CUSHING CURIOSITIES On Blu-ray From Severin

 

If you have read this blog for any amount of time, you are well aware of the fact that Peter Cushing is my favorite actor of all time. It shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that when Severin Films announced a six-disc Blu-ray set based around Cushing, I pre-ordered it as quickly as possible. 

The CUSHING CURIOSITIES Blu-ray box set contains five rare films featuring Peter Cushing, and the six surviving episodes of the 1968 Sherlock Holmes BBC TV series in which Cushing played the title role. Each disc is filled with extras, audio commentaries, and vintage interviews with Cushing. 

The set also contains a heavily illustrated 200 page booklet on the actor, written by ENGLISH GOTHIC author Jonathan Rigby. This is a fantastic volume, worthy of purchase on its own (Severin should seriously consider releasing a larger, hardcover version of this booklet). The booklet is almost a mini-biography of Cushing, with Rigby providing perceptive analysis on the man's personal life and professional career. 

Among the films in the set are three black & white contemporary dramas made in the early 1960s. CONE OF SILENCE has Cushing as an officious airline pilot in a story about problems concerning a new jet airliner. In SUSPECT Cushing plays a scientist who has his findings suppressed by the British government. THE MAN WHO FINALLY DIED, a noirish tale set in post WWII Germany, has Cushing as the suspicious key to a Cold War mystery. 

BLOODSUCKERS, a film made in 1969, and known by other titles and versions, is a very strange vampire story with Cushing in a small role as an Oxford don. 

The final film in the set is TENDER DRACULA, a 1974 French farce that might be the worst feature Cushing appeared in (depending on your point of view). In the past I tried to watch TENDER DRACULA a couple times on YouTube, but it was so outlandish and ridiculous I couldn't get through it. The version of it on this box set is supposed to be fully restored, but I'll still be saving it for last. 

The six episodes of the 1968 Sherlock Holmes TV series are making their Blu-ray debut on this set, and each episode gets an audio commentary. 

I've read some internet remarks mentioning how obscure the five feature films in this set are, and how Peter Cushing isn't the main star in any of them, except for TENDER DRACULA. I admit that is true....but these are a collection of films that have never gotten a proper home video release (at least in North America). I realize this set doesn't have any of Cushing's famous Hammer or Amicus appearances, but those films have gotten multiple releases already in most cases. If you are a hardcore Peter Cushing fan, wouldn't you want to spend money on something brand new? 

I heard the same type of complaints about the choice of movies when Severin's wonderful EUROCRYPT OF CHRISTOPHER LEE sets were released. I believe Severin should be given thanks for releasing such material in high-end editions with important extras. The home video market shouldn't be just about re-releasing the same clickbait titles over and over again. 

I'm far from getting through the entire CUSHING CURIOSITIES set--with all the material it's going to take me a while. The films that I have viewed in the set so far have excellent picture & sound quality. I intend to write blog posts on some of the individual titles themselves eventually. 

Obviously the CUSHING CURIOSITIES set is a must for major fans of Peter Cushing. I would recommend this set to anyone in any event--but I do need to point out that the titles here are somewhat obscure, and you are not going to see Cushing as Dr. Van Helsing or Baron Frankenstein. As for me, I'm sincerely hoping Severin has plans for a CUSHING CURIOSITIES Volume 2.