Terence Fisher(1904-1980)
- Director
- Editor
- Editorial Department
Terence Fisher was born in Maida Vale, England, in 1904. Raised by his
grandmother in a strict Christian Scientist environment, Fisher left
school while still in his teens to join the Merchant Marine. By his own
account he soon discovered that a life at sea was not for him, so he
left the service and tried his hand at a succession of jobs ashore. It
was during this time that he discovered the cinema, entering the film
industry as "the oldest clapper boy in the business." One day, almost
as a lark, he applied to J. Arthur Rank Studios to become a film
editor. To his astonishment, he was accepted. In 1947, at the age of
43, he made his directorial debut with a supernatural comedy called
Colonel Bogey (1948)--a
foreshadowing of things to come.
For the next few years he switched between "A"-film assignments
(Noël Coward's
_The
Astonished Heart (1948)_,
So Long at the Fair (1950)
with Jean Simmons and
Dirk Bogarde and
Lost Daughter (1949) with
Herbert Lom) and a succession of "B" films,
which enabled him to support his wife and daughter. Typical of these
programmers are Three Stops to Murder (1953)
and Spaceways (1953), efficient but
uninspired films that show little in the way of personality.
His break came in 1956 when, at the age of 52, he was asked to helm
Hammer Studios' remake of
Frankenstein (1931). The result,
The Curse of Frankenstein (1957),
broke box-office records and enraged critics worldwide who were
unaccustomed to its plethora of hearty bloodletting. The Eastmancolor
shocker set a new standard for horror films and helped to make Fisher,
Hammer and stars Peter Cushing and
Christopher Lee into bankable
commodities. With its emphasis on realistic character interplay over
melodramatic conventions, the film established Fisher's personal
approach to horror, which stood in direct defiance to the old Universal
films--in fact, Fisher flatly refused to watch
James Whale's 1931 version for fear
that it might influence his vision.
More remakes followed. Fisher actively sought to remake
Dracula (1931), and the results proved to
be both aesthetically and commercially superior to "Curse of
Frankenstein". Horror of Dracula (1958) proved to
be universally popular and is commonly held as Fisher's--and
Hammer's--finest work. It may or may not be, but it does remain the
freshest and most vibrant big-screen reworking of the story; even
Francis Ford Coppola in his remake
failed to recapture its vigor and sense of urgency.
Fisher's subsequent films tended to place less emphasis on shock
effects and more on complex emotional interplay. For example, the
titular characters of
The Curse of the Werewolf (1961)
and
The Phantom of the Opera (1962)
are more sympathetic than the so-called "normal" characters, while
Fisher's fascinating Freudian take on the Dr. Jekyll
story--The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll (1960)--offers
a homely old Dr. Jekyll who transforms into a virile man about town
named Edward Hyde. Similarly,
The Gorgon (1964) disappointed schlock
fans by offering a haunting story of doomed love in place of the
conventional Hammer-style shocker. Following the commercial failure of
"Phantom"--Hammer's most expensive film to that point--Fisher was
booted out for a brief period. During this time lesser talents like
Freddie Francis were entrusted with the
franchises that Fisher had helped to establish. Invariably the results
were inferior. Despite his hatred for sci-fi, which stood in contrast
to his confessed love for horror, Fisher made good work of
The Devil Rides Out (1968)
precursor
The Earth Dies Screaming (1964)
(with Dennis Price), while
Night of the Big Heat (1967)
(again with Lee and Cushing) benefited from his ability to suggest
pent-up passion and paranoia.
Back at Hammer after this brief hiatus, Fisher resurrected Christopher
Lee's count in the under-rated, poetic
Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966)
before detailing the further adventures of Baron Frankenstein in
Frankenstein Created Woman (1967),
Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed (1969)
and his last film,
Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell (1974).
All three films offer subtle variations on the character of the Baron,
played by the impeccable Cushing, thus emphasizing Fisher's unique
ability to lend complex, credible characterization to seemingly
formula-bound material. "Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed", an unusually
bitter film which mirrors the nihilism of the late 1960s, remains
Fisher's finest, most multi-layered work, despite its lack of
popularity. At the center of Fisher's work is a fascinating moral
dilemma: the seductive appeal of evil vs. the overzealous, frequently
close-minded representatives of good. The consistency of theme in
Fisher's work, coupled with a distinctive style achieved through
precise framing and a dynamic editing style, refutes the idea that he
was merely a hack for hire, while lending his films a recognizable
signature.
Best films: "So Long at the Fair",
Lost Daughter (1949),
"Dracula",
The Revenge of Frankenstein (1958),
The Mummy (1959),
The Stranglers of Bombay (1959),
"Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll",
The Brides of Dracula (1960),
"Curse of the Werewolf",
The Phantom of the Opera (1962),
"The Gorgon", "The Earth Dies Screaming", "Dracula--Prince of Darkness"
and "Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed".
Terence Fisher died in 1980 at the age of 76.
grandmother in a strict Christian Scientist environment, Fisher left
school while still in his teens to join the Merchant Marine. By his own
account he soon discovered that a life at sea was not for him, so he
left the service and tried his hand at a succession of jobs ashore. It
was during this time that he discovered the cinema, entering the film
industry as "the oldest clapper boy in the business." One day, almost
as a lark, he applied to J. Arthur Rank Studios to become a film
editor. To his astonishment, he was accepted. In 1947, at the age of
43, he made his directorial debut with a supernatural comedy called
Colonel Bogey (1948)--a
foreshadowing of things to come.
For the next few years he switched between "A"-film assignments
(Noël Coward's
_The
Astonished Heart (1948)_,
So Long at the Fair (1950)
with Jean Simmons and
Dirk Bogarde and
Lost Daughter (1949) with
Herbert Lom) and a succession of "B" films,
which enabled him to support his wife and daughter. Typical of these
programmers are Three Stops to Murder (1953)
and Spaceways (1953), efficient but
uninspired films that show little in the way of personality.
His break came in 1956 when, at the age of 52, he was asked to helm
Hammer Studios' remake of
Frankenstein (1931). The result,
The Curse of Frankenstein (1957),
broke box-office records and enraged critics worldwide who were
unaccustomed to its plethora of hearty bloodletting. The Eastmancolor
shocker set a new standard for horror films and helped to make Fisher,
Hammer and stars Peter Cushing and
Christopher Lee into bankable
commodities. With its emphasis on realistic character interplay over
melodramatic conventions, the film established Fisher's personal
approach to horror, which stood in direct defiance to the old Universal
films--in fact, Fisher flatly refused to watch
James Whale's 1931 version for fear
that it might influence his vision.
More remakes followed. Fisher actively sought to remake
Dracula (1931), and the results proved to
be both aesthetically and commercially superior to "Curse of
Frankenstein". Horror of Dracula (1958) proved to
be universally popular and is commonly held as Fisher's--and
Hammer's--finest work. It may or may not be, but it does remain the
freshest and most vibrant big-screen reworking of the story; even
Francis Ford Coppola in his remake
failed to recapture its vigor and sense of urgency.
Fisher's subsequent films tended to place less emphasis on shock
effects and more on complex emotional interplay. For example, the
titular characters of
The Curse of the Werewolf (1961)
and
The Phantom of the Opera (1962)
are more sympathetic than the so-called "normal" characters, while
Fisher's fascinating Freudian take on the Dr. Jekyll
story--The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll (1960)--offers
a homely old Dr. Jekyll who transforms into a virile man about town
named Edward Hyde. Similarly,
The Gorgon (1964) disappointed schlock
fans by offering a haunting story of doomed love in place of the
conventional Hammer-style shocker. Following the commercial failure of
"Phantom"--Hammer's most expensive film to that point--Fisher was
booted out for a brief period. During this time lesser talents like
Freddie Francis were entrusted with the
franchises that Fisher had helped to establish. Invariably the results
were inferior. Despite his hatred for sci-fi, which stood in contrast
to his confessed love for horror, Fisher made good work of
The Devil Rides Out (1968)
precursor
The Earth Dies Screaming (1964)
(with Dennis Price), while
Night of the Big Heat (1967)
(again with Lee and Cushing) benefited from his ability to suggest
pent-up passion and paranoia.
Back at Hammer after this brief hiatus, Fisher resurrected Christopher
Lee's count in the under-rated, poetic
Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966)
before detailing the further adventures of Baron Frankenstein in
Frankenstein Created Woman (1967),
Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed (1969)
and his last film,
Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell (1974).
All three films offer subtle variations on the character of the Baron,
played by the impeccable Cushing, thus emphasizing Fisher's unique
ability to lend complex, credible characterization to seemingly
formula-bound material. "Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed", an unusually
bitter film which mirrors the nihilism of the late 1960s, remains
Fisher's finest, most multi-layered work, despite its lack of
popularity. At the center of Fisher's work is a fascinating moral
dilemma: the seductive appeal of evil vs. the overzealous, frequently
close-minded representatives of good. The consistency of theme in
Fisher's work, coupled with a distinctive style achieved through
precise framing and a dynamic editing style, refutes the idea that he
was merely a hack for hire, while lending his films a recognizable
signature.
Best films: "So Long at the Fair",
Lost Daughter (1949),
"Dracula",
The Revenge of Frankenstein (1958),
The Mummy (1959),
The Stranglers of Bombay (1959),
"Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll",
The Brides of Dracula (1960),
"Curse of the Werewolf",
The Phantom of the Opera (1962),
"The Gorgon", "The Earth Dies Screaming", "Dracula--Prince of Darkness"
and "Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed".
Terence Fisher died in 1980 at the age of 76.