THE HOUSE OF HAMMER--VOLUME ONE

 

The current Hammer Films company has been churning out plenty of product in the last few years--so much product that you'd have to be Elon Musk to buy it all. I've been very carefully picking & choosing when it comes to the latest Hammer home video box sets, but I took the plunge with THE HOUSE OF HAMMER--VOLUME ONE. It is a two-disc region free Blu-ray set that also includes a 120-page booklet. 

The discs and the booklet contain a number of programs, documentaries, and articles that examine not only various facets of Hammer history, but the entire English Gothic genre overall. 

Some online have commented that this set is a group of extras looking for a feature, while others have suggested that the release should have been called THE HOUSE OF NON-HAMMER. (As you can see in the photo of the front of the set case above, Vincent Price takes prominence, and yes, I'm well aware he never appeared in a Hammer film.) I've actually watched all the programs on both discs, and I've read the entire booklet, and I will say that there is plenty of material here relating to Hammer. 

The highlight on Disc One is a nearly two-hour documentary on American-International Pictures--and this is just part one of the entire program. Titled MASQUES, MONSTERS AND MADMEN, the program covers the beginnings of AIP, how it took advantage of the entertainment industry conditions of the 1950s, and the company's relationship with filmmaker Roger Corman. The documentary mostly focuses on the British horror and sci-fi films AIP was involved in or at least distributed in the U.S. (It doesn't cover the Beach Party movies.) It goes up to about the end of the 1960s. Overall it is an extensive examination of some of the most famous horror films made in the 1950s and 60s. 

Disc One also contains an entertaining look at the life and acting career of Michael Gough by Jonathan Rigby, which runs about 45 minutes. There's also a program discussing the connection between Cornwall (an area of southwest England) and Birtish horror, which actually spends a lot of time talking about movies that don't have anything to do with Cornwall. 

Filling out Disc One is a short film made by Hammer in 1959 called TICKET TO HAPPINESS. Running about a half an hour, this is a lighthearted tale involving an industrialist trying to obtain land in a small British town. This short is so obscure, it's not even listed on IMDB! The most notable thing about it are the names involved in it that will be familiar to Hammer fans, such as director Peter Bryan, cinematographer Michael Reed, and actors Michael Goodliffe, Jeremy Longhurst, and Charles Lloyd Pack. 

Disc Two contains a feature documentary called DEEP CUTS, which examines the history of censorship in American and British cinema, and a program on makeup artists Lou and Dave Elsey, two full-on Hammer fans who have made their mark in plenty of big-time movie franchises. There's also a deep examination of various Hammer music soundtracks by David Huckvale, who is the ultimate expert in such matters. 

Disc Two also has footage of Roger Corman from a 1995 Festival of Fantastic Films convention, and, finally, a Q & A held after the premier screening of the 4K restoration of THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN in London in October 2025. The panelists include Kim Newman, Wayne Kinsey, Lucy Bolton, David Pirie, and actor Melvyn Hayes, the last surviving member of the COF cast, who steals the show. 

Now....I have to talk about the booklet!! That contains a look at the making of the AIP British film CRY OF THE BANSHEE, written by English Gothic expert John Hamilton. There's also articles on the British companies other than Hammer that delved into horror features, an appreciation of AIP's Edgar Allen Poe series, a look at Caralan, the production company that made DOCTOR BLOOD'S COFFIN and THE SNAKE WOMAN, and an essay by Wayne Kinsey showcasing the non-horror films made by Hammer. 

One article I need to point out is Dick Klemensen's look back at the beginnings of his fantastic magazine LITTLE SHOPPE OF HORRORS, a publication which has played a major part in Hammer history. In that article Mr. K points out that no other film company has had nearly every aspect of its history as thoroughly examined as that of Hammer Films--and he's absolutely right, with this set being a perfect example. 

Needless to say, this set is jam-packed with material, and it comes in a slipcase with impressively-designed packaging. The booklet is well-illustrated, and the documentaries contain plenty of talking heads that are true Hammer and English Gothic experts, such as John Hamilton, Jonathan Rigby, David Pirie, John Logan, Wayne Kinsey, and Richard Klemensen. 

This is a hardcore set for hardcore fans. You'll certainly learn about Hammer and English Gothic history, but if you are not a major fan of the subject to begin with, you're going to be a bit lost. I personally loved it--there are some times in the programs where things jump about a bit, and the focus wavers, but all in all there's plenty of entertaining and informative material here, and this is a set that is made specifically for English Gothic enthusiasts. I've no doubt there will be multiple volumes of THE HOUSE OF HAMMER in the future, and I can only wonder what will be contained in them. (By the way, if Hammer and John Gore want to talk to someone who has spent some time with some of the Hammer ladies, I do know a guy....) 

THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU

 

I finally saw this movie last night. The immediate reaction to it has been underwhelming, but I have to say that I found it to be a good, solid, enjoyable action-packed adventure. 

Taking place in the post-RETURN OF THE JEDI Star Wars Universe, THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU presents the title characters dealing with various warlords and coming to the rescue of Rotta the Hutt. Rotta (voiced by Jeremy Allen White) is the son of the notorious Jabba the Hutt, and his fate causes Mando (Pedro Pascal) to go against his New Republic employers to do what he feels is the right thing. 

THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU starts out with a very well-executed action sequence, and things don't slow down very much from there. Along with disposing of several ex-Imperial operatives and goons, Mando also fights off a menagerie of CGI monsters. The numerous battle scenes might be repetitive to some, but director/co-writer Jon Favreau stages them skillfully and efficiently, and let's face it, this is a summer blockbuster popcorn movie, so....what else would you expect? 

I was worried that the Rotta the Hutt subplot would turn out silly, but it actually comes off very well, even though it is a bit disconcerting to hear a Hutt speak perfect Galactic Standard. 

There's nothing in this story that makes a major impact on the Star Wars Universe, which to my mind is a good thing. Mando still has his quiet swagger and deadpan sense of humor, while Grogu still eats a lot and does cute things. (The green tyke even gets a chance to save Mando during the film's latter moments.) 

THE MANDALORIAN AND GROGU might have made a bigger impact in the marketplace if it had been released about five years ago, during the height of Grogunmania. Nevertheless, it's an enjoyable and fun romp that more than delivers the goods action-wise. 

THE RINGER (1952)

 

For the last few years, I've been writing plenty of posts on German Krimi films based on the writings of British author Edgar Wallace. Here's a Wallace movie adaptation that was actually made in England. It is THE RINGER, made in 1952, and included in Kino's BRIT NOIR COLLECTION I set. 

THE RINGER is one of Edgar Wallace's most famous works. First written in novel form, the story was later adapted into a successful play, and it was made into a film several times. In this version "The Ringer" is Henry Milton, a notorious vigilante who supposedly fled to Australia and died there. The Ringer comes back into the news when it is rumored that he is threatening corrupt lawyer Maurice Meister (Herbert Lom). The Ringer's sister worked for Meister before apparently committing suicide. Scotland Yard tries to protect Meister, but no one knows what the Ringer looks like, not even his wife, who hasn't seen her husband in years. Plenty of suspects crop up, but it's the threat of the Ringer that causes more consternation than the man himself. 

Once again I need to point out that even though this movie appears in a Blu-ray set labeled "Noir', there isn't really all that much connected to that genre showing up in the feature. The 1952 THE RINGER has a lighthearted air about it, and most of the film takes place inside Meister's upscale house--there's no mean rain-slicked streets here. The movie offers up a number of enjoyably broad performances by the likes of Donald Wolfit (BLOOD OF THE VAMPIRE), William Hartnell (the very first actor to play Doctor Who), and Greta Gynt as The Ringer's acerbic, glamorous wife. (Gynt had already starred in another famous Edgar Wallace movie adaptation: THE HUMAN MONSTER, with Bela Lugosi.) The cast also features a very young Denholm Elliott and Mai Zetterling. 

Earlier this year I had viewed DER HEXXER, the 1964 German Krimi version of THE RINGER, so I was familiar with most of the aspects of the plot....but the 1952 version still provided some surprises. This film is dialogue-heavy, and it does betray its stage origins, but director Guy Hamilton (whose debut film this was) keeps things barreling along almost like a screwball comedy. THE RINGER is a very different product from the 1960s German Krimis, but it's very entertaining in its own right. 

As for the entire BRIT NOIR COLLECTION I, I would call it very impressive overall. I had never seen the three films included in it, and although one can debate whether or not they are truly "noir", all the movies are very well made, and they look outstanding for their age. (All three are in black & white, and the only one in widescreen is THE FRIGHTENED CITY, with a 1.85:1 aspect ratio.) Each film in this set has a brand new audio commentary (I have not yet been able to listen to any of them yet). I would rate THE FRIGHTENED CITY the best movie in the set, with THE RINGER just behind, and the heavy-handed CAGE OF GOLD in the tail position. 

Kino might be taking advantage of the popularity of the "noir" label to package a random set of British crime dramas, but these are movies very few Americans know about, let alone have seen, and any company giving rare films a home video debut is a plus. Kino has two more Brit Noir Collections coming out this year, and I'm already planning on purchasing them. 

CAGE OF GOLD

 

CAGE OF GOLD is one of the three films contained in Kino's BRIT NOIR COLLECTION I Blu-ray set. It is a 1950 film from Ealing Studios that is more of a soap opera-style melodrama than what I would call a true noir. 

Set in post-WWII London, the story concerns young Judith (Jean Simmons), who one day encounters former flame Bill Glennan (David Farrar). During the war Judith's family lived near an RAF base, and she had a huge crush on Glennan, who was a fighter pilot. Glennan once again sweeps Judith off her feet, causing her to reject her decent, upstanding doctor boyfriend Alan (James Donald). Judith gets pregnant, and she and Bill marry.....but he leaves her on their wedding night, and later Judith receives word that Bill has died in a plane crash. Judith marries Alan, and they raise her child with Bill as their own.....but Bill is still alive, and he returns to London to harass and blackmail the family. 

CAGE OF GOLD is one of those "Good woman gets involved with a bad relationship" stories that has some very predictable aspects to it. The movie is well-acted, and it is directed by the very capable Basil Dearden, but it lacks a certain spark that would make it very memorable. The main issue for me was David Farrar. He's not bad in the role of Bill, but the character is supposed to be a cad and a bounder who causes all women he meets to throw all caution to the winds, and Farrar seems too stolid and plain to be a conniving bad-boy and untrustworthy ladies man. 

A large amount of the running time of this picture involves Bill's shady doings in a Parisian nightclub (the establishment's name provides the film's title), with Madeleine Lebeau (CASABLANCA) as a nightclub singer who is another of Bill's conquests, and Herbert Lom as the mysterious fellow who runs the place. Lom gives off plenty of Peter Lorre-type vibes in his too-small role, but the nightclub scenes seem just a diversion from Jean Simmons' situation. 

The ending of this film wraps things up way too neatly, but the climax at least has Bernard Lee as a stalwart police inspector. One can't help but feel that if CAGE OF GOLD were made by Americans, the movie would have had more excitement to it. If this movie qualifies as a noir, it is a very mild-mannered, very British example of the genre. 

THE FRIGHTENED CITY

 

Kino Lorber has just released the BRIT NOIR COLLECTION I, a two-disc set containing a trio of British crime thrillers made in the 50s and 60s. The movie I chose to view first was THE FRIGHTENED CITY, a 1961 mob tale starring a pre-Bond Sean Connery. 

The plot of THE FRIGHTENED CITY revolves around corrupt accountant Waldo Zhernikov (Herbert Lom), who comes up with the idea to convince the leaders of six different London criminal gangs to merge all of their protection rackets. To help make sure the blackmail money is collected properly, petty thief Paddy Damion (Sean Connery) is hired, due to the fact that he is tough, but smart. Zhernikov and his shady associates start to rake in the dough, but the accountant gets even more ambitious. Zhernikov uses one of the crime bosses (played by Alfred Marks) to partake in a scheme to put the squeeze on some of London's major companies, which causes consternation among the other mob leaders. The scheme also causes Paddy to question whether his activities are worth doing. 

THE FRIGHTENED CITY is a movie I was not aware of, even though I'm a big Sean Connery fan. It's a decent crime story, with efficient black & white photography by Desmond Dickinson and a jazzy music score by Norrie Paramor (the movie's main theme was successfully covered by The Shadows). The film doesn't have as much action as one would think, and what action there is has a ragged feel to it. This factor does make the story come off as more realistic, even though despite the title, the viewer doesn't believe that London is in a panic mode. (If the production had more of a budget, no doubt we would have seen more criminal violence.) 

I have no idea whether James Bond producers Cubby Broccoli and Harry Saltzman saw THE FRIGHTENED CITY, but the movie is a great showcase for the talents of a pre-007 Sean Connery. Connery's Paddy isn't a swaggering, brutish enforcer.....he has a quiet self-assurance while still maintaining a "Don't mess with me" vibe. Paddy isn't so much an out-and-out criminal as he is an anti-hero. Paddy also has a belief in "honor among thieves", and his experiences with Zhernikov make him realize that he's working for the wrong people. Paddy also develops a relationship with Zhernikov's nightclub singer mistress (Yvonne Monlaur). As always Monlaur looks stunning, and she and Connery project some major heat together. 

Connery is actually billed behind Herbert Lom and John Gregson, who plays the world-weary Inspector Sayers, a police official determined to find who is behind the city-wide protection scheme. Despite his billing Lom doesn't have all that much screen time--his Zhernikov is a clever (and shady) upper-class type who would rather control things behind the scenes instead of being upfront and getting his hands dirty. Like just about every British film made in the 50s and 60s, THE FRIGHTENED CITY has a fine supporting cast, with the likes of Alfred Marks, George Pastell, and Kenneth Griffiths. 

John Lemont co-wrote and directed THE FRIGHTENED CITY, which may shock some people, since Lemont is probably best known today for making KONGA! Despite the low budget Lemont keeps THE FRIGHTENED CITY rolling along, and he knows enough to keep the focus on Sean Connery. I wouldn't call this movie a hard-boiled noir, but it is an effective and entertaining crime story that proves even before he became James Bond Sean Connery could carry a feature. 

I plan on writing blog posts on the other two films included in this set. Kino also has two other Brit Noir Collections set for release this year. Whether all the movies that will be in them actually qualify as "noir" is debatable, but at least Kino is releasing a number of titles that most Americans (such as myself) have not been exposed to. 

SATURDAY NIGHT OUT

 

I'm currently reading BEASTS IN THE CELLAR: THE EXPLOITATION FILM CAREER OF TONY TENSER, written by John Hamilton. The book takes a deep, insightful dive into the movies produced by British showman-impresario Tony Tenser. Tenser made a number of provocative genre films during the 1960s-early 70s that are now regarded as cult classics. Tenser wasn't interested in gaining critical plaudits or mainstream respect--his specialty was making movies that got attention and drew audiences. 

SATURDAY NIGHT OUT (1964) was one of the films Tenser made in partnership with Michael Klinger for their Compton production company. The story--five sailors and one passenger looking for excitement during a night in London while their ship is docked there--has all sorts of exploitative possibilities, but the movie looks quite tame today. The London presented in SATURDAY NIGHT OUT is a black & white, dreary, unfriendly, working-class place, and none of the men on shore leave experience what they expect (except for one of the sailors who literally has a girl in every port, and who happens to spend the entire night with her in bed). The intertwined stories of the men have an air of sadness, loneliness, and frustration about them--there's no sense of a mod Swinging London here. 

SATURDAY NIGHT OUT is actually more notable for its cast than anything else. The various ladies that the men meet in the film are played by such actresses as Heather Sears (from Hammer's THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA), Erika Remberg (CIRCUS OF HORRORS), Francesca Annis (Polanski's MACBETH), Vera Day (QUATERMASS II), Toni Gilpin (THE GORGON), and Margaret Nolan (GOLDFINGER). Martine Beswicke is in this film too, even though you barely get a glimpse of her, and on the male side there's Bernard Lee (the original "M" of the James Bond films) and Nigel Green (ZULU). The pop group The Searchers also show up to perform a couple of numbers, although their appearance seems forced into the proceedings. 

The women who get the most screen time are Heather Sears as a kooky chatterbox who falls for one of the sailors, and Francesca Annis (who I'll always think of as Agatha Christie's Tuppence in the British PARTNERS IN CRIME TV series) as a vulnerable orphan who forms a bond with the youngest and most innocent of the men on leave. 

SATURDAY NIGHT OUT was directed by Robert Hartford-Davies, who at times tries to bring a documentary-like tone to the various happenings. The movie was written by brothers Donald and Derek Ford, and they and Hartford-Davies would work with Tony Tenser numerous times. According to John Hamilton, the movie didn't make as much of a splash as Compton's other "slice of life" melodramas, and one can understand why after viewing it. None of the characters are particularly interesting or charismatic, and the men on leave seem far too willing to walk right into trouble (or just too naive to begin with). SATURDAY NIGHT OUT is very much a product of its time, but it does rate attention from film geeks and fans of 1960s British genre cinema. 

A Few Words About Joseph Cotten

 

Last weekend I wrote a blog post about the Euro Western WHITE COMANCHE, in which Joseph Cotten received top billing in the credits. It got me thinking about the films that Cotten appeared in over his long acting career--a list of movies that defines the word "eclectic". 

Consider this group of films that Cotten starred in: 

CITIZEN KANE (Directed by Orson Welles)                                                                                

GASLIGHT (Directed by George Cukor)

SHADOW OF A DOUBT (Directed by Alfred Hitchcock) 

DUEL IN THE SUN (Produced by David O. Selznick) 

THE THIRD MAN (Directed by Carol Reed) 

In this collection of movies Cotten worked with some of the most acclaimed filmmakers of all time. Now consider this list: 

THE HELLBENDERS (Directed by Sergio Corbucci)

LATITUDE ZERO (Directed by Ishiro Honda)

THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES (Directed by Robert Fuest)

LADY FRANKENSTEIN (Directed by Mel Welles)

BARON BLOOD (Directed by Mario Bava) 

The second list is a collection filled by either all-time cult directors or all-time cult movies.....and I'd venture to say that some film geeks (like myself) might be more impressed with the second list rather than the first. 

Just think about the names of the directors on these lists. If you had tried to work with all these various men on purpose, you probably wouldn't have been able to pull it off. I'm sure Mr. Cotten would have been more inclined to have not worked on most of the movies of the second list, but to be able to have worked with all these filmmakers is an impressive feat. 

Consider also that Cotten appeared in AIRPORT '77 and HEAVEN'S GATE, and he had several television credits as well....he even showed up on an episode of THE LOVE BOAT. There's no doubt that monetary decisions played a part in a lot of Cotten's acting roles in the 60s and 70s....actors have bills to pay just like anyone else. 

However you look at it, Joseph Cotten had an incredible filmography.....although I have a feeling he might have described it in another way.