PETER CUSHING: 'KEEP CALM!' 'THE VAMPIRE LOVERS' HAMMER FILMS (1970)

Peter Cushing and Ingrid Pitt. 'The Vampire Lovers' (1970) Hammer Films Productions. keep Calm!

PETER CUSHING PORTRAIT: 'THE VAMPIRE LOVERS' HAMMER FILMS (1970)

Not one you see that often of Peter Cushing during the making of 'THE VAMPIRE LOVERS' for Hammer Films in 1970. There are some excellent photographs in our PETER CUSHING AND GALS VAMPIRE LOVERS Behind The Scenes Gallery! HERE

PETER CUSHING: 'BIRDS FROM MY WINDOW'

PETER CUSHING: 'BIRDS FROM MY WINDOW'

RARE PETER CUSHING: 'THREE MEN AND A GIMMICK' LIFE STORY FROM TV MIRROR MAGAZINE IN BOOK FORM!

'THREE MEN AND A GIMMICK' The book includes the 'life stories' (in their own words!) of three British institutions from the 1950's. Comedians Terry-Thomas ('What a shower!'), Arthur Askey (I thank you!) Sabrina, the 'gimmick' of the piece and a face that you could miss on television during the 50's, Peter Cushing. All the material in this book appeared in the TV MIRROR magazine. It's a great little read, quite rare and forgive me, a watermark to stop it walking!

Review copy slip that came with the book. Retail price: Nine Shillings and Six pence. Bargain even then.

The 'INTERESTING' titles on the back of the dust jackets from the same publishing house!

The front cover of the TV MIRROR where the contents of 'Three Men and a Gimmick' were originally published. Peter gracing the cover.

A page from the serialized life story of Peter Cushing that appeared weekly in TV MIRROR. Over the weeks it published some great pictures and I think it was the first published appearance of Peter's (Mother dressed me like a little girl!) family photographs.

PETER CUSHING AND BARRY MORSE: 'ASYLUM' AMICUS FILMS (1973)

Peter Cushing as Mr Smith and Barry Morse as the Bruno, in the tale of the 'Weird Taylor' segment in Amicus Films 'ASYLUM' (1972) Dir: Roy Ward Baker.

PETER CUSHING: TYBURN FILMS: 'LEGEND OF THE WEREWOLF' GALLERY AND REVIEW

CAST:

David Rintoul (Etoile), Peter Cushing (Professor Paul Cataflaque), Lynn Dalby (Christine), Ron Moody (Marcel Duvic), Stefan Gryff (Inspector Max Girard), Hugh Griffith (Maestro Pomponi), Marjorie Yates (Madame Tellier), Roy Castle (Photographer), John Harvey (Police Chief)

PRODUCTION:

Director – Freddie Francis, Screenplay – John Elder [Anthony Hinds], Producer – Kevin Francis, Photography – John Wilcox, Music – Harry Robinson, Photographic Effects – Charles Staffell, Makeup – Jimmy Evans & Graham Freeborn, Art Direction – Jack Shampan. Production Company: Tyburn. UK 1974

Peter Cushing rules! Our TV listings incorrectly called this a Hammer horror, but it's an understandable mistake. Like "Hoover" and "Perrier", "Hammer" has become one of those brand names that's widely confused with the product itself. It's a slightly stagey seventies British horror movie - what else could it be but Hammer? Of course Hammer's time had passed in 1975 and this is more tongue-in-cheek than Hammer's horror output tended to be, but on the other hand it stars the magnificent Peter Cushing. Even in a mediocre role he's always good to watch, but here he's having the time of his life in one of his finest roles (Professor Paul Cataflanque). Cushing isn't just the best thing in this film. He is the film. The story's half over before he appears, but he still outclasses everyone and everything else on screen put together.

Cushing plays a professor of forensics who's been told by his superiors not to investigate some inexplicable deaths. You might as well tell a child to keep away from the candy store. Cushing plays Paul Cataflanque as the perfect gentleman (I adored the scene where his investigations lead him to a whorehouse) but also with enormous curiosity and a sense of mischief. He even does something interesting accent-wise. Legend of the Werewolf is theoretically set in 19th-century France, but only Cushing and Max the policeman deliver their lines in anything but classically trained Royal Shakespeare Company tones. Max is French throughout, but Cushing does something subtler. He's normally his usual impeccably cut-glass self, but when drinking he briefly lapses into Inspector Clouseau. Cushing is presumably suggesting that Paul Cataflanque worked hard at deliberately eradicating his boyhood accent, just as Cushing himself ditched his native barrow-boy accent before becoming an actor. Man, there's nothing I don't admire about his performance.

Everything else could be summed up in five words: "Cushing fantastic; the rest okay". The other characters are fine - not brilliant, but watchable. They're broader than you'd get in a Hammer horror, though, at times almost Dickensian. I'm not trying to imply that Legend of the Werewolf is classic literature on the level of Charles Dickens, but it's a 19th-century story that's full of larger-than-life caricatures (at times bordering on grotesques) rather than more realistic characters, including overt comic relief (Roy Castle) and a cardboard hero. The eponymous werewolf is ostensibly the film's lead, but he spends most of his screen time being angry, confused or unhappy. He's a country boy who's come to Paris, raised by wolves and not understanding much that happens to him. We might have been following Wolf Boy's life right from birth, but it's Cushing's movie and no mistake.

Things I learned from watching this movie:

(1) When meeting a girl for whom you have romantic feelings, swing from a cage and hoot like a monkey.

(2) Werewolves' eyes are novelty marbles.

(3) Even pre-pubescent grunting wolfboys who've been raised by wild animals will wear furry loincloths to hide their naughty bits.

Sometimes we see in glorious wolf-o-vision, in which the screen turns red. This might be more realistic than you'd think, since I seem to remember that dogs only see in monochrome - and a wolf is basically just a big cuddly doggie. The werewolf astonished me by looking good; even today's movie werewolves look crap, but this is a wolf-man. He's man-shaped but with fangs, red-marble contact lenses and a haircut like Wolverine from the X-Men. On the other hand, even I can't find an excuse for the day-for-night filming, except to note that it's a Hammerism. In particular it doesn't help that these sunny scenes are side-by-side with actual night filming!

Mind you, I liked the historical detail, e.g. Roy Castle's darreugotype and its three-minute exposure time. Quite a bit of French flavour comes through despite the obvious Englishness of the production, mostly due to the Paris sets and the whorehouse, and it definitely feels 19th-century. The bits that don't star Peter Cushing are nice, with an unsophisticated sense of humour, but they aren't the reason why you should watch this film. It stars The Man. Bow down and worship.

MORE ON 'LEGEND OF THE WEREWOLF' AND AN INTERVIEW WITH PRODUCER KEVIN FRANCIS AT OUR BLACKBOXCLUB.COM WEBSITE HERE:CLICK HERE 

Review: Finn Clark

Here

Images: Marcus Brooks

PETER CUSHING: TARKIN: BERMANS AND BOOTS' THE STORY OF THE MOFF TARKIN SLIPPERS IN PETER CUSHING'S OWN WORDS!

The story of the Star Wars: Grand Moff Tarkin Slippers in Peter Cushing's own words!

PETER CUSHING AND CHRISTOPHER LEE CANDID PHOTOGRAPH: 'HOUSE OF THE LONG SHADOWS'

PETER CUSHING: 'LEGEND OF THE WEREWOLF' REVIEW AND STILLS GALLERY TOMORROW!

HERE TOMORROW REVIEW AND GALLERY!

HAMMER FILMS PRODUCTIONS: 'THE MUMMY' (1959) EXTRA GALLERY: PETER CUSHING : CHRISTOPHER LEE

HAMMER FILM PRODUCTIONS: 'THE MUMMY' (1959)

PETER AND HELEN CUSHING: TOY SOLDIERS PRESS PHOTOGRAPH

Peter and Helen Cushing pose for a press photograph with his some of the huge collection of toy soldiers he collected. These along with his hand made models, model theatres and painting were sold at auction and now belong to private collectors.

PETER CUSHING AND SHERLOCK'S PIPE! THE PIPE MAN OF THE YEAR 1969

PETER BEING PRESENTED WITH AWARD ON THE SET OF HAMMER FILMS PRODUCTIONS 'FRANKENSTEIN MUST BE DESTROYED' (1969) AT ELSTREE FILM STUDIOS

DR WHO: PETER CUSHING AND ROY CASTLE DANCE ON THE SET OF 'DR WHO AND THE DALEKS' (1965)

PETER CUSHING AS DR WHO AND CO STAR ROY CASTLE IN A OFF CAMERA MOMENT DANCE AND JOKE AROUND AROUND. THIS IS A SCREEN GRAB FROM AN EXTRA INCLUDED ON THE LATEST BBC DR WHO DVD RELEASE. YO0U CAN FIMND MORE DETAILS ON AN EARLIER POST. CLICK HERE: PETER CUSHING DR WHO EXTRA BBC DVD

PETER CUSHING: BEHIND THE SCENES: 'EVIL OF FRANKENSTEIN' HAMMER FILMS (1964)

Behind The Scenes: Peter Cushing shooting 'back projection' shoots as BARON FRANKENSTEIN in HAMMER FILM PRODUCTIONS 'EVIL OF FRANKENSTEIN' (1964) 

PETER CUSHING AND NIGEL STOCK: 'THE GAME IS AFOOT!' SHERLOCK HOLMES BBC TELEVISION SERIES

PETER CUSHING AND NIGEL STOCK IN THE BBC TELEVISION SERIES 'SHERLOCK HOLMES' (1968)