The Hound of the Baskervilles (Terence Fisher, 1959)

[Greathinker]

I've been given some fantastic recommendations on literary adaptations on this forum lately and I'm interested in seeking out more. I have not seen this version with Peter Cushing as Holmes, but reviews say it's one of the best takes on the story. Thoughts?

[Gordon]

I feel that it is the most fully satisfying Hammer productions and one of the best Holmes films. Cushing's Holmes is very dynamic and all performances are generally fabulous. Bernard Robinson's sets and Jack Asher's lighting are among Hammer's most expensive-looking and the film has strong atmosphere. It's a shame that the MGM DVD is non-anamorphic bit its a fairly clean and colorful transfer and the impact of the images comes across well enough (it was the first Holmes film in color). Excellent Savant and DVD Drive-In reviews.

[David Ehrenstein]

Hammer as a whole is deserving of serious study. Fisher is an egregiously overlooked talent. Horror of Dracula, The Return of Frankenstein and Frankenstein Created Woman are really great films.

[Gordon]

Fisher, by most accounts, took each film in his stride and was totally devoid of pretentions, though he was, along with Roy Ward Baker, one of the great master craftsmen of British Cinema. His compositions are often highly expressive and he was always keenly aware of the appropriate pace for a scene. Jack Asher was a brilliant cinematographer, but he was ultimately deemed to be to fastidious, unfortunately and Arthur Grant became #1 DP at Hammer and he often overlit the sets, I feel. Asher was a wee bit ahead of his time and I feel that Baskervilles is one of the first great pieces of color cinematography in British Cinema, along with Peeping Tom.

Quite a few of Hammer's best films - directed by Fisher -are still unavailable on DVD: The Stranglers of Bombay; The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll; The Gorgon; The Earth Dies Screaming and also, Taste of Fear; The Damned. Twins of Evil and Vampire Circus are both available in UK. It's a shame that the Hammer films are scattered amongst various studios. Sony are dragging their heels with their titles, which include most of those listed here, I believe.

[David Ehrenstein]

Four-Sided Triangle is a teriffic early Fisher. It's tale of the romantic consequences of cloning couldn't be more up to date.

[Gordon]

So Long at the Fair (1950) with Jean Simmons and Dirk Bogarde is also a forgotten gem.

[HerrSchreck]

I've always admired, aside from the usual Drac/Frank Hammer classic remakes, Fisher's THE DEVIL RIDES OUT. One little set you can't go wrong with-- particularly if you want to see Sir Lee at his frenetically charismatic finest-- is the Anchor Bay double feature two discer pairing the above film with Don Sharp's magnificent RASPUTIN THE MAD MONK. Lee's ferocious turn as RASPUTIN is in the category of fiendish excellence very nearly-- but not quite, of course-- approaching Lon Chaney Sr in the stunning, magnificent, exquisitely demoniac PENALTY.

Aside from the tight direction, the legendary cinematography, and the vastly underappreciated TOTAL GENIUS of the gothic art direction turning very low budget lemons into lemonade film after film after film within the Hammer horror cycle (on the commentary to RASPUTIN you can hear Lee with a couple of the other cast principals pointing out sets that have been recycled en toto from other films... LEE: "that staircase looks quite suspiciously like the steps I swept down wearing a cape in quite another film altogether.."), is the simple fact of the magnificence of the stable of British actors & actresses who populated the UK horror films in the 50's-70's.

This is an issue that's touched upon in the commentary to the WB VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED: the absolute absence of qualms that these very fine UK actors & actresses had with appearing in horror films (versus, in particular, the US, but no less so than say France in this same period, which virtually had to recategorize Franju's LES YEUX SANS VISAGE before being able to accept it as a Fine Film). The very cream of the crop of stage and screen.. as the UK film industry is exponentially smaller than it's US equivelant, the far slower pace of filmmaking meant that these lesser "name" (i e not Olivier or Gielgud, obviously), but highly talented professionals were available for work quite frequently, and saw horror films as not a "step down" whatsoever vs. standard melodramatic fare at the time. This is what gives not only Hammer films, but other UK horror films like NIGHT OF THE EAGLE, CITY OF THE DEAD, DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS, THE INNOCENTS, VILLAGE/CHILDREN OF THE DAMNED and so many more such a magnificent patina and non-B feel. The crews, art direction, ensemble performances, direction, cinematography, etc, are so top notch.

Of course the Universal Hammer Horror Classics is an indespensable DVD set for horror fans and fans of Terrance Fisher: the wonderful CURSE OF THE WEREWOLF (Yvonne Romain still makes me salivate... jiggling olive cleavage for weeks here and in NIGHT CREATURES, which incidentally has Cushing in one of his better Hammer performances as a town vicar), as well as the functional BRIDES OF DRACULA by him as well. Another standout on the set is NIGHTMARE directed by Freddie Francis-- for those fans of THE INNOCENTS, it's a very good psychological horror film shot in widescreen "Hammerscope" in the same ratio as the aforementioned classic on which he was DP.

[Fletch F. Fletch]

I've always admired, aside from the usual Drac/Frank Hammer classic remakes, Fisher's THE DEVIL RIDES OUT.

Yeah, that has always been my fave Hammer film. I love the casting against type of Lee as a good guy but he stills bring his usual intensity to the role. Leon Greene also does a good job as the square sidekick to Lee's suave protagonist. Greene's brown suit always makes me think of him as a stuffy university professor-type, which is in sharp contrast to Lee's black suit, goatee and European cigarettes. I would have loved to see him revisit that character again.