IT'S A BIRTHDAY WISH FOR BRAM AND IS HOLLYWOOD PUPPETEERING THE DEAD?

BORN TODAY November 8th 1847 in Clontarf, Dublin, Republic of #Ireland… we mark the BIRTHDAY of  #BRAMSTOKER, creator of #Dracula and a hundred thousand nightmares! #HappyBirthday, Mr Stoker!!!

BACK IN 2016, for some it was an act too hard to accept. #PeterCushing's Grand Moff Tarkin featured nearly 20 years since his passing, kind of live and kicking courtesy of mega bucks CGI, presented on the big screen in the #StarWars epic, Rogue One. In a cinematic series where the footing is firmly rooted on a fantasy and other worldly canvas, those who wanted to embrace could. This week #Hollywood has announced the arrival of another CGI resurrection, in #JamesDean. Dean will be recreated in an action drama entitled #FindingJack through a mixture of old footage and computer-generated creations projected over stand-ins, as a secondary character called Rogan. The producer Anton Ernst said he will try to keep Dean's “legacy firmly intact”.

AND AS IN  the case of Peter Cushing, the 'estate' or family are on board. “We feel very honoured that his family supports us,” he said. “The family views this as his fourth movie, a movie he never got to make. We do not intend to let his fans down.” says Antin Ernst. Zelda Williams, daughter of the late actor and comedian #RobinWilliams, accused the producers of “puppeteering the dead” while #LordoftheRings actor #ElijahWood tweeted a simple “NOPE” in response to the news, while #Avengers star #ChrisEvans wrote: “This is awful... the complete lack of understanding here is shameful.”

 

OVER AT THE FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE we are asking what your opinion on this?! . .. Should the Cushing Tarkin CGI appearance be seen as an interesting 'one-off' and a good try, totally necessary to help embellish and tell the story of Rogue One . . Is this a CGI trick too far, bringing James Dean, once more to the big screen??

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ROD HULL AND THE BLOOD BEAST TERROR!

PLEASE JOIN US IN WISHING . . . English comedian, actor, presenter, radio host, author, past King Rat and authority on the history of music hall entertainment. . . Roy Hudd, a very Happy 83rd Birthday Today 😊 Even though Roy's huge career has spanned many decades, in just about every medium, he is probably more known in the UK than overseas.. and he probably wouldn't want it any other way 😄 

READ ALL about Roy Hudd's time during the shooting of The Blood Beast Terror and working with Peter Cushing HERE!

ROY HUDD played a small role with Peter Cushing in the Tigon film, 'The Blood Beast Terror' as the black humored, morgue attendant. It was Roy's very first film role and back in 2014, he shared his memories of working with Peter and his time on the film, in our PCASUK Peter Cushing Remembered 20th Anniversary features, a link to which you'll find above! Roy added to his vast CV, a few years ago when he provided the narration to Don Fearney's 150 minute epic on the history of Amicus films! Have a great time and a wonderful birthday, Roy Hudd 😃

CATCH UP with Calum McKelvie's PCASUK feature on 'THE BLOOD BEAST TERROR' where Callum shares his thoughts on a film, that has always had a divided audience : HERE! 

CALLUM MCKELVIE'S CUSHING SUNDAY FEATURE: FLAMES GAMES AND PASSION! SHE HAS IT ALL!!

ANOTHER TRIP DOWN memory lane this week, examining a film that, although not strictly a horror picture, has become one of my all-time favourite Cushing roles. More than that it’s a film that represents what can be described as a ‘by-gon’e age of fiction, both literary and cinematically, that of the ‘Boys Own’ style adventure story. Produced in 1965, She was one of Hammer films most expensive productions and certainly one of their most lavish. Featuring an all-star cast, including ex-bond girl Ursula Andress as the title character, it’s a bold move for the studio and one that demonstrates that they really could compete with the big boys and weren’t just up to making horror pictures. I saw She during my early teens, when I became fascinated with the science fiction and fantasy of the Victorian age and of course the wonderful films of the 50’s and 60’s based on these works.

FROM THE EARLY 1950’s all the way to the mid 1970’s, there was a slew of science fiction, fantasy and adventure styled films based on the works of classic Victorian writers and adapted as period pieces. Amongst these were the works of such noted authors as H.G Welles, Jules Verne. Arthur Conan Doyle and the subject of todays piece H. Rider Haggard. These films were extravagant adventure films, with often fantastic set designs and equally superb casts. Amongst these films include such classics as Journey to the Centre of the Earth (1959), The Time Machine (1960), First Men in the Moon (1964), At The Earth’s Core (1976) and The Lost World (1960). 

DURING MY OBSESSION with this fascinating sub-genre I saw all of these and more, including films like Walt Disney’s wonderful adaptation of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. The latter is still one of my favourite films and James Masons portrayal is evident of the quality that was brought to this kind of film. It’s a genre that has, somewhat sadly, faded into the past. Partly this is due to the more dynamic difference between children’s and adult cinema, with family films now being dominated primarily by the Superhero genre. Also it can be connected to the dated colonial subtext of many of these films and their respective novels (though not all 20,000 Leagues is a wonderful piece of anti-colonial literature, with Nemo waging war against ‘that hated nation’).

MANY OF THESE FILMS helped me discovered the brilliant novels behind them and She is no exception. When I was first getting into Hammer, I purchased Marcus Hearn and Alan Barnes wonderful The Hammer Story, as something of a go-to guide. My Mother was fascinated upon discovering She was a Hammer film, it being something of a minor favourite of hers. That Christmas (along with The Reptile and Dracula: Prince of Darkness) 

I RECEIVED SHE as a gift and we watched it that boxing day. In my mind it’s still the perfect Boxing Day film, the mix of old fashioned adventure and pure wonder making great mid-afternoon viewing. Immediately I fell in love with Cushing’s portrayal of the character of Major Holly and the wonderful sincerity he brought to the role. When embarking on an exchange trip to Spain, I was inspired enough by the film to purchase the novel and well, I can safely say it’s a book that changed my life.

I HAVE SOMETHING of a theory that books read during ones formative years, if of significant quality will leave a lasting impression. Rider Haggard's She did that for me. Whilst certainly dated and having some….bizarre concepts (She herself being so beautiful that anyone who looks at her immediately falls in love- an idea thankfully scrapped in hammers film version) it’s still a wonderfully powerful exercise in fantasy. I have so many memories connected to that novel, reading it on the plane out loud to a friend and suddenly noticing that all the aisles surrounding me had gone quiet. Listening? Or wondering what the weird kid was doing reading out loud? I guess I’ll never know!

SADLY THOUGH, as grand and as wonderful as Hammers film version is, it simply couldn’t compete with the epic vistas presented in the novel. For the most part when reading there was very little I visualised from the film. I pictured a different woman to Ursula Andress (it may be sacrilege but I always found her portrayal a little stilted), the Balali of the novel is a kindly old man and so Christopher Lee was out too. All except Cushing. I’ve no idea if he read the book, though I suspect he did but he nails Rider Haggards portrayal instantly. Holly is the narrator and in many ways the main character of the novel and despite having slightly less to do in the film Cushing still manages to bring across the same sincerity and honesty that made him such a wonderful character.

ANOTHER SUNDAY CUSHING DOUBLE BILL RETURNS NEXT WEEK: JOIN US! 

DID YOU MISS CALLUM MCKELVIE'S SUNDAY CUSHING FEATURE LAST WEEK ON BRIDES OF DRACULA??? NO PROBLEM! THE CLIPS, GIFS AND RARE STILLS GALLERY ARE RIGHT HERE JUST CLICK THESE BLUE WORDS!

GIFS: EPIC CINEMA ON A BUDGET WITH A FINGER THIEF AND A THREE WEEK SHOOT!

#SILENTBUTDEADLYWEDNESDAY: THE 1960 FILM. 'SUSPECT' aka  'The Risk' was a tight little thriller, directed by Roy Boulting and John Boulting, with an excellent cast of Tony Britton, Virginia Maskell, Ian Bannen, Peter Cushing and Donald Pleasence. What started as a bet between the two brothers, to see if they could make a film, from page to screen in three weeks, when it was discovered the film they had recently completed had wrapped almost a month ahead of schedule. They grabed a property novel entitled,  A Sort of Traitors by Nigel Balchin, and the result was,  'Suspect' retitled in the US as 'The Risk'. Jeff Plumber got in touch to request one of this week's GIFS, as he has never got the chance to see the film, maybe a tinny GIF would be a great teaser. And in the GIF we have posted featuring Tony Britton as Doctor Robert Marriott and Peter Cushing as the tense, Professor Sewell, does the job, I think? Great choice Jeff. Thank you!

#SILENTBUTDEADLYWEDNESDAY: Here are two guys that back at the time when this film was made in 1965, were at the top of their profession. Bernard Cribben's on the left here played Major Holly's (Peter Cushing) valet, in something a little different from Hammer called, 'SHE'. At this time Cribbin's was hardly ever off the small screen in the UK. Starring in several of his own light entertainment shows, having hit novelty songs in the UK hit parade and guesting and appearing in all sorts of homegrown flicks and tv shows. He also starred with Cushing in 'Daleks Invasion earth, 2150 AD' which they made the following year. Cribbin's was a keen scuba-diver, and while on location in Israel, taught Cushing to fish and do the flipper thing! Despite a badly timed faux -par with the BBC at the beginning of the 60's, that affected his working relationship with the 'bods-in -suits' at the Beeb, Cushing was very busy, on both the tv, radio and the big screen. The first four years of the new decade brought some interesting roles.

OUR FEATURE AND GALLERY ON 'SHE' CAN BE FOUND : HERE!

CUSHING AND CRIBBIN'S, along with co-star Christopher Lee, probably though 'SHE' was going to be a few weeks in the sun and some excellent time to paint, swim, eat and see the sights. It was anything but... with Cribbin's being injured in his BUTT, and most of the crew and cast going down with 'unpredictable bowel' events.  'SHE' was produced by Hammer films in an attempt at producing something... EPIC! Producer Michael Carreras wasn't that keen on the spooky flicks, that made Hammer films famous, and he was desperate the make something that was family entertainment, with epic style. The problem was, Hammer never had EPIC money....! Still what we do get isn't far off the mark, and it's title star, Ursula Andress is not too shoddy either, filling the screen, in more ways than one, with her super-star charisma.  Many thanks to Danni Marx for this GIF request!

#SILENTBUTDEADLYWEDNESDAY: IF THERE IS ANTHING that the fairy-tales of our childhood tells us, it's... DON'T TAKE ANYTHING OR STEAL FROM THE BAD GUYS...don't eat that apple, don't take that drugged candy from the lady in the made of candy...and don't even try thinking about stealing that hen, that eggs those very expensive eggs! Peter Cushing's Prof Emmanuel Hildern, could add, 'never cut and take the finger from a eight foot tall fossilized skeleton!' Of course, if he had taken a look over his shoulder at his family, and their struggle with madness, the ruthless torment from his brother, Christopher Lee...he would have had a hunch, this wasn't going to work out well for him. 

'THE CREEPING FLESH' is a excellent film on all counts, wonderfully directed by Freddie Francis, who for a short spell only, woke up from his boredom with directing horror films,  this one tick all the boxes, but because of the timing of it's production, missed it's boat and glory, when the horror market in the UK had all but bled-out. Cushing is great at roles like Van Helsing and co where he gets to fight the evil, by means of quick thinking, Errol Flynn theatrics and strength, but he makes a superb foil for the fall too. Hildern does everything he shouldn't, and the final 20 mins of the film, sees him hunted by the films, bogey-man. If you have not caught this one yet, it was recently re-released in the US on Blu Ray. Look it up! GIF requested by Debbie Finson, who also asks, 'Can you explain what the ending means of The Creeping Flesh, please?' Debbie, I would love to, but..despite watching this several times, there's lots of clues, but the answer, I can't quite put my FINGER on it ....

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