In 1964 Hammer's preeminent director, Terence Fisher, decided to tackle the Greek myth of the Gorgons. Or rather Fisher took the Gorgoneian figure and adapted it to an original story set in eastern Europe. Helping Fisher bring this unique tale to life are non-other than the incomparable Peter Cushing & Christopher Lee, Patrick Troughton (DOCTOR WHO, THE OMEN), and the beautiful Barbara Shelley (DRACULA: PRINCE OF DARKNESS, VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED). There's a wonderful script by John Gilling (PLAGUE OF THE ZOMBIES, THE MUMMY'S SHROUD), and a great score by James Bernard (the man who scored a great number of Hammer Horror films).
Personally I can't help but watch this film and take notice that this was the first attempt to take the figure of the Gorgon into the realm of horror, particularly a setting where Dracula and Frankenstein would feel at home. Removing Medusa, or in the case of this film "Megaera", from Greek mythology led to the character being used in many other depictions such as a 1968 episode of Doctor Who and later Medusa's presence in the CASTLEVANIA video game series (a franchise heavily influenced by Hammer Horror films). Since then the appearance of gorgons and Medusa have proliferated all over television, video games, and film.
THE PLOT
The German village of Vandorf has been beset by a series of mysterious murders, seven people over the course of five years, all turned to stone. The deaths all seem to coincide with the arrival of an inhuman entity, supposedly having taken up residence in the nearby medieval Castle Borski. In the intervening years the residents of Vandorf have tried their best to survive. When the body of a young man from another town turns up petrified, his father and brother come to Vandorf to investigate. They discover that the villagers know more than they're letting on and that the monster responsible may be closer than they think.
WHAT I LIKED
Setting the Tone. Perhaps the strongest elements of The Gorgon lie in its atmosphere. The Gothic eastern European setting is brilliantly realized through the use of beautiful landscape paintings and convincing matte paintings of castle exteriors and gloomy cloudy skies. They look so authentically Draculian that I'd swear that they were reused from earlier Hammer Horror films (in wouldn't surprise me if they were reused but it would be a little disappointing if they were), all this is to say the Gothic persona of the film is perfectly captured. And this is all enhanced through a wonderful use of lighting and shadows. The Gorgon is permeated with creepy atmosphere. From the second the movie starts it affirms that the Gorgon will be nothing like the Greek stories you've read.
But the Greek influences aren't totally abandoned. During the opening sequence Greek themes of artistry are on display as one character sketches a nude female figure. With the Gorgons being female figures of power, themes of the power and enthrallment of the female form are established at the onset and run throughout the film. It's the Greek fascination and adoration of the female form all set in Gothic eastern Europe. In fact, nearly all of the central male characters' decisions in the film are dictated by women in some way, in essence they've all been subdued by women. Themes of duality course through the film as well, women taking on many roles, from lovers to killers, nurturers to dependents, and innocents to monarchs. Barbara Shelley expertly shifts between all these roles.
The Evil Woman. Megaera is depicted as a frightening figure similar to Dracula. The settings and imagery imply her as a character of like power and influence to the vampiric prince, with her own foreboding castle and pseudo slaves. And the power of her petrifying stare is well represented. So powerful is Megaera's stare that even gazing upon a reflection of it has the power to partially petrify one of the protagonists. The make-up effects on actor Michael Goodliffe as he turns to stone is quite effective.
In addition to Barbara Shelley's great performance there is wonderful acting all around. And as always Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing are a joy to behold, playing roles a little outside their norms and nailing it. And then there's the signature Hammer style.
NITPICKS
Of its Time. Christopher Lee once said about The Gorgon that it was a wonderful film, its only downfall being the effects of bringing Megaera's snake hair to life. Yes, the snake hair apparatus is a little static and not as lifelike as one would hope. Terence Fisher does his best to hide the hair in the shadows. To this I merely look at the time period when the film was made: 1964. Aside from the actress wearing real snakes in her hair, to expect much beyond this is unrealistic. And I doubt they had the budget for stop motion animation on this picture. In any event, you have to suspend your disbelief a bit when seeing the snake hair. Other than that this movie is put together very well.
THE VERDICT
Behold the film that brought a Medusa-like Gorgon into popular culture and firmly placed her in the realms of horror. And behold the power of Woman, beautiful and terrifying, enthralling and deadly. Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing deliver fantastic performances, punctuating a great cast all together. Filled with wonderful atmosphere and eerie European castle settings, The Gorgon is an excellent example of Gothic horror and an underrated horror film from Hammer. If you couldn't tell, I like this movie a lot, me being a huge Castlevania fan not withstanding.
Overall Ranking: 8 out of 10
Nude-O-Meter: 0 out of 10
Another very influential film in the evolution of the Gorgons and Medusa is of course CLASH OF THE TITANS (1981) in which special effects master, Ray Harryhausen, first gave Medusa her full body snake look. Before then Medusa and the Gorgons were typically depicted as human looking women with snake hair. Now Harryhausen's redesign is permanently a part of Medusa's character.
For more Hammer Horror films and others from the same group check out these films below
No comments:
Post a Comment