{"id":7220,"date":"2013-11-04T18:45:51","date_gmt":"2013-11-04T23:45:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/?p=7220"},"modified":"2014-09-05T14:42:08","modified_gmt":"2014-09-05T18:42:08","slug":"br-corruption-1968","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/?p=7220","title":{"rendered":"BR: Corruption (1968)"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Film: Excellent<\/p>\n

BR Transfer: Near-Perfect<\/p>\n

BR Extras: Perfect<\/p>\n

Label: Grindhouse Releasing<\/a> \/ Region: A, B, C<\/p>\n

Released: October 8, 2013<\/p>\n

Genre: Horror<\/p>\n

Synopsis: A surgeon requires fresh pituitary glands to maintain the beauty of his exceptionally demanding fiancee.<\/p>\n

Special Features: Audio Commentary with English Gothic author Jonathan Rigby and Peter Cushing biographer David Miller \/ Isolated Music & Effects mono track \/ Alternate scenes of violence (3:50) with Play All option \/ 3 video interviews with actors Billy Murray (13:38) + Jan Walters (9:08) + Wendy Varnals (16:09) \/ August 1974 audio interview with actor Peter Cushing (7:14) \/ 2 Trailers + 5 TV Spots + 2 Radio Spots \/ Stills and Poster Galleries \/ Director\u2019s Shooting Script (DVD-ROM content) \/ Bonus Grindhouse Releasing Trailers \/ Foldout booklet with mini French poster + liner notes by horror journalist Allan Bryce \/ Reversible R and unrated artwork \/ Region 1 DVD edition of Rated + plus extras.<\/p>\n

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Review:<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m afraid there\u2019s been an accident. A flood lamp crashed into your sister\u2019s face.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

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Reportedly regarded by Peter Cushing fans as one of his career nadirs, Corruption<\/strong> has pretty much remained an obscure if not unheard of film that vanished from distribution years ago, never making it to home video in North America. U.S. distributor Columbia probably regarded the film with a thin level of disdain, since it lacked the more ornate style of its own cache of Hammer Films, such as Revenge of Frankenstein<\/a> <\/strong>(1958).<\/p>\n

The story of Corruption<\/strong>\u2019s genesis lies in director Robert Hartford-Davis and cinematographer Peter Newbrook, who teamed up under their Titan Films shingle to produce personal (albeit exploitive) projects. In prior years, the pair had made an odd mix of comedies before settling on a trio of horror projects with a U.S. co-producer. Only Corruption<\/strong> reached the production stage, and it was aimed at three specific markets: the tamer U.S. \/ U.K., the spicier \u201cMediterranean\u201d territories, and Asia and Scandinavian countries more accepting of nudity and gore.<\/p>\n

Corruption<\/strong> (also known as Carnage<\/strong>) is a pastiche of Eyes Without a Face<\/strong> (1960) and The Brain That Wouldn\u2019t Die<\/a><\/strong> (1962) \u2013 films where a reckless doctor ruins the face of a loved one, and loses his mind trying to restore the affected woman\u2019s beauty. In Eyes<\/strong>, a surgeon snatches subjects for face transplants to restore his once-happy relationship with his disfigured daughter, whereas in Brain<\/strong> the damage stems from the sudden decapitation of a fianc\u00e9e by her ill-driving surgeon \/ fianc\u00e9, and victims snatched from lurid locales for a potential head transplant.<\/p>\n

Cushing\u2019s Sir John Rowman is a little different among the three deranged surgeon films, being an older man with conservative ways strangely attached to an up and coming young model named Lynn (The Ipcress File<\/strong>\u2019s Sue Lloyd). Filmed during the hip & swinging sixties, the age gap matters little, but Rowman isn\u2019t keen on seeing Lynn disrobe at a party for her lead photographer \/ likely former flame (Anthony Booth), and the ensuing fracas causes a studio lamp to singe her face, ruining her career as a cover girl.<\/p>\n

Rowman\u2019s rogue experiments in using donor material to rejuvenate damaged tissue becomes an obsession, and the positive yet very temporary results with Lynn mandates a proactive killing spree, timing the next band-aid job just prior to her face\u2019s imminent rumpling. While Lynn lies to her deeply concerned sister Val (The Vampire Lovers<\/strong>\u2019 Kate O\u2019Mara) about Rowman\u2019s \u2018miracle\u2019 cure, the good doctor is out searching for another fresh pituitary gland from which he\u2019ll extract the needed genetic goo. Rowman and Lynn eventually retire to his country home, where they stumble upon another worthy donor \u2013 puddle-kicking, tra-la-la-ing hottie Terry (A Whole Scene Going<\/strong>\u2019s Wendy Varnals) \u2013 but they soon discover the frolicking tart is part of a bigger sinister plan.<\/p>\n

FINALE SPOILER<\/p>\n

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It\u2019s around this stage where the film, like Cushing\u2019s character, loses its mind. There\u2019s a home invasion with a caped leader, rude fruit consumption by a giggling thug named Groper (David Lodge), and an outrageous finale where director Robert Hartford-Davis and writers Derek and Donald Ford go for a Grand Guignol ending that has everyone being punished using a then-novel surgical device: a laser beam cutter, which Rowman uses to fix Lynn\u2019s face. The last montage \u2013 a misty replay of the accident-prone party footage \u2013 feels tacked on and is generally unnecessary, given the film\u2019s distressed characters were directed towards a mass killing \u2013 but the \u2018twist\u2019 perhaps tempers the absolute nihilism of the original ending, letting audiences decide for themselves as to whether it was all a dream, or is a portent of an insane, intractable future.<\/p>\n

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END OF SPOILER<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cBut they know something! They\u2019ve established medical knowledge was used in the killings!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

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Grindhouse Releasing\u2019s Blu-ray-DVD combo set is an excellent restoration, boasting a near-pristine print with dynamic colours, and an isolated mono music & effects track of Bill McGuffie\u2019s unreleased lounge jazz score (which is admittedly dated and often inappropriate, but does accentuate the film\u2019s outrageous tone). His other credits include the Jayne Mansfield crime film The Challenge<\/strong> \/ It Takes a Thief<\/strong> (1960), Sidney J. Fury\u2019s The Leather Boys<\/strong> (1964), Daleks\u2019 Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D.<\/strong> (1966), and the cult film The Asphyx<\/strong> (1973).<\/p>\n

The Ford brother\u2019s script is snappy and brisk, and several ridiculous lines (see italicized quotes) were clearly designed to closet questionable character behaviour and plot issues, and push everyone onwards to the next scene. Even though Cushing has some deliciously insane moments \u2013 the prostitute murder is incredibly<\/em> prolonged \u2013 he has some genuinely strong dramatic moments, making Rowman a compelling character: he\u2019s ostensibly a decent man manipulated by a vain creature aware of his infatuation and dependency on her presence and minor affection.<\/p>\n

The BR\u2019s reversible sleeve includes rated and very unrated poster art depicting the prostitute\u2019s death. In the U.K. \/ U.S. version, a clothed Jan Waters (Take the High Road<\/strong>) is stabbed and crumples to the ground, whereas in the naughtier version (released under the idiotic title Laser Killer<\/strong>), another actress (Marianne Morris \/ Marian Collins) is quite topless, and is chased around, groped, and stabbed by Rowman before a knife begins the decapitation. The gore is very tame, but seeing Cushing touching blood-splattered breasts is quite atypical for the actor. Director Hartford-Davis shot the prostitute killing, a rather impromptu train murder, and Val\u2019s beach death with a fisheye lens, espousing a kind of poor-man\u2019s Murder-Vision (which actually works within the film\u2019s trippy, highly colourful commercial look). The option to select rated and unrated versions is available only on the Blu-ray, but the unrated prostitute killing is archived in the DVD\u2019s alternate scenes gallery.<\/p>\n

Within the extensive publicity galleries are stills showing both the \u2018Asian\u2019 (topless) prostitute killing and the \u2018Mediterranean\u2019 version (not on this release) featuring actress Morris in a black bra. The most amusing item: a suggestion within Columbia\u2019s exhibitor\u2019s handbook to try out hiring someone to walk around town with a British Derby, a medical bag, and a mannequin\u2019s head!<\/p>\n

Grindhouse includes video interviews with the surviving cast, and a great commentary track where author Jonathan Rigby (English Gothic<\/strong>) and Cushing biographer David Miller lovingly dissect the oddities within this long unavailable gem. (They also acknowledge the actor\u2019s \u2018hair thrashing\u2019 motif which is endemic to any moment Cushing is tossed around by a monster \/ legal official \/ thug \/ very upset hooker.)<\/p>\n

An archival audio interview with Cushing, taped at Pinewood Studios on Aug. 29, 1974, is revealing for the actor\u2019s mellow comportment and relaxed voice (less sharp and resonant than his Acting Voice), and some side comments on current popular films like Chinatown<\/strong> (\u201cVery, very good, but I\u2019ve seen better\u201d), the trend of more sex in films, and the use of juvenile expressions by Americans.<\/p>\n

This is a lovingly assembled special edition \u2013 one of the best released this year – boasting excellent extras and a truly gorgeous 2K HD transfer with eye-popping colours. A must-have for connoisseurs of all things Cushing, if not taboo horror.<\/p>\n

Director Hartford-Davis is perhaps best-known for a number of exploitation works including The Yellow Teddy Bears<\/strong> (1963), The Smashing Bird I Used to Know<\/strong> (1969), Incense for the Damned<\/strong> (1970) with Cushing again, and The Fiend<\/strong> (1972).<\/p>\n

In addition to Corruption<\/strong> and The Yellow Teddy Bears<\/strong>, writers Derek and Donald Ford also wrote A Study in Terror <\/strong>(1965), the TV series Z Cars<\/strong> (1967-1968), and Peter Sykes\u2019 oddball Venom<\/strong> (1971).<\/p>\n

Actress Wendy Varnals, who merely slipped into acting for a short period, left \u2018the business\u2019 right after Corruption<\/strong>, and moved to the U.S., whereas Kate O\u2019Mara appeared in several TV series, including Triangle<\/strong> (1981-1982), Doctor Who: The Rani<\/strong> (1985-1987), Dynasty<\/strong> (1986), and Howard\u2019s Way<\/strong> (1989-1990). The film career of former model Sue Lloyd never really took off, and her best-known credits include The Ipcress File <\/strong>(1965), Attack on the Iron Coast<\/a> <\/strong>(1968), Innocent Bystanders <\/strong>(1972), and the TV series The Baron<\/strong> (1966).<\/p>\n

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\u00a9 2013 Mark R. Hasan<\/p>\n

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External References<\/em>:<\/p>\n

IMDB<\/a><\/p>\n

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Vendor Search Links:<\/em><\/p>\n

Amazon.ca<\/a>\"\" \"\" —<\/span> Amazon.com<\/a>\"\" \"\" —<\/span> Amazon.co.uk<\/a>\"\" \"\"—New movie releases on iTunes<\/a>\"\"<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Film: Excellent BR Transfer: Near-Perfect BR Extras: Perfect Label: Grindhouse Releasing \/ Region: A, B, C Released: October 8, 2013 Genre: Horror Synopsis: A surgeon requires fresh pituitary glands to maintain the beauty of his exceptionally demanding fiancee. Special Features: Audio Commentary with English Gothic author Jonathan Rigby and Peter Cushing biographer David Miller \/ […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[18],"tags":[2321,2327,2324,2322,2326,2323,4212,2325,2320],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8nuyW-1Ss","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7220"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7220"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7220\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9616,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7220\/revisions\/9616"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7220"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7220"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kqek.com\/mobile\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7220"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}