Grade: C+
Synopsis: A psychologist (Noel Coward) begins an affair with his wife’s best friend, which ultimately destroys his marriage.
The Astonished Heart works largely due to star Noel Coward’s script. Despite being over half a century old, it remains resonant today, largely due to the fact that Coward refuses to judge any of his characters, and instead plays the narrative relatively straight, casting his characters as victims of their own circumstances. It’s a refreshing change from the usually moralistic melodramas of the time, and a testament to Coward’s enduring popularity as a playwright. Directors Antony Darnborough and Terence Fisher (later of Hammer fame) take a similarly restrained approach that suits the story well. MORE »
Posted 582 days ago in Movie Reviews and Terence Fisher. No responses
Grade: B
Synopsis: A Captain (Guy Rolfe) in the British East India Company investigates a murderous cult ambushing caravans.
The Stranglers of Bombay is an often-ignored gem in the Hammer library. Playing more like a serial adventure than a horror film, director Terence Fisher’s film covers some of the same ground as Gunga Din (1939), and likely inspired, at least somewhat, Steven Spielberg’s Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984). MORE »
Posted 697 days ago in Movie Reviews, Hammer Film and Terence Fisher. No responses
Grade: C-
Synopsis: A professor (Christopher Lee) investigates a woman (Barbara Shelley) and a doctor (Peter Cushing) who may be linked to the Medusa-like creature terrorizing a small village.
The Gorgon is a mixed bag. On the one hand, it has nice production with good atmosphere, confident direction, and excellent pacing, but on the other hand, it has some of the worst makeup effects of any Hammer film, and a script that leaves a lot to be desired in the characterization department. MORE »
Posted 723 days ago in Movie Reviews, Christopher Lee, Hammer Film, Peter Cushing and Terence Fisher. No responses
Grade: B+
Synopsis: Sherlock Holmes (Peter Cushing) investigates the family curse surrounding a nobleman (Christopher Lee).
The Hound of the Baskervilles was Hammer’s take on Sherlock Holmes. Taking the same director and stars from their previous successes Dracula and The Curse of Frankenstein, the film was intended as the first in a series of Sherlock Holmes pictures, and while the series never materialized, The Hound of the Baskervilles is still quite good. MORE »
Posted 1078 days ago in Movie Reviews, Christopher Lee, Hammer Film, Peter Cushing and Terence Fisher. No responses
Grade: B
Synopsis: A producer tracks a mysterious figure that haunts a London opera house.
The Phantom of the Opera was director Terrance Fisher’s follow up to the disastrous The Curse of the Werewolf (1961). He seems to have learned from his mistakes though, as the film wastes little time in getting the Phantom on screen, and is solid from beginning to end. MORE »
Posted 1117 days ago in Movie Reviews, Hammer Film and Terence Fisher. No responses
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