BBC DRACULA 2020 ALIVE OR DOA? PLUS TERENCE FISHER REMEMBERED ON ANNIVERSARY OF HIS PASSING

SPOILERS: Back at the beginning in 2020 when some of us started to invest eye-ball time in a much promoted and anticipated production the BBC was rolling out, little did we know what was just around the corner for many of us, many of our friends and families.... and now, six months later, have I found time to catch up on trivial matter like entertainment. Last night I watched the BBC serial of Dracula, written by Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat, starring Claes Bang as Count Dracula and Dolly Wells as Sister Agatha Van Helsing, plus a ship load of other talented cast members. Back in January I had managed to watch episode one and two, but wrapping the series has been out of my reach since then, so watching from scratch, was he treat last night. It was certainly something different, written and created by two pretty obvious fans of Lee, Cushing and Hammer - Gatiss and Moffat! 

THERE'S LOTS OF NODS and visual paying tributes to Hammer, in-particular, 'Dracula AD 1972' and 'The Satanic Rites of Dracula' .. the last of the Cushing/Lee Hammer series of Dracula films. All lovingly presented, sneaked in or peeping around the corner 😏😊The climax of the series also presented elements of the iconic Cushing and Lee 'fight to the death' from the 1958 movie. All very good and full of twists and turns. I couldn't help thinking back to how maybe many of the Hammer fans felt when Dracula AD and Satanic was released! 'What is THIS???' 😆😉What is it? In my personal opinion, it's all good, exciting and a great turn on a classic and much loved horror-tale, often produced and presented in a modern turn, but of all such modern packages, this was certainly my favourite! Well done, Gatiss and Moffat! Over at the FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE, I've asked everyone to share their thoughts and opinions on the page post! It will be interesting to find out, what everyone thinks, having a few months to think about it!

REMEMBERING TERENCE FISHER TODAY who passed on this day in 1980. If you enjoy any of the better Hammer films of the 1950's and 60's . . this is the point, you doff your cap 😉 There can be few directors who worked for Hammer films, who did so much to develop that Hammer-in-house style. Terence Fisher, WAS Hammer. Along with Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee and the players who helped under pin the rich vision of fairy-tale come Gothic nightmare style. Even when the 'monsters' were 'shaky' the script, with more holes than a Swiss cheese... the look, pace and world beautifully styled by Fisher, just sat so well. The Curse of Frankenstein in 1957 was the first, it also lit the rocket that would spin Peter Cushing into a new and long lasting career within the fantasy genre and Christopher Lee, on scraping off the make up and anonymity as 'the monster', would soon don a cloak and a feral shocking performance as Dracula, that set him on path, for more Fisher, Cushing Hammer classics to come. The Mummy, The Gorgon, and The Hound of the Baskervilles, still stand, as maybe the best of Terence Fisher and Hammer. 

TERENCE FISHER was one of the most prominent horror directors of the second half of the 20th century. He was the first to bring gothic horror alive in full colour, and the sexual overtones and explicit horror in his films, while mild by modern standards, were unprecedented in his day. Fisher although aware of the terrifying elements of his Hammer films, would only smile when questioned about their shock factor, and answer...'I make wicked fairy tales...!' Fisher also along with Lee and Cushing, had a wicked sense of humor, hints of which can often been seen on the screen. Given their subject matter and lurid approach, Fisher's films, though commercially successful, were largely dismissed by critics during his career. It is only in recent years that Fisher has become recognised as an auteur in his own right . . .

CHRISTOPHER LEE AND VINCENT PRICE BIRTHDAYS CELEBRATED TODAY MAY 27TH 2020!

CELEBRATING TWO VERY SPECIAL BIRTHDAY'S TODAY! It was a fact the never seemed to not amuse all three of them, that Peter Cushing's birthday was May 26th, and BOTH #ChristopherLee AND #VincentPrice celebrated their birthdays on the following day, May 27th! How weird is it also that #BramStoker's novel '#Dracula' was published in 1897 on ... May 26th?!! A book that was more than an influence in one way or another, on all three of their careers?? 

ALL THREE WE KNOW are still very much missed and celebrated, we have many times asked this question of Peter's work, but can you remember the first film you ever saw which starred Christopher Lee ... and the first that starred Vincent Price..and are there any of their films you have still yet to see?? If you are planning a Christopher Lee or Vincent Price FILM BINGE today or on the weekend please share your idea of the #PERFECT #playlist, at the Facebook PCASUK Fan Page! I am sure many here would appreciate the suggestions, to make their #BINGE go with a #BANG!

MEANWHILE... please join us here and at THE FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE in remembering and celebrating BOTH Christopher and Vincent TODAY...Happy Birthday Gentlemen and Thank You! - Take Care everyone and stay well😉- Marcus

 

WHEN VINCENT PRICE SURPRISED CHRISTOPHER LEE, LEE SURPRISED CUSHING AND CUSHING SURPRISED LEE!

#HAMMERFILMSATURDAY: NOT A POST ON A HAMMER FILM as such, but certainly the emphasis is on shock and surprise! All three actors in this feature, relied on the power of surprise and of the unexpected, those golden rules were also the glue that held a television show like, 'THIS IS YOUR LIFE' together, and made it such a thrill to watch. The big question, after the initial netting of the programmes 'victim', was who was going to walk through the door and appear in the studio next?

THERE CAN'T BE MANY who have never seen the show, which was originally screened in the USA and  hosted by its creator and producer, Ralph Edwards. Christopher Lee was chosen as the shows subject on 3rd April 1974. At 51 years old, Lee still had a very long way to go and several major career defining roles at this point in his long life. The guests included  his wife, Gitte, daughter Christina, his mother, sister, brother, and fellow actors Peter Cushing, Vincent Price, Patrick Macnee, and Sammy Davis Jr. Lee who sometimes could be a little stiff and guarded in personal appearances on tv, looked relaxed and having a good time, thankfully a position that we would eventually see him adopt more often, as he got older.

BECAUSE OF WORK commitments, Christopher Lee was unable to attend Peter Cushing's 'The Is Your Life' tribute show in 1990. But he did record a message for his friend, whic was played to Cushing, during the recording of the show.

THE 'NO-SHOW' at the studio, for Peter's programme, surprised a few people. Often the show had a habit of showing a recording of a guest who could be there, for whatever reason.. and then bringing the same guest on from around the back...they were there all the time! But, sadly not in this case. The show was a great success, with much laughter from Peter, who waqs obviously enjoying himself. Maybe, a Cushing This Is Your Life should have happened sooner? Peter looked frail, many  guests who could have contributed much to the story of Peter's life, had long passed. Having said that, Joyce Broughton, in several interviews, always made the point of, Cushing telling her, 'If that show gets in touch, tell them no. Under no circumstances, no!' It''s worth noting that, Cushing DID know about the  planned recording weeks before, when he became so suspicious of Joyce's behavior, she had to tell him. If that was a good thing or not, you decide... 

RALPH EDWARDS APPROACHES, Price in a bookstore and says, 'It's good to see you are autographing a copy of your own book, 'A Treasury of American Art' ..and at no point does Vincent suspect anything is a-miss. 'Yes, that's right.' says Price, 'It's a wonderful book!' 'Well..' says Edwards, 'I have another book, with your name on it, right on the front cover!'....and at that point, starts to pull out, the BIG book from a plastic carrier bag. 'I REALLY don't believe it!' howls Price. And, another one heads off to '...a studio, just a few blocks away' to meet his family and friends, before the cameras. Price has a wonderful time, and his genuine warmth and love for the guests who appear, is plain to see.

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MAY THE FOURTH BE WITH YOU: TARKIN : SPEAKING OUT

#THROWBACKTHURSDAY: It really doesn't seem like a whole year, since last we celebrated #MAYTHEFOURTH #STARWARSDAY! But, here it is! Since last year, the biggest news for us here in our Cushing Star Wars Universe, has been the release of 'ROGUE ONE: A Star Wars Story', with inclusion of a CGI Grand Moff Tarkin in the cast, and the unprecedented interest in all things Peter Cushing! And what a mixed bucket of Ewoks, that has been. For over a year, we covered first the rumor, the clues, the hoaxes and finally, the reveal.

OUR BEST BET was always that actor Guy Henry, was in someway connected with the role and that CGI was also involved. The first story that appeared in the press, spun stories about CGI staff at Disney and Lucas film, digging around in the dusty film archives, looking for 'footage' of Peter Cushing legs and feet... which we also always suspected to be a step too far. Either way, what was archived was well worth the wait, and ROGUE ONE did indeed, come up the goods, as a more than worthy addition to the Star Wars sage. Now we wait, for 'The Last Jedi' and if whispers are to be believed, it too will be a smash! HAPPY STAR WARS DAY!

BEFORE "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story," 56-year-old English actor Guy Henry was best known for his work on the BBC and in classical theater (he was also Pius Thicknesse in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows"). But now he has played one of the "Star Wars" saga's best-known characters, even though his face was not in a single frame of the movie.Henry is the man and voice behind the most talked-about character in "Rogue One": Grand Moff Tarkin, who was brought to the screen through the magic of motion-capture computer graphics after being played by Peter Cushing in 1977's "Star Wars: A New Hope." Cushing died in 1994.

THE EVENTS in "Rogue One" happen just before what we see in "A New Hope," and to connect the dots, "Rogue One" director Gareth Edwards wanted to prominently feature Tarkin because of the character's role in the main plot point of both movies: the Death Star. But to do that, he and the team at Industrial Light & Magic decided to do something unprecedented: use a living actor to basically be the skeleton of their Tarkin and then replace the actor's face with a digital version of Cushing's.

ON MAY 5TH 2015, "Rogue One" casting director Jina Jay contacted Henry's agent and asked whether the actor could meet up for lunch in London with Edwards. "They chose a very secret lunch in one of the most public media places in town, the Dean Street Townhouse, which I thought was very clever of them," Henry recently told Business Insider of getting the role. "So we talked very quietly." In fact, Henry remembers that a table beside them recognized him from a show he does on the BBC and the diners came over to say hi. But this was one of the rare moments when visibility wouldn't help an actor land a role, since it was Edwards’ job at the lunch to persuade Henry to play the CGI Tarkin. "It was a very strange thing to get your head around," Henry said about the offer. "Normally as an actor you're presented to be another character, but there's another added complication here — it's me pretending to be Peter Cushing pretending to be Grand Moff Tarkin." Before Henry agreed to the role, he suggested that Edwards do a screen test of him, just to confirm the director's hunch that he would be right for the role. Henry acted out a Tarkin scene from "A New Hope," doing his best Cushing voice with his hair slicked back and makeup to make him look older.

EDWARDS WAS CONVINCED by what he saw, as were others at Disney and Lucasfilm. But Henry, who says he was always told he sounded more like his idol Peter O'Toole than Peter Cushing, was still very nervous when he agreed to take the job. "I wasn't comfortable throughout the whole process," said Henry, who spent a month of prep constantly watching Cushing's Tarkin in "A New Hope." "I was constantly plagued by the thought that I was going to be the tall idiot from London who let the whole thing down. When they look you in the eye and say, 'This has never been done before in the history of film, but we think we can do it,' you really don't want to muck it up. For them but also Peter Cushing, who was an actor that I always admired genuinely. I didn't want to go through this slightly weird process and let him down." Henry's Tarkin scenes were shot during principal photography in the summer of 2015. During his three-week schedule, a car picked him up at 4:30 a.m. every day for the hour-long drive to London's Pinewood Studios ("Rogue One" production was under the code name "Los Alamos"). 

AFTER PUTTING on the gray Imperial officer's uniform, Henry would then go to the makeup room where he would get his hair slicked back and a transparent mask with small holes all over it on his face. Then with a black eyeliner stick, the makeup artist would mark dots through the holes onto Henry's face. A person from ILM would then put the motion-capture dots over the marks on his face. Then right before a scene was about to start, a head cam would be placed on him, which would capture every facial movement Henry made.

BEFORE EVERY TAKE, Henry would repeat a Tarkin line from "A New Hope": "You would prefer another target? A military target? Then name the system." "It would just get me into the flow of the Cushing voice," Henry said of repeating the line. Henry would then perform the Tarkin scenes on the set with the other actors. Henry said he didn't always do the Cushing voice — sometimes Edwards would ask him to do takes "as Guy." "I did as much of a Peter Cushing [voice] with the rolling Rs as I could, which was f---ing difficult," Henry said. "I'm pleased that people don't find it a jarring voice and it seems to have worked, but I'm not a mimic. I did every take every day, including reshoots, and all along I just tried to do my best."

HENRY SAID THAT he actually told Edwards and the "Rogue One" producers numerous times that he would not be offended if they wanted to bring in a voice actor who could do a better Cushing voice. Henry even insisted on doing an ADR session during post-production so he could have another pass at the dialogue. "I can't pretend that it wasn't really frightening," he said. "When I offered the option of having someone else do the voice, they said, 'We don't want that, we want your performance, we chose you because of who you are, and we want you to inhabit the performance.' For better or worse, it's my performance." Henry wrapped on his three weeks, but that turned out to just be the start of his time on "Rogue One." With constant rewrites of the film's plot during production, along with reshoots, Henry said he was called back every other month or so up until November 2016. "I would always think, 'Back to the dots, back to the fear,'" Henry said.

ONE OF HENRY'S FAVOURITE moments was when Tarkin had to be his typical authoritative self and get under the skin of Krennic. "He gets into the mood and has got all guns blazing," Henry said of Mendelsohn's process. "So there was one scene where I play Tarkin particularly imperialist behind the camera to get him worked up, which I succeeded at beyond my wildest dreams. Ben thought I was looking at a monitor behind him, but in fact I was just being dismissive and he suddenly shouted, 'Don't look into the fucking monitor, Guy!' But honestly, we got along famously." Other than a brief look at a rough assembly of a Tarkin scene while the movie was in post-production (which eased his anxiety about what the filmmakers were trying to achieve), Henry didn't see the finished CGI Tarkin until he went to the film's London premiere a few weeks ago. Having to keep his involvement in the movie a secret to everyone he knew for over a year, he finally saw the fruits of his efforts. "I didn't eat all day," Henry said of the premiere. "I went in full of white wine and my heart in my mouth, but after the first Tarkin scene, I enjoyed it. I mean, I didn't get the whole script, so I was working in the dark. I was watching a film that I knew little about. I'm proud and relieved that it has been positive."

LUCASFILM received permission from the Cushing estate to show his likeness in the movie, and Henry said he had heard that Cushing's longtime secretary had seen "Rogue One" and enjoyed the Tarkin scenes. "If it had been done as a joke or a gimmick, that would have been stupid," Henry said when asked about the ethics issue. "But in this case it was an honorable attempt to tell a story with one of the most famous characters from the 'Star Wars' saga. I thought it was worth doing. If it doesn't impinge on the real living or dead person's sensibilities, I think it's another tool in the box. But I'm not in a hurry to repeat the process — I'll tell you that."

DESPITE THE anxiety around the role, Henry has no regrets and says the experience is unlike anything else he's done in his career. He looks forward to seeing the movie again — with less white wine in his system. 'I think it was an honorable tribute to Peter Cushing, and I'm very happy for that," he said.

(January 2017)

Interview Credit: HERE

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#HAMMERFILMSATURDAY: THE FAIREST BRIDE OF THEM ALL : HAMMER DOCUMENTARY

#HAMMERFILMSSATURDAY: FOLOWING the news of the sad passing of Yvonne Monlaur yesterday, I thought it would be a good time to revisit this very good documentary about the making of one of her best, The Brides of Dracula. There are interviews, including Yvonne, lots of stories, behind the scenes, the works. She really was a fine talent and a beautiful woman, with such a gentle attitude. Bless you, Yvonne....

WE WILL BE posting a in-depth feature on Yvonne Monlaur, her life and career, with rare stills gallery this week.

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#MONSTERMONDAY : DR LAWRENCE AND A SEPIA TRIBUTE

#MONSTERMONDAY: Peter Cushing's performance as Dr Lawrence in Tyburn films, 'The Ghoul' is exceptional, on many levels. I can't help wondering whenever I watch him in this role, how he manages to be involved in such bizarre and ruthless acts, and yet... I feel such pity for the character. Watching the story unfold, as Lawrence reveals his past, all skirts very closely to 'Art imitating Life', as both the Doctor and Peter Cushing emotionally crumple before our eyes. It could be called, a masterclass in using 'emotive memories' ...if it wasn't for the fact that, for Cushing like Lawrence, it wasn't about recalling the past...it was living with the loss and pain today....

ABOVE A FIRST for our YOUTUBE CHANNEL! As part of this week's #MONSTERMONDAY we present a film, made in the tradition of 'The Old Dark House', 'Psycho' and many many other 'thing in the attic' movies. 'The Ghoul' stands as one of three films that Peter Cushing made with Tyburn films. 'Legend of the Werewolf' and 'The Masks of Death' being the other two. All three films have a quality and pace that very much bucked the trend of the time, and producer Kevin Francis, should be acknowledged for having the back-bone, to present these films, in a style, standard and production value, that would have been considered, out of step by many. 

It is that style, that gives comfort and a quality, that was vanishing quicker than a vamp down a rat hole, at the first glimmer of sun-rise! Soon, all would be lost and stab, slash, scream and dismember would become the replacement for tension, suspense and a quality control hold on the body count. Having said that, many could and do site The Ghoul, as one of the very early slasher movies. Maybe so, but with the presence of Peter Cushing, the ageless beauty of Carlson and Bastedo and the bumpkin weirdness of the late, John Hurt.... things never slip so far as to become blood-lusty and just bad taste. The Ghoul is Kevin Francis homage to all those classics, where, just the THOUGHT of what could be in that room, out-strips the reveal of a million masked, chopper swinging, chain-saw buzzing, yawn fests, parts one, two, nine and TEN! It's a great shame that Tyburn had to leave us so soon, we were on the edge of our seats and just getting comfy! 

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 reach our 30K following total for Peter Cushing BIRTHDAY on MAY 26th 2017 AND Help Keep The Memory Alive!

#FRANKENSTEINFRIDAY: LEE ON LEARNING AND CUSHING THE HEART THROB

#FRANKENSTEINFRIDAY : CHRISTOPHER LEE on his time with Hammer films  and The Curse of Frankenstein, and what can be learned by just watching!

#‎frankensteinfriday‬ This a pretty neat shot from Cushing's 'The Evil of Frankenstein'... I guess there is more than one way for an actor to 'faint' or pass out..or as in this case, DROP out! But if you look at the framing and the position of the actor playing the guard here ...it's either Anthony Blackshaw or David Conville...even in his passing out, he frames himself beautifully, getting the most from his screen time...

Here's a great wrap for this week's #frankensteinfriday. This CUSHING TRIBUTE VIDEO was made a while ago and shared on our Peter Cushing Facebook Fan Page on New Year's Eve last year. It set hearts a flutter and the song by 'Girl In  A Coma, is pretty neat too!

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PAID AT LAST! PETER CUSHING AND MORECAMBE AND WISE

In a final BIRTHDAY TRIBUTE to Eric Morecambe, here is the episode where Peter finally did get his MONEY!

RISE OF THE FALLEN : STAR WARS TRIBUTE : DOOKU AND TARKIN

 

What do you think of this terrific tribute artwork from a new friend to the page, David Burk? Wonderful concept. Would have been a real treat to have seen this one....

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HORROR CHANNEL CHRISTOPHER LEE TRIBUTE NIGHT

The Horror Channel is to dedicate a whole night’s programming to the cinematic legacy of Christopher Lee who died on June 7th. On July 2nd from 9pm they'll be bringing you four of Christopher Lee’s finest pieces; THE DEVIL RIDES OUT, DRACULA PRINCE OF DARKNESS, SCARS OF DRACULA and TO THE DEVIL A DAUGHTER. Stewart Bridle, Horror Channel’s manager said today: “'We feel the movies chosen for the night represent some of his most iconic characters and performances during his time with Hammer Films and in the horror genre. Watching these you realise why he was so highly respected as a fantastic character actor who could both be a stoic hero and also a terrifying villain. He will be greatly missed but he lives on through his amazing legacy of movies”. So, be sure to make a date in your diaries and set your recorders....