I have been a film aficionado for a long time. My father brought me up on classics like David Lean's adaptations of Oliver Twist and Great Expectations, the various black and white classic comedies of Charlie Chaplin and Laurel and Hardy as well as the Dynamation works of Ray Harryhausen.
My love for old horror films started in my formative teen years. The BBC would show cult horror films late on Friday and Saturday nights in the early to mid-90s and, when we got Sky, late 90s/ early 2000s Bravo Channel. Some were the more salacious films of 60s and 70s European cinema, often in the horror genre but not always- some were experimental pieces which had a deeply ethereal feel and long moments of quiet where the gorgeous scenery and silence would wash over you. It was here I first saw The Witchfinder General, Circus of Horrors, Vampiros Lesbos and Twins of Evil and many, many more.
I became even more interested in cult TV series and films whilst attending university. Our campus was media-centered and as a result it had a huge catalogue of VHS tapes to rent, free of charge. I ploughed through many often taking the maximum 8 out at a time and consumed them voraciously.
Hammer was a name that stood out to me as you were guaranteed a strong performance from a lead actor, often Christopher Lee or Peter Cushing, and lashings of blood and glamour. It was here that I came across many actresses who I knew from other works like Caroline Munro (Sinbad), Nastassja Kinski (Paris, Texas) and Madeline Smith (Live and Let Die). It seemed like horror was the genre many a young lady had cut their teeth on and specifically Hammer.
Cushing and Lee get all the credit but the leading and supporting ladies added so much to the productions and needed to be spotlit. The women were often glamourous and their acting skills overlooked by many, including the film makers themselves, for mere tittilation but the coffeebook Hammer Glamour looks behind the scenes and presents black and white and colour photographs from the Hammer archives of these actresses.
Usually, each of the 50 actresses gets at least 3 pages as well as biographies including candid interviews from the surviving actresses or archival quotes from past interviews for those who are no longer with us. These are no mere puff pieces but actually quite critical of the treatment many of these women received from an often mysogynistic and sexist British film industry of the time. Many were told that the nude scenes or candid photos they reluctantly took part in would only be for 'foreign markets' only to find the scenes shown in the home UK market. The author, Marcus Hearn does not shy away from this and, whilst having a clear love of the studio and it's works, he is aware of these issues and has shared them here. It isn't all doom and gloom though as many actresses had an amazing time and were well treated, however, many left the industry jaded, dependent on drugs or alcohol, whilst a few even committed suicide.
The book is a handsome tome with good quality paper stock and crystal clear photographs. The layout of the pages is consistent with large photographs of the actresses in their film roles as well as promotional shoots. This book is a respectful look at the first ladies of horror and is highly recommended by me.
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