REVIEW FEATURE: SCREAM FACTORY OVER HAULS HAMMER FILMS FRANKENSTEIN CREATION ON 2K SCAN BLU RAY

HAMMER FILMS, 1967 'FRANKENSTEIN CREATED WOMAN' GETS A NEW 2K Scan 'Using The Original Film Elements' in impressive BLU RAY release FROM SCREAM FACTORY!

'FRANKENSTEIN CREATED WOMAN' : HAMMER FILMS 1967

Director: Terence Fisher, Screenplay: John Elder [Anthony Hinds], Producer:  Anthony Nelson Keys, Photography: Arthur Grant, Music: James Bernard, Music Supervisor: Philip Martell, Special Effects: Les Bowie, Production Design: Bernard Robinson. Production Company: Hammer/Seven Arts

Synopsis
'She's a vision of loveliness ... with a murderous mission from beyond the grave!'

IN THIS MOST conceptually wild and out-rightly science-fictional of the Hammer Frankenstein films" (Moria Science Fiction, Horror and Fantasy Film Review), Baron Frankenstein (Peter Cushing) and Dr. Hertz (Thorley Walters) are embarking upon an experiment to capture the souls of the dead and impose them into other bodies. When their assistant, Hans (Robert Morris), is unjustly accused of murdering his girlfriend Christina's father and is himself put to death, the two men claim his body and trap his soul in their laboratory. Meanwhile, Christina (Susan Denberg) is consumed with grief over the death of her beloved Hans and commits suicide. Frankenstein and Dr. Hertz are able to transfer Hans' soul into Christina's healed body, which results in a vision of beauty. Their experiment appears successful until Frankenstein discovers that Christina's seductive appetites are being driven by the spirit of Hans and his passion for revenge ...

IF CRITICS AT THE TIME are time were to be believed, that hammer films were like the distant cousins of the Shepperton studios, 'Carry On films', 'made for the working classes, nothing too cerebral or intellectually demanding and with flashes of titillation to meet the demands of the lowest common denominator', then director Terence Fisher and script writer, Anthony Hinds over-stepped their remit and burnt out the brains of many an audience. 'CREATED WOMAN' follows a story track that leaves the concept of the Baron just rejuvenating sown and souring corpses, way behind. It soon becomes a quite interesting theoretical  essay and endeavor on the journey and existence of the soul! Judging by the box office, the 'classes' LOVED it! The whole thing is quite crazy, but it works. 

THE ARRIVAL OF HANS as a total gender swap, is interesting especially as her existence is all about REVENGE on men who abused and tormented her. Topical today or what? The relationship on screen between Thorley Walters and Peter Cushing is wonderful. Walters did the bumbling aged roles very well. The young snipes are cast well and our creation in, Susan Denberg, ticks all the boxes, for those who wanted more than the expected stitches and scars. The stitches here are broken, snapped and groaning under the weight of something that is certainly 'all women'  and reveal a creation, that would keep fans dribbling for many decades after the films release. The scar sadly, was something waiting in the wings for Denberg that would car crash her career and make her life something certainty more, than any nightmare, Hammer films could devise, for sure.

THE BLU RAY:
IF WE LOOK AT our blu ray shelf, it seems that Scream Factory has released Frankenstein Created Woman as the next part of their Hammer films Collector’s Edition series. This is a NEW 2k scan of the original film elements. A previously released blu ray from Millennium, thankfully quickly went out of reach for orders, and can now rest in the dust as THIS release leaves that memory fast fading, like it's visual quality at the time. Scream Factory has released the print that should have been delivered back then. SCREAM'S new transfer is visually superior, it's  vibrant, exposes those rich Hammer film colours and vibes, we know and look for, so well. There are no muddy, foggy textures here. The vision is much brighter, while not losing the density of shadows and the margins between black and grey.  The focus detail and depth of field in the focus can been seen through out and is not flat, as can often be the case in blu ray transfers. There are a few spots of damage to the print, but these are not distracting and were only spotted on the second viewing. The grain is in keeping with the film stock that Hammer used at this time. 

SCREAM FACTORY also presents this release in the film’s original 1.66:1 aspect ratio.  Frankenstein Created Woman is a very good film on a lot of levels, and visually the film has never looked this good in home cinema presentation. It's a great achievement that many fans of the film, I am sure will appreciate. The audio on this release is a DTS-HD MA mono track and both Anthony Hinds entertaining dialogue and the majestic film score sound is classic Hammer films! Terrific.

EXTRAS AND BONUS MATERIAL: 

• NEW 2K Scan From The Original Film Elements
• NEW Audio Commentary With Author/Film Historian Steve Haberman And Filmmaker/Film Historian Constantine Nasr
• NEW Interview With Actor Robert Morris
• NEW Interview With Camera Assistant/Clapper Loader Eddie Collins And 2^nd Assistant Director Joe Marks
• Audio Commentary By Actors Derek Fowlds, Robert Morris, And Film Historian Jonathan Rigby
• World Of Hammer Episode The Curse Of Frankenstein
• World Of Hammer Episode Hammer Stars: Peter Cushing
• Hammer Glamour Featurette
• Theatrical Trailers
• TV Spots
• Radio Spots
• Still Galleries – Movie Stills, Posters, And Lobby Cards

SO TO WRAP UP, what we have with this much welcomed released of one of Hammer and Cushing more interesting, Frankenstein films, is a vast improvement on what has gone before, you have the best of BOTH worlds, with EXTRAS and BONUS menu consisting of a number of features both very interesting and new, plus the best bits of previously seen material. It's a MUST for fans of the Hammer series and Peter Cushing! BUY IT and PRE ORDER HERE!
 

SO WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO BE SIR CHRISTOPHER LEE?

WHAT WAS IT LIKE to be Christopher Lee? Well, if you watch this short, raw, unedited footage from a candid chat with Lee back in 2001, you get an idea! Being in the spotlight certainly exposes you to everyone and it seems, everyone wanted something! The press, weird attention, fans, critics and . . . babies? Poor Christopher got it all. Lots to hear and see here. Certainly worth your attention, if you ever wondered why Sir Christopher could be a little blunt or guarded . . now you KNOW why . . 
 

THE ABOVE IS FOR TERI SPEIRS in Grand Junction, CO US, here is a request she made yesterday at the FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE on Christopher Lee's Birthday, but we just didn't have time to fit in! Teri wanted anything that was from the 'staking scene' in Hammer films, Dracula Has Risen from The Grave' ... but if possible an 'on-set' shot, but not a dvd frame or press photograph 😩😫😂Ok, well I think this fits the bill! It's from a contact sheet, so never published, a little grainy, but look at THAT face! 😮 Hope this does the job, Teri - Marcusl

#MONSTERMONDAY: THE MAKING OF THE HOUSE OF LONG SHADOWS PART TWO

MICHAEL ARMSTRONG'S disappointment at the cuts in the final cut of The House Of The Long Shadows was matched by the reaction of the stars of the film. Vincent Price, in particular, was so upset that his role had been reduced by the cuts- especially in the music room scene- that he denounced the film openly and refused to aid in it's promotion or have anything more to do with the film. 

Michael Armstrong recalls: ' I got a call from Cannon just before the film was due to open in the UK, telling me about Vinnie's reaction and asking me if I could try and change his mind. Apparently, he had refused to speak to anyone at the Cannon offices. He was staying in London at the time, because his wife Coral Brown was at that time receiving specialist treatment for cancer here. I called him and tried to persuade him to talk to Cannon, but he was adamant. He was so angry and so very upset because he'd loved doing the film and thought it was some of his best comedy work and then to see so much of his performance cut...but what could I say?'

Armstrong, continued 'I was totally in agreement with him and, as I pointed out- the cuts to his dialogue were equally the cuts to my dialogue. We were on the phone over an hour and a half. By the end, we were commiserating with each other. He never did speak to anyone at Cannon, although he and I continued to stay in touch right up to his death.'

ABOVE: PETER CUSHING PROMOTES THE HOUSE OF THE LONG SHADOWS ON THE UK BBC BREAKFAST TIME PROGRAMME 1983. CLIP QUALITY FLUCTUATES BUT IT'S WORTH IT!

HOUSE OF THE LONG SHADOWS opened in London in 1983 at the Carlton Cinema in the Haymarket to mixed reviews and a disastrous box office. Cannon's decision to sell the film as a straightforward horror film had only resulted in confusing both the critics and the audiences who, without having the benefit of knowing beforehand that it was meant to be a tongue-in-cheek lampoon of Gothic melodrama, mistook all the wit and pastiche jokes as an attempt at the real thing. Those critics, however, who did realise the films intent, raved- in particular over the screenplay and the stars. Similarly the film went on to win prizes for best film, best screenplay and best actors (jointly for the four stars) at Avoriaz, Sitges, Paris and other genre festivals around the world.

DISMAYED AT THE London box office results, Armstrong persuaded Cannon to let him experiment with a different approach for the regions in the UK and sell the film as the comedy it was, rather than the horror film that it wasn't. To test this the East Anglia release was launched with a specially organised gala night audience in Stowmarket being issued with souvenir programmes quoting those reviews recognising the film as a comedy. The result was a packed house loving the film, laughing and applauding throughout. As Armstrong points out, 'It was exactly the same audience reaction we'd seen at Avoriaz and in Paris where it had won the audience prize for Best Film at the Paris Film Festival'.

 THE BRITISH QUAD CINEMA POSTER FOR 'HOUSE 

OF THE LONG SHADOWS' WAS SCALED DOWN FOR THE

CANNON VIDEO RELEASE

DESPITE THIS EVIDENCE of the audience reaction, it was too late to change anything. Cannon's original marketing plan remained and the film continued to fail at the UK box office. With a far more tongue-in-cheek marketing campaign the film fared better upon it's American and international release, once more mainly garnering good reviews. Its excellent entry into the video market, however, was cut short by the collapse of Cannon. as part of the company's product sell off, the film was included in a package required by MGM and along with so much of the Cannon product was lost in the archives.

ARMSTRONG SAW THE PROBLEM, 'The problem with parody is that unless you know what is being parodied, you miss the joke and I think that's where certain people missed out on the film. It's a pity because The House Of The Long Shadows is so full of jokes for the movie buff- almost every single line of the dialogue has a reference point to some movie or another - I defy anyone to get them all in a single screening. Apart from the movie references, though, The House Of The Long Shadows exits on several levels, which is why it really needs more than one viewing to appreciate it fully. It was also made with a great love for the film it so affectionately lampoons and as a swan song to the horror careers of the four. Just take a look at their dialogue to see what I mean. I firmly believe when it does finally emerge on DVD, it will finally be recognised, not only as one of Pete Walker's best and most complex films, but as a fitting tribute and elegy to a bygone era'

BUT IT DIDN'T STOP THERE . . 'The House Of The Long Shadows' until 2013 was still in limbo, regarding a legitimate release. Maybe Peter Cushing Centenary was an opportunity too good to miss? Whatever it was, the powers that be, finally gave us what we had been waiting for. 'The House of the Long Shadows' arrived in not only ONE blu ray package, but quite a few! The region FREE blu ray was followed by a German blu ray, then Spanish...and many more there after. The news is good, seems someone turned on the lights at the home of the Grisbanes, and now, the once foggy, under-lit scenes are presented, just as they should have been, when we spent our hard earned cash for groggy dvd copies. The picture quality is great, audio too! The Horror Channel has screened the movie several times over the past five years too! Seems, just like Roderick in the story, if WAIT long enough...you'll get what you want!

HOW WE REPORTED ON THE US REGION BLU RAY RELEASE

PART ONE

PART ONE OF THE MAKING OF THE HOUSE OF LONG SHADOWS 
CAN BE FOUND :  HERE!

TARKIN CUSHING AND ROGUE ONE : WHAT THE CRITICS ARE SAYING . . .

'.....Its most dazzling feat of technical wizardry lies in the resurrection one of the series' most iconic and loathsome villains, Grand Moff Tarkin -- played by Peter Cushing who died in 1994. Somehow, cutting-edge technology has brought him back to life.' DAILY MIRROR 13th December 2016

'....the late Peter Cushing is digitally resurrected as Death Star boss Moff Tarkin: there’s an eerie nervelessness about the results from certain angles, but given Cushing, a Hammer Horror veteran, exuded an aura of undeath at his professional best, he might be the ideal candidate for the procedure. DAILY TELEGRAPH 13th December 2016

'....One famous character has been withheld entirely from marketing: Grand Moff Tarkin. Yes, despite having died over two decades ago, the great Peter Cushing is able to reprise his role as the scheming Governor Tarkin via the magic of ILM's finest CGI. While it hasn't been announced who provides his voice yet, whoever it is did a stellar job, especially when he says his classic line, "You may fire when ready." December 12th 2016 Comingsoon..net

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#TBT : THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN: BOX OFFICE TRADE PAPER AND PRESSBOOK

#TBT Box Office and Press Book Material: 'The Curse of Frankenstein' was a world wide hit at the box office both in the UK and USA. Critics in the UK were horrified and generally unkind. Peter Cushing very wisely, took no notice, and his faith in the film was borne out very soon after the initial release with by spectacular box office returns. In the US critics were much kinder, many highlighting Cushing's performance for particular praise, '....Cushing enacts the role of Frankenstein without overacting,' wrote Jim O'Connor in the New York Journal 7th August. 'You could almost hear the nerves snapping in the audience!'