By: Christoph

Christoph — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 22:20:49 +0000

I watched an obscure DVD-R, in all probability a bootleg of the American VHS version – the YouTube upload was apparently sourced from the same version.

Freddie Francis certainly was anything but an auteur but as a genre filmmaker, I’d rank him along with fellow Hammer director Terence Fisher, even though his actual Hammer-filmography isn’t that intriguing, compared to Fisher’s prolific and versatile output. Nevertheless, I regard him as one of the more interesting “Hammer regulars and a very capable craftsman.
Alas, I have yet to see TROG (which seems to be quite a treat!) and thus, can’t properly judge his “trash-qualities”. Apart from MUMSY… I’ve also seen THE TRAITOR’S GATE (naturally since it is part of the German Edgar Wallace series), the rather mediocre DRACULA HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE (mediocre for its complete lack of atmosphere) and the utterly unbelievable German (!) Vampire sex comedy GEBISSEN WIRD NUR NACHTS (starring ELVIRA MADIGAN’S Pia Degermark!) to which we should dedicate one our companionable “Trash-Abende” sometime.
Anyway, it certainly is fascinating to compare his illustrous directorial credits with his more prominent and reputable credits as a DOP.

By: Sano

Sano — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:10:39 +0000

Wo hast du den Film denn gesehen – im Fernsehen oder auf Video?
Freddie Francis war ja wirklich ein ausgezeichneter Kameramann, aber als Regisseur habe ich ihn glaube ich noch nicht kennen gelernt. Benjamin warnt mich aber des öfteren vor seinen Trash-Eskapaden, daher bin ich wohl doch schon etwas (negativ?) voreingenommen. Auf jeden Fall laufen mir in letzter Zeit immer wieder einige seiner Hammer-Filme auf DVD über den Weg. Vielleicht sollte ich da mal zuschlagen…
Kennst du sonst noch Regiearbeiten von Francis, Christoph?

Comments on: Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny and Girly (1969)

By: Christoph

By: Sano