Star Wars Episode 7 News

Thursday, April 18, 2013

A Life in Film: Interview With Peter Cushing.


Author David Miller spoke with comicbookmovies about his latest book “ Peter Cushing: A Life in Film” A great story combining conversations with Cushing’s friends and colleagues, archive material held by the BBC and Hammer Film Productions, and previously unpublished correspondence with Cushing himself.


  Short bio from Wiki for the younger fans that are not familiar with the great actor.
Peter Cushing (26 May 1913 – 11 August 1994) was an English actor, known for his many appearances in Hammer Films, in which he played the distinguished-looking but sinister scientist Baron Frankenstein and the vampire hunter Dr. Van Helsing, amongst many other roles, often appearing opposite Christopher Lee, and occasionally Vincent Price. A familiar face on both sides of the Atlantic, his most famous roles outside of "Hammer Horror" include his many appearances as Sherlock Holmes, as Grand Moff Tarkin in Star Wars (1977) and as the mysterious Doctor in Dr. Who and the Daleks and Daleks – Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D. in 1965 and 1966, two cinema films based on the television series Doctor Who.
And here's the interview:
Firstly, can you tell us about how you approached condensing the amazing career of Peter Cushing into a single book?

It was quite a job! You never know what is going to be someone’s favourite Cushing role so I tried to get everything in – obviously some things deserve more attention, but everything gets a mention. I tried not to use material from Cushing’s own autobiography, because I assumed fans would already know that, so I only used it if I absolutely had to.
What were the main challenges you encountered while writing this book?

We are moving further and further away in time from the events and things tend to get crystallised in anecdotes – most of them from Cushing himself, so I wanted to get a different angle on what happened. I tried talking to people who hadn’t been interviewed before – not the obvious suspects. I watched all the films and as many TV plays as still exist – the BBC’s version of Nineteen Eighty-Four is a real stand-out – I read a lot of the plays that he appeared in.
What exactly should we expect when it comes to the format and content of Peter Cushing: A Life in Film?

It’s chronological so that gives it a rock-solid structure, but the story unfolds rather beautifully. There are these very distinct periods in Cushing’s life, each one adding to the next – we begin in repertory theatres, then he goes to Hollywood, back to Britain in the war for more stage work, then the pioneering days of British TV, then Hammer and the film career. There are exceptions, obviously, but really his work divides up so neatly that I’d have been a fool not to stick to that.
 What will the previously unpublished correspondence with Cushing include?

I was very lucky to get to see the BBC’s written archives, which has a wealth of original memos and correspondence – Cushing was a great letter-writer, and it’s all stored in there. There are letters from his wife too, which are an absolute joy. There are also a few letters where – not surprisingly – tempers flare. There was a point where the BBC and Hammer were fighting over him, and he wanted to make the films because it took his career to another level. People might joke about him being a ‘saint’ but he wasn’t a pushover.
 How about the various friends and colleagues you reached out to?

I think I was able to talk to colleagues from every stage of his career. Stage people, television people, as well as the Hammer crew. A lot of people who knew Peter genuinely got tears in their eyes when they were talking about him, he was so dearly loved. One of the first people I spoke to was Ingrid Pitt, who was a very good friend of Peter’s and she really pushed to help me get the book published. She died in 2011, but she was an absolute darling.
And the archive material?

I wanted to find out exactly when things were done – sometimes there was only a week between one Hammer film and the next, they’d just repaint the sets and start again. Sometimes working on a film and play at the same time. Details can add so much to the story, like if you find out someone was ill or they’d had an argument with the producer. The chronology in the book came from so many different sources, I think it’s the most comprehensive anywhere, but I’d love to find something new!
 Most of our readers will know Peter from Star Wars. Any interesting stories in particular you can share with us about his time on that film?

It’s weird to think that the studio stuff for Star Wars in May 1976 must have been just like any other job for Cushing – he was only involved for a few days, he couldn’t possibly have known how the film was going to turn out. The best-known anecdote is that Cushing wore carpet slippers as the Grand Moff Tarkin because the boots they provided for his costume were too small. I spoke to David Prowse recently and he confirmed that the story was absolutely true. But one of the interesting things for me that Cushing does is to make Tarkin very slightly afraid of Darth Vader. One of Cushing’s great skills was his ability to convey fear, which he does in many films, and with these occasional tiny, haunted glances at Vader he conveys this incredible sense of unease. It gives an unexpected dimension to Tarkin, both he and Vader are made more frightening.
In your opinion, what do you think was Peter Cushing's most iconic and memorable role?

It’s difficult. He was so good as Baron Frankenstein and perfect as Sherlock Holmes. But I think it has to be Van Helsing in the Hammer Draculas. The stand-off with Christopher Lee at the finale of the first film is phenomenal. It’s done with such power, and there is this genuinely iconic moment when Van Helsing brings the candlesticks together to make a cross and force Dracula into a shaft of sunlight. One of the great things is that Cushing actually devised that scene himself. There is a genuine sense of heroism, of good overcoming evil. The film is still enchanting and exciting audiences more than fifty years after it was made.
Is there anything else you would like to tell the readers of ComicBookMovie.com?

Buy the book, it’s very good! No, seriously – This year is the hundredth anniversary of Cushing’s birth and it’s pretty incredible that we’re celebrating the life of someone born a century ago. The films are being released on Blu-ray and it gives them such a new lease of life – some look like they were made yesterday – they really are worth looking out. I hope I’ve helped to keep the Peter Cushing flame burning a little longer, but I think it’ll be going for quite a while yet. 

  Source: comicbookmovies.com

6 comments:

  1. The content has to guide them to your desired place which could be a contact form or the shopping
    cart checkout area. So, while you're still starting out, you should just stick to long tail keywords
    that don't have a lot of competition. They ensure
    that the site has a unique setting that draws in Internet users.


    Look at my web page: หลักการทำ seo

    ReplyDelete
  2. One of those things is being overloaded with too much information. Secondly making a
    fortune overnight should not be your focus. The more people you have looking at your website every day the more potential business it can bring you.


    Check out my site Way to earn money online

    ReplyDelete
  3. A motivating discussion is definitely worth comment. I believe that you ought to publish more about this subject,
    it may not be a taboo matter but typically people
    don't talk about such issues. To the next! Many thanks!!

    my web-site: ติวสอบเข้าม.1

    ReplyDelete
  4. Worldwide Journal of Proteins іs гeally a peer reviewed, ߋpen-access log tҺаt writes
    authentic гesearch posts toɡether ith review posts
    inn ɑll aгeas of peptide investigation. Ҭhe separating line іs
    at about fifty amino-acids. Proteins ɦave a
    wide range of purposes in medicine and medical.

    Substances սsing molecular weights including
    thousands of a numƄеr of thousɑnd daltons (N) are named polypeptides.


    А guideline in developing soluble proteins іs to makе ѕure that 1 оut of each aand every ϜIVE amino-acids іs recharged.
    Τhese peptides contaіn alternating savoury аnd standard remains and are able
    to uniquely target tɦe interior membrane ߋf mitochondria;
    additionally, ѕuch modest-peptide antioxidants ɑre considered to penetrate tissue
    іn an power-separate аnd non-saturable fashion ԝithout
    ɑ requirement for peptide transporter. Τhey aге uѕually subjected tto
    proteolysis to generate tҺe adult form. Molecules smаller еnough to ƅecome synthesized in thе component amino-acids aгe, Ƅy convention, termed peptides
    іn placе of protein. [1] Ӎany proteins еxcept cyclic peptides ɡet an IN-fatal and H-terminal
    residue ƅy thе end of the peptide (ɑs demonstrated fοr
    that tetrapeptide ԝhile in tɦe picture).
    peptides іn skin care (http://extremepeptides.wordpress.com/)
    The еffect οf νarious dyes on the natural habits աas examined.
    Oligopeptides Һave ten or fewer amino acids. Proteins ɑre divided
    into numerous courses, depending ߋn how tɦey arе generated:

    Twօ naturally occurring milk peptides агe formed in the milk protein casein when digestive enzymes
    bust tɦis down; tҺey aге aЬle to additionally develop іn the proteinases shaped Ƅy lactobacilli thгoughout tҺe
    fermentation of dairy. Ϝully synthetic customized libraries tɦat assistance hiǥh throughput testing assays to map epitopes or determine immunogenic sites іn meats.
    Aboսt 140 peptide medication Һave bееn in clinical trials and more than 500 are in preclinical improvement.



    , "digested", produced fгom , "to consume") ɑre quick chains of amino acid
    monomers joined ƅy peptide (amide) ties. [4]
    extr u00eame cyclic citrullinated (http://extremepeptides.populiser.com)
    Α peptide iѕ actually a substance substance comprising
    а couple of amino acids (amino acid polymers) ԝhich can be bundled by waу
    of a peptide connection. Ҭwo-step way of qualified analysis growth ɑnd utter quantitation by picked еffect monitoring (SRM) inside a manipulated budget.
    Τhеre ɑге siхty FDA approved peptide medication іn the market.

    We've intended a series of fluorescently-ɗescribed
    ƅrief proteins аnd haѵe assessed theiг ability tօ corp-localize
    with mitochondria.

    ΤҺe covalent chemical ties аre formed if the carboxyl groսp of one amino acid responds
    tоgether wіth tɦe amino-grouρ of anotɦеr.
    If this can not Ьe achieved, next

    ReplyDelete
  5. The Human species liberally wishes xbox one particular emulator, and what's much
    a lot more human than politics. If you have been ready to perform at the very least
    a single of the to start with or 3rd shooter game titles, you will know why they have develop into so addictive and greatly engaging.
    Having the ability to hold electric power charge for approximately 12 full months,
    Duracell Rechargeable Batteries provide the additional advantage to be capable of being recharged again and again.

    My webpage - free xbox live gold membership

    ReplyDelete
  6. You can go in with the best texas holdem odds of winning the hand, and you can come out
    a loser every time that week. At any rate, you should have at least twelve
    items on the tray, but many more than this is unnecessary as the average person can only remember about seven thing at a time.
    People find ways to relax and playing with video games is a great way to relax.


    Here is my weblog 8 ball pool hints

    ReplyDelete