Crescendo (1970 film)

Last updated

Crescendo
Crescendo-british-movie-poster-md.jpg
UK quad film poster
Directed by Alan Gibson
Screenplay by
Based on Alfred Shaughnessy
(from an original screenplay)
Produced by Michael Carreras [1]
Starring
Cinematography Paul Beeson [1]
Edited byChris Barnes [1]
Music by Malcolm Williamson [1]
Production
company
Distributed by Warner Bros. [2]
Release dates
  • 7 June 1970 (1970-06-07)(United Kingdom)
  • November 29, 1972 (1972-11-29)(United States)
Running time
95 minutes [1]
CountryUnited Kingdom [2]
LanguagesEnglish
French
Budget£302,000 [1]

Crescendo is a 1970 British horror psychological thriller film directed by Alan Gibson and starring Stefanie Powers, James Olson, Margaretta Scott, Jane Lapotaire and Joss Ackland. [3] It was made by Hammer Film Productions.

Contents

Plot

Drawn to the spectacular south of France to research the late composer Henry Ryman, music student Susan Roberts encounters his son, drug-addicted Georges and his eccentric family. Investigating the haunting strains of an unfinished Ryman concerto leads Susan to discover an empty piano and a brutally savaged mannequin. Georges tells her she's the lookalike of his lost love. But Susan may not be the only one at the villa with an eerie doppelgänger.

Cast

Production

Alfred Shaughnessy wrote the script in the mid-'60s. In 1966, Michael Reeves approached Hammer Films with the script. James Carreras tried for two years to make it with Joan Crawford but could not get financing. In 1969, the project was reactivated, with Jimmy Sangster hired to rewrite the script and Alan Gibson to direct. [4]

Release

Crescendo premiered in London on 7 May 1970 at the New Victoria Theatre. [1] It received a general release on 7 June 1970 by Warner-Pathé in support of Taste the Blood of Dracula . [1] It was distributed in the United States by Warner Brothers on 29 November 1972.

Home media

The film was released to DVD by the Warner Archive Collection in March 2009.

Reception

Box office

Its performance at the box office was disappointing. [5]

Critical reception

In a contemporary review, The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "Another Hammer horror, and within its own terms quite a spirited offering. Given a plot somewhere between Fanatic [1965] and Taste of Fear [1961], director Alan Gibson has injected a gratuitous amount of sex into the story but otherwise presents the usual mixture with a sure style and a good eye for colour. The dream sequences – like Georges' nightmarish premonition that his insane brother will eventually kill him – are particularly effective. The dialogue does creak somewhat, but the next Hammer surprise is never very far away: even the butler turns out to have been a frequent inmate of asylums, though he seems about as normal as anyone else in the film. Jane Lapotaire overacts rather gratingly as the maid, but Margaretta Scott moves from sanity to insanity with gracious ease, and Stephanie Powers is an attractive heroine, though the thesis never gets very far." [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Olson (actor)</span> American actor (1930–2022)

James Olson was an American actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Margaretta Scott</span> British actress (1912–2005)

Margaretta Mary Winifred Scott was an English stage, screen and television actress whose career spanned over seventy years. She is best remembered for playing the eccentric widow Mrs. Pumphrey in the BBC television series All Creatures Great and Small (1978–1990).

<i>The Curse of Frankenstein</i> 1957 horror film by Hammer Film Productions

The Curse of Frankenstein is a 1957 British horror film by Hammer Film Productions, loosely based on the 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley. It was Hammer's first colour horror film, and the first of their Frankenstein series. Its worldwide success led to several sequels, and it was also followed by new versions of Dracula (1958) and The Mummy (1959), establishing "Hammer Horror" as a distinctive brand of Gothic cinema.

<i>Dracula Has Risen from the Grave</i> 1968 film by Freddie Francis

Dracula Has Risen from the Grave is a 1968 British supernatural horror film directed by Freddie Francis and produced by Hammer Film Productions. It is the fourth entry in Hammer's Dracula series, and the third to feature Christopher Lee as Count Dracula, the titular vampire. The film stars Rupert Davies as a clergyman who exorcises Dracula's castle, and in doing so, unwittingly resurrects the Count back from the dead.

<i>Dracula: Prince of Darkness</i> 1966 British film

Dracula: Prince of Darkness is a 1966 British gothic supernatural horror film directed by Terence Fisher. The film was produced by Hammer Film Productions, and is the third entry in Hammer's Dracula series, as well as the second to feature Christopher Lee as Count Dracula, the titular vampire. It also stars Andrew Keir, Francis Matthews, and Barbara Shelley.

<i>Frankenstein Created Woman</i> 1967 British film

Frankenstein Created Woman is a 1967 British Hammer horror film directed by Terence Fisher. It stars Peter Cushing as Baron Frankenstein and Susan Denberg as his new creation. It is the fourth film in Hammer's Frankenstein series.

<i>The Vampire Lovers</i> 1970 horror film by Roy Ward Baker

The Vampire Lovers is a 1970 British Gothic horror film directed by Roy Ward Baker and starring Ingrid Pitt, Peter Cushing, George Cole, Kate O'Mara, Madeline Smith, Dawn Addams, Douglas Wilmer and Jon Finch. It was produced by Hammer Film Productions. It is based on the 1872 Sheridan Le Fanu novella Carmilla and is the first film in the Karnstein Trilogy, the other two films being Lust for a Vampire (1971) and Twins of Evil (1971). The three films were somewhat daring for the time in explicitly depicting lesbian themes.

<i>Nightmare</i> (1964 film) 1964 film

Nightmare is a 1964 British horror film directed by Freddie Francis and starring Jennie Linden. It was written by Jimmy Sangster, who also produced the film for Hammer Films. The film focuses on a young girl in a finishing school who is plagued by nightmares concerning her institutionalized mother.

<i>Moon Zero Two</i> 1969 British film

Moon Zero Two is a 1969 British science fiction film from Hammer Films, directed by Roy Ward Baker, and starring James Olson, Catherine Schell, Warren Mitchell, and Adrienne Corri.

<i>Taste the Blood of Dracula</i> 1970 film by Peter Sasdy

Taste the Blood of Dracula is a 1970 British supernatural horror film produced by Hammer Film Productions. Directed by Peter Sasdy from a script by Anthony Hinds, it is the fifth installment in Hammer's Dracula series, and the fourth to star Christopher Lee as Count Dracula, the titular vampire. The film also features Geoffrey Keen and Gwen Watford.

<i>Dracula A.D. 1972</i> 1972 British film

Dracula A.D. 1972 is a 1972 British horror film, directed by Alan Gibson and produced by Hammer Film Productions. It was written by Don Houghton and stars Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing and Stephanie Beacham. Unlike earlier films in Hammer's Dracula series, Dracula A.D. 1972 had a contemporary setting in an attempt to update the Dracula story for modern audiences. Dracula is brought back to life in modern London and preys on a group of young partygoers that includes the descendant of his nemesis, Van Helsing.

<i>The Horror of Frankenstein</i> 1970 British film

The Horror of Frankenstein is a 1970 British horror film by Hammer Film Productions that is both a semi-parody and semi-remake of the 1957 film The Curse of Frankenstein, of Hammer's Frankenstein series. It was produced and directed by Jimmy Sangster, starring Ralph Bates, Kate O'Mara, Veronica Carlson and David Prowse as the monster. It was the only film in the Frankenstein series which did not star Peter Cushing. The original music score was composed by Malcolm Williamson.

<i>Die Screaming, Marianne</i> 1971 British film by Pete Walker

Die Screaming, Marianne is a 1971 British thriller film produced and directed by Pete Walker and starring Susan George and Barry Evans. Although Walker's films are mostly in the horror or sexploitation genres, this is a straight thriller, with mild horror undertones.

<i>Taste of Fear</i> 1961 film by Seth Holt

Taste of Fear is a 1961 British thriller film directed by Seth Holt. The film stars Susan Strasberg, Ronald Lewis, Ann Todd, and Christopher Lee in a supporting role. It was released in the United States as Scream of Fear.

<i>Fanatic</i> (film) 1965 British film

Fanatic is a 1965 British horror thriller film directed by Silvio Narizzano for Hammer Films. It stars Tallulah Bankhead, Stefanie Powers, Peter Vaughan, Yootha Joyce, Maurice Kaufmann and Donald Sutherland.

John Kane is a British actor and writer.

Journey to the Unknown is a British anthology television series, produced by Hammer Film Productions and 20th Century Fox Television. It aired on ABC from September 26, 1968, to January 30, 1969. The series first aired in the UK on the ITV network on 16 November 1968.

Elizabeth David: A Life in Recipes is a 2006 British drama television film directed by James Kent and starring Catherine McCormack, Greg Wise and Karl Johnson. Written by Amanda Coe, it is a depiction of the life of the cookery writer Elizabeth David. It first aired on the BBC in January 2006.

<i>Palm Springs Weekend</i> 1963 film directed by Norman Taurog

Palm Springs Weekend is a 1963 Warner Bros. bedroom comedy film directed by Norman Taurog. It has elements of the beach party genre and has been called "a sort of Westernized version of Where the Boys Are" by Billboard magazine. It stars Troy Donahue, Stefanie Powers, Robert Conrad, Ty Hardin, and Connie Stevens.

<i>The Barretts of Wimpole Street</i> 1930 play written by Rudolf Besier

The Barretts of Wimpole Street is a 1930 play by the Dutch/English dramatist Rudolf Besier, based on the romance between Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett, and her father's unwillingness to allow them to marry. The play gave actress Katharine Cornell her signature role.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Fellner 2019, p. 74.
  2. 1 2 3 "Crescendo". Monthly Film Bulletin . Vol. 37, no. 437. British Film Institute. June 1970. p. 127.
  3. ↑ "Crescendo". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  4. ↑ Marcus Hearn, The Hammer Vault, Titan Books, 2011 p117
  5. ↑ David Hanks Crescendo at EOFFTV 2009 accessed 14 April 2014
  6. ↑ "Crescendo". The Monthly Film Bulletin . 37 (432): 127. 1 January 1970 – via ProQuest.

Sources


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.