Showing posts with label terence fisher.. Show all posts
Showing posts with label terence fisher.. Show all posts

Monday 9 September 2019

RARE BEHIND THE SCENES 'ON SET' FOOTAGE FROM HAMMER FILMS 'THE GORGON'


A REAL AND RARE TREAT! Here are some short GIFS taken from some very rare behind the scenes footage taken during the making of Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee's 1964 Hammer film Classic, THE GORGON. Director Terence Fisher had a real job on his hands. The script was fine and had the making of an original horror / romantic / thriller. The key to the drama was a creature that lived holed up in Castle Borski, who on certain evenings took to meeting visitors, not with a warm welcome, but a STARE that turned them into stone! The creature was Megaera, long thought to be a fantasy of Greek mythology. Not only was she real, but she also had a dual appearance and personality. This no doubt suited actress Barbara Shelley, who played the meek and sensitive Karl Hoffman, Megaera's 'other side', as whoever was to appear as Megaera, would have to endure a few weeks of experiments and painful head-dresses, while make up men and props department Roy Ashton and Phil Leakey tired to solve the problem of producing a convincing Gorgon, who floated on air, while snakes wriggled and writhed on her head! No easy, with such a small budget!

ABOVE we see actress and classical dancer, Prundence Hyman, who stepped up for the role. Fisher believed that someone who could move with grace, like a dancer, would be best suited for the role. Prudence had worked in film, theatre and ballet for many years and had almost retired from her long and quite distinguished career.But she rose to the challenge. Here we see make up artist fit Prudence with Haptic contact lenses, a make up device that Roy was probably if not certainly responsible for bringing into horror films at this time, his first use was in Hammer's 'The Curse of Frankenstein', it was another first in bringing together Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee on screen.




AFTER MANY EXPERIMENTS the solution of using a series of strings and pulleys, all controlled through a cable to a crank box, was used to make the snakes twitch! The head device weighed seven pounds, and was worn under the wild and thick black wig, much like a crash helmet! It took some rigging, was not reliable and took several takes to 'do its thing' on command, after the Gorgon floated on casters into shot, over a floor of thick dry ice. ABOVE here is Hammer's Phil Leakey carrying the crank box, Prudence marches from the make up room at Bray studios, and down the stairs to the castle set, carrying the cabling over her shoulder, ready for her '...Close Up, Mr Fisher!'


ABOVE ON THE SET Prudence Hymen hits her mark,the crew turn the cranks on the box, the snakes twitch, the wind blows and she makes her exit, not walking forward, but keeps her balance, even with the weight on her head as she is  pulled backwards over the floor of the Castle Borski set at Bray studios . .. and CUT!


PETER CUSHING IN COSTUME and Christopher Lee out, both on set at Bray studios, during the making of Hammer films, 'THE GORGON'
 

FINALLY, HERES IS Hammer films make up artist Roy Ashton in some VERY rare footage in his make up room at Bray studios, demonstrating some 'fangs' he made for a particular Baron, who was the only vamp to have actually got his fangs into Peter Cushing's Vampire Hunter, Van Helsing . .!

Saturday 1 September 2018

SCREAM FACTORY ANNOUNCES REMASTERED HAMMER FILMS CLASSIC!


NEWS: US Label Scream Factory have announced they are to put out Hammer's Dracula Prince Of Darkness (1966) starring Christopher Lee., Francis Matthews and Barbara Shelley.



ON THE FACE OF IT a REMASTERING of any Hammer Film is always good news, especially if it stars Christopher Lee! But, as sales of some of the Hammer catalogue have proved in the past, the releasing of a title that has already been released many times before, is a gamble. The success of the Warner Brothers box set a few years ago, was a blu ray triumph. Even though the package didn't include any extras, the titles themselves and the REGION ZERO option that they gambled, made the whole deal worth every penny. Already the news has been shared at our  FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE  and the response is mixed. Maybe the extras, when finalised, will hopefully give this release, the chance to empty the stocks, and encourage other Hammer titles to get the same remastered treatment?   




THE DETAILS SO FAR . . .
• Official street date is December 18th for U.S. and Canada territories (Region A)
• Release will come with a slipcover (guaranteed for three months after its original release date)
• The newly-commissioned artwork pictured comes to us from artist Mark Maddox. This art will be front-facing and the reverse side of the wrap will showcase the original theatrical poster art design.
• Extras are still underway and will be announced later in Nov. We are reconfirming today though that we have an all-new High-Def transfer in the works.




MORE RARE PHOTOGRAPHS, GIFS and IMAGES from DRACULA PRINCE OF DARKNESS in our DOUBLE BILL FEATURE along with TASTE THE BLOOD OF DRACULA : THE HAMMER DRACULA FLICKS: THE MOMENTS WE LOVE THE BEST! 



THE HAMMER DRACULA FLICKS: THE MOMENTS WE LOVE BEST: PART TWO! JUST CLICK HERE!



 

Tuesday 5 December 2017

#TOOCOOLTUESDAY: COLOURISED GUESTS FROM HAMMER BRIDES PREMIER




#TOOLCOOLTUESDAY: Here is a colourized image from premiere 1960’s 'The Brides of Dracula', featuring Yvonne Monlaur and of course Peter Cushing. 'Brides', is one of those films that in my very humble opinion…manages to outdo the original in almost every way. Ok I will conceit that perhaps during the latter half of the film the script isn’t the strongest, but the opening sequences at Castle Meinster easily stand among the best of any Hammer Horror and again…perhaps somewhat controversially, far outdo those in the earlier picture. Cushing once again gets to play more of the action hero and the final sequences in the barn are incredibly thrilling, including the famous ‘branding’ sequence. David Peel makes a refreshing substitute for Christopher Lee and it’s nice to see the Hammer team taking a chance on a very different look for this vampire. Of course Yvonne Monlaur steals a great deal of the screen, being equally glamorous and, un-like a lot of early Hammer heroines, convincingly brave as she becomes determined to free the Baron. It’s a shame she only did one more picture for Hammer, 1961’s 'The Terror of the Tongs' though horror fans can also catch her in 1960’s 'Circus of Horrors' alongside another Hammer star, Anton Differing. Monlaur passed away earlier this year, it’s a tribute to her performance that 'The Brides of Dracula' succeeds at being as powerful as it is. - Callum McKelvie (pcas)





IF YOU LIKE what you see here at our website, you'll  love our daily themed posts at our PCAS FACEBOOK FAN PAGE.  Just click that blue LINK and click LIKE when you get there, and help us . . Keep The Memory Alive!. The Peter Cushing Appreciation Society website, facebook fan page and youtube channel are managed, edited and written by Marcus Brooks, PCAS coordinator since 1979. PCAS is based in the UK and USA  . 

Tuesday 29 August 2017

#TOOCOOLTUESDAY! ANANKA'S LIVE AND WELL AND RESTING IN . . .PERTH???


#TOOCOOLTUESDAY! When Hammer films and Lionsgate launched their UK release of the remastered blu ray of the Cushing / Lee Classic 'The Mummy' in 2013, it was the feather in the cap of three amazing releases and titles, titles that are sometimes considered to be, the the best from the cozy cottage studio on the Thames. Stepping out in glorious Eastman colour, cleaned up, crisp and looking much, much more than its estimated £125,000 budget, Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee and cast, have never looked better.


Everyone seemed to agree, whatever had happened with the previous remastered classics, this one...appeared to be spot on. Even the extras were very cool too. In one of the extra features, detailing the accuracy of the sets, the props and costumes, a suited expert tells us of a . . .' magnificent custom made sarcophagus that was lovingly built by the Bray studios craft, plaster and carpentry workshops...in fibre glass... and that it is now housed in the collection of the Perth Museum and Art Gallery, Scotland!' . . . . There follows a pause...


And then, he moves on...! Where one would have expected a photograph or a short clip of the final resting place of Ananka...nope. Not a Pharaohs Tut or Thank you. Just Nada of the Nile! That afternoon, and for quite sometime later, I looked everywhere for photo, a clip a drawing ...anything.  


Finally, some time later, it was left to Hammer historian Robert J E Simpson. . . to come up with the goodies. Yes, it's not in Egypt, or sadly in a Hammer films museum... it's in Perth, Scotland. And that, is as good a place as any. We are lucky it's anywhere! It looks just as impressive as it did, when John and Stephen Banning found it, all those years ago...! So, thank you Perth Museum for keeping the ol' gal safe... and thank you Robert, for taking that photograph. Now that...IS cool!


Robert J. E.  Simpson is a writer, director, Hammer film historian and archivist, who has provided several  works for inclusion on the official Hammer film blu rays including the media booklet which was part of the UK blu ray release of Hammer films, 'The Mummy' (1959). Robert has a presence on several social media platforms including INSTAGRAM  and  FACEBOOK



IF YOU LIKE what you see here at our website, you'll  love our daily themed posts at our PCAS FACEBOOK FAN PAGE.  Just click that blue LINK and click LIKE when you get there, and help us . . Keep The Memory Alive!. The Peter Cushing Appreciation Society website, facebook fan page and youtube channel are managed, edited and written by Marcus Brooks, PCAS coordinator since 1979. PCAS is based in the UK and USA   

Tuesday 8 August 2017

#TOOCOOLTUESDAY! UNEDITED AND CLASSIC!


#TOOCOOLTUESDAY!: Remains cool. No pun intended... If the planned future  Anolis Entertainment Blu Ray release is to add anything to this*, that would be wonderful.... 🙂 Requested J Pullman. *Japanese Footage...



IF YOU LIKE what you see here at our website, you'll  love our daily themed posts at our PCAS FACEBOOK FAN PAGE.  Just click that blue LINK and click LIKE when you get there, and help us . . Keep The Memory Alive!. The Peter Cushing Appreciation Society website, facebook fan page and youtube channel are managed, edited and written by Marcus Brooks, PCAS coordinator since 1979. PCAS is based in the UK and USA    

Saturday 4 March 2017

#HAMMERFILMSSATURDAY : THE MUMMY FRONT OF HOUSE


#HAMMERSATURDAY THIS is one of my all time favorite Peter Cushing films. It has it all. Drama, horror, a love story and action! And this is also one of my fav front of house stills. Beautiful colour and action that leaps off the pic! DO YOU have a fav Cushing pic, photo still? Or is there one you have never seen here, that you would like me to post or 'dig up' for you? Let me know!



THE IMAGE that first appeared on some propose artwork for a campaign poster for THE MUMMY.... Cushing saw the light shining through the body of Kharis and asked, 'Is that in our script?' When he was told no, he invented the bit of biz where he shoves a harpoon through the chest of the Mummy Kharis... 'If it's on the poster, our public will expect to see it!' said Cushing




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Monday 12 September 2016

MILL CREEK THE GORGON BLU RAY YOU REVIEW FRANK TURTURICI


THE GORGON MILL CREEK BLU RAY: A DECENT REPLACEMENT
FOR YOUR AGING DVD COPY!

Mill Creek Entertainment's Hammer Films Double Feature: The Two Faces of Dr Jekyll and The Gorgon : Theatrical Release: 1964 : Blu Ray Release Date: 09/06/16 Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 Widescreen Duration: 84 Minutes Featuring: Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee Directed By: Terence Fisher

Mill Creek has released The Gorgon in similar fashion to The Revenge of Frankenstein, paired with another movie on a single layer 25GB Blu Ray. While a 50GB disc would have been preferable (and is the norm in 2016), I don't believe it affects the picture quality for The Gorgon as much as it did The Revenge of Frankenstein.


I noticed a difference with The Gorgon immediately. The film is obviously in better shape than Revenge. Maybe the 6 year difference between the two films meant working with better film stock. Whatever the case may be, The Gorgon looks pretty decent on Blu Ray. Detail is good and colors are very nice throughout. Skin tones are very normal to the time period without any kind of red or yellow push. Detail can get a little lost in some of the darker scenes, but it is still an overall improvement to the old DVD.


As for audio, it doesn't have much room to stretch. Music can sound pretty compressed but dialogue is always clear and intelligible. 


For a bargain basement Blu Ray of $8, The Gorgon offers a decent replacement for the aging DVD, even if Mill Creek misspelled the title on the spine as "The Gorgan." I'm interested to see what kind of improvements, if any, the upcoming Australian Blu Ray release will show.


The YOU REVIEW feature: All YOU REVIEW features are complete and unedited  written reviews  independently submitted by followers of the Peter Cushing Appreciation Society , it's website and Facebook Fan Page. The opinions here in, are solely the authors and are shared here with the purpose and intent of providing a guide to dvd's and blu rays recently released featuring the work of Peter Cushing.  All viewing equipment used for the reviews is domestic and typical of the range of players and tv monitors used in a domestic viewing environment.



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Tuesday 12 July 2016

#TOOCOOLTUESDAY: DRACULA AUTOGRAPHED TWICE!


#TOOCOOLTUESDAY: Very cool, very rare. We have another one for you tomorrow in our Wednesday Cushing Collectables !


THIS YEAR, 2016 marks the 60th anniversary of PCAS, help us celebrate Peter Cushing life and career, by sharing our post on any of our sites.

Facebook Fan Page:HERE Youtube: HERE Tumblr:HERE
Website:HERE
#petercushing #dracula  #christopherlee #hammerfilms 

Wednesday 16 March 2016

BORN TO PLAY : CHRISTOPHER LEE AND DRACULA


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