#miles malleson

[soupy-sez]

THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES (1959) dir. Terence Fisher

[blackramhall]

The Hound of the Baskervilles - Terence Fisher (1959)

Blackram Hall: The guy practically lives in a Clue board

[twittercomfrnklin2001-blog]

Stage Fright

It's impossible to discuss Alfred Hitchcock’s STAGE FRIGHT (1950, TCM) without getting into the ending, so if you’ve never seen it or heard much about it and want to maintain your innocence on the subject STOP READING NOW.

And now the rest of you still reading can join me in laughing at the ones who stopped.

Just joking. But let’s get on with the discussion.

Acting student Eve Gill (Jane Wyman) has a crush on a man (Richard Todd) who tells her, in flashback, he’s been having an affair with an actress (Marlene Dietrich) who’s just murdered her husband. In attempting to cover up for her, Todd claims to have made himself the chief suspect, so Wyman hides him with her father’s (Alastair Sim) help and masquerades as Dietrich’s maid to try to get the goods on her.

Hitchcock always said his mistake in STAGE FRIGHT was opening the film with a flashback that lies. More recent critics (and those pesky French) have hailed the device as a witty subversion of genre expectations. I think it could indeed work that way in another movie. I think if one set up the characters properly, discovering the plucky young woman and her eccentric father had gone to a great deal of bother to protect a guilty man would make for a solid post-modern detective thriller. But here the characters aren’t set up at all before the flashback starts. The film opens on Wyman driving Todd to get away from the police as he tells her his story (which includes seeing Wyman in an acting class at RADA doing a scene from high comedy, and that may be a bigger crime than the story’s murder). It all feels too abrupt, and it seems to take forever to get to know the characters.

Of course, in Wyman’s case there isn’t much of a character to get to know. Hitchcock wanted a star, and he was working at Warner Bros., and she was their top female star at the time. But though she had done good work in lots of other films. she’s all wrong for the role. Eve has to be implusive and energetic and, above all, innocent. When she realizes she’s falling in love with the detective (Michael Wilding) on the case, she needs to be winsome and vulnerable.  The younger Wyman could have played that, but after years of fighting to get anywhere at Warner Bros. she’s about as winsome as a Mac truck. It’s like watching Norma Shearer trying vainly to become Elizabeth Barrett Browning or Juliet. The business has kicked all the necessary elements of those characters right out of her. The film drags whenever she’s on screen, which is a lot. Wilding is charming in their love scenes, but he might as well be playing to a brick wall. Fortunately, there are some wonderful British character actors on the periphery: Sim, Sybil Thorndike, Miles Malleson, Kay Walsh and Joyce Grenfell as the lady with the lovely duckies.

And, of course, there’s Dietrich. The woman is a holy wonder, one of the screen’s supreme technicians. When Wyman doesn’t move her face for fear of betraying her age, she projects almost nothing. Dietrich’s face may be even more frozen, but she knows how to move her head, her eyes — it’s almost cellular. Watch the way she holds her feet performing Cole Porter’s “The Laziest Girl in Town,” and you’ll realize what an amazing artist she was. She knows how to write the script with her voice and her body. In the midst of a poorly constructed screenplay, she creates a compelling character who draws you in. When the film has to cut from her final closeup (which is almost breathtaking) to get to the rather clumsy denouement, it’s hard to care what happens to anybody else.

[clemsfilmdiary]

The Queen of Spades (1949, Thorold Dickinson)

1/19/23

[letterboxd-loggd]

Trent's Last Case (1952) Herbert Wilcox

June 1st 2024

[veryslowreader]

Psychology by John Munro Fraser

Postman's Knock

[ulrichgebert]

Zur Feier eines erneuten optimistischen Ticketkaufs, sowie aus allgemeiner Hingabe zu Operation Mincemeat schauten wir jetzt auch die frühere Verfilmung der Vorfälle an, in der allerdings, obwohl natürlich alles genau so passiert ist, aufgrund der militärischen Geheimhaltung, einiges noch irritierend anders ist, als wir es heute wissen und hier und ganz besonders hier gelernt haben. Beispielsweise fanden sie Ian Flemings Mitwirkung offensichtlich noch gar nicht so lustig. Bietet dafür aber die immer reizende Gloria Grahame, Stephen Boyd als total erfundenen irischen Spion, einen Gastauftritt des echten Ewan Montegue -und Miles Malleson.

[porquevi]

"As oito vítimas" (Kind Hearts and Coronets) - mubi.

A plataforma Mubi sempre manda novidades. Esses dias apareceu esse filme de 1949 que achei interessante. Comédia inglesa, com Alec Guiness interpretando oito personagens! O trailer é divertido e vamos ver!

depois de ver: o filme não é tão engraçado como o trailer promete, mas vale assistir por Guiness. a história é bem inglesa mesmo. roteiro em flashback, com bastante locução, formato consagrado hoje, mas que devia ser novidade em 1949.

[byneddiedingo]

Marlene Dietrich and Jane Wyman in Stage Fright (Alfred Hitchcock, 1950) Cast: Jane Wyman, Marlene Dietrich, Michael Wilding, Richard Todd, Alastair Sim, Sybil Thorndike, Kay Walsh, Miles Malleson, Hector MacGregor, Joyce Grenfell, André Morell, Patricia Hitchcock, Ballard Berkeley. Screenplay: Whitfield Cook, Alma Reville, based on a novel by Selwyn Jepson. Cinematography: Wilkie Cooper. Art direction: Terence Verity. Film editing: Edward B. Jarvis. Music: Leighton Lucas. The first stage of Marlene Dietrich's Hollywood career, when she was under the tutelage of Josef von Sternberg, ended with her being labeled "poison at the box office" by a disgruntled exhibitor in 1938, a label that helped push many of her contemporaries -- Greta Garbo, Norma Shearer, Luise Rainer -- into early retirement. Dietrich was made of sterner stuff, and after a celebrated turn entertaining American troops during World War II, she carved out a second film career by taking on character roles in films by major directors like Billy Wilder in A Foreign Affair (1948) and Witness for the Prosecution (1957), Fritz Lang in Rancho Notorious (1952), Orson Welles in Touch of Evil (1958), and Alfred Hitchcock in Stage Fright. Of these, the Hitchcock film is surprisingly the least memorable. It may be that Dietrich, who had learned everything she could about lighting and camera angles from Sternberg and cinematographers like Lee Garmes, was too much the diva for Hitchcock, who liked to be in control on his sets. But the fact remains that she is probably the most interesting thing about Stage Fright, a somewhat overcomplicated and sometimes scattered mystery in which we pretty much know whodunit from the beginning. Her appearances often come as a welcome relief from the rather tepid romantic triangle involving the characters played by Jane Wyman, Richard Todd, and Michael Wilding. Dietrich sings -- if that's the right word for what she does, being more diseuse than singer -- a few songs, including "La Vie en Rose" and Cole Porter's "The Laziest Gal in Town," and wears some Christian Dior gowns as Charlotte Inwood, the star of a musical revue in London, who bumps off her husband with the help of her lover, Jonathan Cooper (Todd), who is also the lover of a young student at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Eve Gill (Wyman). But Eve also gets caught up in the murder plot when she falls for the detective investigating the case, Wilfred Smith (Wilding). Also providing relief from the romantic plot are Alastair Sim and Sybil Thorndike as Eve's separated and slightly eccentric parents, and some funny cameos by Miles Malleson and Joyce Grenfell. There are some clever Hitchcockian moments, including a flashback that turns out to be a complete misdirection and some skillful tracking shots by cinematographer Wilkie Cooper. But Wyman, the only American-born member of  the cast, feels out of her element, and Wilding turns his character into a moonstruck milksop. (Whatever did Elizabeth Taylor see in him?)

[docrotten]

THE BRIDES OF DRACULA (1960) – Episode 137 – Decades Of Horror: The Classic Era

“Hang on, there. Hang on, me beauties. There’s nothing to be scared of, nothing to be afeared of. … Mother of God, it’s a corpse! … Cor, I thought you was a dead one.” Sometimes you just can’t tell a tree trunk in the road from a dead body. Join this episode’s Grue-Crew – Chad Hunt, Daphne Monary-Ernsdorff, Jeff Mohr, and guest hosts Richard Klemensen (Little Shoppe of Horrors: The Journal of Classic British Horror Films) and Alistair Hughes (Infogothic: An Unauthorised Graphic Guide to Hammer Horror) – as they discuss the horror richness coursing through the veins of the Hammer classic, The Brides of Dracula (1960).

Decades of Horror: The Classic Era Episode 137 – The Brides of Dracula (1960)

Join the Crew on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel! Subscribe today! And click the alert to get notified of new content! https://youtube.com/gruesomemagazine

ANNOUNCEMENT Decades of Horror The Classic Era is partnering with THE CLASSIC SCI-FI MOVIE CHANNEL, THE CLASSIC HORROR MOVIE CHANNEL, and WICKED HORROR TV CHANNEL Which all now include video episodes of The Classic Era! Available on Roku, AppleTV, Amazon FireTV, AndroidTV, Online Website. Across All OTT platforms, as well as mobile, tablet, and desktop. https://classicscifichannel.com/; https://classichorrorchannel.com/; https://wickedhorrortv.com/

Synopsis: Vampire hunter Van Helsing returns to Transylvania to destroy handsome bloodsucker Baron Meinster, who has designs on beautiful young schoolteacher Marianne.

  Director: Terence Fisher

Writers: Jimmy Sangster, Peter Bryan, & Edward Percy; Anthony Hinds (uncredited)

Producers: Michael Carreras (executive producer), Anthony Hinds (produced by), Anthony Nelson Keys (associate producer) (as Anthony Nelson-Keys)

Music by: Malcolm Williamson

Cinematography by: Jack Asher (director of photography)

Production Design by: Bernard Robinson

Makeup Department: Roy Ashton (make-up artist), Frieda Steiger (hair stylist) (as Freda Steiger)

Special Effects by: Sydney Pearson

Selected Cast:

Peter Cushing as Doctor Van Helsing

Yvonne Monlaur as Marianne

David Peel as Baron Meinster

Martita Hunt as Baroness Meinster

Freda Jackson as Greta

Miles Malleson as Doctor Tobler

Henry Oscar as Herr Lang

Mona Washbourne as Frau Lang

Andrée Melly as Gina

Victor Brooks as Hans

Fred Johnson as the priest

Michael Ripper as the coachman

Norman Pierce as the landlord

Vera Cook as the landlord’s wife

Marie Devereux as the village girl

Jill Haworth (uncredited) as Schoolgirl

When Richard first saw The Brides of Dracula, it knocked him out. This incredibly colorful, gorgeous film is the Hammer production he remembers best. He admits to falling in love with the cutest vampire of all (Andrée Melly) and revels in the athletic stunts performed by Peter Cushing. Alistair shares a humorous story about the first time he didn’t see The Brides of Dracula. When he was finally able to experience the movie, he found it to be one of the most beautiful-looking films he’d ever seen.

It had been a while since Daphne had seen The Brides of Dracula, making this feel almost as if it were her first time. She is in love with Peter Cushing and his wardrobe, the other costumes, and Freda Jackson’s portrayal of Greta. It’s a wonderful, wonderful movie! Chad is with Richard in his view of Andrée Melly and, in fact, wanted to marry her when he was a youngster. He describes her portrayal of Gina as scary and, at the same time, beautiful. Daniel Peel does a great job, but Chad is almost more focused on Cushing’s portrayal of Van Helsing. And then there’s the climax to The Brides of Dracula, one of the coolest things he’d ever seen. At first, Jeff turned his nose up at the idea of a blonde Dracula, only later discovering that there is no Dracula in The Brides of Dracula and that David Peel gives a standout performance as Baron Meinster. He praises the sets and the vivid wardrobes, and the music composed by Malcolm Williamson, who is not a usual contributor to Hammer films.

Now would be a great time for a rewatch of The Brides of Dracula! As of this writing, it is available to stream from Peacock Premium and several PPV sources. In terms of physical media, a Blu-ray of The Brides of Dracula is available from Scream Factory. The extras for the disc include two segments of Scream Factory’s The Men Who Made Hammer series – a 58-minute remembrance of director Terence Fisher and a 16-minute piece on cinematographer Jack Asher – both by our illustrious guest host Richard Klemensen.

Richard Klemensen’s Little Shoppe of Horrors: The Journal of Classic British Horror Films is now taking orders for WITCHES, BITCHES AND BANSHEES: The British Films of American International Pictures by John Hamilton.

Infogothic: An Unauthorised Graphic Guide to Hammer Horror by Alistair Hughes is available from Amazon. Alistair is also a cohost with Steve Turek of the DieCast Movie Podcast’s Hammerama series.

The Decades of Horror: The Classic Era has produced the following episodes on other Hammer films:

THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1957) – Episode 26

THE GORGON (1964) – Episode 61

THE DEVIL RIDES OUT (1968) – Episode 74

THE CURSE OF THE WEREWOLF (1961) – Episode 84

THE MUMMY (1959) – Episode 91

QUATERMASS AND THE PIT (1967) – Episode 93

RASPUTIN: THE MAD MONK (1966) – Episode 105

(HORROR OF) DRACULA (1958) – Episode 109

Or if vampires are your thing, check out these Decades of Horror: The Classic Era’s podcasts on other vampire movies:

DRACULA (1931) – Episode 20

NOSFERATU (1922) – Episode 21

THE RETURN OF THE VAMPIRE (1943) – Episode 43

VAMPYR (1932) – Episode 55

CURSE OF THE UNDEAD (1959) – Episode 73

(HORROR OF) DRACULA (1958) – Episode 109

SON OF DRACULA (1943) – Episode 132

Gruesome Magazine’s Decades of Horror: The Classic Era records a new episode every two weeks. Up next in their very flexible schedule, as chosen by guest host Ralph Miller, will be The Brainiac (1962) from Mexico. 

Please let them know how they’re doing! They want to hear from you – the coolest, grooviest fans: leave them a message or leave a comment on the Gruesome Magazine YouTube channel, the site, or email the Decades of Horror: The Classic Era podcast hosts at feedback@gruesomemagazine.com

To each of you from each of them, “Thank you so much for listening!”

Check out this episode!

[genevieveetguy]

I'm beginning to feel sad and I shouldn't feel sad. It's so depressing.

Stage Fright, Alfred Hitchcock (1950)

[ozu-teapot]

Wee Geordie | Frank Launder | 1955

Miles Malleson, Bill Travers

[mariocki]

Victoria Regina: Spring (1.1, Granada, 1964)

"I don't know what to think of it."

"It, meaning what?"

"Female. On the throne. King would have been so much better."

"Oh, I don't know, my lord: heirs male of the last generation have not been a conspicuous success."

"No English king has been a conspicuous success since Edward I."

"Yet the monarchy has gone on."

"Yes. And it's gone off."

[gatutor]

Patricia Roc-Miles Malleson "La mujer perfecta" (The perfect woman) 1949, de Bernard Knowles.

[letterboxd-loggd]

Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949) Robert Hamer

March 28th 2022

[suchamiracle-does-exist]

CV Fanwork prompt sheet #2 (April 2021): 1. Devil Inspired by this. Made for the prompt sheet over on Conrad Veidt in Context at Facebook

            … … … … … … … … … 1. Devil 2. Height 3. Feminine 4. Hands 5. Blue 6. Historical 7. Gothic 8. Angel 9. Cabaret 10. Sword +11. Your choice             … … … … … … … … …