Peter Cushing, who would have turned 100 this week were he
still amongst us, was an actor I came to appreciate for his two very different
levels of acting. He could be ultra-intense as in his Sherlock Holmes,
Frankenstein or Tarkin roles or he could be sweet and pleasant as in his
appearances as the only big screen Doctor Who to date. One film in which he is
given the chance to play to both extremes is Hammer Film’s NIGHT CREATURES from
1962.
NIGHT CREATURES is the US title of CAPTAIN CLEGG. The
picture is based on—or perhaps one should say inspired by—the Dr. Syn novels of
Russell Thorndyke that had been previously filmed with the once popular George
Arliss as far back as 1937. Not long after Hammer’s version, Walt Disney
entered the field as well with a three part television version that would be
memorably nostalgic to a generation of Americans—THE SCARECROW OF ROMNEY MARSH.
Patrick McGoohan, already a well-known face with DANGER MAN in the UK, was
Disney’s star and his version was released theatrically in Europe in an edited
down form. It would be released theatrically in the US a decade later.
But it’s CAPTAIN CLEGG...NIGHT CREATURES...that perhaps
remains the most faithful in some ways. Hammer had not yet settled into its
reputation as mainly a horror studio and, in fact, in spite of its marketing in
the US, NIGHT CREATURES owes more to the old-fashioned pirate films the studio
had been turning out such as THE PIRATES OF BLOOD RIVER and DEVIL SHIP PIRATES
than to CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN or THE MUMMY.
In fact, Peter himself had only recently done one such film,
1961’s FURY AT SMUGGLER’S BAY. By the time of CAPTAIN CLEGG, he was coming off
of what many consider one of his best performances of all in the bank robbery
thriller CASH ON DEMAND. It had been two years since his last horror film,
BRIDES OF DRACULA.
In my opinion, there are a number of things that set NIGHT
CREATURES apart from the typical Hammer costume adventure/drama of this period.
First and foremost is the fact that it’s a better story. Equally important is
that it’s better cast and therefore presents better performances including a
particularly nuanced one from Cushing. There isn’t as much blood as one might
expect in a Hammer offering and thus the whole thing has a bit of an almost
family-friendly boys’ adventure feel to it with just the right number of
shocking moments.
And shocking they are. When one catches the first eerie
sight of the so-called marsh phantoms, a genuine chill is raised even on a
smaller screen. I can only imagine what it was like to see these skeletal
horsemen (and their equally skeletal horses!) on the big screen without
warning!
Another unique aspect of this picture is that there are NO
real villains! The antagonists are the King’s sailors, working as revenue
agents. Even Cushing’s character refers to their leader as a famous hero. Are
they a tad rowdy and violent? Yes, but probably nowhere near as rowdy and
violent as sailors were in real life in those days. Our sympathetic characters
are, for the most part, smugglers and ex-pirates and yet we know them to be
kind and helpful to the villagers. Even the wrestler-like killer “mulatto” is
shown in a sympathetic light. See? No villains. No bad guys in the traditional
sense.
What you DO get right out of the gate is atmosphere...and
loads of it. Some excellent photography all around is accented greatly by a
very Hollywood-like musical score.
In the beginning, we see the Mulatto being tortured and left
alone on an island to die with a note of warning from the pirate, Captain Clegg.
Cut to some years later, 1792 to be exact, in the coastal village of Dymchurch.
We see a frightened man pursued through Romney Marsh by the supposed
supernatural marsh phantoms, a local legend. The very next day finds Captain
Collier and his men pursuing a lead that smugglers are bringing in French wine
without paying the exorbitant taxes.
It’s Sunday and everyone is at church so that’s where they head.
But first we see the Vicar, the Reverend Dr. Blyss, a charming but forceful
man, leading the hymns and the service. Suddenly a signal travels amongst some
of those present and various of them up and leave. Although the King’s men find
nothing we see soon enough that there IS smuggling going on after all and that
the smugglers are simply cleverer than expected.
Much of the rest of the picture is a cat and mouse game
between the Vicar and his men and the Captain and his sailors. Things take a
turn for the worse when the mute mulatto, long-since rescued from his island by
the Captain’s men, recognizes the Vicar for his former self, Captain Clegg the
pirate! His attempts to kill the man who had his tongue cut out lead eventually
to one of our sympathetic characters unexpectedly betraying his friends and
ultimately, Dr. Blyss’s secret is revealed to one and all.
Unlike the Disney version and the books, the only scarecrow
here is used as a lookout, with the marsh phantom costumes being genuinely
off-putting hooded, glow-in-the-dark skeleton costumes. We only see them a
couple of times but that works. Once in the beginning as an initial shock and
then again toward the end in a longer scene where all is revealed.
Peter Cushing gives a nuanced performance that highlights
both extremes of his acting as noted above. Note the side by side comparison
where Clegg sees his antagonist arrive but seconds later it is Blyss who exits
from behind the curtain, almost Jekyll and Hyde-like, to greet him. Throughout
the film, even though we aren’t explicitly told at first, it’s clear that Blyss
is Clegg and watching Peter’s face as an exercise in subtle acting is quite
enjoyable as we can read his feelings throughout if not his actual thoughts.
Michael Ripper, Hammer’s “good luck charm” who appeared in
more films for the company than either Cushing or Christopher Lee, is given a
more substantial role here than normal and makes the most of it. As Blyss’s
right-hand man, he is clever, sneaky and sarcastic, always with a little smile
very nearly creeping onto his face as if he takes great delight in getting away
with things the King wouldn’t like.
Although he has little to do for the first half of the
movie, Oliver Reed, just coming off his triumphant CURSE OF THE WEREWOLF (still
the best werewolf film in my opinion!) turns out to be playing a bigger part
than the viewer initially suspects. Reed is so amazingly charismatic on the
screen, so young and handsome. It makes one sad to think of the abuse he would
cause himself in time before a much too early death.
Reed’s leading lady, a girl with a secret even she doesn’t
know at first, is played by the lovely Yvonne Romain who had also appeared in
CURSE OF THE WEREWOLF although she had no scenes with Reed. Romain was, at the
time, the real-life wife of singer/songwriter Anthony Newley’s frequent
lyricist, Leslie Bricusse.
Patrick Allen and David Lodge are excellent as the Captain
and his Bosun, with Martin Benson as the innkeeper, all familiar faces in
British films and television. The thankless role of the bald, monstrous,
nameless mulatto went to Milton Reid who actually WAS a wrestler as well as an
actor. He appeared throughout a
long and varied career in films ranging from the high end—DR. NO and RETURN OF
THE PINK PANTHER—to the low end—non-sex scenes in some hardcore loops. According
to IMDB, he went to Bollywood and died there in the late eighties.
Oddly enough, one other standout performance comes from the
great Irish stage actor Jack MacGowran in a brief but showy role as a man
allegedly frightened by the phantoms. The actor’s final film would be THE
EXORCIST a decade later. He died shortly after shooting his scenes for that
picture.
Starting with THE EVIL OF FRANKENSTEIN in 1964, in which
Peter Cushing returned to the role of the insane doctor for the third time and
the first since 1958’s REVENGE OF FRANKENSTEIN, 10 out of his next 11 released
films were horror or science-fiction. The rest of his career would largely
follow suit and magazines such as FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND, which canonized
him “Saint Peter,” raised him to the pantheon of genre stars alongside Karloff,
Lugosi, Chaney, Price and Lee. His appearance in the original STAR WARS took
great advantage of Cushing’s reputation as able to portray a type of pure evil
and undoubtedly introduced the actor to millions of new fans as well as
assuring him a major spot in the history of twentieth century films.
Throughout his career, Cushing would make quite a few films
with Christopher Lee both for Hammer and elsewhere and the two names have long
since become entwined to film lovers. But make no mistake—Peter Cushing was a
brilliant screen actor who on his own created dozens of unique
characterizations highlighting even lesser films. CAPTAIN CLEGG/NIGHT CREATURES
may not be one of Cushing’s best-known films but it really is a great vehicle
for his acting talents as well as a splendidly filmed and enjoyable adventure
story.
This article is part of the PETER CUSHING CENTENNIAL BLOGATHON. You can
go
here to find details and links to many more articles celebrating Peter Cushing on what
would have been the occasion of his 100
th birthday this week!
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