#HAPPYEARTHDAY 2018! NOT ONLY is it EARTH AWARENESS DAY, but it's also a holiday for CALLUM MCKELVIE who usual gives us his latest PETER CUSHING themed feature on Sunday's! BUT I have posted some banner and links to previous articles from Callum and a little PEEP on what to expect form him, when he is all refreshed and bouncing NEXT SUNDAY!
TWO GREAT FEATURES LOADED UP WITH XTRAS all part of CALLUM's PASSION for Doctor Who and the TWO CUSHING 'DR WHO' DALEK FEATURE FILMS, RIGHT HERE AND HERE!
OPINIONS ON THE CGI TARKIN that appeared in the 2016 film 'ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY' will probably be forever divided. Some say, it ALMOST works. Others, that it's just not LIFE LIKE, let alone CUSHING as TARKIN. While some like myself believe, it DOES . .. 98% of the time. I have always seen each STAR WARS movie, as a separate movie...despite the continuity thread of the stories.
EACH FILM IS NEW. Each film has it's own time to entertain and work. Despite whatever the prequel or any other releases signal or flag up, the job is to work. Many audiences today, judge the success and entertainment value, on what has happened before. If it is a remake, a sequel of prequel, it takes that test. It applies for completely NEW films too, with NO association to a series or similar theme.
WE SUSPECTED here at PCAS, like many others, that the CGI was coming. Just for a short time, CUSHING was BUZZING! When the release of the film arrived, newspapers, tv news, magazines and the net, carried opinions and images. For five months, CGI brought Peter Cushing BACK to world. I think ROGUE ONE is an amazing film and the appearance of a CGI Peter Cushing as Tarkin, is magic. For me, it always will be . .
LITTLE DID PETER CUSHING know back in 1976, when he was shooting STAR WARS, that one little decision he made, after feeling the PINCH of his leather TARKIN boots, talk about his performance would not only be about how he played such a tyrant . . but the word SLIPPERS, would also be forever associated too.
NEXT WEEK: CHRISTOPHER LEE'S TIME WITH STAR WARS AND DOOKU!
#CUSHINGGIFWEDNESDAY! HERE IS is week's selection of animated sequences from some of the BEST films of PETER CUSHING and as usual, a few quizy questions, to test you on your knowledge of CUSHING'S work and life. IF you think you have the answer to ANY zip us a quick email to the PCAS account and if you get them all on the BUTTON, we'll celebrate your very neat achievement by creating and posting your very own BANNER the week after here at our next #CUSHINGGIFWEDNESDAY! Good luck! HERE is our email: petercushingpcas@gmail.com
HERE IS A ROLE which CHRISTOPHER LEE said he enjoyed very much. It is a shame that it didn't do that well at the box office. WHAT IS THE TITLE OF THIS FILM? THE FILM ENCOUNTERED A PROBLEM DURING PRODUCTION, WHAT WAS THAT PROBLEM? THE CAT IN THE FILM WAS ACTUALLY, a) CHRISTOPHER LEE'S b) STEPHEN WEEKS THE DIRECTOR'S c) PETER CUSHING'S?
HAMMER FILMS, TWINS OF EVIL stars PETER CUSHING as Gustav Weil and DAMIEN THOMAS as Count KARNSTEIN. THOMAS was born in a) WALES? b) LONDON c) EGYPT d) FRANCE. The film is part of the KARNSTEIN TRILOGY. IS IT THE SECOND OR THIRD ENTRY IN THE TALE? There were quite a few RATS on the floor of the set on THIS CRYPT. HOW DID THEY GET THE RATS TO STAY IN SHOT? a) WITH STRINGS? b) THE RATS WERE ANIMATED AND NOT REAL? c) WITH PEANUT BUTTER? d) WITH CHEESE?
JAMES VILLIERS and CHARLOTTE TRAMPLING in AMICUS FILMS ASYLUM in 1972. VILLIERS was quite a prolific actor, who nearly always played sardonic and upper class gentlemen. He worked for both AMICUS and HAMMER FILMS. HOW MANY FILMS DID HE APPEAR IN FOR HAMMER FILMS? VILLIERS appeared to be of aristocratic background, BECAUSE HE WAS A DESCENDANT OF THE EARLS OF CLARENDON. TRUE or FALSE? Descendant of the Earls of Clarendon.
MORE ON AMICUS, ASYLUM, CUSHING AND VILLIERS in our PCAS FEATURE. JUST CLICK HERE!
CHRISTOPHER LEE as COUNT DRACULA being assisted by Hammer films regular actor, THORLEY WALTERS as Ludwig in DRACULA PRINCE OF DARKNESS (1966). WALTERS MADE HOW MANY FILMS IN WHICH PETER CUSHING APPEARED TOO? IN HOW MANY SHERLOCK HOLMES FILMS DID WALTERS APPEAR?
LAST WEEKS ANSWERS: The BEST and MOST CONCISE answers we received to all FIVE of the questions came from MARCIA LOISEL. . . and HERE they are!
QUESTION ONE:THE INTERIORS in this GIF from THE MUMMY was filmed WHERE? WHICH TWO ACTORS who appeared in this film, originally wanted to be an OPERA SINGERS?
ANSWER ONE: The Mummy's interiors were shot at Bray Studios, Down Place. One of
the actors who had wanted to be an opera singer was Christopher Lee. The OTHER name we were looking for WAS Yvonne Furneaux!
QUESTION TWO: NAME THE TITLE OF THIS FILM,name
the ACTRESS in this shot AND which very famous ACTOR did THE actor
almost REPLACE in a BLOCK BUSTER SCI FI film based on a TV series AND
WHICH ACTOR was playing SHERLOCK HOLMES in the TV series he once
appeared in?
ANSWER TWO: The title of the film in the GIF was 'Twins of Evil'. The actress playing Countess Mircalla is Katya Wyeth. Unknown to many, DAMIEN THOMAS was primed to take the role of SPOOK from Leonard Nimoy in the first STAR TREK movie. Jeremy Brett as
Sherlock Holmes in the DEVIL FOOT episode that THOMAS appeared in for Granada television. .
QUESTION THREE: The GIF was of PETER CUSHING
in the BBC TV series SHERLOCK HOLMES and production of THE BLUE
CARBUNCLE. Cushing used a magnifying glass in quite a few FILMS. HOW
MANY can you name? GIVE US the TITLES!
ANSWER THREE: Marcia certainly provided the BEST answer we received to this question. Her answer was . . . Top Secret, Hound of the Baskervilles, Abominable Snowman of the
Himalayas, Curse of Frankenstein, Frankenstein and the Monster From
Hell, The Creeping Flesh, The Mummy, The Skull, Horror Express, Blood
Beast Terror. He didn't use but handed a magnifying glass to Watson in
Masks of Death. . . and we will go with that!
QUESTION FOUR: CAN YOU NAME the COUNTRY where this film was released in 1980? This film
also had a member of the cast who was more famous as a theatrical
performer and street artist! NAME that cast member! Can you name one of
the alternative TITLES that this film was also know as? titles
ANSWER FOUR: featured a gif from the Cushing film,FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE.
showing Ian Ogilvy in The Door. In 1980 the film
was released in the USA as a re-release. The actor who was famous as a
theatrical performer and street artist was Marcel Steiner.
The alternative titles: Creatures From Beyond the Grave, Tales From
Beyond
the Grave, Tales From the Beyond, The Undead, The Creatures.
QUESTION FIVE: This question has been made VOID as we were given THE WRONG INFO!!!!!
SINCE PETER CUSHING'S PASSING IN 1994, some interesting details about his career and life have surfaced, for sure. I suspect many in the industry knew about this, and this little fact has been several published, but I suspect that this might get many you thinking. IF you do think you know the answer and want to added to the banner of 'those who cracked it' next week. Drop me a line : petercushingpcas@gmail.com . . . ANSWER NEXT WEEK. LAST WEEKS TOUGHY ANSWER BELOW . . .
THE ANSWER TO LAST WEEK'S TUESDAY TOUGHY! THIS CORRECT ANSWER COMES FROM MARCIA, who correctly identified the THREE following CUSHING SHERLOCK productions. But THERE IS we find, ANOTHER one TOO! MARCIA'S answers are:
ANSWERS: 1) The Abbot's Cry, the follow-up to Masks of Death. 2) Peter was offered a part in Jeremy Brett's 'The Last Vampyre' as the clergyman Merrydew 3) Not positive about this one, but producer Kevin Francis wanted to remake 'Hound
of the Baskervilles' with the Hound animated by Ray Harryhausen, with
Peter as Sherlock.
THE ADDITIONAL entry is what was to have been a one man show with Cushing as Sherlock. Peter passed on the opportunity and another actor filled the role.
Worth noting is Marcia's kind message about the website too! "Thanks for
the notice on the Zoo Gang bluray and the great Doctor Who article. As
neat as Moffat's including Peter's Doctor is, I still think of Peter's
Doctor as an actual part of the canon, not just as an actor playing a
role. I love his two films as the Doctor. And finally, I love The Last
Meeting clips!! I watch them repeatedly and enjoy every minute. Look forward to this page everyday!" Best wishes! Marcia Loisel
#PETERCUSHING Moment of Terror Monday. School teachers have quite a hard job to do
these days, but had they been around back in the day, and worked in the
school where Gustav Weil's nieces attended, today would seem like
working in Disneyland! This weeks Moment of Terror clip, features one of
Peter Cushing best villains.
HE RARELY EVER PLAYED what would be
thought of a visual 'monster', fangs or face of fright, but characters
like his BARON FRANKENSTEIN were outstanding, and 'UNCLE' Gustav comes
very close to passing the Baron's line. Gustav doesn't kill to create,
far from it, he murders to SAVE! TWINS OF EVIL is one of Hammer films
better films of the 1970's. It ticks the box for so many who would have
seen it back in the day, moments of terror, vampires, a head male vamp,
the dreaded Hammer Karnstein's, Hammer's trick of providing eye candy
for the dirty mac brigade . . they are still with us... and executions!
By BURNING THEM!
THE PCAS 'TWINS OF EVIL' FEATURE AND GALLERY CAN BE FOUND RIGHT HERE!
LOTS TO LIKE about this films, if you have not seen it.
Beautiful cinematography, lighting, musical score, direction, 80% of
the performances are very good and Peter Cushing roaringly evil, on a
race and crusade to stamp out vampirism, where not even his family are
safe! In this clip Gustav provides what could have been the greatest
moment in a biology lesson. A bit off key for a music lesson though . .
ANOTHER TRIP DOWN memory lane this week, examining a
film that, although not strictly a horror picture, has become one of my all-time
favourite Cushing roles. More than that it’s a film that represents what can be
described as a ‘by-gon’e age of fiction, both literary and cinematically, that
of the ‘Boys Own’ style adventure story. Produced in 1965, She was one of Hammer films most expensive productions and
certainly one of their most lavish. Featuring an all-star cast, including ex-bond
girl Ursula Andress as the title character, it’s a bold move for the studio and
one that demonstrates that they really could compete with the big boys and
weren’t just up to making horror pictures. I saw She during my early teens, when I became fascinated with the
science fiction and fantasy of the Victorian age and of course the wonderful
films of the 50’s and 60’s based on these works.
FROM THE EARLY
1950’s all the way to the mid 1970’s, there was a slew of science fiction,
fantasy and adventure styled films based on the works of classic Victorian
writers and adapted as period pieces. Amongst these were the works of such
noted authors as H.G Welles, Jules Verne. Arthur Conan Doyle and the subject of
todays piece H. Rider Haggard. These films were extravagant adventure films,
with often fantastic set designs and equally superb casts. Amongst these films
include such classics as Journey to the
Centre of the Earth (1959), The Time
Machine (1960), First Men in the Moon
(1964), At The Earth’s Core (1976)
and The Lost World (1960).
DURING MY OBSESSION with this fascinating sub-genre I saw all of these and more,
including films like Walt Disney’s wonderful adaptation of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. The latter is still one of my
favourite films and James Masons portrayal is evident of the quality that was
brought to this kind of film. It’s a genre that has, somewhat sadly, faded into
the past. Partly this is due to the more dynamic difference between children’s
and adult cinema, with family films now being dominated primarily by the
Superhero genre. Also it can be connected to the dated colonial subtext of many
of these films and their respective novels (though not all 20,000 Leagues is a wonderful piece of anti-colonial literature,
with Nemo waging war against ‘that hated nation’).
MANY OF THESE FILMS helped me discovered the brilliant
novels behind them and She is no
exception. When I was first getting into Hammer, I purchased Marcus Hearn and
Alan Barnes wonderful The Hammer Story, as
something of a go-to guide. My Mother was fascinated upon discovering She was a Hammer film, it being
something of a minor favourite of hers. That Christmas (along with The Reptile and Dracula: Prince of Darkness)
I RECEIVEDSHE as a gift and we watched it that boxing day. In my mind it’s
still the perfect Boxing Day film, the mix of old fashioned adventure and pure
wonder making great mid-afternoon viewing. Immediately I fell in love with
Cushing’s portrayal of the character of Major Holly and the wonderful sincerity
he brought to the role. When embarking on an exchange trip to Spain, I was
inspired enough by the film to purchase the novel and well, I can safely say it’s
a book that changed my life.
I HAVE SOMETHING of a theory that books read during ones formative years, if of significant quality will leave a lasting impression. Rider Haggard's She did that for me. Whilst certainly dated and having some….bizarre concepts (She herself being so beautiful that anyone who looks at her immediately falls in love- an idea thankfully scrapped in hammers film version) it’s still a wonderfully powerful exercise in fantasy. I have so many memories connected to that novel, reading it on the plane out loud to a friend and suddenly noticing that all the aisles surrounding me had gone quiet. Listening? Or wondering what the weird kid was doing reading out loud? I guess I’ll never know!
SADLY THOUGH, as grand and as wonderful as Hammers
film version is, it simply couldn’t compete with the epic vistas presented in
the novel. For the most part when reading there was very little I visualised
from the film. I pictured a different woman to Ursula Andress (it may be sacrilege
but I always found her portrayal a little stilted), the Balali of the novel is
a kindly old man and so Christopher Lee was out too. All except Cushing. I’ve
no idea if he read the book, though I suspect he did but he nails Rider
Haggards portrayal instantly. Holly
is the narrator and in many ways the main character of the novel and despite having
slightly less to do in the film Cushing still manages to bring across the same sincerity
and honesty that made him such a wonderful character.
ANOTHER SUNDAY CUSHING DOUBLE BILL RETURNS NEXT WEEK: JOIN US!
DID YOU MISS CALLUM MCKELVIE'S SUNDAY CUSHING FEATURE LAST WEEK ON BRIDES OF DRACULA??? NO PROBLEM! THE CLIPS, GIFS AND RARE STILLS GALLERY ARE RIGHT HERE JUST CLICK THESE BLUE WORDS!
