plots dracula the mummy Curse of Frankenstein started off as a low budget black and white remake ear-marked for Boris Karloff. Universal threatened to sue, and as a result the Milton Subotsky (later to head Amicus Films) script was abandoned, and a replacement penned by Hammer's former AD Jimmy Sangster. The result - the first colour version of the story - was filled with nightmarish vivid blood splattered across the screen, and would completely remodel the Frankenstein film and the horror genre forever. That it has taken so long for these three films to arrive on dvd has caused much excitement amongst fans of Hammer and the horror genre alike. Arguably the most important series of films in the horror canon, all three are directed by the much-derided Terence Fisher (English-speaking critics still tend to regard him as a competant hack, the French were the first to think of him otherwise), and feature the special partnership (and life-long friendship following Curse) of Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. The production side of things also saw lighting director Jack Asher, and production designer Bernard Robinson meld together to create the stylised and unforgettable Hammer look. The Mummy was released earlier this year in the US on dvd by MGM-Universal, and Curse of Frankenstein and Dracula made their debut just a couple of weeks before the UK arrival. More about that shortly. Seen as a trilogy, the box set highlights a major cinematic turning point. Horror was brought vividly to life, and introduced previously untouched levels of sex and violence. The critics hated the product of the small English independant studio, headed by Anthony Hinds (formed by his father Will Hinds, aka. Hammer, along with Enrique Carreras -and now in the hands of his son and grandson, James and Michael). The audiences however loved the films, packing out theatres both sides of the Atlantic. With the Universal horror films of the 1930s having made such prominant use of English talent (Claude Raines, Boris Karloff, Basil Rathbone, James Whale, Colin Clive amongst others), it was fitting that at last the genre would return home.
Opening and closing with Frankenstein on the way to the gallows, the rest of the tale is told in an extended flash back, which gives us some sense of sympathy with the Baron's aspirations for mankind. We are repulsed by his callous nature towards women, the ease with which he dispatches his friends, and by the road-traffic accident that is Lee's make-up. Like Karloff he remains mute, but Lee endows the Creature with a sense of sympathy and pain which was missing in many other immitators. Dracula on
the other hand is a far more sensual tale. Lee is given
speaking lines, and his five minutes or so of screen time
dominate the picture. So much so that one is sure Dracula
does far more than we actually see. In many ways pre-empting
the modern horror film, which builds upon suspence and
fear so much. Lee is in opposition to the mantle as Bela
Lugosi played. Lee is a gentleman, smooth, and enigmatic.
He is handsome, and his resonant tones and deep brown
eyes cause the women in his vicinity to melt under his
gaze. Terence Fisher excels himself, aided by the production design of Bernard Robinson and the dueling leads of Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. The pace steadily quickens, and whilst at times wordy, the luscious technicolor and careful camera movement provide arguably the best gothic horror film of all time. Michael Gough (later to appear in Tim Burton's Batman films and Sleepy Hollow) is wooden, and cringingly so, but the relative sterility of his emotions and in particular with his wife, act in perfect contrast to the sexually liberating state of vampirism - heaving bosoms, diaphonous blouses, anticipation etched on the faces of the virginal maidens... Dracula also contains its fair share of light relief, including Miles Malleson (a Hammer regular), and it is the blend of light comedy and suggested horror which has contributed to the appeal. Dracula is worth seeing for the thrilling climactic show-down between Lee and Cushing alone - an Errol Flynn styled chase and destruction of the foe. Its been much talked about, and like the crucial fight between the two actors in The Mummy, Cushing suggested much of the action on set. Dracula grips and enthrals throughout most of its 78 minutes (dvd running time) -and takes the horror cinema down a path suggested by Curse of Frankenstein, from which it would never return. The Mummy in contrast is a more sedate offering. I've never been totally satisfied with it, and despite several viewings recently, I still can't drum up much enthusiasm, and yet it remains fondly remembered. The horror is toned down (so many are horrified enough by the Egyptian backdrop, that it scarcely needs additional gore). Coming after The Hound of the Baskervilles, in which Chrisopher Lee plays against type as Henry Baskerville, to Cushing's first attempt as Sherlock Holmes, The Mummy sees Lee return to the menace of the villain. Once again caked in elaborate make-up courtesy of Roy Ashton, his performance is incredibly subtle and yet, despite bearing little resemblance to his usual self, he conveys a complete range of emotions -its tempting to shed a tear for his perpetual mummification as Kharis the disgraced high priest. George Pastell gives a resounding show as
Kharis' contemporary controller. He plays with conviction,
and his sinister dealings offset Cushing's normality as
the crippled archaeologist John Banning. The visuals here are a delight and the Egyptian setting is reproduced with economy and flair. Despite the limitations of the small studio space, etc. the production team give an ensemble which demonstrates the excellence of the company during the period. Whilst the mummy is little more than an instrument of revenge, and the women in the film are given next to nothing to do (so often they merely act as plot devices), tension is again carefully built, and we await each murderous act with relish. A much more subdued ending to this picture than the striking closure to the other two films on this set, but overall a fine film. transfer The sound is fine too, the whole pieces having clearly been given a restoration treatment. The prints don't appear to be of different versions of the film from those previously released (despite some initial suggestion of the inclusion of previously deleted scenes, and lost sequences). The Dracula print is sadly the US Horror of Dracula, but the quality is fantastic. Design extras Completely lacking in substantial extra features, which is such a shame. Three of the most important horror films, and certainly the most important from the Hammer studios, commentaries, photo galleries, featurettes, assorted trailers, should have been included. As it is, they aren't. We can only hope that special editions might be released some time in the future. Whilst optional alternate soundtracks and subtitles are available, and theatrical trailers for each film are included, its little comfort. SUMMARY RJES |
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DISC: Feature length: 244
mins SPECIAL FEATURES: |
Curse
is a slow and somewhat uncertain affair.
Peppered with several shock moments (the most effective
of which is the unveiling of Christopher Lee as the
monster), Jimmy Sangster's plot spends too long on the
youthful days of the Baron (played by It Aint Half
Hot Mum's Gloria - Melvyn Hayes), and dealing
with Robert Urquhart as the schoolmaster-turned-pupul.
Sangster also skips out most of the book, and instead
takes his inspiration from the original Universal series,
but reworking the entire concept to a point where the
monster turns out not to be the creature, but the Baron
himself.
