If you couldn't be at Bray Studios' historic Hammer Horror reunion last weekend, Cinema Retro's man on the scene Adrian Smith gives you the low-down:
On August 4, over 150 fans and many Hammer stars and
personnel gathered at Bray Studios on the banks of the River Thames to
celebrate the 50th anniversary of the release of The Curse of Frankenstein. Amongst the guests were writer-director Jimmy
Sangster, director John Hough, Margaret Robinson, the widow of art director
Bernard Robinson, and actors Virginia Wetherell, Madeline Smith, Ingrid Pitt,
Janina Faye, Vera Day, Caroline Munro, Martine Beswicke, Carol Marsh, Yvonne
Monlaur, Valerie Leon, Douglas Wilmer, Damien Thomas, John Cater and Edward de
Souza. It was the first time for many of the fans in
attendance that they had been able to visit Bray, the spiritual home of Hammer
films. Between 1951 and 1966 Hammer shot around eighty films there before
relocating to MGM-Elstree Studios in Borehamwood. Amongst these are many of
those considered to be THE Hammer classics, including Dracula (US title Horror of Dracula), The Mummy,
The Curse of the Werewolf, The Quatermass Experiment, Hound of the Baskervilles and of course,
The Curse of Frankenstein.
The writer of many of those classics, including The Curse of Frankenstein, was Jimmy
Sangster. Although he signed autographs and chatted to fans for most of the
afternoon he admitted to being a little bemused by the event: “Why would anyone
want to come here and meet people like me? There are people here, I’m supposed
to know them all, but I can’t remember any of them! That’s what happens when
you reach 80!†Janina Faye, who appeared in three films for Hammer as
a child, was delighted to be reunited with Carol Marsh, whom she had not seen
since they made Dracula in 1958, where as a vampiric Lucy she tried to lure the
young Tania to a graveyard and certain doom. Carol was overwhelmed by the
reputation she has won through her appearance in Dracula almost fifty years ago. “I’m bowled over by the number of
people who are here, the fact that there are so many people interested in this
sort of movie! I would have expected three or four, but there are hundreds
here!â€
Martine Beswicke spent most of the day signing
autographs and having her photo taken with fans. She was pleased to be there as
it gave her an opportunity to be with her “lovely girlfriends†– Caroline
Munro, Ingrid Pitt, Valerie Leon and Madeline Smith, often referred to as the
Hammer Glamour girls! She also reminisced on her starring role in Slave Girls (better known by its US title Prehistoric Women), often unfairly
maligned but surely due for a reappraisal. She said that she knew it was a
silly film but took her lines very seriously, despite the fact that she and
director Michael Carreras were on the floor laughing between takes at how
phallic and ridiculous it was! Valerie Leon was also kept busy signing autographs
indoors, and only briefly managed to make it onto the lawns outside. Despite
this she enthused “It’s been wonderful to be here. This is my first visit to
Bray, as my film (Blood From the Mummy’s
Tomb) was shot at Elstree. I’ve also been able to meet up with Caroline Munro,
as we were both in The Spy Who Loved Me.â€
It appeared that all of the Hammer fans who attended
relished the opportunity to meet their idols and discuss the finer details of
the films with some of the camera operators, make-up artists and other personnel.
In every direction were queues for autographs, photos, memorabilia, and the
bar! Fortunately the recent rains and flooding had steered clear of Bray,
although the river was flowing higher and faster than usual, and it happened to
be one of the hottest days of the year so far. All together it was a wonderful
experience for those who attended, and one which will probably never be
repeated.
For more details on this event, including exclusive
interviews and photographs, along with a discussion on the significance of The Curse of Frankenstein, see issue 10
of Cinema Retro magazine.- Adrian Smith