SHERLOCK HOLMES TAKES ON THE MASKS OF DEATH! #WATCHWITHCUSHING #WATCHPARTY!

DON'T THINK FOR A MINUTE THAT YOU CAN'T take another post of a Cushing Sherlock Holmes adventure? Snap out of it.😉😀 This one... is different 😉 #SirIanMckellen was 75, when he made that amazing Mr Holmes feature back in 2015. #PeterCushing was 71 when he appeared in what would almost be his 'swan song' for the big screen, and he pours just about everything he has in it 😊'Sherlock Holmes and the Masks of Death' (1984) is a pretty clever film, with a very cool cast to help make it work. 

THE THREE FACES OF Peter Cushing's Sherlock Holmes 

'The Hound of the Baskervilles' (Hammer films 1959)

Peter Cushing as Sherlock Holmes in the BBC Television series of 1968

Cushing's Holmes in semi retirement in 'Sherlock Holmes and the 

Masks of Death (1984)

THERE ARE MANY very nice touches in this film and despite Peter's obvious age and his belief he was too old to play it, it works, helped by Cushing's good friend, John Mills who fills the role of Dr Watson confidently and with a few well timed 'matured-creaks and groans'. Roy Ward Baker directs also Ray Milland, Anne Baxter and #AntonDiffring are all lovely to watch and help put the cherry on what could have been quite a stale and mouldy cake! 

I VERY MUCH LIKE the story in this film. At times it's bleak, quite dark and uses one of the 'world's darkest of times' to under pin the evil and threats' in this #Sherlock and #Watson drama, written by Hammer's Anthony Hinds and N.J Crisp. It is a shame Cushing thought himself not fit enough or capable to nail another Holmes film, which was planned for production after this one. But, he did wait while Tyburn were trying to source funding.  

CUSHING MADE '#Biggles' (1986) while waiting, which would be his last cinema role. I think he more than managed to do his last Sherlock justice and finally bow out from one of his most accomplished and always most confidently performed roles in his long and varied career. I hope you enjoy this too 😊Marcus

CATCH UP on ALL the PCASUK '#WATCHWITHCUSHING! 'watch parties' at the FACEBOOK UK PETER CUSHING APPRECIATION SOCIETY FACEBOOK PAGE HERE!

'NO IMAGINATION NO HORROR!' SHERLOCK WATCH WITH CUSHING NOW LIVE!

#WATCHWITHCUSHING! OVER AT The FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE we have lanched our #WATCHPARTY for today, with ANOTHER dip into the 'Sherlock Holmes' BBC television series, 'A STUDY IN SCARLETT' with Peter Cushing again in the role of Sherlock Holmes 😊

#WatchWithCushing! 'Where there is no imagination, there is NO horror!' so says Peter Cushing's Sherlock Holmes in 'A Study in Scarlett', in this episode from his 1968 BBC television serial. Cushing had taken on the role for the BBC when Douglas Wilmer's Sherlock, left the series. It would not be a pleasurable experience for the actor, and when he and Wilmer were later united on the Hammer/AIP production of 'The Vampire Lovers' (1970), Cushing remarked that he would sooner spend the rest of his career sweeping Paddington Station than to work for the BBC again under similar circumstances. Cushing would later argue that the strain affected his performance, indicating a preference for his earlier, less hurried portrayal of Holmes in Hammer’s 'The Hound of the Baskervilles' (1958).

WITH ALL DUE RESPECT TO CUSHING, however, I disagree – where his earlier performance is a bit mannered, he seems far more relaxed and comfortable in the role in the BBC series. Sadly, many of the episodes no longer survive – but the ones that do show just how effective Cushing really was in the role. 'A Study in Scarlet' wasn’t the first of the series that he did for the BBC, but it is the first in continuity of that surviving episodes. WHICH Cushing Sherlock portrayal do you prefer, the 1958 Hammer Baskerville or the BBC series? Stay Safe, Stay Inside, Stay Well Everyone 😉 - Marcus 

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CONE OF SILENCE : PCASUK FACEBOOK WATCH PARTY NOW LIVE!

PCASUK #WATCHPARTY! FOR A BUDGET of just £139,360 about £3,400.00 today, Aubrey Baring Productions got a LOT of film for their money, plus a very good cast! 'Cone of Silence' aka 'Trouble In The Sky', currently LIVE at the FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE as our latest 'Watch-Party' post,  is a 1960 British drama film that was directed by Charles Frend and starred Michael Craig, Peter Cushing, George Sanders, and Bernard Lee. Quite a big step away from what had occupied Cushing for the past four years at Hammer films, the role of Captain Clive Judd, gives us a view of his range we had not see for sometime. The story centres around an investigation into a series of crashes involving the fictional 'Atlas Aviation Phoenix' jetliner

SHOT AT SHEPPERTON STUDIOS, budget constraints led to the production using some miniatures to depict airfields and aircraft, although principal photography took place at Filton Airport in North Bristol, UK with the cooperation of the Bristol Siddeley Engines Ltd. 'Cone of Silence' is loosely based on 1952 plane crash in Rome and subsequent investigations into the structural integrity of the de Havilland Comet airliner. . and how even the highest skilled of people can sometimes get it all very wrong! Still awaiting a blu ray release, this is a film that would look quite special in monochrome. . . as would many of Cushing's black and white feature films from this period... and why the recent Indicator blu ray release of 'Time Without Pity' looks so impressive! 😀 - Marcus

WE ARE HERE!

PCASUK WATCH PARTY TIGON CUSHING CLASSIC NOW LIVE!

#WATCHWITHCUSHING! 'The Blood Beast Terror' (1968) NOW LIVE at the FACEBOOK PCASUK FANPAGE WATCH PARTY! This is a film that for a long time had the sad reputation of being known as '#PeterCushing's least favourite film'! A rep that was probably misunderstood, as time has gone on to inform us, it was Cushing's 'on set' experience that scored the 'no brownie points'. Like with a lot of tight budget movies from this time, today we watch them with an 'understanding' maybe. Yup the effects could be better, but I've seen much worse in films that were produced with monster budgets, and no excuse! No one looks good in a costume that is supposed to represent a 'real creature' that is actually an inch to two inches in size, and every director should have a note to themselves that reminds them, 'save some money for the big finish' 😉Director, Vernon Sewell sadly did not. 

BUT HE DID invest in a good cast, Robert Flemyng, replacing an ill #BasilRathbone gives a great turn, Wanda Ventham is quite convincing and committed, but I bet you she drew the line about wearing that costume, and Peter Cushing as ever, gives good value with a cracking performance, relaxed, charming and with some nice 'business' as Inspector Quennell. There's a nod to #Frankenstein and body-snatches '#BukeandHare' and the late Roy Hudd gets to make his first movie, with some well timed black humour as the morgue attendant showing a knack that even both #DonaldPleasence's Dr Seward in 'Dracula' and Cushing's Catflangue, in Legend of the Werewolf, would have been proud of!

 

A TRIP TO THE CELLAR PLUS CHRISTOPHER LEE ON CUSHING AND HAMMER FILMS

 

I WONDER HOW MANY of you remember this, clip that I shared at the FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE TODAY??? Clever editing and timing using footage of Peter Cushing from the 1963 film, 'The Man Who Finally Died' which also starred actor Stanley Baker . . 

#ChristopherLee SATURDAY! Here is a shot you don't often see, from a contact sheet of many from this day during the production. Director Freddie Francis, with producer Aida Young with Christopher Lee during the making of '#DraculahasRisenfromtheGrave' at Pinewood. Francis had just finished '#TortureGarden' with #PeterCushing for Amicus, and four episodes of the tv series, 'The Man in the Suitcase'! What a variety! Hmmm.. those were the days 😊

AND FINALLY TODAY, another #WATCHWITHCUSHING! Here is a great clip from the people at #Cinemax 😊 #ChristopherLee shares some memories of working with #PeterCushing and the fun he and Peter had working for #Hammerfilms. As you probably know both he and Peter were CAST in 22 films though not always appearing in scenes together, I wonder which film do YOU think stands as their best collaboration and WHY??? 

YOU MIGHT FIND this little list helpful! The 22 films are : Hamlet (1948) .. no scenes together, Moulin Rogue (1952) .. no scenes together, The Curse of Frankenstein (1957), Dracula (1958) The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959), The Mummy (1959), The Gorgon (1964), Dr Terror's House of Horror's (1965), The Skull (1965), She (1965), Night of the Big Heat (1967), Scream and Scream Again (1967)... no scenes together, One More Time (1970) ... no scenes together, The House that Dripped Blood (1971) ... no scenes together, I, Monster (1971), Dracula AD 1972 (1972), Horror Express (1972), The Creeping Flesh (1973), Nothing But the Night (1973), The Satanic Rites of Dracula ( 1973), Arabian Adventure (1979).. no scenes together, The House of the Long Shadows (1983)

ME? I will go between Horror Express and maybe The Creeping Flesh! Why? I am not quite sure, I have a theory🤔🤔 ... but at the Facebook Fan Page, I am asking maybe you can tell me? 😉 - Marcus

The FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE open to EVERYONE. Come and JOIN US! HERE!

USA NEWS: SCREAM! FACTORY EVIL OF FRANKENSTEIN BLU RAY RELEASE STILL ON TRACK FOR MAY 19TH 2020

USA NEWS: #ScreamFactory's Collector Edition blu ray of #Hammerfilms / #PeterCushing 'The Evil of Frankenstein' is STILL on track for release May 19th, 2020! Worth a mention if you are looking for bonuses, if you pre-order 'The Evil of Frankenstein Collector’s Edition Blu-ray at Shout Factory, you’ll receive an exclusive 18″ X 24″ rolled poster featuring the brand new cover art, while supplies last.This US release is quite a cracker! 

EXTRAS

NEW 4K scan of the interpositive
NEW Audio Commentary with film-maker / film historian Constantine Nasr
NEW The Men Who Made Hammer: Freddie Francis
NEW an interview with assistant director William P. Cartlidge
NEW an interview with actress Katy Wild
 

TV version of 'THE EVIL OF FRANKENSTEIN'

(from the best available 16mm print)
 

The Making of THE EVIL OF FRANKENSTEIN edited and produced by Donald Fearney – Narrated by Edward de Souza and featuring interviews with Wayne Kinsey, Caron Gardner, Hugh Harlow, Pauline Harlow, Peter Cushing and Don Mingay
 

A moment with actress Caron Gardner
TALES OF FRANKENSTEIN TV Pilot
Theatrical Trailer
Still Gallery

#WATCHWITHCUSHING! IN THE PARIS SEWERS THEY CAN HEAR GROWLING! #SELFISOLATEANDWATCH!

TODAY'S  #WatchWithCushing is 1975's 'LEGEND OF THE WEREWOLF' at the FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE! Along with Tyburn's 'The Ghoul' these were films that were produced in a style from another time...and that was the producers intention. Hope you enjoy it! If you have not seen it before, we'd love you to  post your opinions and views on the news thread.

HERE IS PART ONE of our PCAS 'THE MAKING OF THE LEGEND OF THE WEREWOLF' feature which includes rare images, quotes and interviews with actor David Rintoul on playing the role of Etoile and the task of applying the make up. There is also quite extensive details from Peter Cushing on how he prepared for the role of Parisian pathologist, Paul Catafanque. Along with details from producer, Kevin Francis it makes an impressive first look into the huge task of making a movie...

ABOVE: THE UK 'LEGEND OF THE WEREWOLF' TRAILER, with DANISH subtitles and a narration by the wonderful tv, radio and film veteran, Valentine Dyall!

NEWS: INDICATOR PREPARES FIRST EVER RELEASE ON BLU RAY OF AN AMICUS FILMS CLASSIC!

NEWS: No fixed details yet, but #INDICATOR are currently working on what will be the very first release of Amicus films, 'I MONSTER' (1971) starring #ChristopherLee, #PeterCushing and Mike Raven. This is one that has been a very long time coming and most welcome.
 

PART ONE of the behind the scenes PCASUK RARE STILLS Gallery, is RIGHT HERE! 

PART TWO IS RIGHT HERE!

ABOVE: The USA cinema trailer for Amicus films, 'I, MONSTER' starring Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. A film with a production story, that sometimes is even more dramatic than the film!

THERE ARE NO details on extras, region or stats, but I LOVE that case and poster image design 😊😉

NOTHING BUT THE NIGHT : THE HUMAN FACTOR : #WATCHWITHCUSHING! PCASUK 2020

ANOTHER TWO PCASUK GREAT #PETERCUSHING TREATS at the FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE  to maybe entertain you! FIRST a 1970's Peter Cushing and #ChristopherLee film, directed by Peter Sasdy that almost got away from everyone, the strange but very interesting 'NOTHING HUT THE NIGHT' (1973), Sadly, this was the only movie produced by Charlemagne Films, which was created by Christopher Lee and Hammer film producer, Anthony Nelson Keys. UK distributors Fox and Rank made a real botched and half hearted job of promoting this film, even at one point offering some 'cash prizes' for letters from readers of the Sunday Mercury newspaper, describing their real-life experiences with terror and the supernatural! A very dated publicity device that went out of fashion in the 1950's! 

IT SADLY MADE LITTLE BOX OFFICE in the UK though did fair a little better with a different publicity campaign with title change and snazzy poster design for it's US release.'THE RESURRECTION SYNDICATE, title probably gives away more, than is helpful. BUT if you haven't seen this film before, I think you'll find much to your liking. 

THERE IS ALSO a supporting cast including Fulton Mackay (from Cushing's 'Return of the Cybernauts' : The Avengers tv episode) a young Michael Gambon ( who starred with Cushing in Amicus films, 'The Beast Must Die) and a quite a few of vivid  and interesting female characters for a change! The quite stylish Georgia Brown as the dogged newspaper reporter, who has some good scenes with Cushing a nice surprise of Diana Dors, playing one of her 'dressed down, nasty wig and tarty ol scrote roles, which she did a few of in the 70's and 80's. Kathleen Byron, who appeared as Cushing's Gustav Weil's long suffering wife, in Hammer films 'Twins of Evil' wife get just about enough to do, but she is wasted really.. What an amazing and quite beautiful actress. wasted as usual. Even as a Nun, Sister Ruth in the 1947 classic 'Black Narcissus', I thought she looked quite stunning and a fine actress that really captured the imagination. 

SO AN USUAL CAST, a plot that in it's climax leans towards  towards another Christopher Lee film, that also suffered in the beginning from a more than limp release, BUT picked up when Home Cinema VHS / Beta Calvary, came to the rescue! ENJOY and please let me know what you make of it? 

ANOTHER INTERVIEW GEM from quite a few programmes and hour length features Peter Cushing did after he retired in 1987. On June 1st that year, the UK TODAY newspaper quietly announced, Peter was hanging up his coat, for a well deserved rest. 'After making some of the world's best known horror films during  his 50 year career, Peter Cushing has decided that he will never make another film. He's just finished filming two television advertisements and he says the experience is enough to make him realise enough is enough. 'I did them because I had been offered two film parts and didn't know if I would be up for the work' he admits, ' I didn't want to let anyone down, so I thought I thought I would 'cut my teeth' on these two commercials. But having spent four days shooting, I've decided  not to do any more films These adverts will be my swan song. It's too much for me.'

BUT 1990, NOW TAKING THINGS in his stride #PeterCushing gave an interview to 'The Human Factor' a  UK #TV programme made by TVS, where he talked about his love for his wife, his belief in an afterlife, his suicide attempt, his cancer, and the key moments from his childhood and his long and successful acting career. He covers many of these themes and more in the two volumes of his autobiography, but this is the first time I'd seen him talking very openly about them. It's a revelation. Never before had Peter appeared so genuine and profound in his answers. It's an inspiring and revealing piece indeed. This too is now UP as a #WATCHWITHCUSHING! post for the viewing at the FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE,  where many of you have commented on the frankness of Peter's answers during the interview. There were quite a few stories and facts I had not heard before. There will be MORE posts tomorrow too! This up load along with many of the other 'Watch With Cushing' post have proved to be very popular, with many watching through out the day . . I hope you enjoy some of the posts too!? - Marcus

THE TRUTH ABOUT THE TIGHT BOOTS AND THE TARKIN TEN TOES!

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