NEWS:
US Label Scream Factory have announced they are to put out Hammer's
Dracula Prince Of Darkness (1966) starring Christopher Lee., Francis Matthews and Barbara Shelley.
ON THE FACE OF IT a REMASTERING of any Hammer Film is always good news, especially if it stars Christopher Lee! But, as sales of some of the Hammer catalogue have proved in the past, the releasing of a title that has already been released many times before, is a gamble. The success of the Warner Brothers box set a few years ago, was a blu ray triumph. Even though the package didn't include any extras, the titles themselves and the REGION ZERO option that they gambled, made the whole deal worth every penny. Already the news has been shared at our FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE and the response is mixed. Maybe the extras, when finalised, will hopefully give this release, the chance to empty the stocks, and encourage other Hammer titles to get the same remastered treatment?
THE DETAILS SO FAR . . . • Official street date is December 18th for U.S. and Canada territories (Region A) • Release will come with a slipcover (guaranteed for three months after its original release date) •
The newly-commissioned artwork pictured comes to us from artist Mark
Maddox. This art will be front-facing and the reverse side of the wrap
will showcase the original theatrical poster art design. •
Extras are still underway and will be announced later in Nov. We are
reconfirming today though that we have an all-new High-Def transfer in
the works.
#PETERCUSHING#COLLECTORS
Wednesday! OK This week I am sharing a rare black and white CONTACT
SHEET from Hammer films 1973, The Satanic Rites of Dracula. As usual, this is our FREE weekly full hi res upload, as seen on our our PCAS FACEBOOK FAN PAGE available for you today, for you to download. These NINETEEN exposures from the Hammer films
on set stills cameraman, feature shots taken during the shooting of two
scenes from the film, the Vampire's in the Cellar scene, with Joanna
Lumley and Valerie Van Ost and Van Helsing visiting Professor Julian Keeley played by Peter Cushing and Freddie Jones.
HI RES CONTACT SHEET ABOVE: RIGHT CLICK AND COPY!
WHAT IS A CONTACT SHEET? A contact sheet is a positive print of all the negative images from one film, made by a contact printing process so that all the images are the same size as the negative. A contact sheet is a useful way of seeing which are the best images on a film so you can decide which ones to make enlargements from. During the production the unit photographer was responsible for capturing
thousands of still shots while the movie cameras were running. Some of the
photos would offer a different angle to the motion picture camera. In other
cases, the photographer would stand next to a movie camera operator. And some
of the shots would be behind the scenes with actors and directors. After the final production still shots were taken each day, the roles
of film negatives were placed on contact sheets (created by laying the negatives
on a piece of printing paper and exposing them to light to create a set of
mini prints the same as the film frames) (IMAGE) The contact sheets were then
forwarded to the publicity department. The Publicity Department could then
view the full roll of 36 images at one time with a “ring” or magnifying
glass. Publicity Department –The Publicity
Department was, among other things, responsible for generating early publicity
about a film, including providing information to magazines and publications.
In addition, they were responsible for providing the Advertising Department
with information necessary to create the film’s promotional materials.
The publicity department would review the contact sheets and select images
for specific purposes, such as creating a key set, keeping track and providing
exclusive images to magazines and publications, and sending the advertising
department information necessary to begin preparation of promotional materials.
Key Set Creation - After a review
by the publicity department, the better images were picked to become part
of a key set. The selected images are numbered by placing an assigned number
by the studio for that particular film, called the production number, and
then a dash and the assigned individual still number. THIS is called the
Production Code number.
ABOVE: Our Collectors Wednesday post from TWO weeks ago, posted here and at our PCAS FACEBOOK FAN PAGE.. It was a pretty cool concept, but was ultimately ruined by Facebbok quashing the post...thanks facebook!
The selected stills were then printed and placed into the key set
binder. The rejects are skipped over and left unnumbered. The negatives
and contact sheets were then filed. These may be pulled at a later date
when someone wants something different. By the end of the shooting, this 'key set' would normally be hundreds
of the better still shots to be used in a variety of ways by the publicity
department. The stills used in this 'key set' would have numbers put on
the still to help the publicity department identify and keep up with the
different stills. They were kept in large bound books that could be used
at any time for reference.
Exclusive Use –
Major magazines and publications would quite often want exclusive photos
to do an article on the upcoming film. This was a tremendous way for the
film to get FREE publicity. To accommodate them, the publicity department
would put a hold on numerous stills and send over a group for the editor
to choose from. Once the exclusives were picked, the tags would be removed
from those images not selected so they could be used for other purposes
I BELIEVE, Tom Edwards was the stills photographer on Satanic
Rites. He had a very good eye for a great shot, and worked on other
Cushing Hammer films like, 'Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell'. As
I have mentioned before, each cell, photograph here would make a great
pic for your collection, printed off would look great in a frame, the
high res would also make a great poster too. The majority of the shots
on this contact sheet, have rarely been officially published, as often
just one or two from this studio contact sheet would have been chosen
for press packs and promotion. I hope you like what I have shared so
far? Have fun 🙂 Marcus
REMEMBER! 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
#MOMENTOFTERRORMONDAY!
Carrying on....from the werewolf themed films featured in yesterday's Weekend Double
Feature here at the website, I've pulled the final moments from 'Legend of the
Werewolf' (1975) for this weeks, #CUSHINGMOMENTOFTERROR MONDAY!. As most of us here know, it's one half of a pair of
films, that #PeterCushing
made with Tyburn films in the mid 1970's... a nice little thriller /
horror film made in the style of films that were made twenty years or
so, BEFORE this one. At the time this film was made, the film industry
in the UK was in pieces, despite CEO Kevin Francis making a few features
with his company Tyburn, plans to produce other movies, were shelved
and the two Tyburn terrors, both starring #PeterCushing, still awaiting a legit dvd or blu ray release, becoming maybe two of the 'most wanted' on most PC's fans film wish list.
REMEMBER! 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
#THROWBACKTHURSDAY! REPACKAGING Cushing and Hammer films classic films for new sales and
audiences, sometimes throws up the most interesting box designs . . .
what do we think of the covers of these two #HAMMERFILM classics: #bridesofdracula and #eviloffrankenstein ???
UPDATE:AN INTERESTING comment on our PCASFACEBOOK FAN PAGE from ZAK PEARSON who says, : 'I don't know why these companies don't just use the original posters,
gorgeous lush hand painted posters already in existence, rather than
these very clinical designs?'.
WE ANSWERED:' . . .Some
of the films the media rights, posters, stills actually are not
included in the license of having rights to distribute the film.
Although many dvd and blu ray distributors flaunt this fact when they
include the stills and posters in the extras... in the case of many of
Hammers films films, the media rights are owned by a completely
different company, to who owns the rights of the actual film . .. and
some differ from country and territory . .to use the poster on the
cover, would mean an paying extra lolly, so easier and cheaper, to have a new and bespoke design for the release . .'
#THROWBACKTHURSDAY:WHAT AN INTERESTING, unusual painting and study for artists Sharon Wong
to have painted...? I had to share it with you today . . .I have added
quote by Peter's late wife, Helen Cushing on her observations about
Peter, from the very first time she met him...and fell in love. . .
taken from Peter's autobiography, it may have provided the inspiration
for the painting perhaps? What do you make this? - Marcus
#THROWBACKTHURSDAY! AND FINALLY, here's a smashing photograph of actress KATE O'MARA, standing outside the WATFORD ODEON CINEMA back in October 1970, posing with poster of Hammer films, 'THE VAMPIRE LOVERS', in which she starred with Ingrid Pitt, Peter Cushing and Douglas Wilmer. Good for her!
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 . .
#REQUESTED IMAGES: Following our giveaways of RARE #Hammerfilms#Dracula
images earlier today, I received a few messages of requests for colour rare
images from Hammer films, 'Taste the Blood of Dracula' (1970) I can
only post these few at this time, as I am assisting with extras for a BR
release of the film, that is being released in the next few weeks, I
guess. MORE NEWS and INFO news, as they tell us....!
ANTHONY HIGGINS and Linda Hayden, trap Christopher Lee's DRACULA on the altar,
in 'Taste the Blood of Dracula' (1970) Colour transparency. Gail
Joyner, this is for you!
AND
HE IS ...GONE! This is a colour transparency of the altar set after
Dracula's demise in 'Taste the Blood of Dracula' (1970) Note the gold
clasp medallion on the cloak. T Beeson, this is for you
FOR MICHELLE DOLLAN who requested any unreleased work from the amazing
artist , the lateTom Chantrell, who was responsible for...and appeared
in many..cinema and publicity posters for Hammer films. This one, again
is Taste the Blood of Dracula, and example of a concept for the cinema
poster, that has elements of what actually appeared in the competed
poster artwork.. and yes, that IS Tom in the poster..!
AND FINALLY, A LARGE AND RARE transparency of Christopher Lee
in 'Taste the Blood of Dracula' (1970) Lee had a leaner look in this,
in the 1958 Dracula / Horror of Dracula, Dracula AD 1972 and The Satanic Rites of Dracula . . . Paul Miles, this is for you
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
