INGRID PITT AND PETER CUSHING: CONVENTION CANDID SNAPS

A VERY NASTY BUSINESS : PETER CUSHING SUE LLOYD KATE OMARA 'CORRUPTION' AKA 'CARNAGE' TROY HOWARTH REVIEW AND GALLERY

In 1959, Georges Franju’s Eyes Without a Face made a tremendous impact on audiences. The film offered an odd mixture of the up market and the down market, with a poetic sensibility mixed with instances of graphic gore. Indeed, the film pushed the envelope further than anything Hammer Films had done at that time, yet Franju’s credentials with the art house crowd ensured that it was taken in a more serious manner. It also set the template for a series of “surgical” horror films, many of which borrowed the basic concept of a surgeon driven to madness by love. Spanish filmmaker hit pay dirt with his own variation on the formula, The Awful Dr. Orlof (1961), establishing himself – and Swiss-American character actor Howard Vernon – as a fixture in the horror genre. The British came to the party a bit late, but when they did so, via Corruption (1967), they managed to outdo the competition in terms of sheer sleaze and gratuitous violence.

The film came at an awkward period in Peter Cushing’s career. Cushing had established himself as a household name in the UK due to top lining a number of celebrated live TV productions, and he parlayed this into big screen infamy by aligning himself with Hammer Film Productions. The double-punch of The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) and Dracula (1958) showed him to be an actor of tremendous versatility, equally at home in roles that were villainous and heroic, and he was soon inextricably linked with the horror genre. It was a role Cushing accepted with some reluctance, knowing full well that it would deprive him of more mainstream recognition – but it provided a steady income, and this was something that he and his beloved wife Helen were desperately in need of. Helen’s health had always been problematic, and by the time the mid-60s rolled around, her emphysema had deteriorated to a noticeable degree. Cushing was panic-stricken by the notion of possibly losing her, and the costly treatments she required insured that he was able to bank very little of the money he was making in his film work. Thus, he accepted virtually every role he could cram into his schedule – and though he took the work very seriously, he was only too aware that he was sometimes accepting projects with a less-than-distinguished pedigree. The actor had appeared in quite a few indifferent pictures through the years, but never in his career would he be faced with a project quite so sleazy and down market at Corruption.

The story deals with a distinguished surgeon, Sir John Rowan (Cushing), who succumbs to madness when he accidentally causes his lover, Lynn (Sue Lloyd), to become hideously disfigured in a freak accident. In an effort to restore her lost beauty, via a series of unsuccessful skin grafting operations, he turns to murder…

Say what you will about the film itself, it still offers one of Cushing’s most intense and deeply felt performances. The actor was deeply uncomfortable appearing in some of the scenes that were required of him, but this does not manifest itself in a negative manner on screen. True, the scene of Cushing lost amid a sea of hippies at a very 60s “flower power” party is jarring – but it is sensibly played for laughs, with Cushing conveying a sense of being a fish out of water, desperately trying to appease his younger love interest. After the accident which destroys Lynn ’s face, Cushing becomes determined to correct his inadvertent actions, and in the process he loses control and succumbs to his worst impulses. There’s a particularly strong scene wherein Rowan, trying to keep his mounting frustration and rage under control, finally snaps at his young assistant (Kate O’Mara). Cushing plays the sequence for all the punch and pathos it is worth – it doesn’t even feel so much like acting as a moment of cathartic release, as if his own personal demons and anxieties were spilling over into the character.

Cushing would later decry the film for its excesses, but he recognized that it had the germ of a worthy dramatic concept. It’s possible that he entered into the film hoping that it would explore the dynamics of the relationship between Rowan and Lyn, but any such idealism surely faded soon into the production. When the time came to film a sequence wherein Rowan murders a prostitute, it surely must have felt like a very bleak day. The scene was filmed twice, once in a more conventional manner befitting the censorship mores of the UK and the US marketplace, and then in a more risqué manner, which depicts the “gentleman of horror” forcing a topless actress (played by Marianne Morris; she is substituted by a clothed Jan Waters in the more commonly available edit of the film) to the ground, slashing her with a knife, smearing blood over her naked breasts, and then beheading her. It’s a very intense set piece, though director Robert Hartford-Davis’ concept of how to best capture the insanity of the moment was to go wild with the fish-eye lens effects. Clubfooted direction to one side, it’s Cushing who gives the scene its impact - partially because it seems so very out of character, and partially because he conveys a sense of going over the edge that is almost unique in his body of work.

Sadly, the film isn’t worthy of Cushing’s efforts. As noted above, Hartford-Davis’ direction is flat and functional at best. He would go on to direct Cushing in an even more unfortunate project - Incense for the Damned, aka Bloodsuckers (1970), an incomplete hodgepodge of vampirism and flower power mysticism that was largely filmed on location in Greece - but his most interesting and accomplished picture remains The Fiend (1971), a demented slice of religious mania featuring typically intense performances from Tony Beckley (When a Stranger Calls) and Patrick Magee (A Clockwork Orange). His emphasis is squarely on the sensational in this context, however, which creates a dramatic vacuum where a far greater sense of emotional investment would have been appreciated. Nowhere is this more evident than in the depiction of the character of Lynn, played by Sue Lloyd. Lloyd is a capable and photogenic actress, but her portrayal is unsympathetic - and this is very much as she appears to have been written. Lloyd doesn’t manage to invest any real pathos into the character, regardless, thus making Cushing’s obsession with her seem bizarre and misplaced. It’s truly as if the two actors were making two different films - Lloyd picking up a paycheck for playing a bitchy femme fatale, and Cushing trying to capture a far greater sense of heartfelt sorrow and heartache. The remainder of the cast is similarly uninspired, with even the normally reliable character actor David Lodge (something of an unofficial member of the Peter Sellers “rep company,” having appeared in many of the great comic’s films, including A Shot in the Dark and I’m All Right Jack) coming off quite poorly as a goon who roughs up Cushing’s character at one point; the actor was miscast and likely knew it, and he resorts to broad overacting to compensate. Add in one of the most truly horrific music scores to be found in British horror (“courtesy” of Bill McGuffie, who really oughtn’t have bothered) and the end result is as offputting as it is poorly made. 

Even so, Cushing fans are still encouraged to give it a try - the “full strength” edition isn’t so easy to find, but certainly the tamer US/UK edit is easy enough to come by. If ever there was proof of Cushing’s utter commitment and professionalism in even the most unsavory of projects, Corruption most certainly fulfills that function. 

GRAND MOFF TARKIN : DESTROYING PLANETS IN COMFORT : PETER CUSHING CARPET SLIPPERS

Another shot of those famous carpet slippers that Peter wore in STAR WARS as Grand Moff Tarkin. 'Moff Tarkin destroying planets in comfort'

These slippers and many other items from Peter Cushing's life and career can be seen at the 'Peter Cushing At 100' exhibition at Whitstabe Museum and Gallery.

AS DAPPER AS EVER: PETER CUSHING TAKES A STROLL ON THE SEA FRONT AT HIS HOME IN WHITSTABLE

Peter Cushing, out for a stroll on the sea wall at Whitstable, near his home.

A QUIET MOMENT ON THE BEACH: PETER AND HELEN CUSHING CANDID PHOTOGRAPH

A rare candid photograph of Peter and his wife Helen. This photograph was taken just outside Peter and Helen's front garden gate...the shingle beach, starts just a few feet away.

CHRISTOPHER LEE 'THIS IS YOUR LIFE' APRIL 1974: PETER CUSHING PHOTO

Peter appears on UK 'THIS IS YOUR LIFE: Christopher Lee' transmitted on 3rd April 1974. Guests also included Vincent Price, Oliver Reed, Veronica Carlson and Trevor Howard.

HAMMER FILMS: THE MUMMY : TROY HOWARTH FEATURE AND STILLS GALLERY HERE THIS WEEK

'The Mummy is a 1959 British horror film, directed by Terence Fisher and starring Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. It was released on 25 September 1959. It was written by Jimmy Sangster and produced by Michael Carreras and Anthony Nelson Keys for Hammer Film Productions.

Though the title suggests Universal Pictures' 1932 film of the same name, the film actually derives its plot and characters entirely from two later Universal films, The Mummy's Hand and The Mummy's Tomb, with the climax borrowed directly from The Mummy's Ghost. The character name "Joseph Whemple" is the only connection with the 1932 version.'

From Wikipedia,

PETER CUSHING FACEBOOK FAN PAGE HITS MAGIC TEN THOUSAND IN LEAD UP TO CENTENARY CELEBRATION

THANK YOU!

MOVIE TIE IN PAPERBACKS: HAMMER FILMS : DRACULA AND THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES

 

Rare Dell (New York) "The Hound of the Baskervilles" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle movie tie-in paperback; August, 1959.

Vintage: The Perma Book (New York) "Dracula" by Bram Stoker movie tie-in paperback; May, 1958.

NOSHER POWELL : 1928 - 2013

Sad news to hear of the passing of veteran stuntman Fred 'Nosher' Powell. Nosher had a very full life and a quite an amazing list of movie credits.Take a look at his IMDB page and website. Some of his his Peter Cushing connections are stuntwork on 'Star Wars' (1977) Hammer films 58' Dracula, Sword of Sherwood Forest (1960) and was Peter's stuntman on 'Violent Playground '(1958) Nosher's website

PETER CUSHING AT 100: THE GENTLEMAN OF HORROR MAKES FORTEAN TIMES COVER

Sneak preview: The May issue of Fortean Times magazine will be celebrating 100 years of Peter Cushing!

HOW SHERLOCK GOT THE BURNS IN HIS DRESSSING GOWN: THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES

Peter Cushing on his methodical preparation in playing Sherlock Holmes. With the majority of roles that Peter played throughout his long career, this attention to detail, was not unusual....

BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING YOU : NOW YOU CAN WATCH BIG BROTHER : PETER CUSHING IN BBC GEORGE ORWELL'S 1984

WATCH PETER CUSHING AS WINSTON SMITH IN '1984'
BBC Sunday-Night Theatre: Season 5, Episode 50
Vintage Television Drama with André Morell, Yvonne Mitchell and Donald Pleasence.

 CLICK HERE:WATCH 1984

DRACULA IS DEAD, BUT HIS DISCIPLES LIVE ON: REVIEW AND GALLERY 'THE BRIDES OF DRACULA' (1960)

If Curse of Frankenstein was the film that put Hammer Films on the map, then Dracula (US title: Horror of Dracula) was the film that made them a sensation - it confirmed that Curse was no fluke, and it helped to make Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee into the British film industry’s first full fledged horror stars since the barnstorming days of Tod Slaughter. It was a new found reputation both men accepted with mixed blessings; for Cushing, the sudden financial prosperity at least enabled him to properly look after his ailing wife, while for Lee he hoped to use it as a stepping stone to bigger and better things. Hammer had wasted no time in rushing a sequel to Curse into production, but when it came to their biggest cash cow, the transition wasn’t so smooth. The end result would prove to have been worth the wait, however.

The Brides of Dracula remains one of Hammer’s most celebrated yet oft debated titles. There’s no denying that the screenplay is a problematic patchwork of ideas, and this can be explained quite logically by the fact that it underwent so many rewrites and reincarnations before going before the cameras. One of the big points of contention is its status as a proper Dracula film, given that neither the count nor Christopher Lee are anywhere to be glimpsed. Quite why this is, nobody can say for sure. Christopher Lee has insisted that he was never asked to appear. Others, including the film’s first screenwriter, Jimmy Sangster, maintain that he was never intended to be a part of the picture. Afterall, at that time, Peter Cushing was the company’s established star property - he had come to Hammer after years of distinguished work on stage, screen and TV, and in the UK at least, he was a household name. Dracula had helped to make Lee visible, but he was still a little ways from becoming a true box office commodity. It is also no secret that relations between Hammer and Lee were a bit frayed at times, and if he had allowed the success of Dracula to go to his head, it’s conceivable that he was making demands that were simply unrealistic at that stage in the game. On the other hand, the actor did continue to appear in numerous films for them - invariably in a supporting capacity, excepting his turn as The Mummy (1959) - so the issue remains a little muddy at best. Speculation to one side, The Brides of Dracula was marketed as a Dracula film - but in fact, it focuses on the exploits of one of his disciples, Baron Meinster (David Peel).

A recap for those who haven’t seen it yet (and if not, what’s your excuse?): a young school teacher, Marianne (Yvonne Monlaur) is summoned to teach French at a girl’s school in Transylvania. Near the end of her journey, she is abandoned at a local inn by her frightened coach driver (the marvelous Michael Ripper). The mysterious Baroness Meinster (Martita Hunt) happens upon the scene and offers to put the young girl up for the night at her ancestral castle. While there, Marianna makes the acquaintance of the dashing and seemingly victimized Baron Meinster, who talks the naïve young woman into setting him free from the chains which bind him to his room. Once freed, the Baron shows his true colors as a vampire, and he sets his sights - and fangs - upon his mother. Marianne flees in horror, only to be rescued by Dr. Van Helsing (Peter Cushing), who has come to the area to investigate the Baron and his nefarious activities. The intrepid vampire hunter then sets out to destroy the vampire, though inevitably more victims are claimed before he is able to do so…

So much has been written for and against this film, and much of it comes down to how forgiving one is of its many faults. As noted above, Sangster’s original script was heavily reworked, first by Peter Bryan and then by play write Edward Percy, who was apparently engaged at Cushing’s behest to do a final polish. There are elements of the story that simply don’t make any sense: the mysterious man in black (played by the cadaverous Michael Mulcaster, who previously appeared with Cushing in both Curse and Revenge of Frankenstein, 1958) who is glimpsed at the beginning, for example, simply disappears early on without any clarification; Marianne is stranded at the inn without her luggage, yet the luggage is waiting for her at Castle Meinster - it’s no a great stretch to imagine that the mysterious man in black bribed to coachman to deliver her possessions to the castle, but why is it that Marianne doesn’t even bat an eye at this?; the Baron is able to transform into a bat, yet he is kept prisoner by a chain - why not simply change form and escape?; and so forth. Impassioned fans have argued in favor of a dreamlike tone where logic plays no significant function, but this never really was the way of Hammer horror. Compared to the Italian horror films of the same period, many of which truly did eschew logic in favor of a kind of fever dream state, Hammer’s writers and directors were more concerned with keeping their fantasy rooted in as much logic and realism as possible.

It could be that some of these deficits were originally explained, but in the film as it stands, they seem vague and sloppy. Even if one can accept that the chain possesses some magical property, for example, it’s not consistent with Hammer’s M.O. to simply leave such a crucial plot point unexplained. What’s most likely is that, in the rush to get the script finished and filmed, some connecting pieces of material were pushed aside - and then forgotten. For some viewers, these inconsistencies prove ruinous; I would say that allowing these gaffes to ruin the film is a bit much, however.

Another, more damaging issue comes out of the script’s decision to reinstate a piece of vampire folklore which Sangster had wisely removed from the script of Dracula. Whereas Van Helsing stressed in the first film that the notion that Dracula can shape shift is a “common fallacy,” here Meinster is able to turn into a bad - and a particularly sad looking bat it is, too. Special effects of this variety were never really in the Hammer budget, and this is precisely why Sangster had removed it from the first film; in allowing it to be present in this film, however, he allows for some very laughable moments, indeed. Another rather irksome deficit is to be found in the makeup for the vampire brides played by Andree Meeley and the truly spectacular Marie Devereux. Quite apart from Fisher’s decision to have them constantly baring their fangs, they are rendered even more ludicrous by pasty pancake makeup which is confined solely to their faces - it stops at the face, and their necks, emphasized by a plunging neckline in the costume (which was surely there more for Devereux’s benefit), carry on in a perfectly normal skin tone. One could argue that this is a bit of nitpicking, and perhaps it is, but it does serve to draw attention to itself and undercuts some of the menace in their appearance.

Having spent so long talking about what’s wrong with it, let’s turn our attention to what’s good about it - and believe me, there’s plenty of it. For one thing, the film joins The Mummy as the best looking film Hammer ever produced. Jack Asher’s lighting is simply superb, topping his already lustrous work on Dracula. The use of exaggerated color gels gives the film an appropriately unearthly feel. Bernard Robinson’s sets are truly impressive, offering further evidence of his ability to create a “big” feel with very little money. Malcolm Williamson’s organ-drenched score may be a little more old fashioned than James Bernard’s thumping, percussive music, but it suit’s the tone and texture to a proverbial T. Terence Fisher, too, is at the top of his game. While the script sometimes gets away from him, he does a tremendous job building mood, atmosphere and suspense. There are some wonderfully effective compositions throughout, and if he fails to top the impact of the finale of his first Dracula film (which frankly seems impossible), he still delivers a rousing end for Baron Meinster.

As to the cast, it, too, is one of the strongest Hammer ever assembled. While Yvonne Furneaux is rather wooden as Marianne - a factor not much helped by her uncertainty in English; Hammer would really let her down in casting her as a Chinese in The Terror of the Tongs later that same year! - she is supported by a tremendous gallery of character actors. Peter Cushing is every bit as effective here as he was in Dracula. He dominates the proceedings with quiet grace and authority. He and Fisher viewed Van Helsing as something of a fanatic, but they were careful not to take this concept to extremes, as Francis Ford Coppola and Anthony Hopkins would later do in the uneven Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992). Van Helsing remains a steely force for good, and his ability to rise to the challenge is most vividly evident in the scene where he, having been overpowered and bitten by Meinster, uses a red hot poker to cauterize the wound.

Cushing plays such physical scenes absolutely brilliantly, helping to sell the effect in a powerful manner. Cushing also displays some sly humor in his scenes with the doddering village doctor played by the wonderful Miles Malleson (who previously played a blackly funny morgue attendant in Dracula). Superb as he is, Cushing is nearly outdone by the double act of Martita Hunt, as Baroness Meinster, and Freda Jackson, as the Baroness’ cackling housekeeper. Both actresses bring a positively Shakespearian dimension to their scenes, and if they had the slightest contempt for appearing in a “Hammer horror” after having done so many distinguished projects on stage and screen (Hunt, for example, is immortalized as Miss Havisham in David Lean’s definitive version of Great Expectations), it certainly doesn’t show.

David Peel was a surprising choice to sub for Christopher Lee, as it were. Though he was 40 at the time of filming, he had a youthful visage, and Hammer’s makeup ace, Roy Ashton, elected to emphasize this with a swishy blonde wig. Peel comes off as a rather pretty and fey vampire, and this adds some interesting subtext to the film. His appearance to one side, Peel is forceful and commanding, whether it be verbally belittling Marianne’s pompous employer (Henry Oscar) or engaging in hand to hand combat with Van Helsing. Peel’s film career never caught fire, however, and after making a “blink and you’ll miss it” appearance as an airline pilot in the Franco-British horror item The Hands of Orlac (1960 - which featured Christopher Lee in one of his most striking villainous turns), he basically retired from the screen to pursue a career in the antiques trade. Even if he had never made another film, Brides would be sufficient to immortalize Peel among the Hammer fan base - he may lack the sheer force and charisma of Lee, but bear in mind that was a tough act to follow… and his sexually ambiguous presence surely informed Roman Polanski’s creation of the character of Herbert (played by the equally “pretty” Iain Quarrier) in his loving lampoon of/tribute to Hammer horror, The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967). The supporting cast includes some nice roles for the aforementioned Ripper, Malleson and Oscar, as well.

Ultimately, Brides of Dracula manages to overcome its imperfections and is one of the rare sequels - if one chooses to view it as such - that manages to equal, and possibly even surpass, its original. Hammer would continue to mine the vampire myth, creating some wonderful - and not so wonderful - variations on the theme, but Brides of Dracula is arguably their most successful “stab” at the subgenre; as an exercise in pure cinematic style, it’s hard to beat. 

     

PETER CUSHING AND HIS LOVE OF LADY TOBACCO.

PETER CUSHING AND HIS LOVE FOR LADY TOBACCO: It's no secret that Peter Cushing was quite a smoker. Both on and off screen, he could give those 'coffin nails' quite a hammering! Of course, Peter came from a time when the awareness of smoking and health related illnesses was not what it is today.

Along with bits and bobs, props and business, he managed to work puffing into an art form. He played a whole string of characters, who too, were no strangers to a pack of twenty unfiltered tipped. Though pipe smoking was never his thing, as Sherlock Holmes on both film and television, Cushing gagged with the strength of the tobacco, always keeping a glass of milk just out of shot to keep the wrenching at bay. In some ways this is strange because Peter's personal preference for many years was John Player unfiltered cigarettes, in packs of twenty. Real blow your socks off puffers! 

Nicolas Gadd, in his book, 'Spending Time With Frankenstein', tells of various visits to Peter's home in Whitstable, where after many months of having given up smoking, there were still tens of unopened cartons of twenty packets in drawers and cupboards.

 

Smoking was something that Peter enjoyed. During interviews, many journalistswould comment on the use of his 'trademark' white glove... Peter would tell them, 'I use these gloves, so that I do not stain my fingers. You can't play period roles with stained fingers!' From 'End of the Affair', Night of the Big Heat, Nothing But The Night', 'Dracula AD 1972' right up to 'The Silent Scream in 1980, Peter and his unfiltered friends often shared the screen...