The World of Hammer
(DD Home Entertainment Region 2 PAL
Special Edition 2 Disc Set)
(1990)
review by Blackgloves

Originally formed in the 1930s by businessman and amateur variety performer William Hinds, Hammer Productions (the name was derived from Hinds' stage name, Will Hammer) flowered briefly up until the Second World War. Hinds had also formed a small distribution company called Exclusive films with Spanish cinema owner Enrique Carreras, and with the end of the war they resurrected Hammer as a production subsidiary of Exclusive. The company was now a family business with Hinds' son Anthony producing and later writing scripts under the pen-name John Elder, and Enrique Carreras' son and Grandson -- James and Michael respectively -- proving instrumental in the business success of the company during the Fifties, when father and son became co-company directors. James Carreras did the initial groundwork when he struck a deal to get Hammer films distributed in America, while Michael went on to produce and direct before finally becoming Managing Director of the company in 1970. During this time, Hammer productions largely defined British horror with their mesmerising, full-colour fantasy period drama fairy tales: bringing a lush stylishness and a vivid sense of imagination to rich re-workings of the old Universal classics. The 1990 series, "The World Of Hammer", is composed of clips from many of the different types of films the company produced over the years, and charts most of the history of one of the British film industry's biggest success stories. Sparsely narrated by Oliver Reed (veteran of many early Hammer films but mainly associated with their "The Curse Of The Werewolf" [1960]), whose recognisably droll delivery connects the many clips that compose the 13 part series, this clips show was a last desperate attempt to interest a new generation in the ailing company's glorious heritage.

The show is divided into thirteen parts covering all of the different genres the company was involved in over the years, as well as devoting episodes to their various famous horror subjects such as Dracula, Frankenstein, Mummies, Werewolves and Zombies. There are also episodes concentrating on Hammer's main stars, Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing along with a general overview of the company with clips spanning the entire breadth of its output. None of these actually contain any real information about Hammer, its stars, or the history of any of the company's productions and thus, the series represents a lost opportunity in that regard. Nevertheless, it does afford us a chance to see clips from many otherwise unavailable films from Hammer's history, and several well-loved classics which have yet to make it to DVD are featured prominently.

"The Trials Of War" is an episode which has not previously appeared elsewhere (many episodes of the series have cropped up as extras on U.S. Hammer DVD releases) and shows that the company was extremely adept at the war film genre, even while its Technicolor Horror pictures were wowing audiences in the late-Fifties. Val Guest's gritty and controversial "Yesterday's Enemy" (1959) depicted British troops committing war crimes; while Guest was also in the director's seat for "The Camp On Blood Island" (1958) which was set in a Japanese Prisoner Of War Camp and depicted the atrocities that went on in them during the war. Eight years later saw Barbara Shelly in a less glamorous role than usual in "The Secret Of Blood Island" (1965) directed as more of an adventure movie than its predecessor by Quentin Lawrence, from a screenplay by John Gilling.

"Costumes" reminds us of some of Hammer's colourful swashbucklers and costume dramas. Once again, Val Guest was behind the camera for "Men Of Sherwood" (1954): an exuberant and glossy adventure with Don Taylor in the role of Robin Hood. Many sequels followed but Hammer also proved very successful in bringing sweeping swashbucklers to the screen especially in the trio of pirate movies: "The Pirates Of Blood River" (1962), "Captain Clegg" (1963) and "Devil Ship Pirates" (1964). The first and last of these featured Christopher Lee in action hero mode as a brutal cut-throat, while "Captain Clegg" was a creepy smuggling drama with memorable scenes of horse-riding glowing skeletons haunting the Romney Marshes. Meanwhile, Terence Fisher's 1960 film "The Stranglers Of Bombay" is one of Hammer's most sadistic and brutal films -- as can be seen by the sequence included in this episode.

"Wicked Women" looks at a wide range of films which feature evil female leads. Ingrid Pitt's "Countess Dracula" and Martine Beswick's Sister Hyde are obvious choices but some well-chosen clips of Bette Davies in the disturbing "The Nanny" (1965) and the black comedy "The Anniversary (1968) as well as a demented Tallulah Bankhead in the colourful thriller "Fanatic" (1965) remind us of some of Hammer's most notorious female villains. Some lovely clips from the witchcraft tale "The Witches" (1966) starring Joan Fontaine and sequences from the atmospheric black & white thrillers "Black Widow" (1951) and "Stolen Face" (1952) are also worth looking at.

"Chiller" is another standout episode with clips from Hammer's, often little-seen, psychological thrillers and crime dramas such as "Hell is A City" (1960), "straight On Till Morning" (1972), "Maniac" (1963), "Paranoiac" (1963) and "Taste Of Fear" (1961). "Sci-Fi" and "Lands Before Time" give us some fantastic clips from Hammer's 50s Quatermass films and also there are choice scenes from early Terence Fisher films "Spaceways" and "Four-Sided Triangle (both from 1953). The Michael Carreras directed "Lost Continent" (1968) features wonderful art direction and some surreal creatures battling it out in a colourful, mist-shrouded landscape.

All of the classic films that everybody knows are featured too of course: "The Curse Of Frankenstein" (1957), "Dracula" (1958); as well as many of their sequels. "The Hound Of The Baskervilles (1959), "The Mummy" (1959), "The Plague Of The Zombies" (1965), "Captain Kronos - Vampire Hunter" (1973) and many other well-known and loved classics crop up over various episodes. There are also some mouth-watering clips from classic Hammer films as yet unavailable on DVD like "The Curse Of The Werewolf", the magnificent visual feast of "The Brides Of Dracula" (1960) and the very original "Kiss Of The Vampire (1964). "Brides..." in particular is one of Hammer's greatest achievements; the creative team of Terence Fisher, Jimmy Sangster, Jack Asher and Bernard Robinson was firing on all cylinders here -- and the unique, Hammer adult fairy tale aesthetic reached its apotheosis with this film. It is high time it was made available on DVD in its own right.

DD Home Entertainment present all thirteen episodes spread over a 2 disc set. The episodes look fantastic -- with eye-watering colours leaping off the screen and presenting all the films in the best possible light. Only clips from "Kiss of The Vampire" and an early Dick Turpin movie look a little worse for wear. The audio is the original simple mono track which sounds clear and distortion-free throughout. This set reminds us of just why the films of Hammer were so fantastic and gives us a chance to see scenes from some great films which aren't otherwise available for one reason or another. There are a few films noticeable by their absence from even this series though: "Never Take Sweets From A Stranger" (1960), "The Two Faces Of Dr, Jekyll" (1960) and "The Gorgon" (1964) are among the films unrepresented in these episodes. The set is still well worth seeking out by fans of Hammer though.