Dr
Phibes follows it’s titular character as he seeks retribution
for the death of his wife by murdering the nine members of the team who he
believed failed her on the operating table. Sounds simple? Did I forget to
mention that he kills them in ways relating to the seven plagues of Egypt, has
an enigmatic mute assistant called Vulnavia whom he waltz’s with to music
played by his clockwork band, talks through a gramophone and wears a mask of
his own face?
WHEN HELEN CUSHING passed away in 1971, the effect on
Peter was profound. Physically and emotionally devastated, he threw himself into
his acting, working as consistently as he could, up to his death in 1994.
However several films which were slated to star Cushing surrounding Helens
death, quickly had to find alternatives. So Andrew Kier, ended up replacing
Cushing in Blood From the Mummy’s Tomb and
Joseph Cotton took over his role in one of the subjects of today’s piece, 'The Abominable Dr Phibes'.
PHIBES IS A MASTERPIECE of camp comedy.
With a deliciously morbid sense of humour and a tremendous amount of style, the
film turned out to be one of the most
unique and inventive British Horrors at the point when the death knell was just
beginning to sound. However you’d be forgiven for thinking the Cushing
connection was only a curious, ‘what if’. A year later, its sequel and the real
focus of this article- Dr Phibes Rises
Again, managed to go even further than the first in terms of outrageous black
comedy and eccentricity.
NOT ONLY THAT, but Rises
Again, features an incredibly small cameo from Peter Cushing, making up (to
some extent) for his having to turn down the role of Dr Versailius in the first
film. Re-watching the films again however had me pondering…would Cushing’s
presence make that much of a difference? And if so would it have improved the
film? or perhaps changed it beyond recognition?
DR PHIBES follows it’s titular character as he seeks retribution
for the death of his wife by murdering the nine members of the team who he
believed failed her on the operating table. Sounds simple? Did I forget to
mention that he kills them in ways relating to the seven plagues of Egypt, has
an enigmatic mute assistant called Vulnavia whom he waltz’s with to music
played by his clockwork band, talks through a gramophone and wears a mask of
his own face? Yes, whilst the plot in itself is somewhat simplistic it is these
eccentricities that give both Phibes films
their flair. And what of Phibes himself?
THE FILM WAS DESIGNED as a vehicle for
Vincent Price and despite having very little dialogue, his immense presence
steals the show and works perfectly with the vision for the film created by
director Robert Feust. Arguably, at this stage in his career Price had
developed a persona as an exaggerated Gothic gentleman, and by the late 60’s
one can’t help but sense Price having a
great deal of fun with this image of the ‘merchant of menace’ and sending
himself up. Phibes exploits this and
the title character draws on many of the tropes associated with Price, the
lavish tastes and exaggerated classiness.
WHAT OF JOSEPH COTTEN and Versualias
then? The role Cotten role was to have been taken by Cushing? Admittedly the role itself isn’t
particularly rewarding, he’s the staunch stoic hero to Price’s maniacal
villain. True, a Price-Cushing standoff
would doubtless of been a highlight of both men’s careers, but let’s not forget
that the two characters only come together for the final ten-minutes or so. Not
only that but with Price’s voice hampered somewhat by the silted pronunciation
needed for the character, one wonders if it really would have lived up to
expectations. On the other hand Joseph Cotten is somewhat thought of simply as
a replacement for Cushing and I don’t think that’s fair. Let’s remember the
kind of world that Feust is trying to create. The film is set in the 1920’s but
draws on the 30’s as well, an art-deco world of parties, music and dinner
jackets. A tongue in cheek pastiche of old Hollywood glamour.
NOW LET'S CONSIDER what Joseph Cotten is known for; Citizen
Kane, The Third Man, not to mention his work with the Mercury theatre
company. True, a little later than Phibes is set but all titans of old
Hollywood. Indeed there’s something incredibly anachronistic about Cotton in
the film at all, he seems like a man out of time. Could it be, perhaps that he
was chosen for this reason? That in the
same way that Phibes exploits Prices’s persona, that the role of Versualias
exploits Cotten’s Hollywood image. Certainly he was chosen as a replacement,
but I can’t imagine Feust not jumping a little bit with joy when he realised he
was going to have one of the stars of Citizen
kane in a sequence that involved an operating table and a lot of acid…
SO CUT TO A YEAR LATER and the inevitable sequel.
Often given a bad wrap, I must confess to being something of a fan of this one.
The eccentricity of the first film is taken to it’s logical conclusion and
Feust opts to go bigger and broader. Purposefully sending up the 1920’s
obsession with everything Egyptian following in the wake of Tutankhamun, this
film features a heavier dose of the mystical, lacking in the first film. Here
Phibes embarks on a quest to find the mythical river of life, which he believes
will bring resurrection for his wife and eternal life for them both. Of course
along the way he encounters a rival team of archaeologists and sets upon
dispatching of them in ways equally as eccentric and theatrical as those
featured in the first film.
THIS IS ONE OF THE BIGGEST COMPLAINTS lodged
against the film, namely why Phibes is going to the trouble of killing these
people in these ways when he doesn’t even know them. In the first film there
was some level of logic to it, with
his motivation being revenge and him therefore wanting them to suffer. In Rises Again however, one can’t help but
feel that Feust is spoofing his own work up. Why does Phibes go to all this
bother? Well because he can! After all, why does he transport the body of his
wife around in what appears to be a carnival attraction? It’s perhaps a case of
style over substance, but good god is it stylish.
PRICE HIMSELF also hams it up even further than
before, his voice being allowed to flow naturally instead of the stilted style
used in the first film. He’s given a great deal more dialogue too, narrating
many of his own scenes and getting to state a lot of delightful nonsense about
the ancient gods of Egypt and so on and so forth. Not only that but the
opportunity for comedy is heightened here, with ‘wonders with the local fish’
and ‘if music be the fruit of love…’ being two favourites of mine.
ROBERT QUARRY appears in the film as Biederbeck, a
sort of Man Who Could Cheat Death type
figure, also hunting for the river of life. Quarry is something of a personal
favourite of mine, with a natural presence and gravitas. Really, it’s nothing
short of a crying shame that his career as leading man of horror didn’t take
off more. Unfortunately, it’s well known that there was possible tension
between he and Vincent Price due to AIP potentially grooming him to step into
the ageing Price’s shoes.
WHATEVER THE CASE, this didn’t happen and Quarry got
no further than starring in a handful of horror projects in the 1970’s. And
Cushing? Well it really is a blink and you’ll miss it performance. A funny and light-hearted moment, it’s not one that allows for much commentary. However
since we’re on the topic of possible could-have-beens for Cushing, I have to
admit that whilst the idea of him as Versualias in Phibes doesn’t fill me with excitement, there is one role in the Phibes films that does.
Now despite my love for Quarry (and really he is fantastic) the idea of Cushing
as Biederbeck is one that really does inspire me with the possibilities.
BIEDERBECK
is a far more threatening match and his final confrontation, in which the two
characters discuss the merits of eternal life, not for themselves but for love,
is a far more intriguing stand-off than anything between Phibes and Versualias.
Perhaps some of this dialogue would have been a little much for Cushing, the
emotional resonance maybe being a bit strong- however roles in films such as The Ghoul and Tales from the Crypt, show a utilisation of his emotional distress
that lead to some of his finest performances.
WHATEVER THE IMPACT of Cushing may have been,
ultimately we will never know. The films as they stand are two of the finest
British horror films to emerge during this period and never cease to be
endlessly entertaining.
Written by Callum McKelvie
Edited and Images Jamie Somerville
and Marcus Brooks
Any comments or suggestions on Callum's feature
you can email him HERE!
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