X the Unknown (Sublime, Sludge and Slime!)

X the Unknown is an immensely enjoyable would be ‘Quatermass’ film produced by Hammer Film productions in 1956. Scripted by reluctant screenplay writer (he was originally a Production Manager) and regular Hammer contributor Jimmy Sangster and starring an obligatory American lead (to ensure American distribution) in the form of actor Dean Jagger, playing Dr. Adam Royston, a character a bit like Professor Bernard Quatermass. There is a good reason for these similarities.  Following the success of Hammer’s ‘The Quatermass Xperiment’ the year prior (a film adaptation of the 1953 BBC serial ‘The Quatermass Experiment’ scripted by Nigel Kneale) the folks at Hammer were hoping for a quick return and the opportunity to cash in on that first film. Besides which they had also begun carving themselves a niche in the British horror/science fiction market and films such as this paved the way for the glossy gothic colour Hammer films that were to follow with pictures such as ‘The Curse of Frankenstein’ in 1957 and ‘Dracula’ in 1958.

The title card for 'X The Unknown' seen at the beginning of the picture

Although ‘X the Unknown’ is a Jimmy Sangster script it was hoped that Nigel Kneale would give the filmmakers permission to include the character of Professor Bernard Quatermass thus making it a Quatermass picture. Although Kneale would allow Hammer the rights for their three film adaptations of his Quatermass TV serials and his unrelated serial ‘The Creature’ (made by Hammer as ‘The Abominable Snowman’) he did not allow Hammer to use the character for this production. Thus the character of Dr. Adam Royston was born and in a way it’s a pity that Dean Jagger did not portray the role of Quatermass in the first two Hammer pictures, the aforementioned ‘The Quatermass Xperiment’ and ‘Quatermass 2’ because he is a lot better at portraying the curious, meticulous scientist Royston than fellow actor Brian Donlevy ever was at playing Quatermass....but that’s a story for a later blog post!

An original film poster featuring the face of Dean Jagger as Royston

Some spoilers here!

‘X the Unknown’ concerns a radiation hungry monster that appears in a Scottish gravel pit during a routine military exercise searching via Geiger counter for a harmless radiation source. Its forces create a fissure in the ground of the gravel pit at the start of the film and later its true power in unleashed. In traditional fashion it runs amok across the fictional Scottish village of Lochmouth, which also happens to be home to Dr. Royston who works at a nearby Atomic Energy Laboratory.  

The film is solidly directed by Leslie Norman (who’d later direct scores of ‘The Saint’ episodes starring Sir Roger Moore) and benefits from some atmospheric night shoots at Beaconsfield Gravel Pits in Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire and St. Michaels Church in Bray, Berkshire where the villagers retreat to, to escape the wrath of the creature (in a scene reminiscent of the original ‘The War of the Worlds’ made in 1953). Incidentally the latter location was tracked down by yours truly (Screenprick) after some exhaustive research. In line with the supposed Scottish location of the film, a short sequence of a congregation leaving church (featuring a completely different church location) was lifted from the classic comedy film ‘Whisky Galore!’ filmed at Castlebay on the Isle of Barra (again tracked down by yours truly!) ‘X the Unknown’ is notably quite graphic for the time in which it was made, allowing the filmmakers to secure the desired X certificate that the ‘Quatermass’ pictures also enjoyed. At the time this gave the film a certain notoriety and the melted faces of the victims of ‘X’ are highly effective and predate the famous sequence from ‘Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark’ (namely the death of Major Arnold Toht) by 25 years. It is worth noting that the film’s original booked director was Joseph Losey, who went on to direct the classic Hammer film ‘The Damned’ in 1963. An American director, he had moved to the UK (initially working under the name of Joseph Walton) to avoid the Hollywood Blacklist after he was blacklisted for allegedly being a ‘Communist sympathiser’. This was not unusual for 1950’s Hollywood and many directors, producers and actors suffered under McCarthyism for simply having left wing leanings. Nevertheless actor Dean Jagger refused to work with Losey due to his politics and although a couple of his sequences appear in the film he was dropped (officially due to ‘illness’) during the picture’s first week in production.

A grisly death for Unwin (Neil Hallett) pushing the films X certificate and predating a similar sequence in 'Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark' by 25 years! 

The performances of Dean Jagger and the supporting cast are generally excellent but special mention must go to Australian actor Leo McKern as Inspector McGill. The actor would later find fame for his appearances in ‘The Prisoner’ and playing the lead in ‘Rumpole of the Bailey’. A young Kenneth Cope (later of ‘Randall and Hopkirk Deceased’ fame) appears here as the first victim of ‘X’ Private Lansing. An even younger Frazer Hines (credited here as Fraser Hines and just 11 years old at the time of filming) plays local boy Ian Osborne here. An accomplished little actor Hines would later appear as the longest running Doctor Who companion to date (alongside Second Doctor Patrick Troughton) from 1966-1969 and later as a long running regular character in ‘Emmerdale’.

The sludgy sight of 'X The Unknown'

The films main let down is the ridiculous sequence with Neil Hallett as Unwin and Marianne Brauns as Zena, a lustful Nurse who is after Dr. Unwin’s..erm..well she is certainly after Dr. Unwin. They are both at a hospital where a boy who had come into contact with ‘X’ has succumbed to the radiation burns caused by the incident. Marianne picks this moment to get close and personal with Unwin who ultimately meets the same fate as the young boy. The sequence is demeaning to one of the very few women to appear in the film (the scene was memorably made fun of in an episode of ‘Whose Line is it Anyway’ with Tony Slattery) and was clearly crassly included purely for the benefit of the ‘X’ certificate rating.  His death scene though is very well done.

Dean Jagger and his supporting cast, including Leo McKern (second right) as Inspector McGill

The special effects (for a Hammer film) are actually very successful throughout, ‘X’ itself is an oozing, slimy blob (predating the American film ‘The Blob’ by 2 years) and there are some memorable sequences, particularly when ‘X’ almost envelopes a small child, only to be saved by the local priest in the nick of time. The least effective shot is seen when ‘X’ ploughs through some power lines, but hey, this was made in 1956 after all!

James Bernard’s spooky, dissonant and minimal score (his second for Hammer following ‘The Quatermass Xperiment’) nicely counterpoints the action and all in all ‘X the Unknown’ is great fun. Sangster was always very self deprecating about his work but he was actually a very accomplished script writer and this, his debut script for Hammer showcases this. He treats the scientific subject matter with great seriousness and sincerity, and although it is inevitably pseudo-science it has believability and does not patronise its audience. It is also an unusual film in that the threat is not man made, but a natural occurrence, a refreshing change from the much repeated idea of man creating its own enemies by meddling with things it does not understand.

The cracked earth from where 'X' emerged 

Hierarchically this production is leagues above a great deal of the American (and some British) science fiction/horror product of the decade, not to mention the following three decades too and is no doubt one of Hammer’s best early Horror pictures. 

The end titles, produced at the now under threat Bray Studios

NOTE: All production stills and photographs used in this review are copyrighted to Hammer Productions and Icon Home Entertainment. Screenprick will be back in 2016!  

'Space: 1999 The Bringers of Wonder' Review

It was Gerry Anderson’s ‘UFO’ that truly got me into science fiction. Sure, I’d already seen ‘Thunderbirds’, ‘Stingray’, ‘Captain Scarlet & The Mysterons’ but it was at the age of 10 and the loaning of a VHS (remember those) from a friend of mine of the first three episodes of ‘UFO’ that really got me interested. The genre and the resultant television series, films and sometimes books have been an important part of my life ever since. My borrowing of the ‘UFO’ video was also rather fortuitous as it coincided with the broadcast of newly re-mastered ‘Thunderbirds’ episodes on BBC Two, followed by repeats of ‘Stingray’ and ‘Captain Scarlet & The Mysterons’. This also seemed to coincide (but it is probably the case that I hadn’t really noticed till then) with an influx of video’s of Gerry Anderson series ending up at my local market. Now I first saw ‘UFO’ and ‘Space: 1999 during the 1998-1999 BBC Two run of both series here in the UK, but it wasn’t till late 2000, early 2001 that I became interested in both series. ‘UFO’ remains my personal favourite of Anderson’s shows, and I often lean towards the live action (non-puppet) series because they are so frequently overlooked. Space: 1999 remains an impressive series, which rivalled the production values of any other science fiction series of its day and still stands up to close inspection today. I picked up videos where I could, and by the time I was 15 I was using eBay quite regularly to purchase items I may not have been able to find otherwise. One of them was a video release of something called  ‘Destination Moonbase Alpha’ which I later found out was a feature length edit of the only two part story in the entire series run entitled ‘The Bringers of Wonder’ produced at the latter end of production of the show’s second and final season and broadcast in 1977. Six further episodes received this treatment, sold to markets all over the world as new television movies when they had in fact been compiled from a television series that had already ceased production. ‘Space: 1999 Destination Moonbase Alpha’ (1978) was broadcast on American television several times in the late 1970’s and allegedly even was screened in some cinemas. Crucially, the production was the first ‘Space: 1999’ product that was distributed on VHS in 1980, being the first example of ‘Space: 1999’ being available to own in one’s collection.

The original artwork for 'Destination Moonbase Alpha' by artist Chantrell

In a way, this tradition has been continued to the present date, as ‘The Bringers of Wonder’ with a special feature option to view both ‘Destination Moonbase Alpha’ and its original trailer has been chosen by the exemplary Network DVD range for release on Blu-ray in High Definition as a taster release ahead of their much anticipated (and much delayed) release of the entirety of the show’s second series, the first series having been available in both formats since way back in 2010. This special edition release was pressed to just 1,999 copies and was advertised a couple of months back before it was released on the 8^th December. Naturally I have a copy, which I received just three days ago, and this is the basis for my review.

My copy of 'Space: 1999 The Bringers of Wonder: Special Edition' one of my favourite purchases from this year. Yes...I'm sad.

I love Space: 1999 dearly, and am (unusually) a fan of both series. The first was a thoughtful, poignant, mystical and slower paced show, with multi layered and often open ended narratives. The second was an all out action romp, complete with a funky score by Derek Wadsworth and an American producer, ex-Star Trek producer Fred Freiberger, who for various reasons (most of them unfair) continues to be mocked and maligned to this day for his involvement in both series. It’s best to take them as they come and appreciate both efforts for what they offer.

‘The Bringers of Wonder’ is an all time classic second series tale, as previously mentioned the only two parter in the entire series (which consists of 48 episodes) and scripted by the great Terence Feely, who amongst other things had previously written another successful Series Two episode ‘New Adam, New Eve’ not to mention two classic ‘UFO’ episodes, ‘The Man Who Came Back’ and ‘Timelash’, as well as two installments of ‘The Prisoner’ starring Patrick McGoohan. Featuring Maya transformations aplenty and some great performances from the lead actors Martin Landau, Barbara Bain, Catherine Schell and Tony Anholt, the action is also excitedly directed by Tom Clegg whose work for the series was very good indeed. All of the studio sequences were filmed at Pinewood Studios, including some location filming at Heatherden Hall Gardens, South Lodge and the surrounding woodland and a nearby pond within the studio grounds. The special effects sequences were shot at the now under threat Bray Studios in Bray, Berkshire.

Martin Landau (centre) with Nick Tate and Catherine Schell on the Second Series 'Command Centre' set

A brief spoiler here, but the story opens with our familiar hero (and leader of Moonbase Alpha) Commander John Koenig (Martin Landau) on a quite literal space trip, during a routine Eagle Flight (the memorable spaceships from the series) he starts to exhibit strange behaviour and loses control of the craft. He suffers a serious blow to the head and is put on a new experimental brain complex to aid his recovery. Meanwhile, the rest of Moonbase Alpha are visited by what purports to be a Super Swift from Earth, a space vehicle that travels faster than the speed of light which was merely on the drawing board when our Alphan friends were thrown out of the Earth’s orbit by a huge nuclear explosion on the moon (as established in the opening episode ‘Breakaway’).  Aboard this Super Swift are various friends and colleagues from the Alphan’s past, who promise to take the inhabitants back to earth, from which they have been estranged for several years (about a hundred years in real time). However, these friends from Earth aren’t what they appear to be, and John Koenig knows it, his brain having been protected by the brain complex that Chief Medical Officer Dr. Helena Russell (portrayed by Martin Landau’s then wife Barbara Bain, the other regular lead in the series) had put him on, whereas the rest have been influenced by the powerful mental suggestion of some invading aliens who need the Moon’s Nuclear Waste Domes to extract power from. The problem is, they need such a large dose of energy that the Domes have to be blown up for them to thrive, and with their lack of mobility (in actuality they are ugly, blobby things) they have to get our poor humans to do it for them. Koenig must prove to the inhabitants of Moonbase Alpha that they are in grave peril and they don’t have long to defeat the alien threat!

Commander Koenig (Martin Landau) attempts to board an Eagle against the suspicions of his comrades

The episodes also feature a stellar cast including ‘Doctor Who’ stalwart Jeremy Young as Bartlett (the actor appeared in the very first ‘Doctor Who’ story ‘An Unearthly Child’), Stuart Damon as regular character Tony Verdeschi’s brother Guido (who looks suspiciously like Craig Stirling from ‘The Champions’) and Nicholas Young (John in the original ‘The Tomorrow People) as regular character Sandra Benes’s fiancé Peter. Other notable guest stars include Drewe Henley, David Jackson who provides the voices for the Alien foes in the second part and had previously starred as ‘Alien Strong’ in the Series 2 episode ‘The Rules of Luton’. He’d later play Gan in the BBC science fiction series ‘Blake’s 7’. The star of the show is Toby Robins, a Canadian actress who had previously enjoyed a successful career in the USA before making London her home in 1964. In ‘The Bringers of Wonder’ she plays Diana Morris, a bolshy madam who has a romantic history with our protagonist Commander Koenig and steals every scene she is in. Sample line “I do yoga myself you can get into some lovely positions”. Feely has really researched the lead characters and there is some wonderful dialogue. When Bartlett, Ehrlich and Capt Alan Carter believe they are flying towards New York City and ask each other what they are going to say to the people waiting after touch down, Ehrlich suggests "A small step for man...." only for Bartlett to interrupt and say "It's been done, what are you going to say Alan?" He responds in an American accent "Where's the nearest John?" The remark is classic Carter who has always provided a decent dose of humour to the series, superbly brought to life by actor Nick Tate.

Catherine Schell as the Metamorph Maya with Barbara Bain (Dr. Helena Russell) and Martin Landau as John Koenig

‘The Bringers of Wonder’ is also notable for featuring a consistent and familiar supporting cast. The second year had introduced the likeable Catherine Schell as Maya and Tony Anholt as Tony Verdeschi both Commander Koenig’s second in command and also a love interest for the former. Familiar faces such as Nick Tate as the great (and unforgivably underused) Captain Alan Carter and Zienia Merton as Sandra Benes (or Sahn as she is called in season two) have a fair bit to do in this story. Fortunately Tate would actually appear in 18 of the 24 episodes of Series Two, whereas Merton would only feature in 11 (both appeared in the entirety of the former series). They were more fortunate casualties of the drastic recasting and ‘out with the old, in with the new’ approach of the new leadership of ‘Space: 1999’ namely Fred Freiberger and Gerry Anderson for its second year, the latter credited as Executive Producer and therefore equal in blame in my opinion to the much criticised former. Likeable introductions (again underused) in Year Two are also absent (notably John Hug as Bill Fraser) which makes you wonder how Feely was briefed at scripting stage as to which characters he used and didn’t, or maybe he simply picked his favourite from the available and set about including them! Whatever the case it’s great to see them included, particularly Zienia Merton as Sahn as she was soon to move on to pastures new, before the conclusion of filming on the final series. The gorgeous Jeffery Kissoon also appears in these episodes. He had been introduced in the second series, but unlike the first where there was a regular standby Doctor (i.e Anton Phillip’s Doctor Matthias) there were multiple Doctor’s in the second series. Kissoon’s Dr. Vincent is the most familiar from the latter series and undoubtedly the best. Again, here the character is used well which is pleasing to a big 1999 fan like myself.

The opening of the second part of 'The Bringers of Wonder'. See alien, far left! 

To conclude this review I should comment on the new DVD release. Network’s ‘Space: 1999 The Bringers of Wonder Special Edition’ brings together the two original episodes re-mastered for Blu-ray in High Definition as well as an un-remastered original cut of the feature film version ‘Destination Moonbase Alpha’ and its trailer. It has been a real pleasure to see the latter again after all these years, with the terrible ‘Star Wars’ style introduction and establishing format shots, incorporating footage from the Series One episode ‘Breakaway’ as well as some brief excerpts from Series Two, plus a new opening theme from Mike Vickers (misspelled Vikkers in the credits) which is so very 70’s! The closing theme sung by Oliver Onions (who it turns out is a pseudonym for the two Italian writers of the music) is woefully hilarious. It is worth noting that ‘Destination Moonbase Alpha’ like ‘Alien Attack’ (the next Space: 1999 film made by the same production team but in that instance incorporating two woven together episodes from the first series) that the date is set at 2100, allowing for the lapse in time between the Moon leaving Earth’s orbit and the date of the story incorporated in ‘Destination Moonbase Alpha’, namely ‘The Bringers of Wonder’. As a kid I made a terrible science fiction home video with a friend that was set in ‘2100’. Both films were the inspiration and for all their non-canonical discrepancies they were my first introduction to these great episodes. It should also be noted that the first two ‘Space: 1999’ feature films (not counting an earlier Italian effort entitled ‘Spazio: 1999’) edited from episodes of the show were produced by ITC’s London offices. Two further films would follow in the early 80’s put together by ITC’s New York offices. These latter two are spectacularly woeful whereas the former are in fact reasonably faithful to the original material with the inclusion of only minor edits. But that’s another story for another blog.

The aliens (David Jackson) discuss their plans in 'The Bringers of Wonder' Part 2. Can you spot the cut-out?

Sticking to ‘The Bringers of Wonder’ and as mentioned earlier ‘Space: 1999’ had a substantial budget (the second series had less than the first but it was still impressive) and it’s wonderful to see the production still shine in our HD age. Both episodes look splendid on Blu-ray (the only bumps and creases are the obvious cardboard cut out aliens and some of the Moonbase Alpha screen stills). The sets still stand up to intense scrutiny now, and there are very few series of that period that can boast that. The fact that there are institutions like Network preserving archive material and restoring it in this digital age for future generations to enjoy is sublime. Please check out their other releases and support them. They have released a huge body of work since their formation in 1997 releasing many great and important series and films that would of otherwise not seen the light of day. Network DVD have yet again done a terrific job of re-mastering ‘The Bringers of Wonder’ episodes for this new release. I just can’t wait to see the full second series in HD glory next year.

http://networkonair.com/ 

The second season central cast, left to right Barbara Bain, Alibe Parsons, Martin Landau, Catherine Schell, Tony Anholt and Nick Tate

NOTE: All production stills and photographs used in this review are copyrighted to ITC, Carlton Television and Network DVD. The next review will focus on the classic Christmas film 'Home Alone'. 

Blake's 7 Series Three (Avon Takes The Lead)

Blake’s 7 was BBC One’s flagship science fiction series in the late 70’s and early 80’s. The show was devised by Terry Nation, who had created the Daleks for the channel's other big science fiction programme ‘Doctor Who’ and had also created and written many episodes of their apocalyptic drama ‘Survivors’ which ran from 1975-1977, not to mention being script editor on ‘The Avengers’ in the late 1960’s and working on countless other classic British television series. Following ‘Survivors’, Blake’s 7 would become his next project and was immediately backed by the corporations drama department. The show would follow the story of the anti-hero Blake, a former objector to Earth’s totalitarian leadership, the Terran Federation, who via therapy, tranquilising and memory suppressants suddenly becomes a model Federation citizen, spending several years unaware of his past and subsequently acting with surprise and suspicion when his former renegades contact him and reacquaint him with his former life. In the opening episode ‘The Way Back’ we are introduced to the evil Federation and Blake’s return to dissidence and his subsequent arrest and trial on false charges of child molestation. He is sent to the prison planet Cygnus Alpha but on route his captors bump into a spaceship that doesn’t belong to any Federation fleet and their curiosity causes them to send Blake, and fellow prisoners Avon and Jenna (expendable and expensive commodities on their cargo ship) on board to survey it. After a series of psychological attacks from the ship’s defence systems Blake and his new associates manage to commandeer the ship and pick up more followers over the course of the first series (including the telepath Cally) to fight against the federation via the ships teleport capabilities in an era of interstellar travel. The series was entitled Blake’s 7 because initially Blake’s crew consisted of Blake, Jenna, Vila, Cally, Gan and the computers Zen (belonging to the commandeered ship which the crew name ‘The Liberator’) and supercomputer Orac, a computer they acquire in the 13^th and the last episode of the first series.

The crew of the Liberator in Series Three, and dressed in black, their arch nemesis Servalan. 

The first two series (albeit with the exclusion of Gan who dies at the end of the 5^th episode of Series 2) continue to follow this established format as political agitator Blake fights against his arch nemesis, leading Federation Officer Space Commander Travis (played by Stephen Greif in Series 1 and Brian Croucher in Series 2) and his boss, Supreme Commander Servalan (played by the excellent Jacqueline Pearce).  But this would change drastically at the end of the second series as lead actor Gareth Thomas who played Blake chose to leave the series after being tempted by an offer from the Royal Shakespeare Company and Sally Knyvette who portrayed another lead, the character of Jenna, also chose to leave after becoming disenchanted with the series direction.  This would leave writer Terry Nation and producer David Maloney with a bit of a quandary, not to mention some crass jibes from the popular press who noted “How can you have Blake’s 7 without Blake?” The answer of course was simple, and the solution and its execution on screen was being discussed and formalised as far back as November 1978, two months before the second series was even broadcast when it became clear that both Gareth Thomas and Sally Knyvette would not be staying beyond the second series.

The two new leads in Blake's 7 Series Three Dayna (Josette Simon) and Tarrant (Steven Pacey)

Nation and Maloney decided thus. At the end of the second series Blake would be left in a bad way after a final battle with his adversary Space Commander Travis. This would coincide with an intergalactic war as the Federation battles the Andromedans, a war aggravated by the Federation’s and our heroes’ presence on Star One, a planet that had been infiltrated by the latter and was formerly the Federations key base, you’ll have to watch Series 2 to understand all of this! Avon (Blake’s agitator throughout the series and distinctly different from Blake in personality and ambitions) is left in charge of the Liberator for the final battle sequence at the end of the final episode of Series 2 ‘Star One’ due to Blake’s fragile condition and the credits roll as Avon commands Jenna to fire, as the Liberator becomes involved in the battle against the Andromedans after successfully teleporting from Star One back to the Liberator.

A saucy moment between Avon (Paul Darrow) and his arch enemy Servalan (Jacqueline Pearce)

When we rejoin the crew for the third series opening episode ‘Aftermath’ again written by Nation we return to the ship during the closing moments of the battle, as the Liberator is still being fired at. Only Cally (played by Jan Chappell), Vila (played by Michael Keating) and Avon are visible as they are forced one by one to leave the Liberator which has suffered considerable damage during the battle. Over the course of the episode we hear that Blake and Jenna have landed safely on other planets after leaving the Liberator but they ultimately fail to return to the ship. This was Nation’s way of writing out the characters but leaving the option open to have them return in later episodes, an option that only actor Gareth Thomas would take up, returning as Blake for the final episode of the third and fourth series respectively. Avon leaves via a life capsule with supercomputer Orac, whereas Cally and Vila end up stranded on different planets after exiting the Liberator of screen. Avon crash lands on the planet Sarran (filmed at the stretch of beach surrounding Bamburgh Castle in Northumberland...the furthest the Blake’s 7 crew travelled for location filming!) On Sarran he bumps into Dayna Mellanby (played by newcomer Josette Simon) and her father Hal (played by Cy Grant who had voiced Lieutenant Green in Captain Scarlet & The Mysterons) and also Supreme Commander Servalan, still barking Federation orders despite the relative chaos that surrounds the regime following the intergalactic war. We learn that Hal and Dayna are, like Avon, fugitives from the Federation and Servalan wastes no time in killing Dayna’s father Hal, firing first at his visual aid (Hal is almost blind, an injury caused by the Federation’s oppressive regime before he fled) and then shooting him in the back. Dayna (an expert in special weapons, including bows and arrows) vows revenge on Servalan which becomes an occasional theme during the rest of the series as from this episode onwards Dayna becomes a lead character, filling the void created by the departure of Sally Knyvette as Jenna.  Avon and Dayna manage to escape Sarran and teleport back to the Liberator only to find that a Federation patrol have got there first. This is where we meet our Blake replacement character, Captain Del Tarrant portrayed by charismatic actor Steven Pacey. In the following episode ‘Powerplay’ we discover that Tarrant, although formerly a Federation officer, is actually a wanted resistance agent who is posing as a Federation Captain, much to the frustration of his second in command Klegg in a brilliant performance from stalwart actor Michael Sheard. At the end of the episode, after beating the Federation presence on the Liberator, Avon orders the ships computer Zen to record the voice prints of Dayna and Del Tarrant making them the new members of the Liberator, setting up the format for the rest of this series. 

Servalan has Avon cornered in 'Aftermath'

Now you might ask, why start reviewing a long running show with its third series rather than the first? Well the answer is simple, it’s my personal favourite. Also, it is the highest rated series of the four made, both with fans and viewing figures upon the episodes original transmission in 1980. The series also notably took a very different turn with Avon taking the lead, in a totally different way to how Blake had done formerly. Blake was a leader in the real sense of the word, dictating where the Liberator crew went and what they were going for (most of the time) but with Avon the central narrative of going after the Federation was tapered slightly and our heroes (or rather anti-heroes) find themselves dragged into perilous situations by chance and circumstance rather than by Blake’s orders. With Avon at the helm also, morality was less of an issue. Avon is seldom a moral man, and for me that makes everything a lot more interesting.

The fractured relationship of Avon and Tarrant (Steven Pacey) nicely captured here in a still from 'Deathwatch''

Interestingly also this series pays more attention to the character of Cally (played by Jan Chappell) than any other series (perhaps compensating for her woeful lack of anything worth to do in Series 2). Indeed three separate episodes are devoted to the character, from ‘Dawn of the Gods’ in which she meets a literal legend from her home planet Auron, to ‘Children of Auron’ where her home planet is destroyed and ‘Sarcophagus’ where she is possessed by an ancient being.

The wonderful Michael Sheard as Klegg in the Series Three episode 'Powerplay'

To finish off this review I’ll briefly cover each episode discussing their strengths and weaknesses, as previously mentioned in this review the first two episodes are essentially a double header focussing on Avon and his new crew (we are introduced to Dayna and Tarrant in the episodes) and the relocation of Cally and Vila following the intergalactic war. We also discover that Blake and Jenna are missing, for the time being anyway. Both introductory episodes were scripted by the programme’s creator Terry Nation and are extremely compelling are expertly directed by Blake’s 7 regular director Vere Lorrimer (producer of Series 4) and the series producer at the time David Maloney, in one of two stints of the series in the director’s chair as well as the producer’s chair (discounting the location footage he directed for the Series 1 episode ‘Deliverance’). It’s a strange thing, that in each series of Blake’s 7 the third and fourth episodes are invariably weaker episodes. Series 2 notably had the uneven ‘Weapon’ followed by the slightly dull ‘Horizon’. Series 3 has the dull ‘Volcano’ and the incomprehensible ‘Dawn of the Gods’ which despite its quirky charms and some solid performances still suffers from a lightweight script and some uninspiring direction from Desmond McCarthy (who also directed ‘Volcano’). ‘The Harvest of Kairos’ is an intriguing episode which adds layers to the character of Servalan (as played by Jacqueline Pearce) but suffers from the writer Ben Steed’s tendency to address gender politics (which dates the episode horribly). 

Colin Baker as Bayban in 'City at the Edge of the World'

The sixth episode ‘City at the Edge of the World’ an undoubted nod to the similarly titled ‘Star Trek’ episode ‘City at the Edge of Forever’ is a Blake’s 7 masterpiece and one of Script Editor Chris Boucher’s strongest submissions to the series. Featuring future Doctor Who Colin Baker as ‘Bayban the Butcher/Berserker’ the outrageous villain of the piece (and like Blake a fugitive from the Federation) and the great character actor Valentine Dyall, it is regular character Vila’s finest hour, showcasing the best qualities of the Liberator crew member as well as Michael Keating’s strongest qualities as an actor. From this point onwards the episodes are strong and consistent. ‘Children of Auron’ the seventh instalment in the series features an excellent performance from series regular Jan Chappell as both Cally and her twin sister Zelda, as well as from the actors playing Deral (Rio Fanning) and Ginka, two of Servalan’s lackies both begging for her affection (for promotional reasons of course). Ric Young is particularly gripping with his slimy and calculated portrayal of Ginka (it’s a pity the actor would soon move to Hollywood and have his face ruined by aggressive plastic surgery). ‘Rumours of Death’ is probably the finest episode of the series, again scripted by Chris Boucher and follows on from the Series 2 epic ‘Countdown’ focussing on Avon’s relationship with his lover Anna Grant, who he thinks is dead. Spoiler alert, she isn’t and she isn’t who Avon thinks she is either. It is flawless from start to finish and features excellent performances from Paul Darrow as Avon, Lorna Heilbron as Sula/Anna Grant and supporting actors John Bryans as the brutal but cowardly Shrinker and David Haig and Donald Douglas who add a touch of levity to the proceedings. The direction by Fiona Cummings (who would go on to helm several Doctor Who stories) is absolutely superb and among the best directorial efforts of the entire series. Fortunately she would direct the next episode ‘Sarcophagus’, an unusual and memorable production scripted by fantasy writer Tanith Lee and another starring role (aside from Cally) for Jan Chappell as she portrays the Alien who possesses her. Apart from some short film sequences shot at Ealing Film Studios the episode is entirely orchestrated on the Liberator standing set at BBC Television Centre and is used to great advantage. As a series regular portrays the threat there are no guest actors at all and Paul Darrow also gives a terrific performance, notably being given the opportunity to smooch Alien Cally!

Jacqueline Pearce and Ric Young as Ginka in 'Children of Auron'

‘Ultraworld’ and ‘Moloch’ by Trevor Hoyle and Ben Steed respectively are less notable episodes, although that does not mean they don’t have notable features, such as the bonding ceremony scene between Dayna and Tarrant in ‘Ultraworld’ and Deep Roy’s hilarious performance as Moloch, the fried chicken monster in ‘Moloch’. The final two episodes of the series are classics. Chris Boucher writes another gem with ‘Deathwatch’ featuring Steven Pacey playing both his regular character Del Tarrant and his brother Deeta and the direction by Doctor Who stalwart Gerald Blake is superb, particularly the crane shot utilised following Deeta’s demise by Vinni. Again the guest artists (especially Stewart Bevan and Paul Mark Elliott) are excellent. ‘Terminal’ closes the series with the return (albeit briefly) of Blake and Servalan’s most ambitious plan to foil the Liberator crew yet! Dudley Simpson’s subtle score beautifully underpins the action with its sinister heartbeat leitmotif representing the planet Terminal. ‘Terminal’ is also the first episode of Blake’s 7 directed (with real originality) by Mary Ridge, who would go on to supervise several episodes in the fourth series.

‘Blake’s 7’ remains a firm favourite science fiction series across the world, but (perhaps unsurprisingly) has a very devoted following here in its homeland (the United Kingdom). 

Michael Keating as the long suffering Vila in a still from 'Dawn of the Gods'

Like ‘Doctor Who’ it was a BBC series that inherited a very small budget. The production team quickly realised that story and characterisation was key and must be brought to the fore to compensate for the shows small effects budget. It is true that ‘Blake’s 7’ could never compete visually with the likes of another new franchise of the time ‘Star Wars’ but to me that has never mattered because it exhibited some of the finest science fiction writing of its time. To quote the great science fiction writer and commentator Kim Newman on Blake’s 7 “It was science fiction as Americans understood it, teleporting onto planets etc. But it was also a British show, i.e it was bloody miserable.” I couldn’t of put it better myself. Series 3 is the pinnacle of the show’s run in my honest opinion, and long may its appreciation continue. 

Blake's 7 Series Three photoshoot on an unknown set! 

NOTE: All production stills and photographs used in this review are copyrighted to the BBC. The next review will focus on the classic Hammer Horror picture 'X the Unknown'. 

The Abominable Snowman (The Thinking Man's Horror Film)

'The Abominable Snowman' is a classic British horror film from the much celebrated Hammer Film Studio filmed at Bray and Pinewood Studios in 1957. It was notably the first Hammer film to feature legendary English actor Peter Cushing, who would go on to star in a further 21 films for the production company, including many flicks with his close friend Christopher Lee, as well as an appearance in the Hammer television series ‘Hammer House of Horror’ when the company enjoyed its first renaissance in 1980. It was also the first and only Hammer film to be produced by Aubrey Baring, who was a family member of Barings Banking, a merchant bank based in London, now defunct. It was also the second and last Hammer film to feature American actor Forrest Tucker in the lead role (to ensure Hammer films made it into the American market), and the last collaboration between Nigel Kneale as screenplay writer and Val Guest as director.

The Abominable Snowman title card with footage filmed at La Mongie

Some spoilers follow!

This production is in fact a film version of Nigel Kneale’s original BBC play ‘The Creature’ remade by Hammer in much the same way they remade his original three famous ‘Quatermass’ serials, and even features some of the original cast members including Peter Cushing, Wolfe Morris and the excellent Arnold Marle. The rest of the roles were recast, including that of Tucker’s (the role having originally been played by Stanley Baker). The story concerns, oddly enough the legend of the ‘Abominable Snowman’ or ‘Yeti’ if you prefer, as they are referred to in the film. Sadly apart from a few ‘tele-snaps’ nothing from the original TV version of the story exists in the BBC archives.  ‘The Abominable Snowman’ begins with Cushing as Dr. John Rollason and his assistant Peter Fox, played by veteran actor Richard Wattis (who notably wears a series of unflattering jumpers in this particular picture) on a botanical expedition in the Himalayas as a guest of the Lama (played by Arnold Marle). Soon enough Dr. John Rollason’s wife arrives, Helen (played by Maureen Connell) as well as a second expedition led by Tucker but also featuring Ed Shelley (played by future M actor in the Bond films, Robert Brown), photographer Andrew McNee (played by Michael Brill) and the Sherpa guide Kusang (played by Wolfe Morris). Their expedition is interested in one thing, capturing a live Yeti, and whilst Rollason and Tucker’s character Tom Friend are instantly at loggerheads both have a mutual intrigue in the potential existence of Yeti, much to the chagrin of Rollason’s wife and the Lama whose people clearly believe and fear in the Yeti and dislike the meddling of both Friend and Rollason as the latter joins the second expedition.

Forrest Tucker as trigger happy Tom Friend

For a reasonably early Hammer production ‘The Abominable Snowman’ has an impressive scale and effective location filming standing in for the Himalayan mountains was filmed at La Mongie in the French Pyrenees in January 1957. Whilst the Monastery set and the Lama’s village were built and utilised at Hammer productions then home at Bray Studios in Bray, Berkshire it was quickly realised that for the snowy landscapes of the Himalayas more studio space would be required so in an unusual move these were staged at Pinewood Studios at Iver Heath in Buckinghamshire. The film’s score by classical composer (but a frequent experimenter in the ‘serialist’ music form) Humphrey Searle is very effective and is reminiscent of Max Steiner’s score for ‘King Kong’ from 1933 and was reputedly based on Ralph Vaughan Williams score for the 1948 epic ‘Scott of the Antarctic’ starring Sir John Mills. Searle would later compose the unsettling score for the 1963 classic horror film ‘The Haunting’. Although Forrest Tucker has come under some criticism for his performance in this film (even from director Val Guest) I consider his interpretation of Tom Friend, as an abrasive loud mouthed bully, throwing his weight around and blowing hot and cold to Peter Cushing’s character Dr. John Rollason to be very effective and as the film comes to a close and much of the action is based around these two characters, Tucker and Cushing play off each other very well. Tucker doesn’t give a subtle performance, but to me that is kind of the point. Fortunately for Tucker, writer Nigel Kneale was impressed with his take on the role. Peter Cushing as ever is wonderful as Rollason, playing him as a kindly, cautious and articulate man, the polar opposite of the gung ho and bluster of Tom Friend. All the supporting cast are good, with note going to the mystical performance given by German actor Arnold Marle as the Lama and Richard Wattis’s humorous performance as Rollason’s assistant Peter Fox.  The only thing that really dates the film and lets it down slightly is the representation of women, particularly in regards to Rollason’s wife Helen. We learn during the film that she is very cautionary, a bit of a moaner and is great at making hot food and drinks. Oh dear!

The main cast, left to right Peter Cushing, Michael Brill, Wolfe Morris, Robert Brown and Forrest Tucker

This aside, it’s a great story and the realisation of the Yeti (who are barely seen until the penultimate sequence) are quite impressive. They have an intimidating look, but the use of human eyes behind their unusual beak like masks give them both an endearing and wise look, as noted by Dr. John Rollason “they are creatures of wisdom”. The actions of man are not to be celebrated here and Kneale presents the Yeti as mystical, intelligent and almost spiritual beings. The films ends on an uncertain note as we ponder as viewers whether Rollason, in the icy conditions of the Himalayas hallucinated his encounters with the Yeti or whether they have purposely erased his mind of the events....or another consideration, the final line “There is no such thing” referring to the Yeti could be Rollason’s understanding that man must never try to interfere with the great creatures ever again, hence the denial that he has come into contact with them. Val Guest’s direction is superb throughout with effective use of handheld camera shots and overlapping dialogue in an almost documentary style, a technique used in Howard Hawks’s earlier films.

A Yeti hand rummages around the second expedition's tent. The creatures are only fleetingly seen in the film

‘The Abominable Snowman’ in my view is an overlooked gem, ignored during its release largely because of the hubbub surrounding the premiere of Hammer’s first colour Horror film ‘The Curse of Frankenstein’ (coincidentally also starring Peter Cushing) and no doubt also because of the critical failure of both the original television adaptation. The subtle and esoteric nature of the story probably didn't help much either. Put simply, it lacked the same gory mass appeal as the aforementioned Frankenstein film. Enjoy it with the lights dimmed and with a glass of whisky in your hand, ‘The Abominable Snowman’ is to be savoured and remembered as a production from a time when British filmmaking was arguably at its peak, and Hammer’s contribution to that period is unrivalled.

A fearful Ed Shelley as portrayed by Robert Brown 

I finish this blog review on an unusual and sad note. Below is a link to an iPetition to save Bray Studios (where ‘The Abominable Snowman’ and many other classic British films and television series have been made, not to mention a decent handful of more recent output) which is perhaps unsurprisingly under threat of closure and demolition to be turned into that old chestnut ‘luxury housing’. It makes me sick to the stomach to think that we might lose this wonderful studio with so much history and so much more to give. Its use in recent pictures is a testament to that (including Terry Gilliam’s ‘The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus’) and we have already lost so much studio and backlot space over the last twenty years or so. The thought of that wonderful building being turned into a load of synthetic riverside flats is just too much to bear. Also, money has been spent on some minor restorations to the studio in the last four years that would be money gone to waste if these proposed plans go ahead. Let's protect this wonderful facility and strive to make more films in this country, the support and promotion of Bray could help achieve a huge boost for our considerably depleted film industry. It takes a second to sign up to an iPetition and once you have joined there are many other causes you could support via the same website. Alternatively check out Bray Studios Facebook page and like it to follow the progress of this ugly situation.

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/savebraystudiospetition/ 

The wonderful but now purposely neglected Bray Studios, at risk of redevelopment into luxury apartments. Filming location of 'The Abominable Snowman' and all of the Hammer pictures from 1953 - 1966.

NOTE: All production stills and photographs used in this review are copyrighted to Hammer Film Productions and Icon Home Entertainment. The next review will focus on the third series of the classic BBC science fiction series 'Blake's 7'. This review has been put on hold for weeks but will definitely be next! 

The Spy Who Loved Me (In Tribute to Richard Kiel)

In tribute to the great Richard Kiel, who passed away on the 10th of September (his 75th birthday would of been on the 13th) I have decided to review my favourite James Bond film starring Roger Moore as the eponymous hero. I refer to 1977’s ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’ which launched the late Richard Kiel into stardom in the role of the professional killer Jaws, a part that ably utilised his 7 foot 2 frame, complete with steel dentures to complete the image, hence ‘Jaws’.

Roger Moore and Richard Kiel as Bond and Jaws in a still from 'The Spy Who Loved Me'

It was the first Bond film not to feature a Harry Saltzman producer credit, Saltzman having split from his long term business partner Albert R. ‘Cubby’ Broccoli following the release of ‘The Man With the Golden Gun’ in 1974. Broccoli produces this film alone. It is also the first film to feature German actor Walter Gotell in his regular role as General Gogol, head of the KGB and English actor Geoffrey Keen as Frederick Gray. They’d both become regulars in the Bond series for 10 years, bowing out in ‘The Living Daylights’ in 1987 featuring Timothy Dalton as 007. It is also the second Bond film not to feature any involvement in terms of music score from John Barry, the makers favouring a disco score provided by Marvin Hamlisch, who’d even arrange a new Disco version of the famous Bond Theme entitled ‘Bond77’ and also a faithful arrangement of Maurice Jarre’s ‘Lawrence of Arabia’ theme during a parody sequence.

A handful of spoilers do follow here!

‘The Spy Who Loved Me’ is undoubtedly the best Roger Moore Bond film as it plays to the actor’s strengths. Gone are the forced Connery-esque moments of his first two films, instead greater emphasis is placed on humour, Q’s gadgetry and the quintessential Englishness of the character. It also features (in my opinion) the greatest opening ten minutes in any Bond film, starting with the capturing of an English submarine, literally being swallowed up by Stromberg’s Super-tanker, in a scene reminiscent of ‘You Only Live Twice’ a Sean Connery Bond picture from 1967 also directed by Lewis Gilbert who also assumed directorial responsibilities for this film. The pre-title sequence also features the first appearance of Barbara Bach as Agent Triple XXX, who is initially seen with her boyfriend (fellow KGB Agent Sergei Barsov) played by actor Michael Billington, of whom many will be familiar due to his regular role of Colonel Paul Foster in the Gerry Anderson live action series ‘UFO’. He is swiftly killed off by Bond during the spectacular opening ski sequence set in Austria (but filmed in Canada) in which stuntman Rick Sylvester ski’s off a cliff (as Bond in his banana outfit) only for his parachute to open in the nick of time, displaying of course, the union jack! Somehow it is all pulled off beautifully, and Roger Moore’s hilarious banana skin ski gear doesn’t detract from this wonderful moment, even though he looks like a stealthy slinky skiing banana man. It should be noted that as Sylvester loses his ski’s in the stunt and begins to freefall the aforementioned ski’s catch up with him and one of them goes straight through his parachute as it opens. Had it become tangled we may have not had a stunt to wonder at....or a stunt man for that matter!

The parachute moment starring Bond. Banana Bond. 

Then we are of course treated to another Bond theme and another famous title sequence designed by the originator of the 007 sequences Maurice Binder. The theme by Hamlisch ‘Nobody Does it Better’ sung by Carly Simon is one of the best of the franchise, a simple love song with a wonderful leading piano part, probably the only part of the soundtrack that has a timelessness. The sequence by Binder also showcases the designer at his most creative; the trademark naked ladies in silhouette being used to great effect, particularly when there are several marching toward Moore’s Bond silhouette, only to fall in unison as he approaches them, a brilliant touch!

Roger Moore as Bond with Barbara Bach playing Russian Agent Triple XXX

The film boasts strong performances from Roger Moore and the supporting regulars, but also worthy of note is Vernon Dobtcheff’s superb slimy performance as Max Kalba, owner of a club Bond visits to extract information, Robert Brown’s performance as Admiral Hargreaves (the actor would take over from actor Bernard Lee following his death in the role of M) and Shane Rimmer (former voice of Scott Tracy in ‘Thunderbirds’) appearing in his third Bond film, this time in the sizeable role of US Submarine Commander Carter. Curt Jurgens makes for a superb Bond villain in Karl Stromberg, ruthless, brutish and slightly unhinged but with a clashing aura of class, sophistication and grandeur he is suitably unnerving when dispatching one of his agents into a pool containing a hungry shark because of her betrayal, overseen by two freelance associates (played by familiar actors Cyril Shaps and Milo Sperber) whom he owes 20 million dollars each for their services. They initially think they will receive the same treatment until they are escorted to the safety of a helicopter taking them from Stromberg’s Atlantis city (an impressive bit of model work by former Gerry Anderson special effects wizard Derek Meddings) only for him to blow up the helicopter shortly after takeoff. My only minor reservations about Stromberg are his disappointing death scene (his last breaths being inhaled on a tray of cabbage leaves!) And one moment when Jurgen's heavy German accent causes this line "Observe Mr. Bund, the instruments of armageddon" It is nonetheless a memorable and effective performance. Barbara Bach’s character Triple XXX is interesting as she remains Bond’s equal for the entirety of the film, even outshining him on occasion. She also looks the part but Bach is unfortunately hindered by the necessity of a Russian accent (which all too easily leans into her natural American tones) and is as wooden as a trusty garden shed at some points.

The Supertanker swallows a submarine

The aforementioned model work is generally excellent in this picture, although the shot of Stromberg and Triple XXX leaving in a speedboat after being ejected out of the Supertanker looks a bit naff. The Supertanker shots are very impressive and fooled many into believing they had used a real tanker for the film and Marvin Hamlisch’s score is very competent, even if he gets a bit carried away during some of the pyramid scenes running up to Feckesh’s death. The look of ‘The Spy Who Loved Me’ (like many other Bond films) is greatly enhanced by the incredible design work of Ken Adam, whose set for the Supertanker is one of the series best (they built a brand new soundstage to accommodate it at Pinewood Studios). Its scale is incredible and its sparse use ensures it never loses its impact.

A quite literally gripping scene from 'The Spy Who Loved Me'

To conclude this review though I must focus on Richard Kiel, quite literally a giant of the cinema. His great height and features were caused by a condition called acromegaly which causes abnormal bone growth. This didn’t hinder Kiel of course, who found himself very much in demand for roles, inevitably many of them were very similar and verging on the ghoulish. One of his first roles was the titular role of ‘Eegah’ released in 1962 in which he starred as a giant cave man. It is considered one of the worst films of all time and even made it onto an episode of ‘Mystery Science Theatre 3000’. Thankfully he’d also except classic roles in ‘The Twilight Zone’, ‘The Man from U.N.C.L.E’, ‘I Dream of Jeannie’ and ‘Barbary Coast’ before being given the role of Jaws. In his later career he’d star in ‘Happy Gilmore’ in 1996 but is almost certainly Jaws that he will be most remembered for. He was a regular face at James Bond Conventions and Film and Television events for many years and was dearly loved by his fans, often being described as a true gentleman. He was active in this capacity until just a month ago but had unfortunately recently broken his leg, which caused complications from which he did not recover. Kiel and Roger Moore had taken part in a BBC Radio 4 interview about the Bond franchise just 3 days before his death, with Moore at the Radio studio in London and Kiel calling in from a hospital near his home in Fresno, California. 

Overcoming the obvious limitations of the Jaws role, Kiel injected into the character a sense of humanity and humour which is evident from many touches (notably when he dusts himself off and adjusts his tie after Bond throws him out of the window of a high speed train). Fortunately, albeit briefly, he was able to show off his resonant voice in the follow up to this film ‘Moonraker’ released in 1979. But that’s another story.

From a long term fan, all the best Richard and rest in peace. 

Richard Kiel with his close friend Sir Roger Moore 

NOTE: All production stills and photographs used in this review are copyrighted to United Artists. The next review will focus on the third series of the classic BBC science fiction series 'Blake's 7'.