Film Review
The Gorgon was one of Hammer's
earliest and more laudable attempts to extend their popular Gothic
horror formula beyond the narrow confines of the traditional horror
icons, Dracula, Frankenstein, et al. Its success at the box
office encouraged the company to take bigger risks - notably with
The
Reptile (1966) and
The Plague of the Zombies
(1966) - thereby maintaining the public's appetite for low budget
Gothic horror thrills.
The film marked a return to form for director Terence Fisher who, after
a series major disappointments, found himself inspired to make one of
the best films of his career. Here, he was aided and betted by
horror stalwarts Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee - the first
time they had all worked together since Hammer's
The Mummy (1959). Cushing
plays a role that is perhaps a little too close to his Baron
Frankenstein (slicing up human brains and being generally sinister), so
it is a treat so see Lee cast against type as the bumbling hero,
a kind of Peter Cook version of Van Helsing. Unusually, the best
performances are provided not by the bill-topping stars but by the less
well-known supporting artistes, although, in true Hammer fashion, an
awful lot of scenery gets chewed up along the way. Outshining
both Lee and Cushing is a young Richard Pasco, who went on to have a
remarkable stage career subsequently, notably with the Royal
Shakespeare Company.
Fisher rated
The Gorgon as
one of his best films, and it certainly stands up better than many of
Hammer's horror offerings. Some stunning work from art designer
Don Mingaye and cinematographer Michael Reed effectively conjure up a
bleak dreamlike Gothic landscape, where every shadow appears to harbour
a deathly terror and fear is so tangible you can almost smell it.
It matters not that the titular Gorgon is singularly unimpressive when
she is revealed to us in all her Hellish glory (cheap plastic snakes on
springs are a poor substitute for stop motion animation). The
film's relentlessly creepy atmosphere and the suggestion of a
terrifying menace skulking unseen behind the velvet drapes are enough
to send a shiver down the spine and give you recurring nightmares.
The Gorgon is atypical for
Hammer in that it concentrates much less on the corporeal threat of a
lumbering monster and more on the human implications. There is
less traditional horror and more of the classic Gothic romance,
enabling the star-crossed lovers admirably played by Richard Pasco and Barbara Shelley to
invest the story with genuine pathos and humanity. The drama is
much more effective, and the film much more frightening, when it
involves characters we care about. Does any other Hammer horror
film have a more poignant ending than this one?
The Gorgon probably will not
petrify you but she may bring a tear to your eye.
© James Travers 2010
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Next Terence Fisher film:
The Earth Dies Screaming (1965)
Film Synopsis
The mist-shrouded village of Vandorf harbours an ancient evil of which
no one dares speak, even when a series of mysterious deaths begins,
reviving memories of an old and terrifying legend. When his
father dies immediately after sending him a bizarre letter, Paul Heitz
journeys to the village to investigate but finds the locals strangely
unwilling to cooperate with him. One evening, he glimpses the
face of a hideous monster, reflected in a pool of water. Having
recovered from a near-fatal relapse, Paul finds that he has aged
prematurely and realises that what he saw was the face of Magaera, one
of the Gorgons of Greek mythology. It was the sight of this
monstrosity that destroyed his father, transforming him into a stone
statue. With the help of his esteemed colleague Professor Karl
Meister, Paul discovers that the village's chief surgeon, Dr Namaroff,
is concealing some terrible secrets which could reveal the identity of
the Gorgon. As Meister struggles to resolve the mystery, Paul
embarks on a love affair with Namaroff's assistant, Carla, not
realising that she holds the key to the mystery...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.