The great Peter Cushing has one of his most memorable non-horror films as Dr. Blyss, the beloved creature of a small English town where the notorious Captain Clegg was buried years ago after allegedly being hung. The unseen Clegg is first shown condemning the brutal Milton Reid to have his ears cut off and tongue removed and placed on a cross on a deserted island to die in agony. Betrayal was the name of Reid's game, but somehow he survives and ends up in this town accompanied by members of the British Navy on a strange mission. It's pretty obvious what the night creatures looking psychedelic in skeleton attire are, but they do make a nice frame galloping across the marshes and looking quite spooky. That's the one element of horror in the film which also combines piracy, gothic mystery and romance with the star-crossed lovers of the beautiful Yvonne Romain and the dashing Oliver Reed, aided in their quest to be together by the very complex Cushing.
A nice performance by Patrick Allen as the navy captain helps build this up to its mystery being exposed. I was able to figure out what was going on from the start practically, but it was very intriguing to watch everything unfold. The beautiful Hammer color photography is a nice piece of artwork, and the musical score is spectacular. I've seen rhe 1937 version of the "Dr. Syn" story starring George Arliss, and I'm curious to see the Disney version of that same tale released the same year as the Hammer film. Something tells me it will be quite different, not as gruesome in its presentation of certain details in the story, which makes this version a must to see compared to the other two.
A nice performance by Patrick Allen as the navy captain helps build this up to its mystery being exposed. I was able to figure out what was going on from the start practically, but it was very intriguing to watch everything unfold. The beautiful Hammer color photography is a nice piece of artwork, and the musical score is spectacular. I've seen rhe 1937 version of the "Dr. Syn" story starring George Arliss, and I'm curious to see the Disney version of that same tale released the same year as the Hammer film. Something tells me it will be quite different, not as gruesome in its presentation of certain details in the story, which makes this version a must to see compared to the other two.