Best movie of this year hands down!

Best movie of this year hands down!

The movie is surprisingly subdued in its pacing, its characterizations, and its go-for-broke sensibilities.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

In the Eighteenth Century, after the death of the Marquis de Sade, the phrenologist Pierre (Maurice Good) robs his head from the grave and removes the flesh at home, but dies in a horrible way. In 1965, in London, the dishonest antiques dealer Anthony Marco (Patrick Wymark) offers to the collector and writer of occultism Christopher Maitland (Peter Cushing) a book with skin made cover about the Marquis de Sade. On the next day, he returns and asks a small fortune for the skull of the Marquis de Sade but without any proof that belonged to him. Maitland does not accept and he offers for half the price until the next day. Maitland meets his friend and also collector Sir Matthew Phillips (Christopher Lee), who tells that the skull had been stolen from him but he does not want it back since he was free of its evil force. He advises Maitland to stay away from the skull otherwise he would be possessed by its evil spirit. But the fate puts the skull on Maitland´s hands affecting his entire life in tragic way."The Skull" is a creepy British horror film by Amicus to compete with Hammer with Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. The screenplay is well-written and the tragic conclusion is announced from the moment Maitland meets his fellow collector and friend and keeps the interest on the skull. The "Kafkanian" judgment of Christopher Maitland is another plus in the story. My vote is seven.Title (Brazil): "A Maldição da Caveira" ("The Curse of the Skull")

The Skull is directed by Freddie Francis, and stars Peter Cushing as Christopher Maitland. Maitland is an author and collector of rare antiques relating to the occult. He soon finds himself in possession of a skull that belonged to Marquis de Sade. A well known brutally insane criminal, courtesy of his supplier Marco played by Patrick Wymark. He soon discovers that there maybe more to the skull then he had imagined. Realising that it may indeed be inhabited by an evil spirit, that forces unsuspecting victims to do its bidding against their will.The Skull is a film of it's time. There are plenty of funny moments where you can see levitating objects being held up by wires. Whilst it can be occasionally distracting, the film manages to retain it's excellent eerie atmosphere. The use of lighting to add depth to the set design and atmosphere is used effectively, especially in a sequence where Maitland is hauled before a silent judge.The Skull is definitely more campy then scary. Whilst there aren't many scares to be had In the film, it remains a lot of fun. The only downside being that at times the film does take its self too seriously, which is a detriment to the film. The Skull also features a guest appearance from Christopher Lee as Maitlands friend Sir Matthew Phillips, who despite being in only a handful of scenes leaves a lasting Impression upon the film. The Skull though was clearly a vehicle for Peter Cushing, who Is enigmatic in every scene, he has a commanding screen presence and it shows in this film. His performance elevates the film to another level.The Skull is certainly a dated film by today's standards. It has some questionable plot devices and character motivations, but despite this it still makes for a highly entertaining film, warts and all.

The entire point of this review is that Peter Cushing in a movie can do no wrong. He can take the stupidest script and make it sound believable. From skulls to finger bones to Van Helsing he was always on the mark. The world of film and the world at large is poorer for his passing in 1994. I have tried to collect his films but there are so many that it is hard to find new quality DVD transfers of all of them.I have heard many people talk about him, from Christopher Lee to unknown co-stars. Not one had anything to say except what a loving and giving person he was. Not a soul I have heard has a bad memory of him. There is a worthwhile documentary called "Fanex Films - Hammer Films" where many people who worked with him are interviewed and speak at length.

1814: A scientist called Pierre (Maurice Good) opens the grave of the Marquis De Sade and steals his skull for his research. When he takes it home the skull exerts its occult powers and kills him by tearing his throat out. The story moves forward to contemporary England where old friends Professor Maitland (Peter Cushing), a writer about demonology and Sir Matthew Phillips (Christopher Lee) are attending an auction sale of macabre exhibits. Maitland is surprised when Sir Matthew bids an excessively high sum for four statuettes of the divinities of hell. That night Maitland is visited by the shady Marco (Patrick Wymark) who provides him with material for his research. He sells him a book on the life of De Sade bound in human skin. But on the following night he returns with a human skull, which he claims is that of the Marquis himself. However, he is unable to convince Maitland of its authenticity. Maitland pays Sir Matthew a visit who assures him that it is the real thing as it was stolen from him and that he is glad of it. He warns Maitland about its occult properties, it is possessed by an evil spirit and Sir Matthew bought the statuettes under its influence. Ignoring Sir Matthew's warnings, Maitland becomes obsessed with owning the skull and goes to Marco's room where he finds him dead, his throat torn out. He steals the skull and its evil power immediately manifests itself. First it wills Maitland to steal the statue of Lucifer from Sir Matthew whom he kills in the process and then to stab his wife, Jane (Jill Bennett), to death. However, the crucifix around her neck prevents him from doing so and the skull turns on Maitland instead. The following morning Jane finds her husband dead with his throat torn out.Oscar-winning Cinematographer turned director Freddie Francis became firmly associated with the British horror boom of the sixties somewhat reluctantly. Indeed he was all too often handed inferior material to work on and the lacklustre direction he gave to those films clearly showed his disinterest. But his better genre work revealed him to be as talented a director as he was a cameraman. Those handful of pictures strongly suggested a film maker who would have achieved the same degree of acclaim as a director that he did as a Cinematograopher had he been able to diversify away from horror into other subjects.The Skull, which was made for Amicus for whom Francis directed their noted portmanteau horror films, Dr Terror's House Of Horrors (1965) and Torture Garden (1967) certainly ranks among these and Francis' much praised visual style is evident throughout the movie. The thing that most people remember about The Skull is the point-of-view shots used to heighten the presence of the skull's malevolent spirit. These were achieved by a skull mask being fixed on to the lens of a hand held camera, which was operated by Francis wearing roller skates and being pushed along the set by the prop men to give the impression of Cushing being attacked by the skull. The final scene also has the camera shooting through the skull's eye sockets as the police (Nigel Green and Patrick Magee) discuss the possible cause of Cushing's bloody demise. "Some sort of witchcraft" suggests Magee. "No not nowadays" replies Green and it is clear that the evil spirit is watching them as if saying "That's what you think fools!" Other splendid visual touches include flashing blobs of light on the walls of Cushing's study and an hourglass, which turns of its own accord with the sand begin to fill the bottom glass as an indication of a victim's imminent doom at the hand of the skull. Amazingly although the film is now forty-six years old, the special effects work still looks reasonable since the wires are cleverly disguised (most of the time although you can briefly glimpse them in a close up of the floating skull at the climax) in the shots where the skull is floating through the air, which must have posed a tremendous challenge for the filmmakers at the time. Bill Constable's set design is impressive especially Cushing's study decked out with Gothic figurines. John Wilcox's colour Cinemascope camera-work and Elizabeth Luyens' eerie score all combine to give the proceedings a genuinely creepy atmosphere. What The Skull lacks in graphic violence is more than made up for by mood and atmosphere. Other moments to enjoy include an effective nightmare sequence in which Cushing held at gunpoint in a phony courtroom is forced to put three pistols in turn to his temple and pull the trigger. Great suspense here that will have you on the edge of your seat! There are excellent performances throughout with Cushing on fine form as Maitland whose curiosity and fascination with the occult ultimately bring about his own destruction. Christopher Lee also offers an excellent turn as Sir Matthew Phillips even though is role is little more than a supporting part. He is especially good in the auction room sequence where he manages to look genuinely possessed as he bids for the statuettes of the divinities of hell under the skull's influence. In addition, Patrick Wymark is also noteworthy as the shady and somewhat sinister Marco.All in all, The Skull emerges as a minor but effective little horror film that relies on mood and atmosphere for its thrills rather than explicit violence and is all the better for it. It surely deserves a DVD release which is long overdue.