It all could have turned out quite differently...had Hammer films, Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing and Terence Fisher and all...not made a CLASSIC!
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Thursday, 23 July 2015
CHRISTOPHER LEE REMEMBERS HORROR OF DRACULA OPENING NIGHT
It all could have turned out quite differently...had Hammer films, Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing and Terence Fisher and all...not made a CLASSIC!
FULLY RESTORED DRACULA / HORROR OF DRACULA DEATH SCENE CUSHING AND LEE
REQUESTED: Count Dracula's Death Scene...fully restored with extra
'disintegration make up footage'..from Hammer films 1958 'DRACULA'
starring Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee..... Lionsgate / Icon/
Hammer film combo blu ray / dvd release UK 2013.
Sunday, 19 July 2015
THE WORK OF STEVEN SAMUEL : ICONS OF FANTASY CINEMA
The Artwork of Steven Samuel. We get lots of posts containing artwork,
some very good indeed. This little gallery came our way just this
morning..I felt I had to share it with at the first opportunity!
Exceptional work, Peter, Vincent, Christopher Lee and Veronica Carlson
and Madeline Smith. Should anyone want to contact Steven, Please message
us at theblackboxclub@gmail.com
MONSTERS FROM HELL AT FACEBOOK
If you are a fan of fantasy films and Hammer in particular, there are
some great pages and groups to be found on facebook, but it's always a
treat to find a page that goes that extra mile, sharing and posting special collectors items and rare
pics. Stephen Jones' 'Monsters From Hell' facebook page, is such a page.
Always something new and of interest.
He works hard at making his daily
posts worth seeking out. Because of facebooks habit of squeezing the
reach of certain groups posts, Stephen's efforts aren't getting the
recognition and reaching the people who should be seeing them. So,
here's the the link to his page, do yourself a favour, go take a look
and like his page. You'll be glad you did!
Join MONSTERS FROM HELL by CLICKING THIS LINK: HERE
WOMEN IN GOTHIC: THE ACTRESSES OF HAMMER'S FRANKENSTEIN SERIES: BRUCE G. HALLENBECK
A NEW and EXCLUSIVE series coming to the Peter Cushing appreciation
Society starting next weekend, written by BRUCE G HALLENBECK 'WOMAN IN
GOTHIC' featuring the work of the actresses who starred along side Peter
Cushing in the Hammer film Frankenstein film series. Interviews,clips
and rare stills will make this one not to miss!
A few years
back Bruce wrote a superb seven part series for us entitled THE MISTRESSES OF DRACULA, which still stands as one of our most popular posted series at THEBLACKBOXCLUB.COM
Over the years Bruce has been busy filling our book shelves with some
very informative and entertaining books on the histories of Hammer and
Amicus films British Cult Cinema: The Hammer Vampire, Hammer Fantasy and
Sci-Fi, The Hammer Frankenstein and The Amicus Anthology.... all great
reads, fully illustrated and available now from HEMLOCK BOOKS
PLUS look out for Bruce's 'Rock 'n' Roll Monsters', which will be out in
2016. In the meantime, we are thrilled to be presenting this series,
which we think you are going to LOVE too!
Friday, 17 July 2015
WAR GAMES, SUSPENDED PLANES AND MODEL SOLDIERS : PETER CUSHING MASTER MODEL MAKER AT HOME
More Images of Peter Cushing Hobbies, Toys and Games: Peter inspects his model aircraft, suspended by fishing wire from the ceiling in his studio at Whitstable. Painting his figures for a American Civil War encampment tableau. Engrossed in a 'LITTLE WARS' with his figures, consulting his 'War Games' hand book written by H.G.Wells and finally inspecting his William Britain figures at home in number 9, Hillsleigh Road, Notting Hill.....
Peter Cushing secretary remembers:
' Hillsleigh Road was originally stables in the 1900's and it had been
rebuilt as a house. It only had two bedrooms, a small kitchen, a
beautiful sitting room and dinning room and at the far end, were three
or four steps into a huge studio which housed Peter's enormous
collection of soldiers, all his paintings and things, a vast collection
of books and a huge games table!'
Thursday, 16 July 2015
THE SPREAD OF THE EAGLE : BBC TELEVISION 1963 CUSHING MICHELL AND EDDINGTON
In January 1963, Peter Cushing emabarked on his most involved project for sometime. It was a threepart BBC adapation of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, part of the nine part cycle called The Spread of the Eagle, which included Corialanus and Antony and Cleopatra. The producer and director was Peter Dawes, who in 1960 had overseen a massive and prestigious production called An Age of Kings comprising Shakespeare's Richard II, Henry IV and VI and Richard III, starring Sean Connery and Robert Hardy.
In The Spread of the Eagle Cushing was to play Caius Cassius, one of the conspirators in the murder of Julius Caesar. Cassius is described by Casear as having ' a lean and hungry look'- an appropriate description for Cushing. Fellow conspirator Brutus was Paul Eddington, with Barry Jones as Caesar and Keith Michell as Mark Antony.
The setting is Rome 44BC, where'the colossus'- Julius Caesar- is urged to accpt supreme power. Howeveer, the republicans, icluding the palin thinking Brutus and the coldly intellectual senator Cassius, think they see another tyrant in the making. So a consiracy is forged to assassinate Caesar, while strange supernatural events warn the citizens that tragedy is impending. Casear's death brings about civil war, and the republican army led by Brutus and Cassius must confront the forces of mark Antony, loyal to Caesars memory.. Brutus, troubled by conscience and ghostly visitations, has little heart fir the fight; neither has Cassius. The battle goes well for them at first, but their enemies prevail and both conspirators die by their own hands.
With it's 1960's graphics and elaborate camera set ups, The Spread of the Eagle boasts a deliberately modern approach, showing how much more sophhisticated television production had become since Cushing's last performances. The acting is naturalistic, and Cushing brings force and and passion to his delivery of Shakespeare's text, investing the complex speeches with emotion and meaning. In his black wig he looks severe, and the television cameras are noticeably less kind to his face than film cameras.
Before rehearsals started on February 25th, Cushing was in contact with Peter Dews to check the pronunciation of certain lines. The series was recorded in Studio 4, television centre on March 8th, March 25th and April 5th 1963 with Cushing's fee at 563 guineas per episode. The production was recorded 'as live', which meant that the recording breaks were kept to a minimum (to avoid costly editing) and small mistakes had to be worked through if possible. Paul Eddinton remembered the problems created by having real horses in the studio - they tended to slip on the rubberised flooring that was used for the battlefield. While Cushing and Eddington struggled to continue their performances, Keith Michell was fighting a losing battle to keep on his horse out of shot. Michelle called Cushing's Cassius 'one of the finest Shakespearean performances I have ever seen' remembering that during rehearsals, Cushing wore doormats and fire-irons in place of his sword and armour, leading the bluff Northerner Peter Dews to remark that he looked like a hearth-tidy!
The newspapers picked up on the return of Peter Cushing. This chripy piece was from James Green in the Daily Mirror,'A Few words today from Cassius. Not Cassius Clay of boxing fame. He never said just a few words about anything. This Cassius is the one with the lean and hungry look. Mr Peter Cushing will play him tonight on BBC TV in the Shakespearean play cycle The Spread of the Eagle' It is five years since Cushing last acted for the BBC. But having decided that they can be no worse than the horror films he is back with a bang. Mr Cushing as Senator Caius Cassius, will be on view for three Fridays in succession. Take a close look at the togas being worn on tv. If you buy a ticket to see Elizabeth Taylor in Cleopatra you will spot the same garments.
'The TV people decided to use the film company togas and we had to wait fr them to arrive from Rome!' says Cassius Cushing. 'I suppose if togas have got to come from anywhere, they might as well come from Rome! They arrive in two sizes." he explains "Large and small. All that needs altering is the hem length. They have an advantage over suits that fittings are not required. The more I wear togas the more I like them. The real thing takes a long time to wind round but these film jobs were in simplified form. A toga is loose and comfortable, does away with collars and ties and it's easy to learn to swing the train over the left arm'. Peter Cushing lives at Whitstable and for much of the year enjoys - if that is the word- a daily swim. He is the kind of Pied Piper to the local children and often joins them in beach games. In fact, the mob can sometimes be seen pushing him into the water. Casius of the wet and watery look!'
Text taken from 'The Peter Cushing
Companion' by David Miller
The setting is Rome 44BC, where'the colossus'- Julius Caesar- is urged to accpt supreme power. Howeveer, the republicans, icluding the palin thinking Brutus and the coldly intellectual senator Cassius, think they see another tyrant in the making. So a consiracy is forged to assassinate Caesar, while strange supernatural events warn the citizens that tragedy is impending. Casear's death brings about civil war, and the republican army led by Brutus and Cassius must confront the forces of mark Antony, loyal to Caesars memory.. Brutus, troubled by conscience and ghostly visitations, has little heart fir the fight; neither has Cassius. The battle goes well for them at first, but their enemies prevail and both conspirators die by their own hands.
With it's 1960's graphics and elaborate camera set ups, The Spread of the Eagle boasts a deliberately modern approach, showing how much more sophhisticated television production had become since Cushing's last performances. The acting is naturalistic, and Cushing brings force and and passion to his delivery of Shakespeare's text, investing the complex speeches with emotion and meaning. In his black wig he looks severe, and the television cameras are noticeably less kind to his face than film cameras.
Before rehearsals started on February 25th, Cushing was in contact with Peter Dews to check the pronunciation of certain lines. The series was recorded in Studio 4, television centre on March 8th, March 25th and April 5th 1963 with Cushing's fee at 563 guineas per episode. The production was recorded 'as live', which meant that the recording breaks were kept to a minimum (to avoid costly editing) and small mistakes had to be worked through if possible. Paul Eddinton remembered the problems created by having real horses in the studio - they tended to slip on the rubberised flooring that was used for the battlefield. While Cushing and Eddington struggled to continue their performances, Keith Michell was fighting a losing battle to keep on his horse out of shot. Michelle called Cushing's Cassius 'one of the finest Shakespearean performances I have ever seen' remembering that during rehearsals, Cushing wore doormats and fire-irons in place of his sword and armour, leading the bluff Northerner Peter Dews to remark that he looked like a hearth-tidy!
The newspapers picked up on the return of Peter Cushing. This chripy piece was from James Green in the Daily Mirror,'A Few words today from Cassius. Not Cassius Clay of boxing fame. He never said just a few words about anything. This Cassius is the one with the lean and hungry look. Mr Peter Cushing will play him tonight on BBC TV in the Shakespearean play cycle The Spread of the Eagle' It is five years since Cushing last acted for the BBC. But having decided that they can be no worse than the horror films he is back with a bang. Mr Cushing as Senator Caius Cassius, will be on view for three Fridays in succession. Take a close look at the togas being worn on tv. If you buy a ticket to see Elizabeth Taylor in Cleopatra you will spot the same garments.
Text taken from 'The Peter Cushing
Companion' by David Miller
CUSHING ON WAR GAMES : THE ART OF MODEL AND FIGURE MAKING
Requested: PATHE NEWS 1956: Peter Cushing at his home in Kensington,London...entertains
the Pathe News camera with his outstanding collection of over 5,000
model soldiers. All made and painted by his own hand. Many of the
figures are made from compressed drawing paper, with detachable swords
and helmets and then painted.
Join the OFFICIAL facebook fan page of the Peter Cushing Appreciation
Society UK, by just clicking HERE
FIGHTING THE TYPE CAST UNTIL THE END : CHRISTOPHER LEE
Christopher
Lee hard at work at a book signing in London.....is asked some
interesting questions. As well as the the most obvious one! Ten out of
ten for his first answer!
QUESTION: So what is it like being the worlds most famous vampire?
CHRISTOPHER LEE'S ANSWER: I wouldn't know! Perhaps you should ask Gary Oldman?
The Oldman / Francis Ford Coppola release of DRACULA had hit the screen a short time before this interview......
Credit to kinolibrary
Join the OFFICIAL Peter Cushing Appreciation Society Facebook Fan Page
SNEAK PREVIEW DR TERRORS HOUSE OF HORRORS STEEL BOOK EXTRAS FROM ODEON ENTERTAINMENT GROUP
Here's a HEADS UP and a SNEAK PREVIEW of the extras coming our way in
the LIMITED EDITION REGION FREE STEEL BOOK BLU RAY release of Amicus
films 'DR TERROR'S HOUSE OF HORRORS'. It's a available now as a pre
order with an official release date of September 21st 2015.
Available NOW on DVD from http://www.odeonent.co.uk
Scanned at 4k by Pinewood Post Production and with newly commissioned
Steel Book art by the renowned Graham Humphreys, this collector's
version is limited to 4,000 individually
numbered Steel Books. Dr Terror (Peter Cushing) is a mysterious fortune
teller who boards a train and offers to tell fellow passengers
(Christopher Lee, Roy Castle, Donald Sutherland) their fortune with
tarot cards.
Five possible futures unfold: an architect returns to his
ancestral home to find a werewolf out for revenge; a huge flesh-eating
vine takes over a house; a musician gets involved with voodoo; an art
critic is pursued by a disembodied hand and a doctor discovers his new
wife is a vampire. But they all end in the same result…..death. A
fascinating and fast paced example of portmanteau film-making with a
deadly twist in the tale.
READ our FEATURE and take in our VINTAGE GALLERY of PHOTOGRAPHS and LOBBY STILLS from this AMICUS CUSHING/ LEE CLASSIC, just by CLICKING HERE
Join our official FACEBOOK FAN PAGE just by clicking the link HERE
CHRISTOPHER LEE. THE FLAT TYRE AND THE FAINTING FARMER
Christopher Lee shares the story of how on a rural journey with his wife Gitta, a simple flat tyre throws him into an encounter that one farmer and his dog, will never forget!
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