Quatermass
(1978)
Director - Piers Haggard
Writer - Nigel Kneale
Starring
- John Mills, Simon MacCorkindale, Barbara Kellerman, Margaret
Tyzack, Brewster Mason, S Newton Anderson, Ralph Arliss, Jane
Bertish, Carla D Clark, Brenda Fricker, Annabelle Lanyon,
Bruce Purchase, Paul Rosebury, Rebecca Saire, Tony Sibbald,
Neil Stacy, David Yip
Review by Noel Baily
Look past the production values and see greatness!
Nigel
Kneale wrote a story here equally as inventive and thought
provoking as QUATERMASS AND THE PIT. Perhaps more cerebral
and decidedly less horrific, but no less disturbing in its
connotations. The concept of an alien technology "harvesting"
the world's youth for its own physiological needs is both
original and brilliant in its execution. Like its forerunners,
originally shown as a mini-series, this being an arguably
effective re-edit!
Where
the film cannot hold-up to its predecessors unfortunately,
is that it was done "on the cheap" and much as I
personally respect and admire Sir John Mills' wonderful career
(its unassailable highlights being the village idiot in RYANS
DAUGHTER and Captain Anson in ICE COLD IN ALEX) for me, he
doesn't have the physical presence for the role of Professor
Quatermass! Simon MacCorkindale additionally, is a bit on
the wussy side for my money. But hey, let's move on to the
positives!
The
setting of England, moving into a near post-apocalyptic state
with anarchy ruling, the Police in the hands of Private ownership
is pretty cool for 1978 - we're getting there nicely! Mills
portrays the old disillusioned and resigned-to-it-all Quatermass
so well. Retired now, all he wants in life is to find his
missing grand-daughter. When the first terrifying beam from
space sucks up its first victims and destroys a joint Anglo-Russian
Space project, he is summoned to assist the Ministry.
Kneale
has his knee on the viewer's neck at times as the beam returns
for more of the world's youth. Although the budget ran obviously
to limited fx, the attack on Wembley Stadium leaves any aware
and thinking person with real spinal tap! Again, Kneale resorts
to an association with lore and magic and the images of the
hippie-esque multitudes as they converge on Stonehenge singing
"Huffity Puffity Ringstone Round" are as chilling
as any scenes I have ever seen. Kneale reaches right out of
the screen here and puts one in an arm-lock. You ain't going
nowhere, but WITH them to Ringstone Round!
Quatermass'
ultimate understanding of the code and what it all means is
literate stuff, his plan to rebuff the alien threat sheer
genius. Without giving anything away, the final scene with
his granddaughter ranks as one of the most moving and shatteringly
emotional scenes in film history. If you can't SEE that, what
a shame!
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