#CHRISTOPHERLEESATURDAY! Christopher Lee as, August in the 2011 film, 'THE RESIDENT' a role for Lee, that was seen by many, as a welcome return to Hammer films. The Hammer connection though, was also a very sticky point when the film was released. Many Lee and Hammer fans, didn't see or credit this roel as a RETURN at all, only that Hammer was now far removed from the lone and iconic production company of yesterday. Many argued that THE RESIDENT was produced by a Hammer films, that was a consortium of businesses, that it wasn't a sole Hammer film production and that Hammer was just a name! Does the fact that Hammer films had changed and that several hands were producing the films, take away the link between Christopher Lee appearing in what appeared to 'the public' to be a celebrated reunion? This isthe question we are asking today at the Facebook PCASUK FAN PAGE! Please feel free to join the debate, and add your opinion on this too!
#CHRISTOPHERLEE Saturday! Aged 85, and out and about in town in 2007, is Christopher Lee! 😊
Look closely and you'll see he is carrying some DVD's in his hand. Over at the Facebook PCAS FAN PAGE we've asked those of you who are keen eyed film collectors, IF they can identify the title of that
dvd? 😉
CATCH UP with all the details on Warner Brothers REMASTERED blu ray releases of THE SATANIC RITES OF DRACULA and DRACULA AD 1972 : Reviewed : animated GIFS, photographs and screen captures!
BY THE WAY, did you know that the name of Dracula's 'hang out' Pelham
House in 'Satanic Rites' was an 'in-joke reference' to Hammer films CEO
Sir James Carreras home of residence, Pelham Place in London? 'Satanic
Rites' was Sir James' last production with Hammer films.
#GETTHECUSHIONITSCUSHING : One day, in another life, wearing another hat, I was in London, on the Thames embankment, yes the one where we see Cushing's Van Helsing pause for taking a breath in Dracula AD 1972. I was taking a large group of my students, on a field trip visit to MOMI, the Museum of the Moving Image. This was my first trip there. But, I had been told by many others, that it would be very worth-while and full of useful resources to film students. PLUS, some close friends who knew me and my hobbies very well, hinted that somewhere inside, was a little 'something', that I would really appreciate! How could resist? After getting 30 students through the box office, producing mutiple-prebooked tickets, each student was dispatched with worksheets and tasks, to keep the 'little darlings' busy for the best part of an afternoon, leaving me free to wander my way through the exhibits, interactions and displays. It was a vast building, and the museum was split into each 'Cinema Through A Decade' at a time. You walked into each decade area, through the door of a facade of a cinema of that era. In the early 1900's exhibit, you entered through a large opening in a tent, that represented, the traveling cinemas of the time.
I MADE MY WAY INTOthe early 'glasshouse studios' of France, and the hand cranked cameras of the 1920's, until I walked through the box office and frontage of a London cinema of the 1930's. After twenty minutes, I came upon the 'something' my friends, had hinted about. Inside a glass case, was the actual Boris Karloff, lighting double dummy. Now looking a little tatty, but the genuine article. It was an impressive thing to see. I thought about my friends, and how they would have come upon it, when they visited, and how they probably all gave each other 'the nod', and chorused, 'Wow, you know who would like this! Ha!'. And, I did. It was certainly worth the price of the admission alone. I stood looking at it, for about twenty minutes, and made my way through the 1940's section. It was then I heard music in the distance. Faintly, just above the clashing voices, narrations and music from the other exhibits. It was a snare drum, and strings... 'diddle, diddle, dum. Diddle, diddle dum, ..dum..dum, dum, dum, dum, dum, DAH, DAH...! I knew that rhythm! But, it couldn't be? I turned on my heals and rushed across the hallway, towards a corner ahead, around where, I thought that music was coming from. I turned the corner, and stopped in my tracks! Before me, I saw the huge facade of an Odeon 1950's cinema building, and outside the doors stood a very smart conseiage, above him and above the huge ODEON sign, a cinema screen, and on it . . . .
THE LAST THREE MINUTES OF HAMMER FILMS 1959, DRACULA! At that time, like many, I had seen the scene unfold hundreds of times on my TV, but NEVER had I seen it, on a cinema screen! I stood, peering up at the screen. Cushing running down the large refractory table, jumping at the curtains, Christopher Lee's scream and gasp of horror..and my gulp of emotion. I am not ashamed to admit it, I was profoundly moved. For me, it's probably the most iconic of all the scenes, from any and all the Hammer films. As a ten year old, I listened to it's soundtrack, on my battered reel to reel tape recorder, which was given to me by my uncle, because I wouldn't let up nagging him, until he gave it to me! Then, I transferred that recording onto an audio cassette. This was before the age of video, so a selection of images from the scene in a US magazine, would be poured over, while listening to the cassette! Then, VHS.
DRACULA'S TUMBLE-WEED OF DEAD HAIR, drifted across the marble floor, as I looked to my right and left, I was surprised to see, a small crowd had gathered around me, all quietly watching the scene too. The titles were now moving up the screen. I sighed, and still looking up at the screen, took two steps back, before turning and almost colliding with a tall, thin face man, who had also been watching the scene up there too. 'Good, wasn't it?' he said smiling. Startled, I stepped back, catching my balance, I looked up one more time at the screen. 'Yes!' I said. 'It was VERY good' I watched the picture fade to black. 'Are you are a fan? A fan of.. Peter Cushing?' I turned to catch his answer. But he was gone!
'Van Helsing pursues Dracula through the castle, accompanied by James Bernard's insistent chase theme. Dracula catches Van Helsing and tries to throttle him, Van Helsing tricks Dracula by playing dead. Then, in the nick of time, he leaps up. The vampire and the vampire hunter stand off like tigers. Then Van Helsing makes his final move. . . .
'As Dracula decays, Van Helsing's haunted expression conveys a mixture of exhaustion, revulsion, sadness and relief. Cushing later explained his own feelings about that shot : 'I was reading a review of the film, from a critic who said, '...at the end of Dracula, there is a look of sadness on Van Helsing's face. He has suddenly achieved his life's quest, and now what is he going to do? I can tell you that I didn't have that in my mind at all, when we were shooting the film. I stood there and run my hand through my hair and look down out of exhaustion. But the critic was absolutely right. Something in me was communicating that to the audience, and the audience fills in the rest!'
#ONSETSATURDAY:'The Count from Sesame Street' on the set of Hammer films, 'Dracula / Horror of Dracula' starring Peter Cushing and Christophger Lee. . . . .
AND LEGO . . . .
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This week's #monstermonday
features WANDA VENTHAM as the 'terror' factor of the title, 'The Blood
Beast Terror'. It's an interesting film, with a monster that never truly
gets the screen time or during production, the money invested in its
look! The film also features a performance from our man that often gets
overlooked. His Detective Inspector Quennell has some very nice touches,
and Cushing slips in some lovely black comedy. Robert Flemyng steps in
for a absent Basil Rathbone, and Vanessa
Howard makes a great naive teenage daughter, for PC, wide eyed and
fluttering lashes...and talking of fluttering, without giving too much
away, Wanda's Death Head moth, isn’t that bad, I have seen much worse.
So, a performance from PC that's definitely
worth a watch, good supporting cast...and the monster? The jury is still
out on that one. What do you think?
Earlier today, launched our competiton on facebook and here at the website. You can now try your luck at winning your very own #SCREENBOUND blu ray or dvd remastered release of the film. HERE is the competiton, if you have missed it. It closes MONDAY 8th MAY 2016 at MIDNIGHT!
JOIN US A THE PETER CUSHING APPRECIATION SOCIETY FACEBOOK FAN PAGE! UPDATED EVERY DAY! RARE VINTAGE PHOTOGRAPHS, FEATURES COMPETITIONS, NEWS AND MUCH MUCH MORE: JUST CLICK : HERE
And before you know it, it's FRIDAY again! Which for us, means #frankensteinfriday ! So, as usual here's our #frankenstein themed post. A bit of a teaser for you this week. See if you can make the connection between these beautiful photographs of actress #VERONICACARLSON and the actress/singer #DANAGILLESPIE . All I will say is, it's an interesting one! I'll be posting the answer, later!
Death Waltz Recording Company is proud to exhume another classic from
the Hammer horror stable in the shape of Dracula A.D. 1972. Bringing the
legend of Bram Stoker's immortal creation into then-present day, the
film pits the charismatic Count up against the disco decade after being
resurrected by a group of hippies performing black magic, with
Cristopher Lee and Peter Cushing reprising their signature roles.
Composing this madness was Mike Vickers, former member of 60's pop quiet
Manfred Mann, who provided a suitably contemporary score that followed
in the footsteps of jazz scores from that era.
Pressed on 180g psychedelic splatter vinyl housed inside a 425gsm gatefold sleeve designed by Silver Ferox. One off pressing of JUST 1000 units.
