QUATERMASS
2 (1957) Blu-rayDirector: Val Guest
Scream Factory/Shout! Factory
QUATERMASS
2 (1957) Blu-rayA favorite of classic sci-fi cinema fans, Hammer Films’ second entry in their cinematic “Quatermass” series dazzles in a new special edition Blu-ray courtesy of Scream Factory.
Professor Quatermass (Brian Donlevy, CURSE OF THE FLY) – a rocket scientist with the British Armed Forces who has an uncanny knack of getting involved with alien problems – is disappointed to have his proposal for a moon colonization project rejected after his return from a meeting on the matter. On his drive back, he runs into the husband of a panicked wife afflicted with a strange V-shaped wound on his face, and with reports of shooting meteorites landing in the town of Winnerdan Flats, a visit their uncovers a massive complex that ironically resembles his design for the impending project. On the grounds outside the place, his younger colleague (future director Bryan Forbes, THE STEPFORD WIVES) touches a stone which cracks open and releases a gas, leaving the V-shaped mark on his cheek. A patrol of armed and gas-masked guards arrive, they abduct the infected young man and force Quatermass out without answering his inquiries.
Desperate to help his friend and get to the bottom of things, Quatermass learns that Winnerdan Flats is a police-less community where the locales are self-governing and have learned to keep their mouths shut. When he makes it to the nearest police station, Inspector Lomax (John Longden, ALIAS JOHN PRESTON) puts him in touch with Vincent Broadhead (Tom Chatto, THE FROZEN DEAD), an investigator from Parliament who is about to be given an official tour of the secret complex (which is supposedly manufacturing artificial food, well maybe not for human consumption) and he gladly take Quatermass with him. But during the tour, Broadhead gets sidetracked, sneaking away to enter a large dome, exciting it burnt and covered in toxic black slime. Quatermass escapes, managing not to get shot by the trigger-happy guards, and gets the full cooperation of Lomax after he witnesses the V-shape blotch on his superior. With the help of a saucy ace reporter (“Carry On” comedy legend Sid James) they re-enter Winnerdan Flats and barely manage to get the in-denial community’s cooperation; after seeing a meteorite victim first-hand in a blonde barmaid (Vera Day, WOMANEATER), they start to change their tune. Quatermass, Lomax and an angry mob storms the complex, and soon discover what the manufactured food is used to nurture a monstrous – possibly alien – mass that just keeps getting bigger and more out of control.
Originally released here in the U.S. as ENEMY FROM SPACE, this is the second film featuring the exploits of Professor Quatermass based on Nigel Kneale's TV serials. The first film was THE QUATERMASS XPERIMENT (1956), known in the U.S. as THE CREEPING UNKNOWN. It was a common practice in 1950s British sci-fi to feature an American actor in order to increase box office potential for export to the U.S., hence American actor Brian Donley (more popular in the previous decade) is here in his second appearance as the character. Film critics and fans (and the screenwriter) have often expressed how miscast he is in the role, but we’re not going to get into that in this review. QUATERMASS 2 is well-produced on Hammer’s usual modest budget. Outside of the usual Bray Studios, this was shot on location with interiors done at New Elstree Studios, and it was production designer Bernard Robinson’s first work on a Hammer film (he would of course go on to work on many of their finest gothics). Atypical of 1950s sci-fi flicks, the film’s plot embodies the-then Cold War paranoia typified in Don Siegel’s INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS, and its fast pace is both action and dialogue-driven, making for an entertaining thriller highlighted by a tense score by none other than James Bernard. QUATERMASS 2 also boasts a fine cast of other British character actors (many repeatedly associated with Hammer) including William Franklyn (THE SATANIC RITES OF DRACULA), Percy Herbert (ONE MILLION YEARS B.C.), Michael Ripper (THE MUMMY’S SHROUD), John Van Eyssen (HORROR OF DRACULA), Charles Lloyd-Pack (THE REVENGE OF FRANKENSTEIN) and Marianne Stone (TOWER OF EVIL).
Scream Factory’s Blu-ray of QUATERMASS 2 had been delayed due to a search in locating proper film elements for a transfer, and the slightly postponed results are splendid. The film has been scanned in 2K from a pristine archival film print (with a “United Artists” logo but maintaining the original U.K. title), and it’s presented in 1080p HD. Despite the back cover listing the aspect ratio as full frame 1.37:1, it’s actually a more fitting 1.75:1, with the slight black bars on the sides of the screen. The near-flawless presentation (“pristine” as a print description does indeed apply here) has the elements beautifully restored, with nary a blemish to be found. Grain is tight, well-rendered and completely natural looking. Contrast is exceptional (even with the opening sequence looking a tad dark, as it always has), supported by a nicely modulated gray scale, while the image remains sharp throughout the presentation. Black levels are perfectly deep and white levels are stable and consistent. The audio is presented in an English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track, and it has adequately balanced dialogue, music and background effects. English SDH subtitles are also included.
Originally recorded for the 1998 Roan Group laserdisc (and then the subsequent Anchor Bay DVD) is a very nice commentary track with writer Nigel Kneale (1922-2006) and director Val Guest (1911-2006). It’s great that Scream Factory has been carrying over these earlier, very important Hammer commentaries with the original talent (as many of the participants have since passed on) and it’s always very interesting to hear their thoughts on the Quatermass series and share interesting tidbits about the making of this film, with Kneale confirming his disapproval of Donlevy in the lead role. A new commentary features film historian and Hammer documentarian Ted Newsom who from the start defends Donlevy’s portrayal of Quatermass and calls QUATERMASS 2 “one of the best science fiction films ever made”. He theorizes that the film likely used leftover props that set designer Bernard Robinson found from Hammer’s earlier SPACEWAYS, and offers a lot of mostly scene-specific information on the actors, the special effects and sets, and he points out a number of things you may not have noticed as well as his own perspective, making for a thorough and smartly entertaining (and at times humorous) examination of the film. Another new commentary has film historian Steve Haberman and filmmaker/film historian Constantine Nasr, as they mention that the film is the first-ever “number” sequel title and point out many of the differences between this film and the earlier TV serial version. They give their own views of the Quatermass character, and they too have no major issues with American “tough guy” Donlevy in the role. There’s plenty of engrossing discussion on the film and its place in the Quatermass universe, while never overlapping too much with the Newsom commentary, so this too is well worth a listen.
“Val Guest: Quatermass and the Hammer Experience” (20:56) is Ted Newsom’s archival video interview with the director, conducted in the 1990s. Guest talks about how he became associated with Hammer, making the genre films with American stars, and Tony Hinds giving him a number of scripts to option, leading to him being impressed with Quatermass despite not being a science fiction fan. This is a great interview which focuses on his two Quatermass films, but he also mentions other favorites he did for Hammer (including THE ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN and WHEN DINOSAURS RULED THE EARTH) the ingenuity of effects man Les Bowie (“he did miracles for nothing”) and relays a funny anecdote about Donlevy’s hairpiece. Guest namedrops HELL IS A CITY and YESTERDAY’S ENEMY (both for Hammer) as his two favorite films as a director. There’s two brief new video interviews, the first is with Academy Award-winning special effects artist Brian Johnson (3:10) who worked (uncredited) as an effects assistant on QUATERMASS 2 while in his teens. He recalls the ingenuity of Bowie and his matte effects and how he created the shapeless creature seen at the end of the film. The second new video interview is with third assistant director Hugh Harlow (1:41), who tells that QUATERMASS 2 was one of the first movies he ever worked on, recalling the locations and studio where they shot it. Also included is the original U.S. trailer (as ENEMY FROM SPACE), a standard def 1990 WORLD OF HAMMER TV episode entitled "Sci-Fi" (25:39) featuring clips from the Hammer films in that genre and narrated by the late Oliver Reed, and a nice still gallery. On the reverse of the Blu-ray's cover is the American ENEMY FROM SPACE artwork. (George R. Reis)