Revenge of the Blood Beast
Blu-ray
Rarovideo
1966 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 79 min. / Il lago di Satana, La sorella di Satana, The She-Beast / Street Date January 17, 2017 / 29.95
Starring: Barbara Steele, John Karlsen, Ian Ogilvy, Mel Welles, Lucretia Love
Cinematography: Gioacchino Gengarelli
Film Editor: Nira Omri
Original Music: Paul Ferris
Produced by: Paul Maslansky, Michael Reeves
Written and Directed by Michael Reeves
It’s back into the genre argument pits with the interesting director Michael Reeves. Reeves has persisted as a cult figure far longer than most directors with only three credited feature films. The movies are uneven but promising, and certainly the artistic equal (or better) than most of the work being turned out at the time by American-International and the majority of the Euro-horror crowd. The second half of the 1960s saw a general depression in the horror field, with Hammer losing touch with its audience and continental fare turning to sex content to generate interest.
Blu-ray
Rarovideo
1966 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / 79 min. / Il lago di Satana, La sorella di Satana, The She-Beast / Street Date January 17, 2017 / 29.95
Starring: Barbara Steele, John Karlsen, Ian Ogilvy, Mel Welles, Lucretia Love
Cinematography: Gioacchino Gengarelli
Film Editor: Nira Omri
Original Music: Paul Ferris
Produced by: Paul Maslansky, Michael Reeves
Written and Directed by Michael Reeves
It’s back into the genre argument pits with the interesting director Michael Reeves. Reeves has persisted as a cult figure far longer than most directors with only three credited feature films. The movies are uneven but promising, and certainly the artistic equal (or better) than most of the work being turned out at the time by American-International and the majority of the Euro-horror crowd. The second half of the 1960s saw a general depression in the horror field, with Hammer losing touch with its audience and continental fare turning to sex content to generate interest.
- 1/13/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
By Dave Worrall
One of the most sought-after film scores in the last 40 years has finally been released on CD. When released in 1968, Michael Reeves’ classic Witchfinder General (released in America as The Conqueror Worm) , starring Vincent Price (in arguably his finest role) featured an equally impressive score by Paul Ferris. At the time of the film's initial release a 45rpm record of the love theme was issued in England, but not a complete soundtrack. Thought to be have been lost forever, the original 1/4-inch master tapes were found in the vaults of recording studio De Wolfe Ltd in 2013.
Recently-discovered box containing reels of the original score.
The tapes, which are the original recordings, and not a copy, include every cue used in the film, and are now available on a CD for fans of this film (and the music) to enjoy at long last. Released by De Wolfe Ltd,...
One of the most sought-after film scores in the last 40 years has finally been released on CD. When released in 1968, Michael Reeves’ classic Witchfinder General (released in America as The Conqueror Worm) , starring Vincent Price (in arguably his finest role) featured an equally impressive score by Paul Ferris. At the time of the film's initial release a 45rpm record of the love theme was issued in England, but not a complete soundtrack. Thought to be have been lost forever, the original 1/4-inch master tapes were found in the vaults of recording studio De Wolfe Ltd in 2013.
Recently-discovered box containing reels of the original score.
The tapes, which are the original recordings, and not a copy, include every cue used in the film, and are now available on a CD for fans of this film (and the music) to enjoy at long last. Released by De Wolfe Ltd,...
- 6/11/2014
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
After a childhood of abuse on the streets of 1970s Glasgow, hardman Paul Ferris (Martin Compston) turns gangster under the eye of local kingpin Arthur "The Godfather" Thompson (Patrick Bergin). However, the relationship falls foul of Thompson's no-good son, a schism exploited fully by rival mobster Tam McGrawn (John Hannah). The top-notch Scottish cast also includes former pop queen Clare Grogan and Denis Lawson as Ferris's upright father.
- 10/18/2013
- Sky Movies
After a childhood of abuse on the streets of 1970s Glasgow, hardman Paul Ferris (Martin Compston) turns gangster under the eye of local kingpin Arthur "The Godfather" Thompson (Patrick Bergin). However, the relationship falls foul of Thompson's no-good son, a schism exploited fully by rival mobster Tam McGrawn (John Hannah). The top-notch Scottish cast also includes former pop queen Clare Grogan and Denis Lawson as Ferris's upright father.
- 9/17/2013
- Sky Movies
John Hannah has defended his controversial new film, 'The Wee Man', which tells the real-life story of Glasgow gangster turned best-selling writer, Paul Ferris.
"A negative reaction was inevitable from the Scottish press," reflects Hannah, unperturbed, who only met Ferris, after production was completed. According to the actor, he was "charming, and pleased with the film".
Hannah (right) stars with Martin Compston in 'The Wee Man' telling the story of Paul Ferris
Hannah plays Tam McGraw, a rival gangster to Ferris's underworld mentor Arthur Thompson Snr (Patrick Bergin in the film). Ferris was sensationally cleared of killing Thompson's son in 1991, after one of Scotland's longest-running criminal trials, and emotions still run high, two decades later.
"When you're trying to tell a true story, all versions are never truthful, so I wouldn't try to control that argument, and some of the facts around this tale are still sketchy,...
"A negative reaction was inevitable from the Scottish press," reflects Hannah, unperturbed, who only met Ferris, after production was completed. According to the actor, he was "charming, and pleased with the film".
Hannah (right) stars with Martin Compston in 'The Wee Man' telling the story of Paul Ferris
Hannah plays Tam McGraw, a rival gangster to Ferris's underworld mentor Arthur Thompson Snr (Patrick Bergin in the film). Ferris was sensationally cleared of killing Thompson's son in 1991, after one of Scotland's longest-running criminal trials, and emotions still run high, two decades later.
"When you're trying to tell a true story, all versions are never truthful, so I wouldn't try to control that argument, and some of the facts around this tale are still sketchy,...
- 7/10/2013
- by Caroline Frost
- Huffington Post
★★☆☆☆ The latest in a long line of north-of-the-border, 'gritty' British crime dramas, Ray Burdis' The Wee Man (2013) has arguably more charm and invention than most, yet still stumbles into the same routine clichés and pitfalls that have blighted the gangster movie over the last few decades. Sweet Sixteen star Martin Compston puts in a solid, no-frills performance as titular, real life Glaswegian gangbanger Paul Ferris, who reverts to a life of crime after years of brutal bullying and violent abuse throughout his formative childhood. There's even a scene where an innocent dog gets kicked to death, just to cover all bases.
Raised during the 1960s by two very decent parents in the notorious Glasgow suburb of Blackhill - and perpetually warned by his protective father of the dangers of the city's initially alluring crime culture - Ferris is forced to do his first round of porridge after a frenzied...
Raised during the 1960s by two very decent parents in the notorious Glasgow suburb of Blackhill - and perpetually warned by his protective father of the dangers of the city's initially alluring crime culture - Ferris is forced to do his first round of porridge after a frenzied...
- 7/9/2013
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
This week's snow and ice meant big drops for every title, despite a decent crop of new releases including Django Unchained
The winner: snow
The first properly sunny weekend of the year usually proves devastating to cinemagoing in the UK, but snow and frost can also have an impact, as has just been witnessed. Despite the arrival of a decent crop of new releases – notably the latest Quentin Tarantino flick and the 3D reissue of a Pixar hit – takings overall fell 36% from the previous weekend. All the films in the top 10 that were already on release fell by at least 40% from the previous frame, with Quartet's 60% drop in particular suggesting that the older audience was especially discouraged by icy pavements and dangerous driving conditions.
Despite a dip of 46%, Les Misérables nevertheless managed a second weekend of £4.41m, and an impressive 10-day cumulative total of £17.36m. Tom Hooper's film overtook...
The winner: snow
The first properly sunny weekend of the year usually proves devastating to cinemagoing in the UK, but snow and frost can also have an impact, as has just been witnessed. Despite the arrival of a decent crop of new releases – notably the latest Quentin Tarantino flick and the 3D reissue of a Pixar hit – takings overall fell 36% from the previous weekend. All the films in the top 10 that were already on release fell by at least 40% from the previous frame, with Quartet's 60% drop in particular suggesting that the older audience was especially discouraged by icy pavements and dangerous driving conditions.
Despite a dip of 46%, Les Misérables nevertheless managed a second weekend of £4.41m, and an impressive 10-day cumulative total of £17.36m. Tom Hooper's film overtook...
- 1/22/2013
- by Charles Gant
- The Guardian - Film News
"The Wee Man" was apparently the nickname of notorious gangster Paul Ferris (Martin Compston) who turned to violence and crime as a teenager in the 1980s as a way of asserting himself in the impoverished Glasgow suburb where he was raised. He became a major figure in the criminal underworld, working for a local godfather, naively believing in honour among thieves and getting stitched up both by treacherous comrades and bent policemen. Ferris has now changed his ways, repenting his past, and the producers are convinced his story doesn't glamorise crime.
It's all rather familiar, well enough acted yet not entirely convincing. There are panoramic establishing shots of Glasgow estates, but the movie was shot on location in the East End of London, apparently because (not without reason) Strathclyde police objected to the way they were depicted in the script.
CrimeBiopicsPhilip French
guardian.co.uk © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies.
It's all rather familiar, well enough acted yet not entirely convincing. There are panoramic establishing shots of Glasgow estates, but the movie was shot on location in the East End of London, apparently because (not without reason) Strathclyde police objected to the way they were depicted in the script.
CrimeBiopicsPhilip French
guardian.co.uk © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies.
- 1/20/2013
- by Philip French
- The Guardian - Film News
Django Unchained | The Sessions | Everyday | V/H/S | The Wee Man | Ballroom Dancer | Monsters Inc 3D
Django Unchained (18)
(Quentin Tarantino, 2012, Us) Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Samuel L Jackson, Kerry Washington. 165 mins
Few directors would have the imagination, the guts or the resources to reimagine America's slaving past as a spaghetti western/blaxploitation thriller, but the result is Tarantino's most politically provocative movie, and one of his most entertaining – up to a point. Foxx's odyssey from captive slave to mythical avenger, enabled by Waltz's liberal German "dentist", is often an exhilarating ride, though the action is constantly slowed up by Tarantino's love of his own dialogue – if only he'd kept that chained in.
The Sessions (15)
(Ben Lewin, 2012, Us) John Hawkes, Helen Hunt, William H Macy. 93 mins
Severely disabled man seeks first–time sexual experience. It doesn't sound too promising but there are plenty of riches in this open–hearted drama: the performances,...
Django Unchained (18)
(Quentin Tarantino, 2012, Us) Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Samuel L Jackson, Kerry Washington. 165 mins
Few directors would have the imagination, the guts or the resources to reimagine America's slaving past as a spaghetti western/blaxploitation thriller, but the result is Tarantino's most politically provocative movie, and one of his most entertaining – up to a point. Foxx's odyssey from captive slave to mythical avenger, enabled by Waltz's liberal German "dentist", is often an exhilarating ride, though the action is constantly slowed up by Tarantino's love of his own dialogue – if only he'd kept that chained in.
The Sessions (15)
(Ben Lewin, 2012, Us) John Hawkes, Helen Hunt, William H Macy. 93 mins
Severely disabled man seeks first–time sexual experience. It doesn't sound too promising but there are plenty of riches in this open–hearted drama: the performances,...
- 1/19/2013
- by Steve Rose
- The Guardian - Film News
Assembling a host of esteemed Scottish performers, Ray Burdis presents The Wee Man, a cinematic depiction of the real-life story of infamous gangster Paul Ferris. This perturbing tale has finally been brought to our attention, having been something of a notorious story already up in Scotland, yet one that has failed to fully reach out to a further demographic. Well, it certainly has now – and rightly so.
Martin Compston takes on the role of Ferris – and we watch on as a life of crime takes hold of this impressionable youngster. Growing up in 70’s Glasgow, a young Ferris has to learn that the streets can be a rough place, and despite taking strong advice from his father (Denis Lawson), years of torment at the hands of a local group of thugs sends Ferris down the wrong path.
A few years on and Ferris – now a young adult – finally gives in...
Martin Compston takes on the role of Ferris – and we watch on as a life of crime takes hold of this impressionable youngster. Growing up in 70’s Glasgow, a young Ferris has to learn that the streets can be a rough place, and despite taking strong advice from his father (Denis Lawson), years of torment at the hands of a local group of thugs sends Ferris down the wrong path.
A few years on and Ferris – now a young adult – finally gives in...
- 1/18/2013
- by Stefan Pape
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
It's Glasgow gangsters this time, not Cockneys, but Britflick director Ray Burdis doesn't show much improvement
Ray Burdis co-directed and appeared in the grisly mockney-geezer Britflicks Final Cut (1998) and Love, Honour and Obey (2000), and this clumsy, cliched crime thriller, written and directed by Burdis, has some echoes of those, despite being set in Glasgow. It is worryingly like the many ropey London-estuary gangland movies that are allegedly "true stories" – that is, based on the self-pitying and self-serving books by ex-criminals who explain how their crime career began with standing up to bullies, and how they were never the really bad ones. This has a great cast: Martin Compston plays Paul Ferris, a young Glasgow tough guy who gets involved in the crime empire run by local godfather Arthur Thompson (Patrick Bergin). Denis Lawson gives the film a touch of humanity and class as Ferris's weary dad. But as a whole,...
Ray Burdis co-directed and appeared in the grisly mockney-geezer Britflicks Final Cut (1998) and Love, Honour and Obey (2000), and this clumsy, cliched crime thriller, written and directed by Burdis, has some echoes of those, despite being set in Glasgow. It is worryingly like the many ropey London-estuary gangland movies that are allegedly "true stories" – that is, based on the self-pitying and self-serving books by ex-criminals who explain how their crime career began with standing up to bullies, and how they were never the really bad ones. This has a great cast: Martin Compston plays Paul Ferris, a young Glasgow tough guy who gets involved in the crime empire run by local godfather Arthur Thompson (Patrick Bergin). Denis Lawson gives the film a touch of humanity and class as Ferris's weary dad. But as a whole,...
- 1/18/2013
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
You’d never guess, from this semifictionalized look at his early life and some of his crimes, that Paul Ferris is a notorious Scottish gangster who has courted controversy since he went straight, becoming a literary and reality-tv star and even, outrageously, via taxpayer-funded security and policing contacts in and around Glasgow. No, in this almost genteel film -- or as genteel as a film about men who intimidate and kill for a living can be -- Ferris is a little boy lost, a rare man of principle in an urban cesspit. The world is a scary forest, Ferris’s father (Denis Lawson: Horatio Hornblower: The Fire Ship) tells young 1974 Paul (Daniel Kerr), where even the cops are monsters; plus bullies killed 10-year-old Paul’s pet dog. And so of course 1990s Paul (Martin Compston: The Damned United) has gotta do what he’s gotta do to survive in such...
- 1/17/2013
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
Les Misérables | Gangster Squad | American Mary | What Richard Did | Midnight Son | Jiro Dreams Of Sushi | The Lookout | May I Kill U? | Underground
Les Misérables (12A)
(Tom Hooper, 2012, UK) Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, Eddie Redmayne. 158 mins
The King's Speech director plus the globally adored musical: it's a match made in commercial heaven, a third-hand version of a 19th-century French saga, and the most epic celebrity karaoke session ever filmed. The fact that it's entirely sung, "live" on set, supposedly communicates more "emotion", but this is already oversaturated with so much melodramatic incident, the effect is numbing.
Gangster Squad (15)
(Ruben Fleischer, 2013, Us) Sean Penn, Ryan Gosling, Josh Brolin. 113 mins
Brolin's under-the-radar police squad guns for Penn's La mobsters in this exuberantly violent, but disappointingly straightforward 1940s thriller, derived more from modern videogames than vintage film noirs. Action definitely speaks louder than words here.
American Mary (18)
(Jen & Sylvia Soska,...
Les Misérables (12A)
(Tom Hooper, 2012, UK) Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, Eddie Redmayne. 158 mins
The King's Speech director plus the globally adored musical: it's a match made in commercial heaven, a third-hand version of a 19th-century French saga, and the most epic celebrity karaoke session ever filmed. The fact that it's entirely sung, "live" on set, supposedly communicates more "emotion", but this is already oversaturated with so much melodramatic incident, the effect is numbing.
Gangster Squad (15)
(Ruben Fleischer, 2013, Us) Sean Penn, Ryan Gosling, Josh Brolin. 113 mins
Brolin's under-the-radar police squad guns for Penn's La mobsters in this exuberantly violent, but disappointingly straightforward 1940s thriller, derived more from modern videogames than vintage film noirs. Action definitely speaks louder than words here.
American Mary (18)
(Jen & Sylvia Soska,...
- 1/12/2013
- by Steve Rose
- The Guardian - Film News
The gangster film is one of the genres we tend to do better than anyone else here in the UK, and The Wee Man is shaping up to be a very promising entry into that genre.
Hitting UK cinemas in just over a month’s time, the film sees Martin Compston (The Disappearance of Alice Creed) star in the lead, based on the true story of reformed Glaswegian gangster, Paul Ferris. And with just a few weeks left to wait, we’ve had an impressive new trailer and poster sent our way to share with you.
“The story begins in the sixties. At the age of just eleven, Paul has already learned that life on the street is tough. Everybody knows his place. Poverty breeds corruption, crime, violence and bullying. Blackhill was the most notorious area of all.
The film charts the way in which Paul was bullied as a child,...
Hitting UK cinemas in just over a month’s time, the film sees Martin Compston (The Disappearance of Alice Creed) star in the lead, based on the true story of reformed Glaswegian gangster, Paul Ferris. And with just a few weeks left to wait, we’ve had an impressive new trailer and poster sent our way to share with you.
“The story begins in the sixties. At the age of just eleven, Paul has already learned that life on the street is tough. Everybody knows his place. Poverty breeds corruption, crime, violence and bullying. Blackhill was the most notorious area of all.
The film charts the way in which Paul was bullied as a child,...
- 12/11/2012
- by Kenji Lloyd
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
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