Showing posts with label torture garden. Show all posts
Showing posts with label torture garden. Show all posts

Wednesday 17 January 2018

GIFS WEDNESDAY WITH VINCENT PRICE ON ACTORS : CLYTIE JESSOP : A LIFE IN THREE ACTS!


WE HAVE not had a quote or post about Peter Cushing's dear pal, VINCENT PRICE in a while. So, I just made this. It's well noted that both Vincent and wife, Coral Browne LOVED parties and loved their fellow actors too. Never suffered fools, hated pompousness . . loved people and had a deep appreciation of life and art . . .


DANNY FULCE pointed out on the thread at the PCASUK FACEBOOK FAN PAGE that VINCENT PRICE was to have played RONALD WYATT in Amicus films TORTURE GARDEN in 1967. I wonder how that would have turned out?? 


'TIS A GREAT PITY both he and Peter didn't get the chance to work and appear on more things together. Just TWO movies Madhouse, House of the Long Shadows, TWO radio shows 'The Man Who Hated Scenes' - part of the 'Price of Fear' series and 'Aliens In The Mind' . . Of the four, which do you enjoy the most? 


CUSHING'S BARON FRANKENSTEIN was never someone to let things get in the way of what he wanted. There was always a way. Even the barred door of a jail call, couldn't hold him. It's always amazing how quickly 'something in a rag or handkerchief' works in a Hammer film....! ('The Evil of Frankenstein' 1964)


IT'S THAT WOMAN! As an actress, you would think CLYTIE JESSOP'S heart would have sank when she heard that her role in a new Horror Film with Amicus, was as the forture telling, STATUE / FIGURE of Atropos, in 'TORTURE GARDEN'. Thankfully, ROBERT BLOCH'S script, also called for her to make some creepy cameos in each of the four separate stories and there was MUCH MUCH MORE to CLYTIE, than we today, would ever have imagined. Born CLYTIE LLOYD-JONES in 1929 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. 


CLYTIE JESSOP: MEAT ART AND FILM : A LIFE IN THREE ACTS
COMING SOON!

AS AN ADULT she lived feminism as a catalytic woman on three continents. Always writing, painting, she also directed, as well as playing the occasional acting role. She produced three films in the 1970's and 80's, 'CONRAD MARTENS' (1978) with directorial duties too, produced 'EMMA'S WAR' (1987) and 'FLAMINGO PARK' (1981), which she made with assistance of the Women's Film Fund and the Creative Development Branch of the Australian Film Commission.  


"In London, she caught the legendary eye of cinematographer Freddie Francis, and attention from acclaimed director Jack Clayton. She quickly got notice as a ghost in their classic The Innocents, with Deborah Kerr, filmed in 1961. Francis wrote: "There is one particular sequence in the film of which I am very fond, and indeed proud. It is the appearance in among the bulrushes of the dead governess (played by Clytie Jessop, who would become one of my regulars when I became a director). The scene is one of the most effective and chilling in the film, and it all happens in bright daylight."


THREE OF THE FOUR theatrical films that she appeared in were 'fantasy horror genre'  The Innocents (1961), Nightmare (1964) and 'TORTURE GARDEN in 1967'. Sadly, CLYTIE died in May 2017 in London, England.  






There is a LOT MORE CLYTIE than meets the eye! Look out for our #FEMMEFATALE FEATURE on Jessop soon! 


WE ARE GOING OUT with a SCORCHER of CUSHING GIF. Requested by Symms Morris. From Hammer films, THE BRIDES OF DRACULA, Peter Cushing as Van Helsing, makes the decisions between living in a state of UNDEAD following the result of being bitten by one of Hammer best OR burn and CAUTERISE the wound with a red hot branding iron. Hmm tough choice. Hats oiff to LES BOWIE and his Special Effects dept. STILL makes me whince.     



REMEMBER! 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 23 December 2017

CHRISTMAS COMPETITIONS AND REMEMBERING FREDDIE!


CHRISTMAS COMPETITIONS AND PRIZES TO SLEIGH YOU! Christmas Eve and New Years Eve PCASUK Competitions! Can't wait? You can ORDER your copies of these two EXCELLENT prizes HERE!  ORDER TORTURE GARDEN HERE! AND ORDER HAMMER FILMS BOX SET HERE!


TODAY ALSO we remember the wonderfully talented director and cinematographer Freddie Francis, who worked for both Hammer and Amicus, directing such films as THE EVIL OF FRANKENSTEIN and DR TERROR'S HOUSE OF HORRORS and many more …



Jack Palence with Peter Cushing in 'THE SKULL' directed
by Freddie Francis in 1965




REMEMBER! 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

Friday 6 October 2017

EXTRA FEATURES FOR PREMIER INDICATOR RELEASE OF TORTURE GARDEN


NEWS: INDICATOR HAS A BUSY COUPLE OF WEEKS coming up with several excellent Cushing Amicus and Hammer titles being released. Amicus TORTURE GARDEN gets a premier release in the UK on OCTOBER 23rd 2017, starring Peter Cushng, Jack Palance, Burgess Meredith, Michael Ripper..and many more.... BUT JUST LOOK at these extras:

High Definition remaster
• Original mono audio
• World premiere Blu-ray presentation of the original theatrical cut (93 mins)
• Alternative presentation of the extended TV cut (100 mins);
• The Guardian Interview with Freddie Francis (1995, 80 mins): the great cinematographer and director in conversation with journalist Alan Jones recorded at the National Film Theatre, London
• Ramsey Campbell on Robert Bloch (2017);
• Fiona Subotsky on Milton Subotsky and Amicus (2017);
• Production Supervisor Ted Wallis on making the film (2017);
• Kim Newman on ‘Torture Garden’ (2017): new appreciation by the author and genre-film expert
• Original theatrical trailer
• Extensive image galleries: on-set photography and promotional material
• New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
• Limited edition exclusive 36-page booklet with a new essay by Laura Mayne, an overview of Amicus Productions, and extracts from the original press kit, advertising and promotion guide
• UK premiere on Blu-ray


PCAS will also launching a COMPETITION to WIN copies of Indicators TORTURE GARDEN Blu Ray release... So look out for details 😉 - Marcus


Monday 22 May 2017

#MONSTERMONDAY: JACK PALANCE IS RONALD WYATT


#MONSTERMONDAY: COLLECTORS can be very strange folk! I have come across a quite few in my time, while managing PCAS. Not all weird, but ...some 🙂 The passion for collecting and completing is a strong force. When is it time to say, 'The collection is now, complete'? Where do you draw the line?


WE COVERED PETER CUSHING CHARACTER IN THIS 
STORY A FEW MONTHS AGO


DIRECTOR FREDDIE FRANCIS ON JACK PALANCE:
I loved working with Jack Palance, and I’m happy to say we were able to work together on two movies, although the second was less than memorable. He is a wonderfully educated man about many diverse subjects including, of course his passion, fine art. I always got the impression that acting was only a means to an end by allowing him to buy art. During filming it also became obvious that Jack would have loved to have been an Englishman as he seemed to like everything that was English. At the time I had a Bentley (business was good), and Jack used to love to ride in it either with me or my driver (business was very good). He would sit in the front seat, next to the driver, wearing a bowler hat. This was the most incongruous sight that you could possibly imagine. Picture if you can a Hollywood tough guy wearing an English bowler and sitting in a Bentley. I suspect this sight raised a few eyebrows in Knightsbridge when he drove up to the Royal Garden Hotel where he was staying. I never did find out whether Jack bought the bowler for the Bentley or whether he had possessed one before he was given free rein with the car. He would also wear it when we went to a pub called Harrows near Sheperton Studios because he thought that’s what Englishmen did. I have to tell you he stood out like a sore thumb.”



IN CUSHING'S 'The Man Who Collected Poe' story in Amicus films, 'Torture Garden (1967) the line is well and truly crossed, well before we join the story. Just WHAT is in that room? Jack Palance, as Ronald Wyatt needs to know. In a two-hander story, with Cushing and Palance, Amicus accidentally discovers a great feat of casting. Both Cushing and Palance appear to be really enjoying their roles, and playing off each other, in what is fabulous watch. And then, being a short story...it's over. It would have been great to have seen them again, in another film, maybe? Palance as Wyatt, passionate, driven, blinded, maybe? A Monster? You decide. . . 


TRIVIA: The Man Who Collected Poe, was originally to have had Cushing AND Christopher Lee in the roles of Lancelot Canning and Ronald Wyatt. Lee was edged out by Colombia, who were financing the film for Amicus...and they wanted Palance as Wyatt instead...!


IN 'THE MAN WHO COLLECTED POE',” Palance manages to hold his own with horror icon Peter Cushing as the two actors discuss Poe’s work with great enthusiasm. Palance, much like Cushing, does not treat the genre with disdain and seems to relish his roll while chewing-up and spitting-out the scenery. His character is delightfully devilish and uncommonly urbane while he smokes his pipe and devotes his attention to Gothic literature. In the real world, Palance was a Stanford University graduate with a degree in Journalism and Theatre as well as a passionate art collector who enjoyed painting and writing poetry. You get a genuine sense of the real man that Palance was underneath his tough-guy Hollywood image in Torture Garden, which allowed the actor to flaunt his genuine appreciation for the written word as well as his sincere enthusiasm for collecting. Palance was also a reported Anglophile and must have relished being able to make movies in the United Kingdom with a British cast and crew.


 OUR FEATURE ON THIS FILM CAN BE FOUND WITH GALLERY :HERE!




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 reach our 30K following total for Peter Cushing BIRTHDAY on MAY 26th 2017 AND Help Keep The Memory Alive!

Wednesday 1 February 2017

NEWS : MILL CREEK RELEASES CREEPING FLESH AND TORTURE GARDEN BLU RAY PACKAGE


For those of us who have been waiting A LONG TIME for a blu ray release of Cushing's 'The Creeping Flesh', it looks like, Mill Creek, have answers our prayers!-Marcus



NEWS: Under the 'ROLL UP, ROLL UP' rollicking title of PSYCHO CIRCUS, MILL CREEK have announced the release of a three film collection blu ray... TWO of the films featured are Cushing related... #TORTUREGARDEN and a much welcomed, first time, long awaited release on blu ray, #THECREEPINGFLESH. The third film in the package 'The Brotherhood of Satan' (1971) is an interesting addition to the collection. No preview copies to view as yet. The release is available now for order and purchase for a very reasonable $14.98  A download stream is also on offer. See LINK below.....

 ORDER : HERE


OUR FEATURE ON 'THE CREEPING FLESH' HERE




OUR FEATURE ON 'TORTURE GARDEN' HERE


COME AND JOIN OVER 28,000 PETER CUSHING FANS AT OUR OFFICIAL PCAS FACEBOOK FAN PAGE: HERE

Tuesday 13 December 2016

#MONSTERMONDAY: THE OBSESSION FOR POE!


#MONSTERMONDAY: YESTERDAY at our FACEBOOK FAN PAGE we focused on  LANCELOT CANNING... the Man who collected Poe in the Amicus films 'Torture Garden' .... without giving away Canning's secret to anyone who hasn't yet seen the film...I mean, what kind of man would do that???? Certainly gives people who collects Cushing film photographs and posters ..or postage stamps a run for their money, for sure! SO... Canning? Monster or Victim? YOU decide! What says you?



WE HAD SEVERAL interesting comments and opinions from our friends and followers at the page, including: 

M.JAY: I don't really think of him as either - just an obsessive; but what a fantastic episode to end the film on! And what a pairing of Cushing and Palance! I always felt this episode could have made a whole film of its own; but maybe it would have been too similar in type to the The Skull?

M. IVESON: Neither! I would say obsessive. He took his harmless hobby a bit too far!

T. GAMMAGE thought it was all about MONSTER OBSESSIONS! : 'Both Jack Palance's character and Cushing's Canning were driven by the need to own everything about the writer POE. I think Cushing was the monster here. He resurrected Poe from the dead, so instead of a well deserved rest in the after life, Poe was walled up in a room scribbling new classics to satisfy the collecting ego of Cushing's character! He was a MONSTER!  

AND J. MORROW: I have always thought that this character was one of Peter's better roles. So well done.




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Monday 4 July 2016

DR DIABOLO REVEALS ALL FOR A FIVER IN OUR MONSTERMONDAY FEATURE


#‎monstermonday‬ Roll Up! Roll Up! Dr Diabolo will reveal all, unveil your fates and fortune for a fiver! What a classic turn Burgess Meredith gave us as 'Beelzebub', 'Lucifer'. the 'Serpent of old' ..the DEVIL, in the guise of Dr Diabolo...under the cover of a sideshow attraction! Peter Cushing and Jack Palance appeared in one of Amicus film BEST little stories in 'Torture Garden', 'The Man Who Collected Poe'.... a truly creepy story..and with Burgess as the strand that ties it all together, it was a recipe for success!


Palance fights Cushing for the secret of his Poe Collection....



“Atropos, Goddess of Destiny; in the left hand, the skein of life, in the right, the shears of fate. Each coloured thread represents a human life, and the shears have the power to cut it short.”



 
According to IMDB that five pounds that Dr Diabolo charges his fated costumers to enter the Torture Garden??.. IMDB says quote...'The film obviously takes place in the UK, but the banknotes seen on screen from his customers clearly US currency!'...well take a look at the transparency ABOVE!


A SMILING ATROPOS? On set during the making of 'TORTURE GARDEN' at Shepperton Studios
 
TRIVIA: This was Burgess Meredith's one and only appearance in an Amicus film, and he plays the 'link' between the stories very well.... of ALL the Amicus link characters...is THIS your favourite?


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