ARCHIVE
This
archive article is now embarrassingly out of date, and
inadequate. One of
the very first archive features I attempted back in 1999. I repost this
article simply for archive interest. As with much of the
rest of the site I hope to update the article in the near
future....
Robert JE
Simpson
22 August 2006.
HAMMER
FILM PRODUCTIONS
PRESENTS
PETER CUSHING | ANDRE MORELL | CHRISTOPHER LEE
in
THE HOUND
OF THE
BASKERVILLES
BASED ON THE NOVEL BY
SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE
ALSO STARRING
MARLA LANDI | DAVID OXLEY
with
FRANCIS DE WOLFF | MILES MALLESON | JOHN LE MESURIER | EWEN SOLON
| HELEN GOSS | SAM KYDD
SCREENPLAY BY
PETER BRYAN
MUSIC COMPOSED BY
JAMES BERNARD
CONDUCTED BY
JOHN HOLLINGSWORTH
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY...JACK
ASHER B.S.C
PRODUCTION DESIGNER...BERNARD ROBINSON
CAMERA OPERATOR...LEN HARRIS
SOUND RECORDER....JOCK MAY
PRODUCTION MANAGER...DON WEEKS
WARDROBE....MOLLY ARBUTHNOT
MAKE-UP....ROY ASHTON
SUPERVISING EDITOR...JAMES NEEDS
EDITOR.........ALFRED COX
SPECIAL EFFECTS...SID PEARSON
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR...JOHN PEVERALL
CONTINUITY...SHIRLEY BARNES
HAIRSTYLES...HENRY MONTSASH
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER
ANTHONY NELSON KEYS
PRODUCED BY
ANTHONY HINDS
DIRECTED BY
TERENCE FISHER
CAST
SHERLOCK
HOLMES. . . . . . . . . PETER CUSHING
DOCTOR WATSON. . . . . . . . . .. ANDRE MORELL
SIR HENRY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .CHRISTOPHER LEE
CECILE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. .MARLA LANDI
SIR HUGO. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .DAVID OXLEY
DOCTOR MORTIMORE . . . FANCIS DE WOLFF
BISHOP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MILES MALLESON
STAPLETON. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .EWEN SALON
BARRYMORE. . . . . . . . . . . .JOHN LE MESURIER
MRS BARRYMORE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . HELEN GOSS
PERKINS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SAM KYDD
LORD CAPHILL. . . . . . . . . MICHAEL HAWKINS
SERVANT GIRL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . JUDI MOYENS
CONVICT . . . . . . . . . . . MICHAEL MULCASTER
SERVANT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .DAVID BIRES
A
HAMMER FILM
PRODUCTION
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
MICHAEL CARRERAS
PRODUCED AT BRAY STUDIOS
copyright
©MCMLVIII by HAMMER FILMS
running time : 84 mins
shot in colour, at Bray Studios, Hampshire, 1958.
REVIEW:
Hammer
in the late 1950's was making good use of the pairing of Lee and
Cushing along with director Terence Fisher, and Hound
was no exception.
Lee is perhaps surprisingly cast as Sir Henry Baskerville, last
of the Baskervilles, and is heartless and ruthless in the role.
He oozes a snyde charm, very different from the Dracula charm
which we today are so well accustomed.
Andre Morell is almost perfect as Watson. Certainly looking
rather like the sketches from the Strand magazine, he is full of
life, and character, with a striking presence.
The co-stars are something of a mixed baf, but on the whole,
largely well brought-to-life, and well cast, particularly Miles
Malleson as the bishop.
Peter Cushing though, is undoubtedly the star attraction. Yet
again he is given the chance to play a vigourous role, complete
with leaps and bounds.
This would be Cushing's first time in the role of Holmes, though
by far not the last. He played the master detective in a BBC tv
series in the 1960's and returned to the role again in the 1980's.
Cushing was shorter than the Holmes we are used to, and in many
ways seems miscast, and yet his portrayal is enticing and
brilliant. He fills the screen with a lively persona, and despite
the lack of continuity with the Conan Doyle novel, he keeps the
plot moving well.
My personal preference is for Jeremy Brett, but Cushing does a
damn fine job. Certainly a lot better than Basil Rathbone in my
opinion.
The film at present is unavailable
in the UK on VHS, though has been transmitted by the BBC on
several occasions. The colours are rich and the film, everything
one associates with a true Hammer horror. Even the hound is
fairly good. Lay your hands on a copy if you can.
page posted Sunday 26th
September 1999
all original text, and layout of the page © RJE
Simpson 1999
reformatted and reposted 23 August 2006
mail me with corrections, comments etc to
hammer@avalard.com
