Showing posts with label odeon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label odeon. Show all posts

Sunday 23 October 2016

#GETTHECUSHIONITSCUSHING: HAMMER FILMS: THE DEATH OF DRACULA


#GETTHECUSHIONITSCUSHING : One day, in another life, wearing another hat, I was in London, on the Thames embankment, yes the one where we see Cushing's Van Helsing pause for taking a breath in Dracula AD 1972. I was taking a large group of my students, on a field trip visit to MOMI, the Museum of the Moving Image. This was my first trip there. But, I had been told by many others, that it would be very worth-while and full of useful resources to film students. PLUS, some close friends who knew me and my hobbies very well, hinted that somewhere inside, was a little 'something', that I would really appreciate! How could resist? After getting 30 students through the box office, producing mutiple-prebooked tickets, each student was dispatched with worksheets and tasks, to keep the 'little darlings' busy for the best part of an afternoon, leaving me free to wander my way through the exhibits, interactions and displays. It was a vast building, and the museum was split into each 'Cinema Through A Decade' at a time. You walked into each decade area, through the door of a facade of a cinema of that era. In the early 1900's exhibit, you entered through a large opening in a tent, that represented, the traveling cinemas of the time.


I MADE MY WAY INTO the early 'glasshouse studios' of France, and the hand cranked cameras of the 1920's, until I walked through the box office and frontage of a London cinema of the 1930's. After twenty minutes, I came upon the 'something' my friends, had hinted about. Inside a glass case, was the actual Boris Karloff, lighting double dummy. Now looking a little tatty, but the genuine article. It was an impressive thing to see. I thought about my friends, and how they would have come upon it, when they visited, and how they probably all gave each other 'the nod', and chorused, 'Wow, you know who would like this! Ha!'. And, I did. It was certainly worth the price of the admission alone. I stood looking at it, for about twenty minutes, and made my way through the 1940's section. It was then I heard music in the distance. Faintly, just above the clashing voices, narrations and music from the other exhibits. It was a snare drum, and strings... 'diddle, diddle, dum. Diddle, diddle dum, ..dum..dum, dum, dum, dum, dum, DAH, DAH...!  I knew that rhythm! But, it couldn't be? I turned on my heals and rushed across the hallway, towards a corner ahead, around where, I thought that music was coming from. I turned the corner, and stopped in my tracks! Before me, I saw the huge facade of an Odeon 1950's cinema building, and outside the doors stood a very smart conseiage, above him and above the huge ODEON sign, a cinema screen, and on it . . . .


THE LAST THREE MINUTES OF HAMMER FILMS 1959, DRACULA! At that time, like many, I had seen the scene unfold hundreds of times on my TV, but NEVER had I seen it, on a cinema screen! I stood, peering up at the screen. Cushing running down the large refractory table, jumping at the curtains, Christopher Lee's scream and gasp of horror..and my gulp of emotion. I am not ashamed to admit it, I was profoundly moved. For me, it's probably the most iconic of all the scenes, from any and all the Hammer films. As a ten year old, I listened to it's soundtrack, on my battered reel to reel tape recorder, which was given to me by my uncle, because I wouldn't let up nagging him, until he gave it to me! Then, I transferred that recording onto an audio cassette. This was before the age of video, so a selection of images from the scene in a US magazine, would be poured over, while listening to the cassette! Then, VHS. 


DRACULA'S TUMBLE-WEED OF DEAD HAIR, drifted across the marble floor, as I looked to my right and left, I was surprised to see, a small crowd had gathered around me, all quietly watching the scene too. The titles were now moving up the screen. I sighed, and still looking up at the screen, took two steps back, before turning and almost colliding with a tall, thin face man, who had also been watching the scene up there too. 'Good, wasn't it?' he said smiling. Startled, I stepped back, catching my balance, I looked up one more time at the screen. 'Yes!' I said. 'It was VERY good' I watched the picture fade to black. 'Are you are a fan? A fan of.. Peter Cushing?' I turned to catch his answer. But he was gone! 

'Van Helsing pursues Dracula through the castle, accompanied by James Bernard's insistent chase theme. Dracula catches Van Helsing and tries to throttle him, Van Helsing tricks Dracula by playing dead. Then, in the nick of time, he leaps up. The vampire and the vampire hunter stand off like tigers. Then Van Helsing makes his final move. . . .


'As Dracula decays, Van Helsing's haunted expression conveys a mixture of exhaustion, revulsion, sadness and relief. Cushing later explained his own feelings about that shot : 'I was reading a review of the film, from a critic who said, '...at the end of Dracula, there is a look of sadness on Van Helsing's face. He has suddenly achieved his life's quest, and now what is he going to do? I can tell you that I didn't have that in my mind at all, when we were shooting the film. I stood there and run my hand through my hair and look down out of exhaustion. But the critic was absolutely right. Something in me was communicating that to the audience, and the audience fills in the rest!' 



 
 

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Tuesday 15 March 2016

50% DISCOUNT ON ORDERS OF ISLAND OF TERROR BLU RAY AND DVD FROM SCREENBOUND


THIS YEAR 2016, marks the 50th anniversary of the making of ISLAND OF TERROR  starring Peter Cushing, Edward Judd, Eddie Byrne Niall MacGinnis and Sam Kidd. A great cast, but the true stars are the things that crawl, slurp and suck their merry way through the very entertaining 89 minutes. They are called SILICATES and are it must be said, they are one of the more original looking 'monsters' to ever come 'down the pike' in a 1960's UK Sci-Fi movie. Looking like a cross between a lump of porridge with a vacuum cleaner attachment, it's amusing at first, until you see WHAT these slip-sliding blobs can do!


The GIFS in this feature are not taken from the REMASTERED FOOTAGE SCREENBOUND dvd or
 blu ray release. 

ISLAND OF TERROR has quite a few releases over the years, but it has taken SCREENBOUND the people behind the excellent remastered releases of the Cushing classiscs, AMICUS FILMS DR TERROR'S HOUSE OF HORRORS (1965) in it's beautiful steel book presentation, NIGHT OF THE BIG HEAT (1967) with Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing final theatrically released film,  BIGGLES: ADVENTURES IN TIME (1986) ..remastered and restored in stunning HD by Deluxe Post Production and available in its original screen ratio of 1.85:1 for the first time!


In the past two years we've worked with SCREENBOUND to bring you some great competitions, and now we have a great offer for all PCAS followers and friends! For a LIMITED PERIOD ONLY with the help of a DISCOUNT CODE, you can ORDER YOUR DVD or BLU RAY copy of 'ISLAND OF TERROR' with a huge saving of 50% off! 

This offer is only valid until SUNDAY MARCH 20th 2016


SO GET MOVING!! 



ITS EASY to place your order and receive your 50% DISCOUNT! Simply CLICK HERE  which will take you to CLASSICFILMSDIRECT.COM and the ORDER PAGE. Make your choice, for either the DVD or BLU RAY of 'ISLAND OF TERROR' then CLICK,  ADD TO BASKET, and TYPE IN THE DISCOUNT CODE 'terror50' and make your chosen method of payment. SIMPLE AS THAT!


NOW.. Just wait for the postman! But, if anything else turns up on your doorstep, like BELOW??? RUN FOR IT!!

 
We'd like to thank the team at SCREENBOUND for making this great offer available to our followers and friends! 

Monday 15 February 2016

BIGGLES DVD WINNERS : TALLY HO AND CHOCS AWAY TO SCREENBOUND BIGGLES PRIZES!


Congratulations to our Winners Sean Corrigan, Andrew Coupe, Rob Hayton, Debra Prince and Helena Grace. The Prize, a REMASTERED DVD copy of Biggles from ScreenBound Entertainment, starring Peter Cushing, in his last theatrically released film!

The ANSWER to our QUESTION: What was the TITLE of the FIRST COLLECTION OF BIGGLES STORIES WAS: The Camels Are Coming (1932)

Many thanks to SCREENBOUND ENTERTAINMENT for their sponsoring of our competition. BIGGLES ADVENTURES IN TIME can be purchased on DVD and BLU RAY at this LINK:  HERE

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Monday 26 October 2015

WIN SCREENBOUND ENTERTAINMENTS DR TERRORS HOUSE OF HORRORS LIMITED EDITION BLU RAY STEEL BOOK : RIGHT HERE!


THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED! SEE LUCKY WINNERS
 AT BOTTOM OF PAGE!
 
The TRAIN has now arrived at the platform. Board with care. Take your seat... but if a strange looking man with a Gladstone bag, sits next to you and shows you a pack of cards... whatever you do, DON'T TAP them! GOOD LUCK!

FATE 
has brought SCREENBOUND ENTERTAINMENT and the PETER CUSHING APPRECIATION SOCIETY together to bring you another of our FEARSOME HALLOWEEN COMPETITIONS!

SCREENBOUND ENTERTAINMENT 
DR TERROR'S HOUSE OF HORROR STEEL BOOK TRAILER

LUCKY
old YOU has the chance to win one of a pair of SCREENBOUND ENTERTAINMENT'S frighteningly FAB remastered Blu Rays of the AMICUS classic DR TERROR'S HOUSE OF HORRORS, presented in a beautiful STEEL BOOK lushly illustrated by whizzo Graham Humphreys.


SHUFFLE
through those brain cells and answer the simple below. Then send us your ANSWER by EMAIL to : THEBLACKBOXCLUB@GMAIL.COM

QUESTION:
'Roy Castle played the role of BIFF BAILEY in the film, DR Terror's House Of Horrors'. But WHO was ORIGINALLY cast to play that role?'




The COMPETITION is now LIVE!
All entries must be in by FRIDAY 30TH OCTOBER MIDNIGHT 2015.

You can PREORDER your copy of the Dr Terror's House of Horrors LIMITED EDITION BLU RAY STEEL BOOK: HERE
GOOD LUCK!





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Monday 4 May 2015

THE FILMS OF PETER CUSHING AVAILABLE ON BLU RAY AND THOSE TO COME....


This is by no means a complete list, but a snap shot of what is out there. We will add to this list as more releases become available. To get the new first of new Peter Cushing releases always check out our facebook fan page account!


Please Come join Us! 
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