Review #722: 'Quatermass 2' (1957)

After the huge success of The Quatermass Xperiment (1955) - the film that launched Hammer Productions into the mainstream - Hammer and the BBC were quick to greenlight an adaptation of the sequel before the television serial of the same name even aired. Original creator Nigel Kneale was brought back in to pen the early draft, which was later revised by director Val Guest. Kneale's main problem with the first film was the brusque performance of American Brian Donlevy, and was disappointed that he would again reprise his role. But Kneale's criticism's aside, Quatermass 2 is a more action-packed and dramatic effort, although admittedly inferior to the first.

Professor Quatermass (Donlevy) is struggling to get his Moon Project off the ground. His plan is to set up a base on the moon and be the first to successfully colonise it. These plans are interrupted when Quatermass becomes intrigued with various meteorites that have been landing in the area. After travelling with his colleague Marsh (Bryan Forbes) to one of the meteor sites, Marsh is injured as one of the meteorites cracks open and leaves him with a 'V'-shaped burn on his face. Armed guards with similar facial scarring take Marsh to their nearby government facility, leaving Quatermass to contact his old friend Inspector Lomax (John Longden) for advice. This leads him to Vincent Broadhead (Tom Chatto), a member of parliament also investigating the strange goings-on at the site.

Although it was Nigel Kneale's main gripe with the movie adaptations of his creation, Donlevy's (possibly alcohol-fuelled) performance as Quatermass is one of the most intriguing aspects of the Quatermass series. He should be your typical Sherlock Holmes-esque British inquisitor, but Donlevy's interpretation is arrogant, selfish and abrupt, making him one of the more interesting 'heroes' of the genre. Here he is more action star too, dodging machine gun fire and making quick getaways in a film that is much more action-orientated than it's predecessor, although it retains much of it's realism. Due to this, it lacks the slow-build atmosphere of Xperiment, almost losing it completely with the overblown climax full of explosions and gun-fire. Even though it was overshadowed on its release by Hammer's The Curse of Frankenstein (1957), it is still a fun film, and even features of pre-Carry On Sidney James.


Directed by: Val Guest
Starring: Brian Donlevy, John Longden, Sidney James, Bryan Forbes, Vera Day
Country: UK

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie

Review #694: 'The Quatermass Xperiment' (1955)

After the enormous success of the BBC mini-series of the same name, Hammer Studios, which at the time were specialising in supporting features, swooped in to action a feature film adaptation. This being the first horror film they produced, The Quatermass Xperiment can be labelled as the birth of Hammer horror, and for that we are truly thankful. The surprising thing is, for all it's B-movie clunkiness and 1950's science-babble, Quatermass has stood the test of time. It's a serious, occasionally thrilling, and undeniably entertaining little picture.

After a rocket ship holding three astronauts crash-lands in the English countryside, Professor Quatermass (Brian Donlevy) arrives with his troupe of investigators and fellow scientists. After they open the hatch, they find two of the pilots vanished, and only one - Victor Carroon (Richard Wordsworth) - barely survived. He is taken in for treatment, and watched over by Dr. Briscoe (David King-Wood), who notices his skin taking an oily form. But Carroon's wife wants her husband back and smuggles him out of the hospital, where he escapes into London, absorbing any lifeforms he comes across.

Writer Nigel Kneale apparently disapproved of Donlevy's rather prickly performance as Quatermass, but I feel Donlevy (who was apparently sozzled throughout the entire shoot) is the reason Quatermass works so well. Rather than simply being your average scientist, Quatermass is a subtle madman, waving away procedure and safety in the name of science, playing God because he has the brains to do so. The film also works thanks to some impressive special-effects work, and a stoic Wordsworth in a performance and role that surely became the framework for Christopher Lee's Monster in Hammer's The Curse of Frankenstein (1957).

It's a short, snappy piece that moves along nicely, never getting too caught up in the science and wholeheartedly embracing the fiction. There's also a fine humour that prevails throughout the film, especially in the scenes involving Jack Warner's brilliantly sarcastic Inspector Lomax. It seems silly now to think that the film received the dreaded 'X' certificate back in 1955, but Hammer deliberately aimed the have the film stamped with this rating (as reflected in the 'Xperiment' of the title). This willingness to dare the audience to be scared had them flocking to see it, and, of course, the rest is history.


Directed by: Val Guest
Starring: Brian Donlevy, Jack Warner, Richard Wordsworth, David King-Wood, Margia Dean
Country: UK

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie

Review #249: 'When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth' (1970)

Blonde-haired cave woman Sanna (Victoria Vetri) is picked up by a seaside tribe after being thrown into the sea by her own tribe. Tara (Robin Hawdon), a member of the dark-haired seaside tribe becomes infatuated by her and woos her with the gift of his necklace. Ayak (Imogen Hassall - who tragically committed suicide in 1980) wants Tara for herself so becomes intent on removing Sanna from the tribe, but after they fight, Sanna's former tribe come looking for her and she flees for her life. Tara starts his journey to find her and bring her back, but he faces many dangers in the dinosaurs and creatures lurking in the jungles and mountains, and a tribal prophet has foreseen a tidal wave that could possibly devastate the planet.

This film is every bit as tedious as it sounds. One of a few prehistoric films produced by Hammer than depicted humans alongside dinosaurs, When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth is nothing more than cheap fantasy that mixes the excitement of dinosaur attacks with big breasted women in cave girl costumes. Don't get me wrong, the sight of Vetri and Hassall all shaven-legged and oiled up wearing next to nothing and full make-up is not something I am complaining about, but that is just about all this film has going for it. The dinosaur scenes are mildly entertaining but are often repetitive, except for one scene which sees Sanna sleep in a broken dinosaur egg only to be adopted by the mother. Very silly but quite fun in it's own ridiculous way.

A small caveman language was created for the film ("Akita! Akita!"), which, according to IMDb, is based on Phoenician, Latin, and Sanskrit sources. Very admirable indeed, but it is strange that such attention was made to the language when the film ignores the obvious historical fact that humans did not co-exist with dinosaurs! It seems a pointless detail when the film is clearly going for fun and titillation rather than anything remotely resembling historical accuracy. All in all, an easy way to spend a lazy bank holiday afternoon, but a rather boring and unspectacular cinematic experience. I would expect more from the director of The Day The Earth Caught Fire (1961).


Directed by: Val Guest
Starring: Victoria Vetri, Robin Hawdon, Patrick Allen, Imogen Hassall
Country: UK

Rating: **

Tom Gillespie

Review #206: 'The Day the Earth Caught Fire' (1961)

When Earth starts to experience strange changes in the weather and a rapidly increasing temperature, down-in-the-dumps Daily Express journalist Peter Stenning (Edward Judd) is given the investigation. Science correspondent Bill Maguire (Leo McKern) seems to think that simultaneous nuclear tests by the U.S. and the Soviet Union have knocked the Earth off it's axis, causing it to drift closer to the sun. Stenning is snooping around the Met Office looking for answers when he meets young telephone operator Jeannie (Janet Munro) who may have unwillingly stumbled upon the truth. Meanwhile, with the temperatures increasing at an unbearable rate, the government starts to ration supplies, including the nation's water.

I must admit that upon getting a copy of this, I was expecting a stiff-upper-lipped and cheesy British sci-fi full of dodgy effects and predictable plot devices. How wrong I was. If this film could be compared to any other, it would have to be All The President's Men (1976). It is very rare that a film manages to capture the sweat, stress and panic of the newsroom where the workers gather round for quick meetings and discussions before franticly typing up a new story and making those all-important phone calls. And the decision to tell the whole story from the viewpoint of the Daily Express workers is a refreshing and exciting one.

The hero is not a bland, square-jawed cheeseball that was common in the sci-fi films of the 50's and 60's, but a borderline alcoholic who is struggling with the separation from his wife and the fact that his boss gives him all the bottom-shelf stories. And he is played with utter conviction by Edward Judd. In fact, the acting is impressive all-round - Leo McKern is solid as the reliable workaholic who seems to be one step ahead of everybody else, and Janet Munro is sweet, interesting and sexy as the innocent girl who seems to be somehow caught up in everything. The film has a quite shocking level of flesh on display too, and if you're perverted or simply lonely enough, I'm sure you could even catch a nipple if you freeze-frame the DVD. (Not that I did it!)

As a Cold War sci-fi, the film could work as a double-bill alongside the truly perfect The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951). Although it differs in tone and subject matter, it still has the underlying feeling of paranoia that plagued sci-fi films of the time, and allowed for some of the greatest films of the genre to be produced. The threat of nuclear war was lingering in everybody's mind (I assume, I know it would if I was there) and the end of the world was all too believable and possible. This is a criminally underrated film - beautifully filmed (the sun-kissed sepia opening is simply gorgeous); a script that any Oscar-winner would be proud of; and has an ending so bleak and unresolved it deserves a place amongst the very best. Simply great sci-fi film-making.


Directed by: Val Guest
Starring: Edward Judd, Leo McKern, Janet Munro
Country: UK

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie