Archive for the 'Ingrid Pitt' Tag
The House That Dripped Blood (1971) 1 comment
An English country house provides the setting for four Robert Bloch tales in the Amicus anthology film, THE HOUSE THAT DRIPPED BLOOD. A.J. Stoker (John Bryans) explains to Detective Inspector Holloway (John Bennett) that the murders the detective wants to solve stem from an evil which dwells in the walls of the cottage. To prove his theory to the incredulous police officer, he tells four stories.
"It's move-in ready."
"Method for Murder" stars Denholm Elliott as Charles Hillyer, an author of murder mysteries who needs the peace and quiet of a country house to write. He and his wife, Alice (Joanna Dunham) move into the house so Charles can finish his book. Charles loves the house from the beginning. With bookshelves swollen with Edgar Allen Poe books and gothic bric-a-brac, he thinks the house will be the perfect cure for his writer's block. He's right. Soon, Charles' creative juices flow and he creates a crazed killer to perform his literary evil deeds. When Charles thinks he sees this madman around his house, things go off the rails a bit. Elliott and Dunham play well together and the direction by Peter Duffell moves it along smartly.
"It slices AND dices?"
You know when you go into a rural wax museum and see a figure who looks like your ex? Me neither. Philip Grayson (Peter Cushing) has worked hard all his life and amassed enough to live out the rest of it comfortably. He sees the house as a quiet spot where he can read and think. While strolling through the nearby village, Grayson sees a sign for Jacquelin's Museum of Horror. Charmed by the thought of such a place out in the country, Grayson enters the shop. Unfortunately, all is not as it seems in the quaint museum. "Waxworks" also stars Joss Ackland as Neville, Grayson's old friend, who also wanders into the shop. The two men become fixated on what they find there. They probably should have gone into the tea shop instead.
"I could've had a V-8."
Christopher Lee looks sufficiently tweedy in "Sweets to the Sweet". He plays John Reid, a successful businessman who moves out to the country house with his daughter, Jane (Chloe Franks). He doesn't want to send the shy, troubled girl to school so he hires a private tutor, Ann Norton (Nyree Dawn Porter) to teach her at home. The teacher and child develop a bond almost immediately and Ann begins to wonder why Reid wants to keep Jane so isolated. The closer teacher and student get, the farther apart Reid and his daughter become. What's the secret causing such tension? I'll never tell.
In "The Cloak", Jon Pertwee plays Paul Henderson, a conceited movie star on the decline. Forced to appear in a low-budget vampire film, Henderson complains about everything from the script to the wardrobe. To introduce some authenticity into his role, Henderson heads to a costume shop and buys an old cloak. As soon as he puts it on, Henderson discovers the cloak is more than just a costume. Ingrid Pitt also stars in this fun take on the horror film business. There's also a cool in-joke. In an obvious reference to Christopher Lee, Henderson says he wants to play a vampire "…like Bela Lugosi, not this new fella." I smiled all through The Cloak. The whole cast, including Geoffrey Bayldon and an uncredited Joanna Lumley, worked well together.
"I'm telling you that director's a Dalek."
The writing, cast, and atmosphere in THE HOUSE THAT DRIPPED BLOOD keep you entertained and thinking. Fun flick.
Posted October 4, 2015 by Kerry Fristoe in 31 Days of Horror, Reviews
Tagged with 1970s films, 31 Days of Horror, Amicus Productions, anthology horror, Chloe Franks, Christopher Lee, Denholm Elliott, Geoffrey Bayldon, haunted houses, horror, Ingrid Pitt, Joanna Dunham, Jon Pertwee, Joss Ackland, Nyree Dawn Porter, Peter Cushing
Where Eagles Dare (1968): Broadsword to Danny Boy 14 comments
Chock full of action, surprising plot twists, and World War II intrigue, Where Eagles Dare ticks all the adventure film boxes while adding the element of cool spy stuff to the mix. It may seem like the standard mission flick in which the brass assembles a crack team for some essential mission, but there's a lot more to it. Major Smith (Richard Burton) leads a handful of British troops and one American (Clint Eastwood) behind enemy lines to retrieve American General Carnaby (Robert Beatty). The Germans shoot down the general's plane and hold him prisoner in a castle high in the Bavarian mountains. The team must hurry because the general knows the plans for the allied command's second front and, if tortured, could spill the beans. For some films, that scenario would suffice, but for Where Eagles Dare that idea serves as a mere jumping off point for a far more complex story.
After a brief introduction to the men assigned to the mission and the officers in charge, Major Smith and company board the plane for Bavaria and the Schloss Adler. They jump at night to avoid detection and hold up in a mountain cabin. There we get a look at their objective, the Schloss Adler. Accessible only by cable car, the fortress sets the scene for our heroes' daring rescue. The team first heads into the nearby town to establish their German military identities. After all, the Alpen Corps would hardly allow a gang of British soldiers to gain access to their remote stronghold. We meet a couple new characters here too. Mary Ure, British agent and Smith's lover, gets a job as a maid at the castle and Ingrid Pitt, long in deep cover as a bawdy bar maid, poses as Ure's cousin and vouches for her. On the German side, we meet Major von Hapen (Derren Nesbitt) of the Gestapo. With the introductions taken care of for the most part, the main story can begin.
I won't give a blow by blow here because I don't want to spoil it for you, but I will say the story and screenplay, both written by novelist Alistair MacLean (The Guns of Navarone, Ice Station Zebra), combines flag waving action, red herrings, and dry wit to make for an entertaining film. Even at two and a half hours, the time flies thanks to the performances of Burton and Eastwood and the fabulous stunts choreographed and shot by Hollywood veteran Yakima Canutt and performed by Alf Joint. Burton and Eastwood have a nice rapport and make the most of the spare dialogue.
Burton's weary and unflappable Smith runs the show and has seen it all. Eastwood's Schaffer is sharp and proficient even though he's not quite sure about this mission.
Canutt's fights atop cable cars make for some of the most exciting action sequences I've seen. Similar scenes show up later in Bond films, but even 007 doesn't do them as well as our team. I also love the use of explosives in Where Eagles Dare. Burton and Eastwood carry backpacks full of fun little bundles of dynamite attached to timers which end up all over the place and to put it mildly, stuff blows up good. They also have cool reversible uniforms so they can blend in the snow and look like official Nazis. The plot twists keep you guessing and the film abounds with double agents and moments of suspense.
Any description of Where Eagles Dare would be remiss if it left out the dynamic score by Ron Goodwin (Murder She Said, Village of the Damned). Catchy and memorable, you'll find yourself humming it without even thinking. Brian G. Hutton (Kelly's Heroes, Gunfight at the OK Corral) directed Where Eagles Dare as an action film with a spy story at its center. The film succeeds as both because Hutton, MacLean, Canutt, and the stellar cast elevate this film from a shoot 'em up bang bang to a war film with spies and brains. I recommend it highly.
Posted June 1, 2014 by Kerry Fristoe in Reviews
Tagged with 1960s, action, Alistair MacLean, Bavaria, British, Clint Eastwood, Ingrid Pitt, Mary Ure, Nazis, Richard Burton, Schloss Adler, spies, Where Eagles Dare, WWII
The Wicker Man (1973) 1 comment
This is one wacky island.
Sergeant Neil Howie flies to Summerisle, a remote Scottish island, to investigate the disappearance of a young girl. Immediately he notices the queerness of the townsfolk. Their ways differ wildly from his devoutly Christian life on the mainland and as Howie's investigation into the villagers progresses, his outrage grows. Robin Hardy directed The Wicker Man from an Anthony Shaffer (Sleuth, Frenzy) screenplay on location near Inverness, Scotland. Edward Woodward of Equalizer fame plays Sgt. Howie as an uptight, morally certain policeman thrust into a bizarre world of bawdy songs, pagan teachings, and orgies.
Spinal Tap comes on at 8.
His incredulity mounts as Howie realizes that not only will the villagers not help him find young Rowan, but also they don't care if she's found. Britt Ekland, Ingrid Pitt, Diane Cilento, and Aubrey Morris, as a creepy gravedigger, play their parts well, but it's Christopher Lee who steals the show. As Lord Summerisle, Lee has all the best lines and looks thoroughly amused by Howie's righteous indignation.
Example: about some girls dancing in the altogether during a religious rite Howie says, "They're naked!"
"Well naturally" says Summerisle, "It's much too dangerous to jump through fire with their clothes on."
"The Welcome Wagon's here!"
The Wicker Man lives up to its cult classic status because the writing is solid, the performances strong, and the locations authentic. The statements it makes about religious hypocrisy aren't subtle, but they don't achieve Oliver Stone ball peen hammer to the skull-level either.
Posted May 10, 2014 by Kerry Fristoe in Reviews
Tagged with 1970s, 1970s films, Anthony Shaffer, British films, Britt Ekland, Christopher Lee, Diane Cilento, Edward Woodward, horror films, Ingrid Pitt, pagan religion, Robin Hardy, Scotland, The Wicker Man