CHRISTMAS EVE IS HERE, at last! And maybe for some of you, the shopping, the cooking, the preparation is now over. I DO hope so! If not, put this little post in your bookmark, for later. Preferably a time, when it's quiet. Switch off the lights, settle in and prepare yourself, for that OTHER great Christmas tradition . .. The Christmas Ghost Story. I've especially picked this one from the BBC television series, that Christopher Lee appeared in 2000. The episode I've selected is in my humble opinion, the best of the series, also forgive my indulgence, it's my favorite Ghost Story. Maybe because I first hear it, in another BBC televised drama of the story, starring ROBERT HARDY, way back in 1971, when I was but a terrified little chap, hiding behind my grandmother's sofa! Christopher Lee really does a fabulous reading, that I am sure you'll enjoy. You'll probably need to get that mulled wine on the boil, as this is a real Christmas Chiller! Merry Christmas! Enjoy!
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VERY SAD TO READ that actor ROY DOTRICE passed a few days ago. Dotrice has one of those acting CV's that crosses all genre's, generations, trends and all arts disciplines, all of which he excelled in . . . he has a tenuous connection to Peter Cushing in that he was in the cast of Amicus films, 'Tales from the Crypt' (1972) in the 'Wish You Were Here' story, with Richard Greene and Barbara Murray. But I want to mention his passing here as more of a note to myself, and maybe you too, that Roy like Christopher Lee before him, is one of the last of our actors who stood for something special. In most cases their work, as they got older, should have come with a 'Quality Reassurance' stamp!
DOTRICE PLAYED so many good roles, very well during his long career, that's it's almost impossible to make a choice of the best... but stand outs would be Leopold Mozart in 'Amadeus' (1984), John Aubrey in Patrick Garland's 'Brief Lives', a one-man show that saw Dotrice on stage for more than two-and-a-half hours.
A WEALTH BRIT TALENT: Rehearsing for a show at the Roundhouse, Chalk Farm is Foreground Barbara Windsor, and Max wall, a bearded Roy Dotrice, George Baker, Liza Goddard, Fenella Fielding, Amanda Barry, Anna Quayle, Melvyn Hayes, Bob Todd and Miriam Karlin!
INTERVIEW: Roy Dotrice discuses recording the audio book of George R.R. Martin's A DANCE WITH DRAGONS
DOTRICE ALSO DID a terrific job of playing the title role in the television mini-series 'Dickens of London' in 1976. Followers of the 1980s American TV series 'Beauty and the Beast' will know him as the adopt-father of Ron Pearlman's character.
AMAZINGLY HE EARNED
a place in the Guinness World Records in 2004 for the highest number of
character voices by a single actor for the first book in the series of,
'A Game of Thrones' (in which he voiced a total of 224 characters). He
also narrated many storybook adaptations for Disney Records, including
'The Little Mermaid', for which he was nominated for a Grammy award.
In 2000 Dotrice won much acclaim for his Tony Award-winning Broadway performance in the revival of 'A Moon for the Misbegotten' and in 2008 was appointed to the Order of the British Empire for services to the world of theatre and drama.
BACK A FEW YEARS ago, I had the opportunity to spend an afternoon with Roy at the BBC rehearsal rooms in Acton, London. He was relaxed, unpretentious, extremely friendly..and blessed with that same grace, manner and composure that Mr Lee and Mr Cushing also lived by... a gentleman, an outstanding talent and presence in his profession. Roy Dotrice OBE 1923 - 2017.
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coordinator since 1979. PCAS is based in the UK and USA . .
At least in my experience, 1980’s A Tale of Two Cities, often
seems to receive decidedly little discussion by Cushing fans. Perhaps
due to it not receiving an official UK DVD release, being a TV movie and
not part of an established
fan-base (such as many of his Horror films, Star Wars and the Dr Who
movies) it has slipped into obscurity. This is a shame because (along with 1984’s
The Masks of Death)it’s not only one of his last great roles but one of his very best performances.
The two cities of the title are of course London and Paris, with the
film taking place in the run-up to the French Revolution and the Reign
of Terror. It tells the story of Dr. Manette (Cushing), a man wrongly
imprisoned in the Bastille
for eighteen years. He has never met his daughter Lucy, who now remains
in England. The film follows events concerning them and Lucie’s lover,
Charles Damay who has an uncanny double in Sydney Carton who (you
guessed it) also loves her. I’ll keep the plot
explanation brief for those who have yet to see today’s upload!
The adaptation was the tenth film/television version of Charles Dickens
novel, and was produced by Hallmark Hall of Fame who assigned Jim
Goddard to direct. By this point, Goddard was well known as the director
of the original
The Black Stuff the play that went on to launch the Boys from the Black Stuff
series and had made a name for himself as a successful TV Movie
director. Hallmark appear to have splashed out as the film is lavishly
produced, with impressive sets and large crowd scenes. Oddly enough the
production was criticised for showing: ‘Little
sense of the mob, or of an overall social sweep’[1],
though I found this to be one of its strengths! Scenes showing the
general poverty (such as one where a crowd sups wine from the floor) are
amongst the adaptions most powerful. Whatever was felt to be its
misgivings, it was nominated for both an Emmy and the
Golden Globes in 1981, though it won neither.
Cushing himself is on top form and I in particular count it among his
best performances. One particular scene in which Cushing meeting his
Daughter for the first time, is arguably his most moving portrayal of a
character. Having been a
prisoner for so many years, he has become frail and senile, almost at
breaking point from the years of imprisonment. It really does stand
amongst his best work and considering that this happens within the first
ten minutes, you really have to prepare yourself for what is a
pretty emotional ride! The really genius of Cushing’s performance
however is how he shows his character of Manette slowly regaining a lot
of his self-esteem and confidence, culminating in
a rousing sequence where he urges the crowd to free an innocent man and
take him instead. Unsurprisingly, Cushing steals the show!
The supporting cast is full of recognisable faces. Chris Sarandon, perhaps most well known as Jerry Dandrige in
Fright Night (1985) and the voice of Jack Skellington in The Nightmare before Christmas
(1993), plays the dual roles of Lawyer Sydney Carton and Charles
Dannay, providing a few recognisable differences for the audience
between the two.
Alice Krige,
who would later become primarily known as the Borg Queen plays Manettes
Daughter Lucie. Kenneth More puts in a memorable performance as Dr
Jarvis Lorry, all the more astounding considering he was suffering from
Parkinson’s disease. However, Billie Whitelaw…nearly
very nearly manages to steal the show from Cushing with her
malicious Madame Defarge. Whitelaw, channelling a completely different
type of viciousness to that that gave her such power as Mrs Baylock in
the Omen, being utterly repulsive yet utterly watchable.
There are a few notable Cushing connections in some of the supporting
cast and bit-players. Robert Urquhart, who appeared alongside Peter
Cushing in
The Curse of Frankenstein as Paul Krempe, has a very small role as the Chief Adjudicator whilst Kevin Stoney (from
The Blood Beast Terror) appears as the Chief Lord Justice. Also look out for a very young and pre- Poirot David Suchet In his
first on-screen role.
One another odd note, very possibly it was scheduling conflicts with this film that stopped Cushing appearing in Lucio Fulci’s
The Black Cat (1981)[2].
Though the actual reasons are unknown, it is perhaps something of a
blessing.
It’s hard to believe Cushing would have been comfortable with
Fulci’s penchant for extreme gore and we would have missed out on a role
that is both a joy to watch and one that was
clearly very close to his heart.
As previously stated the film has no official UK DVD or
Blu-Ray release, but Shout! Factory did put out a very good Blu-Ray that is
currently still available in the US.
WATCH THE FILM WHOLE ABOVE!
Screen Caps and Gifs: Jamie Somerville Feature: :Callum McKelvie. Callum McKelvie, is the new head features writer at the Peter Cushing Appreciation Society. You can read more of his reviews and features here at the PCAS website, and shortly at the relaunchedTHEBLACKBOXCLUB.COM website and Black Box Club Facebook Fan Page.
[1]
Miller, David: Peter Cushing: A Life in
Film p161
IF YOU LIKE what you see here at our website, you'll love our daily themed posts at our PCAS FACEBOOK FAN PAGE.
Just click that blue LINK and click LIKE when you get there, and help
us . . Keep The Memory Alive!. The
Peter Cushing Appreciation Society website, facebook fan page and
youtube channel are managed, edited and written by Marcus Brooks, PCAS
coordinator since 1979. PCAS is based in the UK and USA
