Showing posts with label subotsky. Show all posts
Showing posts with label subotsky. Show all posts

Monday 16 October 2017

CALLUM MCKELVIE ASKS : DOCTOR WHO AND DR WHO JUST WHO IS WHO?


IN ROUGHLY two-month’ time, the science-fiction programme Doctor Who, will see the thirteenth official ‘Doctor’ take on the role and the first female to do so. In its now over fifty year run-time, the programme has been through varying incarnations, from the political thrillers of the early 70’s period of the shower, to the gothic horror explored a mere five years later. Perhaps it is this versatile nature that allows it to be one of the most popular British television programmes of all time. 


THAT SAID, the two Dalek movies from the early 60’s are somewhat…controversial. Many people detest them, often citing the childish atmosphere and complete abandonment of the continuity of the television programme. Well I must confess that I hold a very different view and here I intend to defend a pair of often lambasted movies. This first post will tackle 1965’s Dr Who and the Daleks, whilst I will return soon to take on the sequel, Daleks: Invasion Earth 2150 A.D (1966).



TO BEGIN, in the interest of full disclosure I must confess that:
A) I am a massive Doctor Who fan, to the point that I regularly attend conventions, listen to the audios, buy the magazines etc., etc. B) that is primarily due to these two films.






PICTURE IF YOU WILL, a four/five year-old northern lad who is already becoming something of a science-fiction aficionado. By this point I’d seen and enjoyed Forbidden Planet (1956), The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) and War of the Worlds (1953). So naturally when I caught the final five minutes of Dr Who and the Daleks, I was hooked, managing to catch the entirety of the sequel a week later. From there I spun off into the television series, before eventually finding my way back to classic Sf/Horror cinema. So there you have it, this is the perspective of not only a Doctor Who super-fan, but one whose entire love for this subject is probably the result of these two movies.

SO WHERE TO BEGIN, my defence then? Well the Doctor Who movies usually receive criticism for three main points. The differences to the TV version, the child-like atmosphere and (amongst some fans) Cushing’s portrayal of the role. Starting with the first point, the television character is an alien, having fled his home planet and now roams time and space in his stolen Tardis, referring to himself only as; The Doctor (played on television by William Hartnell). He lands on the planet Skaro, with his granddaughter Susan and two school teachers, Ian and Barbara. Here he meets the Daleks, survivors of a nuclear war against another species, the Thals. The Daleks have mutated hideously and have locked themselves in travel machines in order to survive. Consumed with race hatred, they wish to eliminate the now peaceful Thals.


CUSHING AND SUBOTSKY'S version is a human being called ‘Dr. Who’ a somewhat dithering Grandfather who built the Tardis in his back garden. His granddaughter is no longer a teenager, but a small girl (Roberta Tovey) and the school teachers are changed for his beautiful niece (Jennie Linden) and her comic-relief lover (Roy Castle). This lack of continuity with the television series often causes upsets. 



ABOVE: Until quite recently in the TV series, the question of what actually IS inside the DALEK armor, was never really touched on and certainly not see, making this shot, a NO NO!


ABOVE: The SLAP-STICK SLICK, of Roy Castle is from 'another time'. The  now serious business of WHO time travel, losses it's drama punch, with clown shoes throwing a pie into the face of today's Doctor Who . . . 


THOUGH ONE WONDERS how much this is effected by what has come since. At this stage decidedly little was known about the title character. Several points which the film states as absolute (his name being Dr. Who and the possibility that he built the Tardis) were at this point, possibilities. In the 1965 television serial The Chase, the first doctor stated that he had built the Tardis whilst the Daleks would refer to him as ‘Human’. Other details from this time that would forgotten included a line that indicated the Doctor had only one heart and the Daleks stating that although he was human, this was not his ‘true form’ (The Daleks Masterplan 1965).


NOT ONLY THAT but the television serial upon which this is based (1963’s The Daleks) was cut down from a seven episode serial with each episode running roughly twenty-five minutes, into a ninety minute feature film, losing the more ‘talky’ elements and emphasising the action sequences. 


THIS WAS ALSO the trend at the time, with many adaptations of popular television shows at the time, choosing to adapt one of that particular series most popular or ‘important’ story lines. For example 1970’s House of Dark Shadows adapts Barnabas’s main story from Dark Shadows, ramping up the gore and fear factor for a mainstream audience whilst the UK 1971 Callan theatrical movie, also adapted that show’s first episode, again increasing the thrills for a big screen adventure. 


THE DARKER ELEMENTS  and detail of the script had to be jettisoned and the resultant film (no doubt due to Subotsky’s love for family friendly material) was aimed at younger children. Again this can be somewhat jarring to fans of the television series, but this is not unlike a majority of the science-fiction adventure films of the time. Perhaps a good comparison is the 1964 adaptation of H.G Wells The First Men In the Moon which similarly features an eccentric elderly inventor, a journey to another civilisation and an emphasis on light-hearted comedy, or another Jules Verne adaptation 1959’s Journey to the Centre of the Earth. 


'The First Men In The Moon' (1964) Soft, Cuddly and Kiddie-friendly!


 Our Review and Gallery of 'The First Men In The Moon' can be found: HERE!


AGAIN, whilst this may seem jarring, contextually it seems perfectly normal befitting a film of this nature as made in the mid 1960’s. It had a space journey, scary monsters and an alien world, perfect for the kid’s matinees! A Doctor Who film of the mid-late 1970’s would no doubt of followed some of the cinematic conventions of the time, as indeed the aborted script of Tom Baker’s Doctor Who Meets Scratchman, shows with him borrowing heavily from British horror. Indeed he even wanted Vincent Price to play the Villain!



IT'S HARD TO THINK of another Cushing character which is as divisive as his portrayal of the Doctor, a portrayal that would be massively toned down in the next film. Here he is heavily made up, with shocking white hair and a large bushy moustache. He seems constantly arched over and twitters and jumps excitedly, a mix between a Victorian scientist and the ideal grandfather. Admittedly, at points it can seem a little bit much perhaps not helped by the script (which includes a somewhat cringe inducing joke about ‘soft centred’ chocolates) but Cushing’s whimsical charm fits the very light-hearted tone of the film.



IT ALSO DOESN'T HELP that given the cut down run-time, Cushing has surprisingly little to do as the film goes on. Of course he invents the machine to take our heroes to the planet, deducts various things throughout the film, but when facing off the Daleks, he seems somewhat weak. Cushing’s Doctor (at least in this instalment) isn’t the strong, steadfast hero that we now associate with the character.


IN THE SEQUEL (as we shall see) this is one of the character traits that he changes to suit the darker script and his Doctor is all the better for it. However again we come back to the argument that at this stage the Doctor isn’t the draw. His character is not set in stone and in the colourful, child-like and child-for world of the film he fits right in. 




THE DALEKS themselves are terrifying. In full colour, they are far larger than their television counter-parts and having deeper, more booming voices that echo around the large and equally impressive sets. There are also far more of them, gliding menacingly in the background of various shots. The final battle sequence is superb and is easily the highlight of the film, with large explosions and Daleks spinning and crashing, making the television version pale in comparison.


INDEED WHILST certainly characters and some of the darker sides of Nations script are gone, the action set pieces are increased ten-fold. Dr Who and the Daleks is a brilliant Saturday matinee adventure film. Cushing’s portrayal, whilst certainly controversial, fits the tone and mood of the film perfectly.





WHILST I CAN see why fans of the show may not like this particular version, the television original is still there. You can still watch it and it has in no way had its status or reputation diminished by this version. Dr Who and the Daleks is best viewed not as a ‘Doctor Who’ film but a Dalek orientated children’s film and it is by no means any the worse for that. 



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 . . 

Thursday 17 August 2017

THE CAPTAIN, THE MARQUIS, THE COUNT AND THE LAST DANCE GIFS AND STILLS


#SILENTBUTDEADLYWEDNESDAY! The  weekly requested selection: 'SILENT GIFS BUT VISUALLY SCREAMING!' 

Here's #VINCENTPRICE as Vampire Eramus, boogieing-on-down in 'hit-miss-that-hit-miss' 1980 fun flick, 'THE MONSTER CLUB' produced by Milton Subosky, one half of the, by then defunked Amicus films. Amicus the one time, only serious contender to the Hammer films crown. It's a little sad to see how far Milton had strayed from the track with this one, although no one..myself included , would have ever told him that. Sitting in on the set, I remember seeing the 'costumed' dancers and clientele of 'The Club' in their fancy dress costumes and joke shop rubber masks, and thinking..'Maybe it will look ok, when the film is edited?' It didn't. 


THE ONE THING the film did achieve was give the crew, many of whom had worked with Amicus, some of the cast, Vincent Price and co, a last chance to have some fun. In this shot, the sound was added later in post production. The music was playing for the dancers, the band, Price, Carradine and Frau Viking-Helmet to have that last dance before for the camera, as the credits role ...but what you didn't get to hear, was the crew and extras laughing and supporting Vincent Price and his strut! It was fun, it was the last train out, that would have even made Dr Terror smile . ..  (requested Gif for J Mahon-Potter )  


#SILENTBUTDEADLYWEDNESDAY: AS BUDGETING FOR MONSTERS GO, it's pretty neat deal and very cheap too! There was a problem that beset most of the Hammer films, though not so much at the Amicus HQ, because they didn't really do 'Monsters of the Gothic kind'. The flicks that were the money earners at Hammer, had a 'Thing', a 'Grotesque', a Frankenstein Creation, an 'Ancient and dusty Mummy'. . . .or a 'Very Hairy Oliver Reed as Leon the Werewolf'... that something took time to make, usually make up artists built it onto the actor, HOURS before sun-up, when the majority of the studio crew still hadn't turned up for work. 



ROBERT BLOCH'S CONCEPT for Amicus films, 'THE SKULL' was just what Rosenberg and Subotsky's balance sheet ordered, a Monster, a focal point of terror, that wouldn't cost a fortune to assemble or have a make up man maintain every five minutes on the studio floor, where time was money. Once the Marquis de Sade was dead, and only his Head / Skull remained to stalk and terrorise Peter Cushing's Christopher Maitland, it was a 'no brainer'. In the morning, just a little powder to the cheek-bones. No tantrums, no agents, no trouble and pop him into the box, at the end of the day. It floated on command, and every performance was good to the bone, no strings attached!! Oh no. Wait a minute  . . . . .  


#SILENTBUTDEADLYWEDNESDAY!: Peter Cushing and Milton Reid as pirate Clegg and the traitor he left for dead, tongue-less and stranded on a desert island . . . 'We Meet Again' has never been more unwelcome. Captain Clegg / Night Creatures is a joy to watch, chiefly because we are in the make believe land of pirates, excise men, yo-ho-ho-taverns and lots of swash with the buckle, the kind that Peter Cushing loved. It's plain to see he is having a ball here. It's all high drama living and dying by the sword. Milton Reid is great too as the mute heavy with a grudge. Reid despite his frame, and heavy reputation on screen, actually had a soft high pitch to his own voice! He played many small roles in Brit films, when the industry had many for the picking. There is a fascinating features all about Milton Reid elsewhere on this website, and here is a quick link to find it: HERE! 


 

#SILENTBUTDEADLYWEDNESDAY!: DESPITE ALL THE fouls deeds and murders that Peter Cushing's GUSTAV WEIL carried out in the name of a greater cause, no matter how much I hated him, his comeuppance, more than slightly cheats me of a private moment of pay back. It's a nasty death, where COUNT KARNSTEIN gets to silence nagging Gustav for good and Damien Thomas, makes it all work like clock-work.  But it doesn't sit right with me. I'll explain. Had Weil just been toppled over that balcony, fallen through the air and then had we cut away to the shocked face of long suffering wife, Kathleen Byron, that would have been fine. BUT no. 


DIRECTOR JOHNNY HOUGH, knew exactly what he was doing, when Cushing himself volunteered for that, impact fall on the top step, and the limp, lifeless slide down the remaining eight........! There is something terribly unsettling and moving about Cushing's shattered and frail frame rattling down those steps, the axe clattering before him, as his head gently lolls in that, familiar loose neck, very effective Cushing style. It wasn't a technique as such, because he came at it differently every time... it's just THIS time it looks all the more final and tragic. Cushing did a very good job as Gustav, right up to the final few feet of the last reel  . . . and that fall, of a different kind of Vampire Hunter.  



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     

Sunday 26 March 2017

CUSHING AND PLEASENCE ON MOTHER'S DAY!

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#GETTHECUSHIONITSCUSHING! As the strap lines says, Purrfect extracts for our Sunday theme, not only Peter Cushing bringing you a sting in his TAIL, but also Donald Pleasence's in one of Milton Subotsky's last outings, 'The Uncanny'. Subotsky often repeated some of his more popular threads and ideas from past Amicus films, and the camp OTT Horror film actor, was a motif he give us in 'The House That Dripped Blood'. with Jon Pertwee playing the meaty role of the waspish dandy, Paul Henderson. Here Pleasence plays it to the hilt, not so much the meaty dandy, but as 'Ham on a Shuskabab'! You'll see what we mean.



I HAVE ALWAYS enjoyed this film, and can't quite understand the mauling it received on it's release in 1977.. I think it's the cat's whiskers! 😉 What do you think? Is this a winner with you?


#GETTHECUSHIONITSCUSHION! TODAY here in the UK we are celebrating #MONTHERSDAY .... and we couldn't let that slip by without posting a pic of PC's Mother, Nellie Maria Cushing (1892-1961) To ALL Mothers, Mums, Ma's and Mummy's.... Happy Mothers Day! 



Saturday 20 August 2016

#ONSETSATURDAY DALEKS ASYLUM AND BANDAGES


#‎onsetsaturday‬ :RARE AND EXCLUSIVE behind the scenes on Peter Cushing's second DALEK DR WHO feature film, Daleks Invasion Earth 2150 AD. Here at Shepperton studios the pyrotechnics are about to go off and take the deadly Daleks with them! NOTE bottom left corner, a film camera operator with camera, crouched to shoot the action..!


#onsetsaturday : Producer Milton Subotsky, actors Richard Todd and Sylvia Syms and director Roy Ward Baker, stop for a break... and maybe, discuss the best way of chopping up a body and storing it in the chest freezer! Brrrr Yikes!



#onsetsaturday : IT'S TOUGH being the title role, of a Hammer film... Christopher Lee wrapped from head to toe in latex and bandages as Kharis in Hammer films THE MUMMY... the suit did have eye fasteners at the back..but, boy that latex, glue, tissue paper and bandages sure pulled on your eye brows, come taking it ALL off at that end of the day!

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