HAMMER'S LAST DRACULA AND VAN HELSING STAND OFF : MOMENTS OF TERROR MONDAY!

#MOMENTOFTERROR MONDAY! Hammer films 'Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires' is another one of Cushing's Hammer appearances, where despite HE going all out, something within the production values, fall short of the feature. . . If you ever get the chance to read the actual script, it ALL sounds amazing and what could have been a imaginative and impressive departure, from the standard set up, if only by location! 

THERE ARE MANY THINGS, that are seen as not up to that Hammer standard... but you have to remember, even as far as John Forbes Robertson's 'make up' as Dracula, that were produced in the STYLE of the values of fantasy film in the country in which Hammer had joined forces with Hong Kong's SHAW BROTHERS.... Take a look at many of the 'fairy-tale-ghost-stories' produced there, and everything clicks and matches for that culture and audience. Maybe it's not what is expected by the audience in the high street Odeon in Bradford UK, but in Hong Kong, certainly. It probably helped and went someway to pulling in quite a box office smash within that culture. Sadly, missing the Kung Fu craze in the rest of the world, Seven Golden Vampires arrived a little too late.

 

 

 

BUT WATCHING IT TODAY, there is much to appreciate. A cast that includes Chinese actor David Chiang, very popular with fans of other Sahw Bros karate fighting movies. Two UK TV popular's in Julie Ege, Robin Steward and the reputation of one of Hammer's leading actors, Peter Cushing, who plays Van Helsing for the fifth and last time, despite production problems felt by director Roy Ward Baker, the film is full of action, all 'horror visuals' have to be viewed with the understanding, this is really a film produced with supernatural and vampire antics, coming from a DIFFERENT culture. 

MONEY DOES look tight, but then at this time, productions filmed in Hong Kong by the Shaw's ALL looked like this. Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires was another brave attempt by Hammer's manager Michael Carreras, to try another and different angle. Personally, I am glad he tried. What do you think?

#THROWBACKTHURSDAY: INCENSE CLIPS A GOLDEN BIRTHDAY AND HENRY ON CUSHING INTERVIEW

#THROWBACKTHURSDAY : FROM THE 92 feature films that Peter Cushing appeared in during his long career in television, theatre and cinema, there only about five titles, whatever your person taste, that could be deemed as 'almost unwatchable'. Sometimes it's because of bad production values, (Hitler's Son) technical ineptness (The Devils Men) of the director and his team (Tender Dracula) Sometimes the fault lies with botched scripting or editing (Touch of the Sun) where the film was fiddled with so badly, what remains of the story is a mess...and here we place Incense For The Damned 1970. 

I THINK I CAN CONFIDENTLY  say, there aren't any films, that I know of, that suffer because of Peter Cushing's contribution, it's often stated that many productions were saved, through Cushing's performance! 'Incense for the Damned' has been distributed under three titles over the years, Bloodsuckers, Incense for the Damned and Doctors Wear Scarlet, the title of the novel by author Simon Raven, that this film is 'loosely' based on.

THANKFULLY, CUSHING has but a guest appearance. His shooting was extended after the wrap, to try and bring a satisfying ending to the story...you'll notice his hairpiece has vanished in the addition footage in the films closing moments, presumably it had been sent back to the hire company. Director Robert Hartford-Davis, disowned the film, and had his name taken off the credits.The film was credited to Michael Burrowes... another name use by Davis. As for plot, it is very hard to keep track, and some long additional scenes of 'orgies' are played by a completely different group of actors that were added to a 'continental' version of the film.Although completed in 1969, Bloodsuckers did not get a general cinema release until 1971. Filming took place April-May 1969. Shooting took place in part in Greece and Cyprus.

SO, TO SAVE YOU THE TROUBLE of trawling through the 90 minutes of dross, are all of Peter Cushing's scenes from the film....don't worry that because the scenes are presented in isolation here, they will make little sense.... even when presented in the feature, they contribute little to the chaos . . . . 

#THROWBACKTHURSDAY: David Chiang Da-wei was born on the 29th June 1947 in Shanghai, (Republic of China) Chiang is a very famous actor and director, producer in Hong Kong. Chiang was very much a martial arts superstar in the 1970s, working under the Shaw Brothers Studio. He has appeared in over 130 films and over 30 television series.

DAVID CHIANG IN ACTION IN

LEGEND OF THE SEVEN GOLDEN VAMPIRES

IN 1974, Chiang starred along side Peter Cushing in Hammer films first of two co-partner feature films with Hong Kong based studio, Shaw Brothers. 'The Legend of the Seven Golden Vampires' Peter for the last time resurrected his character of Van Helsing, and together with Chiang, Julie Ege and Robin Stewart, took on an oriental Dracula played by actor John Forbes Robertson and a hoard of Kung Fu zombie vampires! Join us today in wishing DAVID CHIANG a VERY Happy Birthday!

#THROWBACKTHURSDAY: NOT THAT LONG AGO in on a planet, not that far away, actor GUY HENRY took on a role that many would have thought impossible, the playing of Peter Cushing's GRAND MOFF TARKIN from Star Wars in 'Rogue One'... but what does Henry think of Cushing, and how did he prepare... here Henry tells all!

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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. 

THE LEGEND OF THE SEVEN GOLDEN VAMPIRES: CANDID ON SET BEHIND THE SCENES

THE LEGEND OF THE SEVEN GOLDEN VAMPIRES (1974) Hammer Films: Behind the scenes photograph of Peter, Julie Ege and David Chiang.

VAMPIRES SOCK AND WAGONS ROLL: PETER CUSHING JULIE EGE AND DAVID CHIANG : HAMMER FILMS LEGEND OF THE SEVEN GOLDEN VAMPIRES

WAGONS ROLL: Peter Cushing, Julie Ege and David Chiang in Hammer Films THE LEGEND OF THE SEVEN GOLDEN VAMPIRES (1974) LEGEND was the first of two Hammer productions shot back-to-back in Hong Kong in partnership with Shaw Brothers, the other being SHATTER also starring Peter Cushing. LEGEND was the fifth and last time Peter Cushing would play Van Helsing. Because of the practice of 'shooting mute' in Hong Kong, all the soundtrack, music and dialogue was added later in post production. John Forbes Robertson, the actor who played Dracula in Christopher Lee's absence was furious when he discovered that he had been dubbed by another actor.