NEWLY SOURCED CHRISTOPHER LEE INTERVIEW ON SET OF 'DRACULA HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE'

OVER AT UK Peter Cushing Appreciation society Facebook Fan Page we have just shared a 'cracker ' of a newly source VINTAGE INTERVIEW with #CHRISTOPHERLEE shot on the set of Hammer films latest addition to their DRACULA series, 'DRACULA HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE' in 1968. Lee talks about his Hammer films up to this point, the make used in playing his first role for Hammer with Peter Cushing, the creation in 'The Curse of Frankenstein' in 1957 and how he thinks Dracula is NOT a horror character, and how difficult he finds it to play the Count!' It's great to see Lee quite sparky and at the top of his game! You can go straight to this post at the FAN PAGE on what is our WEEKLY Christopher Lee Saturday! :  HERE!

MORE DRACULA but of a different kind...TODAY we also remember actor DAVID PEEL who was born today 19th June 1920. There are few who have made such an impact as Peel. He only appeared in ONE film for Hammer films and I believe only appeared in one film with Peter Cushing.  

ONLY ONE ROLE, one film and yet, enter VAMPIRE HAMMER into google images, and he will appear in most of the pages. Despite the success long after The Brides of Dracula was made...audiences felt a little cheated that it was a DRACULA film, without Dracula!....I suspect that Peel wasn't impressed with either the film or the subject matter. It is good to see today and for the past few years, fans and critics alike now warming to Peel's playing of the Baron. It is sad he is no longer with us though, to see that reward . . .

AN UNHAPPY MAN, with troubles and issues. You probably know, he left the industry early on and went into antiques and real estate, but life for Peel was certainly difficult. We remember him today though, for that one Hammer film and the impressive performance as Baron Meinster, the boy vampire who certainly pushed the boundaries of vampire film!

KINO FLESH AND THE FIENDS BLU RAY WITH EXTRAS PLUS VINTAGE HAMMER POSTERS FOR SALE! BUT HOW MUCH ARE THEY WORTH?

#WATCHWITHCUSHING! We all know that vintage and original press and promotion materials for much of #PeterCushing's 1950's and 60's films are now worth a pretty penny. If they also hold an autograph the value is even higher! Here in this clip at the FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE! are TWO superb examples. Just for FUN . . BEFORE you watch this clip of these posters being sold, I would like you to comment on the post and tell me how much YOU think both the 1958 '#Dracula' UK #cinema quad poster, in pretty good condition and the almost mint 1965 Amicus 'Dr Terror's House of Horrors' UK cinema poster, could individually be worth? Write your figure in the comment section on the page BEFORE you watch this clip 😉No cheating 😏😊 I guess you can always state that the price of what something is #worth, is really . . how much someone is willing will pay? 💰💰😲But at FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE, in this clip . .  they are prepared to pay A LOT! This clip is around four years old, so chances these #posters are worth even more today! Have fun, stay safe and look after each other- Marcus 😉

AN UPDATE ON THE KINO BLU RAY release of 'FLESH AND THE FIENDS' is that the things are still set for JULY 7th 2020 AND that this John Gilling directed, based on a true story 2K restoration will also be carrying some extras too!

'THE FLESH AND THE FIENDS'

Starring Peter Cushing, Donald Pleasence, June Laverick, Billie Whitelaw, George Rose, Renee Houston and Dermot Walsh – Shot by Monty Berman (Jack the Ripper, The Crawling Eye) – Music by Stanley Black (War-Gods of the Deep, Valentino) – Co-written by Leon Griffiths (The Grissom Gang, The Squeeze) – Co-written and Directed by John Gilling (The Reptile, The Plague of the Zombies).

THIS RELEASE IS COMING AS A TWO DISC package, because not only do you get the 2k RESTORATION BLU RAY but there's also a FULL ALTERNATIVE CUT which also carries the USA title of 'The Fiendish Ghouls' and 'Mania'. You would be forgiven for thinking, that maybe Amicus films producer, MAX ROSENBERG, may have had a dabble and offered for free with one of his OTT titles at their press office too? Not so. . . .

OVER THE YEARS, there have been quite a few different cuts made available on the home cinema market. Right now, there is a DVD available from Image Entertainment who list their running duration for the "uncut" original theatrical version at 94 minutes, but they also carry a slightly extended, wait for it . .  "Continental" version—produced only for European markets with more permissive, boob and bottom nodding censors— running at 95 minutes which includes extra shots, short sequences or alternative takes with more nudity. 'THE FLESH AND THE FIENDS' was released by Valiant in the USA using the titles 'MANIA' and 'PSYCHO KILLERS' . . .  (Guess which box office smashing Hitchcock film was released also in 1960)  . . . using the censored British theatrical cut, but it didn't stop there... FIVE years later in 1965 a re-release by Pacemaker Pictures under the title 'THE FIENDISH GHOULS' cut a whole 23 minutes from the film's runtime! Both the UK and the continental cut of the film are included in the KINO BLU RAY RELEASE!

ALSO INCLUDED in thus release is an 'Audio Commentary by Film Historian Tim Lucas'. Disc Two also includes the 1960  theatrical TRAILER for 'THE FLESH AND THE FIENDS' I am not sure how many 'units' of this film have been  produced for sale, but those smiling after awaiting a long while for this remastering and would like to guarantee a copy of this gem to your library shelf, now might be a good time to nail that order 😊- Marcus 

SEE OUR POST FIRST at the FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE! NOW  and LATER EXPANDED here at the PCASUK website / Blog! Join and be part of  the FAN PAGE with OVER 33 THOUSAND FOLLOWERS and FRIENDS you won't be on your own and you will be MOST WELCOME!  Come COMMENT, come CHAT and come KEEP THE MEMORY of Peter Cushing alive and celebrated! 

MADNESS! HP LOVECRAFT : WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN AND VINCENT AND PETER ON THE SET OF A MADNESS THAT CERTAINLY WAS!

HERE IS SOMETHING THAT COULD HAVE BEEN. But sadly wasn't. After Hammer films went under and was then restarted and rebooted by the late ROY SKEGGS, the opportunity was there for some to take a first look at the many films and projects that the studio had one time considered for production. Many of these also had Peter Cushing in mind, in the casting along with Christopher Lee. The majority sank even before the ink was dry on the note paper or on Tom Chantrell's poster! The above poster, is a but a 'wouldn't it have been great if..' piece if artwork, we often see here at PCAS. Many are emailed or offered up for posting. Sometimes the idea is better than the artwork, but often, as in this case, the artist has a great skill and has also, come up with a concept, were we back in 1966, Sir James Carrerars would have been all too happy to have added it to his pile of posters and concepts for his backers and to have asked, 'How would like to have a slice of our NEXT production?' 

OFTEN IT IS difficult to connect the artwork be it for funding OR even the theatrical release poster tothe film was devised for. Can YOU connect the artwork with the THREE films these were created for?

AS WE ARE NOW all aware these days, that was exactly how the Carreras formula Carrerars and how often Hammer  budgets were built. Usually, nothing of a script, just three lines typed on a piece of paper, a VERY interesting poster and Sir James doing the sell. Which of course, he was very skilled and sucessful at doing. One can only guess how Cushing would have played his role, how Lee if the money was right would have nailed it, I am sure Pleasence would have been very happy to join in, a lover of Lovecraft and like Lee had already worked with Cushing in quite a few other productions. The opinion at the FACEBOOK PCAS FAN PAGE has been interesting. Some believing we were doing an EARLY April Fool post! Some holding out hope that, this could have been promising, even though films of Lovecraft's work, in the past, had been disppointing, with low budgets and little if any real connection to the orignal plot of the book, it was said to have been based on. Still, the drama and concept creation devised in this poster by WKDart, does give us all, the opportunity to dream on and think . . . 

YOU SEE A VERSION of this behind the scenes photograph very often around the net, but here is a slightly different shot of Peter and Vincent Price during the making of MADHOUSE, being interviewed for BBC programme Film 73 . .

NOT INCLUDING the silk around Peter's neck, can you spot the subtle difference in Peter's appearance, to how he looks in the film? Come tell us at the FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE!

THE WEEKLY CUSHING TUESDAY TOUGHY PLUS COMPETITION STILL OPEN!

#CUSHINGTUESDAYTOUGHY! WHO is this with Christopher Lee and WHICH Hammer Dracula film, was this image used to promote?? We'll have the ANSWER here on Friday 🙂 Feel free to post your answer and join in the fun over at the FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE have fun 😉 MEANWHILE below is LAST WEEK'S TOUGHY answer! - Marcus

ABOVE: DON'T FORGET to enter our DRACULA AD 1972 Warner Brothers REMASTERED BLU RAY competition! It's LIVE and OPEN until NOVEMBER 14th 2018!

AND BELOW . . . 

#TOOCOOLTUESDAY! TREAT! VINCENT PRICE AND THE LADIES : THE WHALES OF AUGUST!

#TOOCOOLTUESDAY: HERE is a SPECIAL treat for you this week, that is also VERY cool indeed. Some of you may have already seen this movie... some maybe not. We haven't shared or posted anything on VINCENT PRICE for a while... and THIS, should please everyone! Starring Vincent Price, Bette Davis, Lillian Gish and Ann Sothern is a delight! I hope you enjoy this. Watch while you can. It is also at our PCAS YouTube Channel too. Of those of you who HAVE seen this, tell OTHERS here what you think of it too! PLEASE 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

THE SUNDAY DOUBLE BILL: CALLUM MCKELVIE TAKES TWO!

THE 'DOUBLE BILL' is something of a tradition within the film industry. Simply put it meant- ‘two for the price of one’. Originally used pre-cinema in Opera houses, it came into prominence in the 1930’s after the Great Depression. With the film industry suffering heavy losses, a number of cinemas chose to offer the two-for-one scheme, as a hope of luring punters back into the seats. 

SUFFICE TO SAY it worked and since then double bills were something of staple. However by the end of the 20th century, as the number of low-budget films being given theatrical releases lessened they began to go out of fashion and are now exceedingly rare. None the less the appeal to ciniphiles is still there and they can often be found at festivals, usually featuring two themed or related films.

THE 'THEMED DOUBLE BILL' is the subject of today’s piece (and of two following pieces), namely what is the perfect Cushing double bill? I’ll be discussing three trios of films that in my mind complement each other. They can be directly related, as are today’s or can simply be of thematic interest. However, they must of course both star Peter Cushing in some capacity. 

STATING WITH a somewhat obvious one, today I’ll be discussing 1957’s The Curse of Frankenstein and 1958’s The Revenge of Frankenstein, but more specifically, how they complement each other. Curse and Revenge are the first two instalments in Hammer’s Frankenstein series, one of course being the granddaddy of Hammer’s gothic output. Whilst the first is a truncated retelling of the Frankenstein story, putting emphasis on the Baron as more of a villain, the sequel brings events full circle. Together, they show the rise and fall of Baron Frankenstein with his eventual fate as his own creation.

TO BEGIN WITH, this probably makes the most obvious pairing simply as Revenge picks up exactly where Curse left off, meaning that watched back to back it feels like one consistent epic.  Furthermore, unlike some of the later incarnations of the character (for example the more softer version seen in The Evil of Frankenstein or vicious incarnation that features in Frankenstein Must be Destroyed) these are clearly supposed to be the same man.

MUCH OF THE SETS are recycled and  virtually identical and Hammer even got the same actor (Alex Gallier) who played the priest in Curse to reprise his role at the start of this film. This means that unlike other Hammer sequels, Revenge often feels like a natural progression of Curse. Terrance Fisher returns and the only notable admission is James Bernard, who is replaced by Leonard Salzedo. I for one adore Salzedo’s score and it’s certainly up there with my favourite Hammer soundtrack, fitting the atmosphere of Revenge perfectly. The final end credits fanfare is chillingly powerful.

WHAT REALLY MAKES these two films complement each other however, is the rich thematic nature in which one story reflects the other. I discussed briefly some of the varying levels in Revenge’s script during my tribute to Jimmy Sangster. However when watched back to back these two films have elements which show a great intelligence in Sangster’s work. The progression to brain transplants comes across as incredibly natural and the bravery in having the revenge as not a physical one (a slice and dice would have been so easy) but more of a philosophical one (he has to prove himself right), shows an incredible understanding of the character. With the Baron somewhat younger in the first film, he is the pupil to Paul Krempe (Robert Urquhart) who through the course of the film becomes the more dominant figure. 


IN REVENGE that Baron seems to have aged tremendously due to his near death experience and this time it is he who has the pupil, in Francis Matthews’s Hanz. Throughout the course of this film we see Hanz grow and learn, until at the finale it is he who must perform the brain transplant upon the Baron. 

THE FACT THAT this then results in the only successful operation, the final shot being Hanz looking on proudly at the new Baron, presents a wonderful circularity to these films. We see the Baron first develop his concept of creating life and then further this into brain transplants. We see his two failed experiments but we also see him grow and develop as a character, from pupil to teacher.

OF COURSE MUCH of this is down to Cushing, who in the space of a year manages two performances of the same character but in entirely different mind-sets. Thanks to him, we believe that this is the same man and that he really has been through a horrific experience, which has just made him more determined to continue. Indeed the most horrifying thing in Revenge is Cushing’s uttering of the line ‘they will never be rid of me’. The determination is so powerful as to be utterly chilling.

WELL THAT'S IT for this weeks double bill, but join me again next Sunday as I’ll be discussing another perfect pair…
 

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