Showing posts with label deaf. Show all posts
Showing posts with label deaf. Show all posts

Thursday 28 February 2019

WITHOUT GETTING PLASTERED TARKIN MAY NEVER HAVE RETURNED PLUS A HAMMER GLAMOUR BIRTHDAY!


THINK ABOUT IT! This #THROWBACK THURSDAY post at the FACEBOOK PCASUK FAN PAGE today, has prompted some memories. Make up artist, the late STUART FREEBORN was responsible among many other excellent creations, like the appearnce  #STARWARS YODA, made the prosthetic giant EYE for Cushing Book Store character in the 1984 film, 'Top Secret'. The practice of getting an actor to come into the workshop, and have his ENTIRE face in latex rubber or plaster, was common practice back in the day. Hammer make up artist, Roy Ashton had a whole collection of actors and actresses faces and heads, that he used to produce the latex attachments of some of the studios, best monsters and creatures! 


I GUESS, Freeborn would never have guessed that HIS plaster face of Peter Cushing would go on to be quite central and MAJOR and contentious step in the creation of the CGI Grand Moff Tarkin in the film, 'ROGUE ONE'. FX creators Industrial Light and Magic, found there was little on file, of actual helpful and accurate reference material on Cushing's features and face. A mass of artwork, but only Freeborn's plaster head, could provide the measurements and dimensions that were needed, along with footage of Peter Cushing's performance on the big screen as Tarkin in 'Star Wars: A New Hope, from 1977, to make the CGI possible. The role of the Book Store Owner, was a small guest role and one that Cushing could have easily have passed on. A fact no doubt, that could have effected the potential of making Tarkin's return, along with Guy Henry's assistance . .  a non starter! 



TODAY WE ALSO MARK the birthday of Stephanie Beacham. Beacham has had a very full career on stage, screen and television. Star of tv's 'Tenko', 'The Colbys' 'Dynasty' 'Bad Girls' and 'SeaQuest'... she has also slipped in an episode of 'Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense'. Her Peter Cushing connection links to two films, 'Dracula AD 1972' playing Jessica Van Helsing, granddaughter to Peter Cushing. and 'And Now, The Screaming Starts'... Please join us in wishing her a Happy Birthday!



STEPHANIE BEACHAM: 'My mother Joan had chicken pox when she was pregnant so I was born with no nerve endings in my right ear. I’m totally deaf in that ear and I have just 80% hearing in my left ear. I’ve never heard in stereo and where most people’s hearing is three dimensional, mine is all on the same plane. Background and foreground sounds flatten, out so a car coming down the road is as loud as a person’s voice right next to me. I was taken to a specialist when I was four. They said, ‘She’s perfectly intelligent,’ and my mother said very snappily, ‘I realise that. I know she’s intelligent, she just can’t hear’.
 

'ONE OF THE BIGGEST problems was that deafness and stupidity were often linked together because a speech defect often accompanies the deafness. I’ve never had a speech defect but I still got called ‘Deaf Steph’ at school and because I often didn’t know people were talking to me I’d walk right past them and they assumed I was snooty. In my adult life I’ve always struggled with people sitting to my right at dinner parties as I can’t hear a word and I’ve had to avoid pop concerts or noisy clubs because of my lack of nerve endings. As for my future health, I fully intend to age naturally without cosmetic surgery and there’s nothing that can be done about my saggy neck, apart from a bulldog clip. I’m convinced mental and physical flexibility is the secret to staying young and yoga provides that for me. I’m also aware that you become what you eat so I’ll continue to steer clear of fizzy drinks and too much sugar or salt." - Daily Mirror Newspaper 2107
 

Saturday 1 December 2018

BLU RAY NEWS! ARROW FILMS TO RELEASE REMASTERED UK AND USA HORROR EXPRESS BLU RAY!


RELEASE NEWS: Arrow Films have announced they are putting out a band new remastered blu-ray of Horror Express (1972) starring Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. This brings a REMASTERED blu ray to fan of the film in the UK for the first time!

RELEASE DATE: February 11th 2019 (UK) February 12th 2019 (US, CAN)




READ OUR PCAS FEATURE WITH GALLERY HERE! 


BLU RAY SPEC:
SPECIAL EDITION CONTENTS
Brand new 2K restoration from original film elements
High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) presentation
Original Uncompressed mono audio
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Brand new audio commentary with Stephen Jones and Kim Newman
Introduction to the film by film journalist and Horror Express super-fan Chris Alexander
Murder on the Trans-Siberian Express – an interview with director Eugenio Martin
Notes from the Blacklist – Horror Express producer Bernard Gordon on working in Hollywood during the McCarthy Era
Telly and Me – an interview with composer John Cacavas
Original Theatrical Trailer
Reversible sleeve featuring newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphreys

FIRST PRESSING ONLY
: Fully-illustrated collector’s booklet with new writing by Adam Scovell

Tuesday 3 April 2018

THE CONNECTION BETWEEN PC AND HITCHCOCKS PSYCHO! THIS WEEKS TUESDAY TOUGHIE!


HERE IS THIS WEEKS PCAS TUESDAY TOUGHIE! As the banner says, it ISN'T a connection with writer ROBERT BLOCH who did a great job of adapting and writing the scripts for a few of the AMICUS films that PETER CUSHING appeared in down the years. IT IS'NT the film THE SKULL which has an interesting BONE HEAD not unlike the preserved HEAD of  MRS BATES. Amicus films THE SKULL also has some nasty STABBINGS with DAGGERS and KNIVES, but they are not the connection either. SOME OF YOU may guess it, some of you will be MILES out, though it's nothing to do with distance, but certainly if you use all your SENSES, you might get it! THere's no prizes for guessing, but do feel free to drop us a link a petercushingpcas@gmail.com if you think you can SEE IT! Otherwise, ANSWER NEXT WEEK !



DID YOU CATCH Callum McKelvie's SUNDAY CUSHING FEATURE this WEEKEND? IF NOT, NOW is your chance to click and catch it! FULL of GIFS, PICS and Callum's story on how he first came to SEE and REALLY appreciate Hammer films, BRIDES OF DRACULA and PETER CUSHING. JUST CLICK  HERE!

Thursday 28 August 2014

#TBT HELEN KELLER : THE MIRACLE CONTINUES 1983


#tbt August 1983...and Peter Cushing his wrapping his cameo appearance as Professor Copeland in the 20th Century Fox television biopic, 'Helen Keller :The Miracle Continues' in Hollywood. PC plays Copeland with wry sense of humour, has some lovely lines and looks quite splendid in his academic gown. Alan Gibson directs, in this his fourth outing with PC. The film was marketed in the UK as 'Helen and the Teacher' and starred Blythe Danner and Mare Winningham.

*Trivia* : In 1949 the real Helen Keller attended a performance of Olivier's Richard III in which Peter Cushing played several small roles!


Peter Cushing as Prof Copeland
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