some truly enormous interior and exterior sets and seemingly hundreds of extras for the crowd scenes (of which there are quite a few). In this regard, the film is a world away from the flamboyant and colourful, yet claustrophobically small-scale action of most Hammer horror films; in terms of scale, The Flesh and The Fiends is more reminiscent of historical epics such as David Lean's films of Dickens.

After a decade of making unremarkable (and mostly low-budget) thrillers, director John Gilling got his first horror movie gig with this movie, and rarely made films outside the genre thereafter; most of his later career was spent working in television. The Flesh and The Fiends is easily Gilling's best film, and certainly does not deserve its relative obscurity, particularly in its native country.

This Region 1 DVD of The Flesh and The Fiends is a good example of how the format can be used to make the most of films that exist in several different versions, such as when older films have been cut to ribbons (for a variety of reasons) over the years. Included here are both the original British release print of the film, and the more explicit `Continental' version, featuring slightly more violence, and even topless shots of some very game female extras in the brothel scenes (and maybe I'm overly prudish, but for me there's something not quite right about nude scenes in black-and-white films; the two things just don't go together somehow).

As well as the two complete versions of the film, the DVD also features the opening credits sequence of an abridged version called simply Mania, and a trailer for the movie, advertising it under the all-purpose title The Fiendish Ghouls; this DVD really does put to shame the bare bones releases of Hammer movies from the likes of Warner Bros. About the only thing missing is a commentary, but as Gilling, Cushing, Pleasence, and Rose are all (sadly) long gone, no obvious candidates for such an effort present themselves anyway.

REVIEW: Matthew Mercy
IMAGES: Marcus Brooks

Buy here:
http://www.amazon.com/Flesh-Fiends-Peter-Cushing/dp/tags-on-product/B00005KHJZ

VINCENT PRICE AND PETER CUSHING: 'MADHOUSE' VINTAGE MAGAZINE FEATURE

2012-01-06T23:50:00.001-08:00

PETER CUSHING: 'THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN' PETER BEHAVING BADLY!

2012-01-06T17:30:00.001-08:00

Last night I watched The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) for the first time. Those of you who are Hammer enthusiasts might be surprised at that. But I am sure many of you agree, experiencing one performance on the part of the great Peter Cushing is enough to make one a fan. So even though I have been and enthusiastic fan of Cushing for many, many years I have only just in the last week begun to explore the Hammer Horror part of his career.

In addition to Curse, I have also seen Dracula A.D. 1972 (1972) and The Evil of Frankenstein (1964), all within the last few days. The Hammer films have always been described to me as low budget but I have really found them to be enjoyable. Cushing’s performances in these films are every bit as formidable as any. In every interview I have seen in which Cushing is asked about these films, the actor has been adamant that he considered Hammer films to be a serious endeavor.

This attitude is evident in each of the Hammer films I have seen and I would suggest might even be the reason for the enduring success of the films. Such a performance can raise the tone of a film, thus counteracting the effect that low budgets can sometimes have on a genre such as horror which relies on special effects. In Curse Cushing plays one of the sociopathic characters that he was so very good at creating. The performance is one of his best.

Notwithstanding his considerable talent as an actor, I marvel at his ability to create these deeply evil characters, such as Dr. Frankenstein when the man himself was, by all reports, so loving and caring, not capable of such cruelty. And yet his performance in Curse left me uncomfortable. I have seen Cushing play villains before, first his performance as Grand Moff Tarkin in Star Wars (1977) when I was just five years old, but the particular performance in Curse was so good it really unsettled me. Which is exactly what you want from a performance in a horror film.

This discomfort I felt, which made the film far more effective than any special effects could ever do, renewed my sense of wonder, as a film director, at how Cushing could create these evil men. I often assign the Star Wars performance to actors when I need them to understand how to play evil but until just a few days ago, I still had not fully realized why Cushing was so good at this.

One aspect I ask my actors to pay special attention to is that Cushing never over plays evil. He creates quite a bit of emotion and then covers it with his trademark ‘gentle man of horror’ demeanor. This disarms the observer and leaves us more vulnerable to the performance. He used more of this shield in his Star Wars performance, likely because the character was military but in The Curse of Frankenstein, though he used a very similar technique, more emotion came through. Just as much as was necessary to create the enthusiastic madman he was playing.

At times this character openly enjoyed his own evilness. For instance in a scene where a maid confronts Frankenstein and threatens to call authorities on him. Cushing leans in with a wicked smile showing the mad doctor to become almost aroused by the challenge of someone attempting to stand up to his controlling tactics, and one can see disappointment on his face as she backs down. This is cat and mouse at it’s best. Still one can hardly watch this without disbelieving that someone can be so evil and still disarm. I can’t ask Cushing how he achieved this but I do believe I have gotten and answer to this question from the man himself.

Just a few days ago, I stumbled on an interview of Cushing that took place in the 80‘s. It is of poor quality having been recorded on home video equipment but in it Cushing is his usual, unusually open and trusting self and among other things shares with the viewer that his favorite actor was Humphrey Bogart. He said that no matter how evil a character he played, that ‘Bogart could do no wrong.’ Cushing’s explanation of why he reacted to Bogart this way finally gave me insight into his own ability to disturb and disarm at the very same time.

Cushing explained that a little bit of the actor shows through in every performance. So there it is. The evil we see in Dr. Frankenstein, and Grand Moff Takrin is created by the professional, the charm came from the man. As a director I am at the same time thrilled and disappointed at this discovery. Thrilled that I finally understand a little bit of where the greatness comes from, and disappointed that only part of what goes into it can be taught.

There are many great actors capable of learning to, at least approach, if not reach the greatness of Cushing’s ability to create powerful characters, but I fear that it might be impossible to find someone who carries the same delightful characteristics that Peter Cushing possessed naturally, the very characteristics that complete the equation.

As an example of this multidimensional aspect of Cushing’s Dr. Frankenstein, I refer the viewer to a scene in The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) where Frankenstein is interrupted whilst preparing food for his monster. In the quantitatively small portion of the scene before his attention is taken by a knock at the door, Frankenstein carefully tastes the monster’s food and not satisfied, adds salt to the food. Here we have a man that is pure evil and yet he cares to properly season the food of the creature he has been toying with and using for the duration of the film.

That is pure Peter. I am convinced of it. Cushing was known for involving himself in many aspects of the films he participated in and without clear evidence to the contrary, I have to believe that Frankenstein’s loving food preparation for the monster he abused was the actor’s idea. Once I understood this, I began to see more clearly just where the gentleness of the man leaked into his formidable characters. There is a further example in Curse where he attempts to protect the monster from a gun shot and the now iconic dialogue in Star Wars where Tarkin emphasizes how hard it was to order the death of Princess Lea.

Yes, I could feel sorry for myself that I am too young to have ever worked with Peter Cushing but I have to count myself lucky that I at least came after him and that he was a film actor thus leaving countless hours of recorded greatness. Luckier still that I am able to share my thoughts with others who love his work.

REVIEW: Anne LaBarbera
IMAGES: Marcus Brooks

PETER CUSHING: FRANKENSTEIN AND THE MONSTER FROM HELL' VINTAGE MAG FEATURE

2012-01-06T14:34:00.001-08:00

A 70's magazine feature promoting what was to be the last of the Hammer Frankenstein series,FRANK ENSTEIN AND THE MONSTER FROM HELL

PETER CUSHING AND THOSE BIRDS OF PARADISE! 'TWINS OF EVIL' HAMMER FILMS 1971

2012-01-06T04:55:00.001-08:00

As the second of Hammer's Karnstein trilogy (preceded by 'The Vampire Lovers' and followed by 'Lust for a Vampire') 'Twins of Evil' has an integral part to play in the legacy of Hammer Films, and as the midpoint of the trilogy is, for most peoples' money, the best of the three. The Studio that Dripped Blood had an affinity with the vampire for almost 20 years, and while not all quite met the mark, 'Twins of Evil' is deservedly famed as one of its true highlights.

The story revolves around orphaned twins Maria and Frieda (Mary and Madeleine Collinson), their puritanical guardian Gustav Weil (Peter Cushing) and the dashing Count Karnstein (Damien Thomas), who is made a vampire after blood from a Satanic ritual murder rouses Mircalla, Karnstein's vampiric ancestress. As Frieda joins the legions of the undead, her innocent sister Maria takes the blame for her twin's wickedness, almost being burned at the stake by witch-slaying Uncle Gustav in the process, until hero Anton (David Warbeck) steps in with a bit of common sense and a crucifix to save the day. Frieda is finally trapped and beheaded, Count Karnstein is impaled and rots dramatically away, and the dubiously-motived Gustav is similarly impaled on a thrown axe and plunges to his death. Good apparently triumphs over evil, though the image we are left with is not the most positive one we could have been given. Instead of Maria and Anton safely received back into society, the film's final moments focus our attention on Karnstein's rotting head.

'Twins of Evil' is a morality play in the grand old medieval fashion.

The stark figures of good and evil are frustrated in their efforts by ambiguous characters who commit personal evils in the process of protecting the greater good (Gustav). The contradictions of a split personality are also emphasised in the use of twins – one purely good, the other willfully mischievous and quickly seduced to pure evil. It is a morality play because it deals with the private morality of individuals – the bored aristocrat corrupted by Satanism who gets his come-uppance, the rebellious young woman exploiting her sexual power for the first time who is condemned and destroyed as the most evil of beings, the religious fanatic who seeks to purify the countryside from an imaginary menace of witches – and the wider public morality – religion without excess as typified by Gustav's wife Anna, and education for social improvement in the characters of Anton and his schoolmistress sister. That the plot hinges upon the battle between God and the Devil, the living and the (un)dead, the light and the darkness, is the final seal on the mediaeval morality play angle this film – perhaps unconsciously – adopts.Vampires are often portrayed in films – especially by Hammer – as ambiguous characters.

We know, as the viewer, that they should be regarded as manifestations of pure evil, and yet their promise of tabooed sexuality and experience tempt us away from the morality in which we spend most of our lives. It is this seductive evil that is encapsulated in Damien Thomas' Count Karnstein. Although not as sexually predatory a vampire as Christopher Lee's Dracula was to become, Karnstein is undoubtedly a sexy, seductive and highly persuasive vampire. And yet it is not he who seeks out the twins as objects of possible corruption – it is Frieda who seeks out the thrills of meeting him. The inference is always present that it is she who is in control of her destiny and her choices – she wants what she gets, and gets what she obviously wants.

Victorian morality still manifests itself today in Western society, particularly in England. Western society's fear of the sexuality of children and adolescents is the driving force of what makes us interpret Frieda's behaviour as evil. She seems the very match of her pure sister – upon meeting the twins for the first time both their aunt and the schoolmistress remark "I shall never be able to tell you apart" – and yet she is shown to be Hyde to Maria's Jekyll. And, horror of horrors, she actually seeks out sexual experience herself instead of having it thrust upon her by the burdensome demands of a boorish husband (the acceptable face of Victorian female sexuality). The perversity of her quest for sexual experience – the fact that she turns to a vampire who dabbles in Satanism for her deflowering – simply adds to the conceptualisation of her evil. Thus Frieda's true evil has more to do with the notion of her sexual nature than the surrender of her humanity by becoming a vampire!

The dichotomy of the split personality is here given two identical faces, a neat twist on the more common Jekyll and Hyde variety, where the two personalities look and act differently, and the confusion never exists as to which one is which, except of course in the mind of the split personality's better half himself. With twins the situation is visually confused, and the plot of the film makes clever use of their physical similarity to baffle the key plays for good and evil. And since there are two people there can be no blurring of guilt as there is with Jekyll and Hyde. Whilst Hyde commits evil deeds and Jekyll (since he is Hyde) has to take the guilt and ultimately the punishment for these deeds, Maria is ultimately blameless of her sister's crimes. They may look similar, but they are very distinct individuals, a fact that only really becomes obvious when one chooses so dramatic a path away from her sister. They are not alter egos of the same tortured mind, but both sane and reasoning people: the only difference is that one chooses to be good and the other chooses to be bad.

Film-makers can have great fun with twins, utilising all the familiar stories and myths about them – their shared experiences for example. This is the closest this film comes to laying some of the culpability for Frieda's sins at Maria's door. When Frieda is bitten by Karnstein, Maria awakes clutching her throat, seeming to know on a subconscious level that something has happened to her twin. Similarly when Frieda is beheaded, it is Maria who feels the pain of it and knows the moment of her sister's death. Additionally, the ruse of Karnstein's henchmen to transport Frieda out of jail by substituting Maria provides a visual reminder of how similar the girls look, and how easy it would be for a casual observer to miss the difference. Even when Maria is tied to the stake preparing to be burnt to death for his sister's sake, mad Uncle Gustav confuses her silent passivity to her fate with a confession of guilt. It is left to Anton to produce the all too familiar crucifix to attest to Maria's innocence, and finally the witch-hunting party turn their efforts to the destruction of some real villains for a change!

With its overtones of Puritan excess and religious mania, 'Twins of Evil' is a marvellous vehicle for Peter Cushing as Gustav, and the closest he ever came to playing Matthew Hopkins, England's celebratedly notorious Witchfinder General. The conflict of trying to do good by evil means, of trying to see justice done by taking unjust measures, has rarely been so finely explored as here. As arguably the most controversial and ambiguous character in the film – even more so than Karnstein – Gustav is in many ways the more villainous of the two, in that he dresses up his mania and excesses in religious piety and ultimately hypocrisy. Karnstein never makes any pretence at being a saint or even good – we first see him cavorting with a woman who is subsequently carted off by Gustav and his cronies and burned as a witch. Whilst Karnstein is the most obviously evil character, Gustav is insidiously the more evil because of his attempts to justify his acts, something which Karnstein never does, except to declare that it is his nature to do what he does. Part of this film's magick lies in its proof that Cushing – best remembered for his heroic role as Van Helsing to Christopher Lee's Dracula – could play the full range of good and evil characters. He was truly one of the greatest British film stars of all time, and this films stands as a great testament to his ability as a character actor.

In between the polarities of good and evil, in between the light and the darkness, lie all the worst psychological traits that mankind is heir to. The conflict between what we are expected to do and what we want to do are never more clearly exemplified than by the behaviour of the two girls, and this struggle spills over into the rest of the film's main characters. Human life is a constant struggle, a constant battle between doing what society wants you to do and the individual drives that compel you into sometimes contradictory stances. The only ones in 'Twins of Evil' who do not suffer remorse or regret, who are not plagued by fears and petty grievances, are the vampires.

It is easy to see why Frieda is so easily seduced by their promises. As the picture of nervous angst she rebels against everything required or expected of her: she openly flirts with Anton; she dresses provocatively; she stands up verbally to her uncle and aunt on occasion; she goes out at night when expressly forbidden to do so; and the assumption is there to be drawn that it was Frieda's decision for her sister and herself to come out of mourning clothes so shockingly soon (according to Gustav's standards). She flaunts convention in any way she can, and openly confesses her sins to her shocked and terrified sister.

But, like all good morality plays, evil is always conquered by the powers of goodness. Although in most conventional vampire films religion is seen as the conquering good, in this film the emphasis is pushed more onto education and learning, onto intelligence rather than faith. Faith, as typified by Gustav Weil, can be corrupted, but the intellect cannot. Anton suffers before finding the strength and wit to battle against the vampires – his sister died at the hands of Karnstein and his gang of nasties – but when he does decide what to do he follows his course through steadfastly, seeking redemption not only for his dead sister, but for the woman he loves (Maria), for himself and the rest of the village. He takes the role of Everyman, put upon the Earth to conquer the evil in humanity for the sake of all others. In mediaeval morality plays this figure acted almost as a Christ figure, waging a personal war against the sins he sees around him, and acting as final redeemer and Saviour for the rest of humanity. Played with obvious believability by the late David Warbeck (in one of his earliest film roles), Anton is a sympathetic figure, intelligent but still innocent of the evils of the world, on a crusade to educate all for the benefit of all. He is the ideal spirit of a new age which will stamp out the curse of vampires once and for all.

David Warbeck was one of the great British character actors, specialising mainly in low-budget horror roles, and 'Twins of Evil' was probably the most high profile film he ever made. How strange it should be that his first major role and his last should have been in British-made vampire films. From his days as Anton for Hammer to his enjoyable cameo in 'Razor Blade Smile', horror and vampires seem to have had a special place in Warbeck's heart. His rare talent for finding humour in the most horrific of scenes, his powerful and sardonic voice, his entire Britishness – all these things set him apart from the majority of character actors in his genre. Much respected on the convention circuit, he is also sadly missed by many.

For twins Mary and Madeleine Collinson, the opportunity to star in a Hammer film was a rare and special one, and one which they both remember with fondness. "Working for Hammer Productions was a wonderful experience. The atmosphere on the set was friendly and everybody was helpful and very professional," enthuses Madeleine. "I think the story about identical twins, one good and the other bad, was original as a concept and obviously was a great success. There was never any doubt as to who should play who: although we are similar we are different enough in some respects. I could never have played the goody goody Maria was. I photograph harder than my sister Mary. I loved playing the evil twin and Mary played herself!"

The twins were found by Hammer following their centrefold shoot for Playboy magazine (the first 'twins' feature ever to appear in that publication), and after the film they moved to Milan to continue their modelling careers. After a brief stay in the US, they returned to Europe. Madeleine now lives in Malta, Mary in London.

On the subject of vampires they are enthusiastic. "The idea of living forever by sucking blood sounds inviting. We all would love to live forever. Vampires have always proven to be mysterious, frightening, and fear is one of the most exciting sensations that we all like to feel. Whether vampires are real I couldn't begin to answer. But why not? Dracula still has lots of thrills to bestow upon his adoring public. The new generation of youngsters find vampires fascinating. Dracula is the aristocracy of horror films. May he live forever."

In conclusion, it is fair to say that 'Twins of Evil' is one of Hammer's most complex and in-depth films, and also one of its most entertaining. All the central characters are well-moulded and obviously cast to perfection, the script is well thought out and has a lot to say about social conditions and the nature of religion, education and sexuality, above and beyond the vampire story which is familiar to all. It is a challenging film, pushing boundaries and daring to be controversial at times. It has a grim sub-plot about the witch hunts of Puritan Europe, but balances this with plenty of gentle humour and occasional moments of tasteful nudity. If you want a vampire film with substance, character and imagination then this is the one.

review: Louisianax for more of Louisianax review please visit her site click here
images: Marcus Brooks

PETER CUSHING: 'CALL HIM, MR SHATTER!' HAMMER FILMS VINTAGE MAGAZINE FEATURE

2012-01-05T13:32:00.001-08:00

ONE OF HAMMER FILMS LEAST SUCCESSFUL VENTURES. MADE AS PART OF A TWO PICTURE DEAL WITH 'THE LEGEND OF THE SEVEN GOLDEN VAMPIRES AND THE RUN RUN SHAW STUDIOS IN 1973- 1974. PETER CUSHING PLAYED RATTWOOD WITH STUART WHITMAN IN THE LEAD. SUPPORTING CAST FEATURED HAMMER 'THE MAN WHO COULD CHEAT DEATH' ANTON DIFFRING. THE RESULT WAS A MESS. MANY THOUGHT CUSHING WAS MISCAST AND WASTED. ''SHATTER' AKA 'CALL HIM, MR SHATTER' WAS DIRECTED BY THEN HAMMER HEAD MICHAEL CARRERAS, WITH UNCREDITED DIRECTOR MONTE HELLMAN LENDING A HAND!

PETER CUSHING VINTAGE BBC RADIO TIME COVER 'TOVARICH' 1954

2012-01-04T21:40:00.001-08:00

Peter Cushing as Prince Mikhail Alexandrovitch Ouratieff in 'TOVARICH'.

PETER CUSHING MELISSA STRIBLING MICHAEL GOUGH: DRACULA HAMMER FILMS 1958

2012-01-04T16:15:00.001-08:00

TWO HI RES STILLS FROM HAMMER FILMS 1958 'DRACULA'...A TREAT FOR MID WEEK!

PETER CUSHING: BIGGLES 1985 PETER CUSHING LAST MOVIE...

2012-01-03T19:55:00.001-08:00

PETER CUSHING AS AIR COMMODORE WILLIAM RAYMOND IN THE COMPACT/YELLOWBILL/TAMBARIE PRODUCTION OF 'BIGGLES'
DIRECTED BY JOHN HOUGH FILMED AT PINEWOOD STUDIOS 21ST JANUARY / MARCH 1985.

THIS WOULD BE PETER CUSHING'S LAST CINEMA APPEARANCE

PETER CUSHING: 'FIEND IMAGE STICKS'

2012-01-03T11:00:00.001-08:00

PETER CUSHING / ARTHUR GRIMSDYKE 'TALES FROM THE CRYPT' AMICUS 1972

2012-01-03T10:11:00.001-08:00

Arthur Grimsdyke..who can forget that name and his sad story in Amicus Films 'Tales from the Crypt'. But can you remember the name of his dog??!

PETER CUSHING: 'THE VAMPIRE LOVERS' MGM MIDNITE MOVIES DVD / LOBBY STILLS

2012-01-01T12:31:00.001-08:00

"Think me not cruel because I obey the irresistible law of my strength and weakness; if your dear heart is wounded, my wild heart bleeds with yours. In the rapture of my enormous humiliation I live in your warm life, and you shall die – die, sweetly die – into mine. I cannot help it." Sheridan Le Fanu, Carmilla (1872)

By the early 1970s, England's Hammer Films needed to rejuvenate their gothic horror cycle and were ready to supplement their successful Christopher Lee Draculas with a new series of vampire stories. Outside producers Harry Fine and Michael Style brought Irish writer Sheridan Le Fanu's novelette Carmilla to Hammer's attention, and the rather erotic subject matter made a perfect vehicle for Polish-born beauty Ingrid Pitt, who was being molded as their latest femme fatale. THE VAMPIRE LOVERS was a big success, and shortly thereafter, Pitt was offered the even more challenging role of COUNTESS DRACULA.

In THE VAMPIRE LOVERS, Pitt plays Carmilla (also using the name Mircalla and Marcilla), a centuries-old vampire who has retained her youth and beauty. Governed by Countess Karnstein (Dawn Addams) and a mysterious Dracula-like fellow known as the Man in Black (John Forbes-Robertson), Carmilla becomes a houseguest of General Spielsdorf (Peter Cushing) and his young niece, Laura (Pippa Steele). Laura grows increasingly ill and eventually dies, while a local doctor (Ferdy Mayne) discovers bite marks on her bosom. Carmilla then seems to vanish into thin air.

Next stop for Carmilla is the home of Mr. Morton (George Cole), and his innocent daughter Emma (Madeline Smith). Carmilla becomes obsessed with Emma, wanting her to love only her, and when Mr. Morton leaves town for a while, the seductive vampiress turns the whole house upside down. Not only does Emma fall victim to Carmilla's prolonged bloodletting and seduction, but so does the governess (Kate O'Mara) and the butler (Harvey Hall). When Mr. Morton returns, he is convinced that the ailing Emma is suffering from vampirism, but General Spielsdorf has coincidentally brought back Barton Hartog (Douglas Wilmer), who had hunted down the bloodthirsty Karnsteins years ago. With the help of young heroic Carl Ebhardt (Jon Finch), the men set out to uncover Carmilla's crypt and destroy her once and for all.

THE VAMPIRE LOVERS carried Hammer into the 70s with a gothic, poetic masterpiece of erotic horror and doomed love. The stunning Ingrid Pitt is one of the screen's finest vamps, and her portrayal of Carmilla is sympathetic and passionate, while cold and calculated at the same time. Her strong performance is supported by a wonderful cast and the atmospheric direction by veteran Roy Ward Baker, delivering his first full-fledged horror film. Peter Cushing's role is small but momentous, as his familiar vampire-slaying antics play a key role here. Cushing's involvement was reportedly demanded by American International Pictures (AIP) who co-produced the film, and released it in the U.S. with an "R" rating, and it's one of the first, if not the first, horror film to land such a label. Two sequels were produced (LUST FOR A VAMPIRE, TWINS OF EVIL), and although Pitt did not return in either one, she did come back as COUNTESS DRACULA for Hammer.

MGM's new DVD transfer of THE VAMPIRE LOVERS comes off as a great success. For once, the title is shown in its original 1.85:1 theatrical aspect ratio (with anamorphic enhancement), finally giving the film the composition it clearly lacked in past video transfers. The picture is virtually flawless, as the pristine source material manifests rich, distinct colors, strong clarity and nice detail. Darker scenes are never too dark and always clear, while day-for-night shots look like nighttime without having their images obscured. The mono sound is clean, with dialog, music and sound effects all emerging clearly. This DVD of THE VAMPIRE LOVERS also restores an often censored frontal shot of a fully nude Ingrid Pitt getting out of a tub, and this is the first time this has been witnessed on home video. MGM's DVD also restores several graphic and essential decapitations and stakings that were cut from the U.S. theatrical print, which ran only 89 minutes. The DVD presents the film at its full 91 minutes.

With the excellent transfer at hand, MGM has also opted to give us a commentary with director Baker, star Pitt and writer Tudor Gates. Moderated by Jonathan Sothcott, this is a wonderful treat for Hammerheads and horror historians alike. Although Pitt was very ill when the commentary was recorded, she is still very passionate about her role and what this film meant to her career, while the ever-spry Baker and Gates provide a lot of info on Hammer head Jimmy Carreas, the producers of the film, as well as sequence which was eliminated against their wishes. Sothcott keeps things interesting by asking about specific cast members and other topics concerning the film. Features for the VAMPIRE LOVERS are rounded out by the original AIP theatrical trailer, as well as passages from Carmilla (12 minutes) read by Ingrid Pitt herself, accompanied by a video montage of rare color photos from the film. A great idea, and nicely executed.

MGM is the first studio outside Anchor Bay to release Hammer films with audio commentaries, so this disc marks a landmark release of sorts. A lot of care an preparation obviously when into restoring the films and producing the extras, so kudos to MGM for giving us one of their best horror DVD releases yet.

review: GEORGE R. REIS.

You can read more of George's reviews here: CLICK HERE

Images: MARCUS BROOKS

PETER CUSHING: THE VAMPIRE LOVERS REVIEW AND VINTAGE IMAGES LATER TODAY!

2012-01-01T07:50:00.001-08:00

WE'RE KICKING OFF THE NEW YEAR WITH A HAMMER FILMS/PETER CUSHING CLASSIC 'THE VAMPIRE LOVERS' REVIEW AND SOME RATHER SPANKING LOBBY STILLS. LATER TODAY. PLEASE JOIN US. SUBSCRIBE OR LINK TO OUR LIVE FEEDS AND UP DATES.

Marcus Brooks.

PETER CUSHING: A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU!

2011-12-31T17:01:00.001-08:00

A BIG THANK YOU AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OUR SUBSCRIBERS, CONTRIBUTORS, REVIEWS...AND TO YOU. IT'S ALL FOR THE MEMORY OF THE GREAT MAN HIMSELF!

PETER CUSHING: ISLAND OF TERROR : THE SILICATES ARE COMING!

2011-12-31T09:52:00.001-08:00

Success invariably leads to imitation. With all the attention (and box office grosses) Hammer Film Productions was attracting in the 1960’s, it was inevitable that Hammer wannabes would start sprouting up like mushrooms from the loamy, light-starved soil of the English movie industry. Amicus and Tigon are probably the best known of the Hammer clones, but there were other studios out there playing Monogram to Hammer’s Universal. One of the most utterly forgotten was Planet Film Productions, the studio responsible for bringing us Island of Terror/Night of the Silicates/etc. The amazing thing about Planet was that they were able to pull off the very same trick as their richer, higher-prestige competitors, and dip into the Hammer talent pool. Amicus you expect to be able to pay Peter Cushing’s or Terrence Fisher’s price; a little fly-by-night operation like this is another matter altogether. And almost equally remarkable is the particular aspect of Hammer that Planet chose to copy— rather than producing knockoffs of the somewhat sensationalized gothics that Hammer is best remembered for today, Planet’s stock in trade (at least as far as genre movies were concerned) seems to have been clones of the clever little sci-fi flicks Hammer used to make in the mid-to-late 1950’s.

Which brings me to Island of Terror. The movie was very much a throwback to a bygone era even when it was made. This is the kind of thing Jack Arnold and Bert I. Gordon were doing on their side of the Atlantic ten years before. Director Fisher realized this, however, and was smart enough to craft his movie in such a way as to take advantage of the audience’s familiarity with the formula, rather than pretend that ten years’ worth of monster rampage movies had never happened and expect you to be surprised by more than a couple of details in the story. You can see this at work in the very first scene, which foreshadows all the doom and devastation of the next hour and a half with just a few deft gestures. First we meet a scientist named Philips as he takes delivery of a shipment of laboratory equipment. Near him on the dock, three men— Dr. Reginald Landers (Eddie Byrne, from Devils of Darkness and Hammer’s version of The Mummy), Constable John Harris (Sam Kydd, from The Projected Man and Up the Chastity Belt), and a farmer named Ian Bellows (Liam Gaffney)— are bitching about the hardships of life on tiny Petrie’s Island. There are no phones there, and only one boat a week from the mainland. Otherwise, the people of Petrie’s Island have almost no contact whatsoever with civilization. You see what I mean about the filmmakers using audience expectations to their advantage here, right? Here we are less than five minutes into the movie, and already we can see exactly how messed up these people are, and we have a pretty good idea why, too. And moments later, when we learn that Philips is rushing ahead on some super-advanced cancer-related research without checking with his colleagues in Rome, New York, and Tokyo, our suspicions only deepen. Then, when Philips’s experiment is interrupted by the main title display and the sound of breaking glass, we know without even needing to be shown that something has gone disastrously wrong.

Ian Bellows finds out just how disastrously that same night as he makes the rounds of his northernmost field. He hears the strangest sound emanating from a narrow cave in the cliff-face overlooking his field, and goes to check it out. Big mistake there, Ian. Something we don’t see grabs him, pulls him into the cave, and starts slurping while Ian screams. When Ian doesn’t come home, his wife informs Harris of his disappearance, and the constable goes out to look for him in the more remote corners of the island. Harris finds the cave where Ian ran afoul of the slurping thing, and what he discovers there isn’t pretty. The body in the cave is Ian’s, alright, but something has rendered it all soft and squishy in ways that no vertebrate body should ever be. Faced with a corpse that has been maltreated in ways he’s never even heard of before, Harris does the sensible thing, and fetches Dr. Landers.

Once he’s had a chance to look at what’s left of Bellows, Landers confirms what you had probably already figured out for yourself: Bellows hasn’t a single gram of bone left in his body. Well that would certainly explain the slurping, wouldn’t it? The doctor has never seen the like of it, so he takes the tiny motorboat that is the islanders’ only means of communication with the mainland between the big boat’s weekly visits, and sets off for England to see the nation’s most distinguished pathologist, Dr. Brian Stanley (the ubiquitous Peter Cushing). Stanley is as perplexed by Bellows’s symptoms as Landers, so he recommends a visit to yet another doctor, a renowned expert on bone diseases by the name of David West (Edward Judd, of The Day the Earth Caught Fire and The Vault of Horror). West is busy trying to get laid when Stanley and Landers arrive at his flat, but their description of the case is so fascinating that he’s willing to postpone the consummation of his date with Toni Merrill (The Curse of the Fly’s Carole Gray)— clearly, West is a man of great professional dedication. Toni’s a tricky girl though, and she comes up with a way to keep herself in David’s company. You see, with time as vital a concern as it is, Landers strongly favors flying back home, rather than taking the motorboat he road in on, and Toni’s rich father happens to own a helicopter. And if the doctors will agree to take her along with them, she thinks she can persuade Daddy to part with his chopper and pilot for a few days. As it happens, she’s only half right, in that her father’s business commitments prevent him from releasing the helicopter for more than the amount of time it will take to fly Toni and company out to Petrie’s, but at least the arrangement gets the doctors to the island.

All the clues seem to point to Philips and his lab, so the doctors understandably want a word with the reclusive researcher. Either he isn’t in or he isn’t receiving visitors when they come calling, but in light of the urgency of the situation, Stanley feels justified in looking for a way to sneak into the huge old mansion where Philips has set up his operation. That way, if the scientist is at home, Stanley will be able to force him to see them. But while Stanley is poking around in the mansion, he trips over (that’s right) another boneless body! There turn out to be more in the lab proper, and the fluid-filled tank that Philips had been messing with when we last saw him lies shattered into hundreds of pieces scattered on the floor. Using Philips’s more sophisticated gear, the doctors are able to determine that all the bodies are covered with thousands of microscopic puncture wounds, but it isn’t clear whether they were made by something entering or exiting. (Or maybe a little bit of both?) Then West and Stanley gather up all of Philips’s notes, and head back to their rooms at the inn.

Thus they aren’t around when Harris comes looking for them in response to a call from a farmer who found one of his horses de-boned in its pasture. The Philips place isn’t quite empty, however. Down in the basement, as Harris will soon learn to his great misfortune, is something green and tentacled, with an empty stomach and a taste for human bones. West, Stanley, Landers, and Toni will get their introduction to the bone-slurpers not much later, when Harris’s absence leads them back to the lab. The monsters (and there are a lot of them) turn out to be gray-green humps of hard, knobby matter roughly the size and shape of the shell of a Galapagos tortoise, with a single, suckered tentacle snaking out from their front ends. And as Landers demonstrates (just before he gets eaten by one of the creatures), their skins are axe-proof. The only reason the things don’t suck down anyone else’s skeletons just then is that they’re too busy undergoing mitosis while Stanley, West, and Toni make their break for safety.

Obviously, we have now reached the point in the movie where the Proper Authorities must be called in. But unfortunately for Petrie’s Island, its Proper Authorities aren’t very proper— just an older farmer named Roger Campbell (Niall MacGinnis, from Curse of the Demon and Viking Queen) and his sidekick, Peter Argyle (James Caffrey). Just about all Campbell and his men are good for is helping the scientists figure out what else doesn’t hurt the monsters: guns, Molotov cocktails, and dynamite, for example. There’s a pretty good reason for this, as it turns out. Philips’s monsters aren’t carbon-based life at all, but rather silicon-based. That’s why their exoskeletons are so hard; chemically speaking, the creatures’ skins aren’t that different from sandstone. But there is one thing that can kill the “Silicates” (as Stanley and West dub the nasty things). In Island of Terror’s most striking nod to the monster movies of the 50’s, the Silicates prove to be vulnerable to radiation. All you have to do is feed them some animal whose bones have been contaminated by radioactivity. So with a lab well stocked with Strontium-90 (check out the radiation suits Stanley and West have to wear in order to handle the stuff!), and an island inhabited by hundreds and hundreds of cattle, it looks like there might just be hope after all, and at the scientists’ direction, Campbell and his men round up all the islanders into town hall, and all the cattle into the nearby pen. That way, the Silicates will have no choice but to eat the contaminated cattle, and Campbell will have an easier time keeping an eye on his people. On the other hand, Strontium-90 isn’t exactly a fast-acting poison, and the town hall proves to be somewhat lacking in its efficacy as a fortress, so there’s every reason to fear that the human population of Petrie’s Island will have shrunk significantly by the time the radioisotope does its job.

If there is one thing my life as a consumer of culture has taught me, it is that fate does not distribute fame and obscurity in a remotely equitable manner. Whether it’s movies, books, music, or anything else we’re talking about, we’ve all seen it happen again and again: some unworthy piece of shit will capture the public’s attention like some kind of cultural panji pit, while works of vastly superior merit fade from the scene unnoticed. You disagree? Then tell me this— did you see Ravenous back in 1999? No, I didn’t think so. You saw The Mummy, though, didn’t you? Very well, then. I rest my case. Island of Terror provides another example of the phenomenon. If you weren’t alive in 1966, chances are you’ve never heard of this movie— hell, I only learned of its existence recently, and I’m the kind of guy who makes a point of seeking this stuff out. And yet Island of Terror is one of the very best monster movies to come out of Great Britain in the 1960’s.

Not only do its script and direction give the audience credit for a great deal of B-movie erudition, it isn’t overly protective of its main characters (some surprisingly nasty things happen to some surprisingly important people in this movie), and its monsters, though none too convincingly realized, are an extremely imaginative departure from the mutant lizards and gigantic bugs we’re accustomed to in the genre. And it would seem that this film made at least a little bit of money for Planet during its initial release, as the studio’s later Island of the Burning Doomed/Night of the Big Heat duplicated great glutinous masses of Island of Terror— everything from the monsters’ basic body-plan to such plot details as having the creatures’ first victim fall to some unseen thing in a cramped, narrow cave. Even some of the sets in Island of the Burning Doomed recall those in Island of Terror. But as usual, the template is far superior to the copy— and to quite a number of other contemporary sci-fi/horror/monster flicks, I might add. Maybe with all the reissuing going on these days, Island of Terror will finally get some of the attention it deserves. But I wouldn’t bet on it.

REVIEW: SAM ASHLIN

IMAGES: MARCUS BROOKS

You can read more reviews from SAM ASHLIN by following this link: sam ashlin blog