2013, as any self-respecting Peter
Cushing fan is aware, marks what would have been the one hundredth birthday of
the great man. Those of us who grew up
watching faded, often cut versions of his signature films on TV have become
spoiled in recent years by the glut of DVD releases – and now, with the advent
of Blu-ray and high definition, we’re becoming more spoiled still. To date, only a comparatively small sample of
Cushing’s films have hit the shiny new format. Inevitably, some of the bigger
projects with which he was associated were among the first to garner Blu-ray
releases. Now that Christmas is right
around the corner, it might be a good time to consider which Cushing titles are
available in the new format – just in case you’re looking to treat yourself or
a loved one to a bit of Cushing for the holidays. The following list is not meant to be comprehensive,
as a decision has been made to focus more on his horror output, but chances are
good that the Star Wars buffs among you have already upgraded to Blu-ray,
anyway….
The Curse of
Frankenstein (Lionsgate; Region B/Region 2 Blu-ray/DVD combo) – The film that
started it all, this has also been rather shabbily treated on home video. VHS releases were badly faded, a DVD release
from Warner Bros. was over-matted. So
how does the Blu-ray fare? So-so, truth
be told, but happily the good outweighs the bad. On the downside, the materials are still a
bit faded and the folks at Hammer elected to minimize the print damage by going
for a softer-looking image. The end
result is frustrating: the restored eyeball footage is lovely to behold, but it
doesn’t emerge looking nearly as good as the format might allow. Even so, it’s a perfectly watchable transfer
that will have to do until a proper (and expensive) restoration is undertaken…
if ever. The disc gives on the option of
watching the film open matte/full frame or in the 1.66 aspect ratio; the former
provides more visual information, inevitably, while the latter seems rather
tight. The disc is loaded with extras,
including a touching tribute to Cushing and a marvelous audio commentary by Marcus
Hearn and Jonathan Rigby.
Dracula
(Lionsgate; Region B/Region 2 Blu-ray/DVD combo) – The most iconic of Hammer’s
horror films, Dracula was fully restored in association with the British Film
Institute and had some legendary “lost” footage reinstate… and yet it still became
one of the most controversial home video releases of the year. Viewers going by 50+ year old memories of
seeing the film in 1958 swore up and down that the Blu-ray did a poor job of
replicating Jack Asher’s color schemes, while others praised it for its
increased detail and richness. I fall
into the latter camp, admittedly, and the disc emerged as one of my favorites
of the year. Viewing options include the
original BFI restoration (which does not include the cut scenes, which were
unearthed after the fact) and Hammer’s subsequent in-house restoration; the
latter incited the wrath of many viewers for having a “modern” blue hue; the
former seems to have been embraced by those who couldn’t tolerate the look of
Hammer’s restoration. Extras are again
copious, with yet another informative audio commentary by Hearn and Rigby and
the surviving reels of the legendary “Japanese print” which includes a bit of
footage from Dracula’s demise which somehow didn’t make it back into the final
restoration.
The Mummy (Icon;
Region B/Region 2 Blu-ray/DVD combo) –
It doesn’t tend to get the same love as the first two Hammer Gothics, but
there’s a persuasive case to be made that The Mummy was the film where director
Terence Fisher and his crew finally nailed the formula down pat. The film moves at a great clip, despite some
awkward transitions in the screenplay, and it looks like it cost ten times as
much as it really did. The new
restoration is a thing of beauty: detailed, sharp and colorful. For once, the online critics had little to
complain about here, making this the clear cut “winner” of the “vintage” Hammer
Blu-ray releases.
The Brides of Dracula (Final Cut –
Region FREE Blu-ray/DVD combo) – Final Cut’s release of Hammer’s most visually
sumptuous Gothic took a lot of flak for its inaccurate aspect ratio. Yes, the 2:1 ratio is off – and yes this
deserves to be reported. On the upside,
however, the overzealous over-matting is at the bottom of the frame, making it
– for all intents and purposes – negligible to the human eye. The transfer is otherwise nicely detailed,
with ample grain and robust colors.
There’s also a fun making of documentary narrated by Edward De Souza,
but a commentary track would have been appreciated as well. Still, nitpicks to one side, this is a
handsome presentation of a gorgeous looking movie.
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The Evil of Frankenstein (Final Cut Region FREE Blu-ray/DVD combo) Aspect ratio issues do not bog down this
release, as the film is presented in its intended 1.85 framing. Colors are again vivid and the image is as
detailed as John Wilcox’s sometimes (deliberately) hazy cinematography will
allow. Extras are a little light, once
again, but the film’s the thing – and it’s well served in this presentation.
The Skull (Paramount/Legend – Region
A Blu-ray) – It’s a funny thing, but for years the only way to see The Skull
was via pan and scan TV prints.
Paramount showed little interest in releasing it until the 1990s, at
which point it was issued on VHS – in a pan and scan version. Happily, things changed when they finally
released the film in its full 2.35 glory to DVD – and then to Blu-ray, where it
was paired with Terence Fisher’s The Man Who Could Cheat Death. The Skull is far and away the better film of
the two – and happily it gets the better transfer, to boot. The full scope framing allows one to
appreciate Freddie Francis’ most creative and stylish film as it was intended;
the transfer is sharp and colorful, with the grain intact that one would expect
from the Techniscope process.
Dr. Who and the Daleks/Daleks:
Invasion Earth 2150 – (Studio Canal – Region B Blu-ray) – Cushing’s Dr. Who
films are an acquired taste, much like his portrayal of the character
himself. Suffice it to say, I don’t
count myself among the fans of either film (or performance) – but that’s no
slag against the wonderful presentations of these films by Studio Canal. The image looks terrific throughout on both
films, and extras again allow one a glimpse into the making of these juvenile
sci-fi adventures.
Corruption (Grindhouse – Region FREE
Blu-ray/DVD combo) – Cushing’s most notorious film, this is a low budget/no
class rip off of the Georges Franju masterpiece Eyes Without a Face, with
Cushing in the role of the obsessive doctor trying to restore a loved one’s
lost beauty. The film is a mess, pure
and simple, but Cushing elevates it with one of his finest performances. Grindhouse deliver one of the best releases
of the year with this truly comprehensive package: it includes not only the
familiar release which played in the US and the UK, but a stronger “export”
edit with some truly startling extra footage, including a scene of Cushing
savagely beheading a topless prostitute and rubbing blood over the girl’s
exposed breasts! The film has its
champions and it’s wonderful to finally have it presented in such a loving
manner. By this point it no doubt reads
like I’m getting a bribe for every time I reference Jonathan Rigby’s commentary
tracks, but they really are that good – and here he is paired with the equally
knowledgeable and enthusiastic David Miller.
The two men give a tremendous insight into the making of the film and
manage to convey real enthusiasm for it without coming off like brain dead fan boys.
The Blood Beast Terror (Odeon –
Region B Blu-ray; Redemption – Region A Blu-ray) – Cushing once referred to
this as the worst film he ever made; harsh words and not entirely deserved, as
this admittedly daffy concoction involving a life size killer moth still has
some entertainment value, especially compared to some of the other dogs he
leant his name to. Both Blu-ray releases
look comparable in terms of image quality, but the Odeon release wins out by
virtue of the bonus features: an interview with co-star Wanda Ventham and a
lively and informative commentary track by Jonathan Rigby and David Miller.
The Vampire Lovers (Shout! Factory – Region A) –
Shout! Factory have released some of the best “cult” Blu-ray releases of the
past couple years, but they didn’t exactly set the world on fire with their
release of The Vampire Lovers. The film
itself is a bit of a snooze, from my point of view, but it has some memorable
moments and better production values than most of the other Hammer horrors shot
at this time. The transfer looks a
little soft and doesn’t mark a truly significant upgrade from the old MGM DVD
edition, but it is reportedly vastly superior to the Region B release from
Shock in Australia. Extras include the
commentary with director Roy Ward Baker and star Ingrid Pitt
(both now sadly deceased) from the DVD release, and a new interview with
co-star Madeline Smith, who seems a bit ashamed of the film.
Twins of Evil (Synapse – Region A/Region 1 Blu-ray/DVD
combo) – Synapse has established a reputation for doing meticulous work on
their releases, so it came as a surprise when their release of Vampire Circus
came under fire for being too dark and murky.
Fans were therefore cautiously optimistic when Twins of Evil was due to
be released… and happily the end result was met with considerably more
enthusiasm. The film is one of Hammer’s
best latter day features and offers Cushing at his most intense as the pious
religious zealot, Gustave Weil. Extra
features include a feature-length making of retrospective, with feedback from
many of the film’s surviving participants, including director John Hough.
Horror Express (Severin – Region
B/Region 1 Blu-ray/DVD combo) – Horror Express, long consigned to the bargain
bin of public domain releases, finally got something of an overhaul thanks to
the good folks at Severin. This most
enthralling of the many films co-starring Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing
evoked the Hammer aesthetic of being a low budget production with plenty of
production gloss, and the two actors are clearly having a ball bouncing the
many witty one-liners off of one another.
Severin’s transfer failed to utilize the full bit rate and resulted in
some anomalies in the image, but truth be told – it’s still a pretty good
looking transfer, and it certainly blows other editions out of the water. Extras include interviews with the director
and the composer.
Frankenstein and the Monster from
Hell (Shock – Region B/Region 1 Blu-ray/DVD combo) – As alluded to above, it
would seem that Shock rushed these last Hammer titles through – and the end
result is a gorgeous looking and fully uncut version of Hammer’s most notorious
Gothic… in PAL, which results in a higher pitch to the soundtrack and an
abbreviated running time. Is it a deal
breaker? It depends on how you look at
it. Until this was pointed out to me, I
was championing this as a top notch release.
Now I’m aware of the problem and must dock it points accordingly… but
it’s still the best I’ve ever seen the film look, and the restored gore is most
welcome. Extras include a featurette on
director Terence Fisher (this was to be his last film) and a new commentary
with Shane Briant, Madeline Smith and Marcus Hearn. It may have been a licensing issue, but it
would also seem likely that the commentary from the old Paramount DVD (with
Smith and David Prowse, who plays the monster in the film) was dropped as it
wouldn’t have been in synch with the PAL image. Cautiously recommended,
nevertheless, as there is no announcement of a UK release on the horizon – and
Paramount has shown zero interest in releasing it in the States.
And there you have it – an eclectic group of
titles, to be sure. There are some
significant ones still missing in action, and one remains hopeful that the new
year will see at least a few of them – ranging from The Revenge of Frankenstein
and The Hound of the Baskervilles to The House That
Dripped Blood and Dracula AD 1972 – popping up in newly remastered
editions.
Written by Troy Howath
Images Marcus Brooks
