La serie di Quatermass, pur visibilmente invecchiata, riesce a mentenere almeno parte del proprio fascino: il passo ed i temi non sono certo quelli della fantascienza o dell'horror moderni e spesso i personaggi risultano fin troppo inquadrati nei loro schemi, ma pur nella loro semplicità risultano ancora efficaci.
Ne L'Astronave Atomica del Dottor Quatermass (The Quatermass Xperiment), il buon dottore invia nello spazio un razzo con tre astronauti: sfiga vuole che ne torni uno solo, per giunta catatonico e nel bel mezzo di spaventose mutazioni biologiche.
Discretamente diretto da Val Guest e con Brian Donlevy nel ruolo del professore, mostra un lato cinico e spietato della scienza che non si arresta né di fronte ai drammi umani né a rischi inimmaginabili.
Voto: 6.5.
Tags: fantascienza, horror, thriller, Quatermass, razzo, astronave, morte, cibo, riproduzione, malattia, mutazione, pianta, fuga, ospedale, moglie, cattedrale, fuoco, scienziato, indagine, polizia.
[doppia]
Dodici anni dopo, L'Astronave degli Esseri Perduti (Quatermass and the Pit) ci presenta un professore (qui Andrew Keir) intento ad indagare su una misteriosa astronave rinvenuta nel sottosuolo di Londra; strani fenomeni si verificano da anni nella zona, e la verità sconvolgerà tutti.
Un dottore meno bieco ed alle prese con il clima di una guerra fredda quasi all'apice, con la scienza sottomessa alle necessità militari.
Voto: 6.
Tags: fantascienza, horror, thriller, Quatermass, razzo, astronave, morte, apparizione, possessione, alieno, bomba, militare, esercito, polizia, Marte, paleontologia, scienziato.
Quatermass Xperiment, The (1955)
Astronave atomica del dottor Quatermass
Regista: Val Guest
Scrittore: Nigel Kneale, Richard H. Landau
Genere: Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Valutazione: 6.7/10 (820 voti)
Durata: 82 min
Paese: UK
Lingua: English
Cast:
- Brian Donlevy .... Prof. Bernard Quatermass
- Jack Warner .... Insp. Lomax
- Margia Dean .... Mrs. Judith Carroon
- Thora Hird .... Rosemary 'Rosie' Elizabeth Rigly
- Gordon Jackson .... BBC TV producer
- David King-Wood .... Dr. Gordon Briscoe (Quatermass' associate)
- Harold Lang .... Christie (man who helps Victor escape)
- Lionel Jeffries .... Blake
- Sam Kydd .... Police sergeant questioning Rosie
- Richard Wordsworth .... Victor Carroon (spaceship crew member)
Trama:
A missile, launched by the team led by Prof. Quatermass, lands in the English countryside. Of the three members of the crew, two have mysteriously disappeared. The third one, barely alive, undergoes an horrible metamorphosis turning into a monstrous "thing". When he breaks out and, chased in vain by inspector Lomax, starts killing humans and animals to feed his transformation, Quatermass realizes that this is the way chosen by an alien form of life to invade the Earth.
Trivia random: Among the materials used by Les Bowie to embellish the monster were bovine entrails and tripe.
Citazione random: Insp. Lomax: Nobody ever wins a cold war.
Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.
Donlevy, Brian
Nome di battesimo: Donlevy, Waldo Brian
Data di nascita: 9 February 1901
Data di morte: 5 April 1972
Altezza: 5' 8" (1.73 m)
Coniuge: Lillian Lugosi::(25 February 1966 - 5 April 1972) (his death), Marjorie Lane::(31 December 1936 - 1948) (divorced), Yvonne Grey::(5 October 1928 - 1936) (divorced)
Ultimi lavori:
- Pit Stop (1969) .... Grant Willard [attore]
- Arizona Bushwhackers (1968) .... Mayor Joe Smith [attore]
- Rogues' Gallery (1968) .... Det. Lee [attore]
- Five Golden Dragons (1967) .... Dragon #2 [attore]
- Hostile Guns (1967) .... Marshal Willett [attore]
- The Fat Spy (1966) .... George Wellington [attore]
- Gammera the Invincible (1966) .... Gen. Terry Arnold [attore]
- Waco (1966) .... Ace Ross [attore]
- Curse of the Fly (1965) .... Henri Delambre [attore]
- How to Stuff a Wild Bikini (1965) .... B.D. MacPherson aka Big Deal [attore]
Biografia:
It seems that Brian Donlevy started out life as colorfully as any character he ever played on the stage or screen. He lied about his age (he was actually 14) in 1916 so he could join the army. When Gen. John J. Pershing sent American troops to invade Mexico in pursuit of Pancho Villa - Mexican rebels under Villa's command raided Columbus, New Mexico, and killed 16 people -Donlevy served with that expedition and later, in WW I, was a pilot with the Lafayette Escadrille, a unit of the French Air Force comprised of American and Canadian pilots. His schooling was in Cleveland, OH, but in addition he spent two years at the US Naval Academy at Annapolis, MD. However, he gave up on a military career for the stage. After having landed several smaller roles, he got a part in "What Price Glory" and established himself as a bona fide actor. Later such roles on stage as "Three for One", "The Milky Way" and "Life Begins at 8:30" gave him the experience to head off to Hollywood. Donlevy began his Hollywood career with the silent film A Man of Quality (1926) and his first talkie was Gentlemen of the Press (1929) (in which he had a bit part). There was a five- to six-year gap before he reappeared on the film scene in 1935 with three films: Mary Burns, Fugitive (1935), Another Face (1935) and Barbary Coast (1935), which was his spring board into film history. Receiving rave reviews as "the tough guy all in black", acting jobs finally began to roll his way. In 1936 he starred in seven films, including Strike Me Pink (1936), in which he played the tough guy to Eddie Cantor's sweet bumpkin Eddie Pink. In all, from 1926 to 1969, Donlevy starred in at least 89 films, reprising one of his Broadway roles as a prizefighter in The Milky Way (1940), and he had his own starring television series (which he also produced), "Dangerous Assignment" (1952). In 1939 he received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of the sadistic Sgt. Markoff in Paramount's Beau Geste (1939), its remake of an earlier silent hit. The Great McGinty (1940), a Preston Sturges comedy about a poor homeless slob who makes it to Governor of a state with the mob's help, is a brilliant character study of a man and the changes he goes through to please himself, those around him and, eventually, the woman he loves. A line in the film, spoken by Mrs. McGinty, seems a fitting description of the majority of roles Brian Donlevy would play throughout his career: ". . . You're a tough guy, McGinty, not a wrong guy." Donlevy's ability to make the roughest edge of any character have a soft side was his calling card. He perfected it and no one has quite mastered it since. He later, in 1944, reprised that role in The Miracle of Morgan's Creek (1944). By 1935 Donlevy was working for 20th Century-Fox and had just completed filming 36 Hours to Kill (1936) when he became engaged to young singer Marjorie Lane, and they married the next year. The marriage produced one child, Judy, but ended in divorce in 1947. It was 19 years before he remarried. In 1966, 'Bela Lugosi's ex-wife Lillian became Mrs. Brian Donlevy, and they were married until his death in 1972. Donlevy had always derived great pleasure from his two diverse interests, gold mining and writing poetry, so it was fitting that after his last film, _Winner, The (1969)_, he retired to Palm Springs, California, where he began to write short stories and had his income well supplemented from a prosperous tungsten mine he owned in California. Having gone in for throat surgery in 1971 he re-entered the Motion Picture County Hospital in Woodland Hills, California on March 10th, 1972. Less than a month later, on April 6, he passed away from cancer.
Trivia random: Played historical figure William Quantrill in two of his films: 'Kansas Raiders' (1950) and 'Woman They Almost Lynched' (1953); the second was not a sequel to the first.
Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.
Keir, Andrew
Data di nascita: 3 April 1926
Data di morte: 5 October 1997
Coniuge: Joyce Scott::(1977 - ?)
Ultimi lavori:
- Dragonworld: The Legend Continues (1999) (TV) .... Angus [attore]
- The Princess Stallion (1997) (TV) .... Fergus [attore]
- Rob Roy (1995) .... Duke of Argyll [attore]
- Dragonworld (1994) .... Angus McGowan [attore]
- The War That Never Ends (1991) (TV) .... Archidamus [attore]
- The Shell Seekers (1989) (TV) .... Lawrence [attore]
- The One Game (1988) (TV) .... Lord Maine [attore]
- "Wipe Out" (1988) (mini) .... Prof. David Thompson [attore]
- The Party (1987) (TV) .... [attore]
- "First Among Equals" (1986) (mini) .... [attore]
Biografia:
The character actor Andrew Keir (originally Andrew Buggy) was born in 1926 in the coal-mining town of Shotts in Lanarkshire, Scotland, and raised there with his five brothers John, Tom, Michael, Patrick, and Hugh and his sister Maggie. The son of a coal miner, Keir worked in the coal mines from age 14 to 20, at which point he joined the Glasgow Citizen's Theatre to train as an actor. Shortly thereafter, Keir established himself professionally in British theater, television, and film, debuting in The Lady Craved Excitement (1950). His bluff, no-nonsense demeanor was perfect for authoritarian and military roles, especially Roman soldiers, as in Cleopatra (1963), The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964), and The Viking Queen (1967). He hooked up with Hammer Productions early on (his debut film) and continued the association in a number of horror films, e.g., Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966) and Blood from the Mummy's Tomb (1971). One of his best-known and most popular performances was that of the title role in Quatermass and the Pit (1967). Keir made numerous appearances in television throughout his career, notably in "Adam Smith" (1972) and in the Australian series "The Outsiders" (1976). Keir, true to his heritage, frequently played Scotsmen, especially in the latter part of his career.
Trivia random: Children: Andrew; Maureen; Sean Keir (actor and producer); Deirdre Keir (child actress and producer); Julie T. Wallace (actress).
Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.
Guest, Val
Nome di battesimo: Guest, Valmond
Data di nascita: 11 December 1911
Data di morte: 10 May 2006
Coniuge: Yolande Donlan::(1954 - 10 May 2006) (his death) 2 children
Ultimi lavori:
- The Boys in Blue (1982) .... [scrittore]
- Dangerous Davies - The Last Detective (1981) .... [scrittore]
- "Shillingbury Tales" (1981) .... [regista]
- "Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson" (1980) .... (unknown episodes) [regista]
- The Shillingbury Blowers (1980) .... [regista]
- Killer Force (1976) .... [scrittore]
- Sporting Chance (1976) (TV) .... [regista]
- Confessions of a Window Cleaner (1974) .... [scrittore]
- Mission: Monte Carlo (1974) .... [scrittore]
- Au Pair Girls (1972) .... [scrittore]
Biografia:
Val Guest began his career as an actor on the British stage and in early sound films. He ran the one-man London office of "The Hollywood Reporter" until an encounter with director Marcel Varnel led to a screen writing job at Gainsborough Studios. Guest's directing career began in the early 1940s with a Ministry of Information short about the perils of sneezing (!), an inauspicious start to a lengthy roster of films that includes the science-fiction classics The Quatermass Xperiment (1955), Quatermass 2 (1957), The Abominable Snowman (1957) and The Day the Earth Caught Fire (1961). He was married to the actress Yolande Donlan from 1954 until his death in 2006, aged 94.
Trivia random: Son-in-law of James Donlan.
Citazione random: I never had enough money to make any of my films. I just had to use my wits. I came on the set and I was expected to have "instant genius." Over the years of battling against all odds I learned what I could get away with. I've spent my career trying to make inexpensive pictures look more expensive by using "tricks."
Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.
Quatermass and the Pit (1967)
Astronave degli esseri perduti, L'
Regista: Roy Ward Baker
Scrittore: Nigel Kneale
Genere: Sci-Fi, Horror
Valutazione: 7.4/10 (1693 voti)
Durata: 97 min
Paese: UK
Lingua: English
Cast:
- James Donald .... Dr. Mathew Roney
- Andrew Keir .... Prof. Bernard Quatermass
- Barbara Shelley .... Barbara Judd
- Julian Glover .... Col. Breen
- Duncan Lamont .... Sladden
- Bryan Marshall .... Capt. Potter
- Peter Copley .... Howell
- Edwin Richfield .... Minister of Defense
- Maurice Good .... Sgt. Cleghorn
- Grant Taylor .... Police Sgt. Ellis
Trama:
While digging a new subway line in London, a construction crew discovers first: a skeleton, then what they think is an old World War II German missle. Upon closer examination the "missle" appears to be not of this earth! This movie examines the age old question of how we came to be on this planet. It is suprizingly scary.
Trivia random: Julian Glover was chosen by Roy Ward Baker to play Colonel Breen.
Citazione random: Sladden: [Preparing his drill] I did steel armour plating within six inches thick. Swish - just like that. Oh, it was legal. A bloke got shut in a strong room. But I got him out. It was a secret job like this one.::Col. Breen: Then I'm glad you don't talk about it.
Filmography links and data courtesy of IMDb.
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