| Author | Message | ||
     Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 195.166.117.210 |
Another piece of my childhood is ripped away. | ||
| Stevie Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 82.17.252.126 |
I wasn't aware he was still alive but that is very sad news! RWB was probably second only to Terence Fisher among the great British horror directors of the 50s-70s. Of course, 'Quatermass And The Pit' was his masterpiece, but he should never be forgotten for helming; 'Asylum', 'Vault Of Horror', 'The Anniversary' or 'The Monster Club', among several other all-time genre classics, imo. I'm glad now that I listed 3 of his films in the Top 20 Hammer/Amicus movies the other week. | ||
| Mick Curtis (Mick) Username: Mick Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.177.180.49 |
Very sad - another familiar name from favourite films gone. | ||
| Johnny_mains (Johnny_mains) Username: Johnny_mains Registered: 04-2010 Posted From: 82.22.75.99 |
Sad, sad day. Love Dr Jekyll and Sister Hyde, and adore the non horror Flame in the Streets. Genius director. | ||
| Carolinec (Carolinec) Username: Carolinec Registered: 06-2009 Posted From: 82.38.75.85 |
Oh, that is, indeed, another part of my childhood gone. He was the best. He's left a fantastic legacy for us old horror film fans. RIP, old fella. | ||
| Seanmcd (Seanmcd) Username: Seanmcd Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 217.39.93.223 |
'Quatermass and the Pit'. One of the very best. Legacy enough by itself. A sad day indeed. | ||
| Simon Bestwick (Simon_b) Username: Simon_b Registered: 10-2008 Posted From: 86.24.209.217 |
Sean- was watching 'Quatermass And The Pit' on DVD a couple of weeks ago. Bloody classic. As you say, a great legacy on its own. | ||
| Frank (Frank) Username: Frank Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 85.222.86.21 |
RIP. Zed said it best. | ||
| Huw (Huw) Username: Huw Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 220.138.163.87 |
I'm sad to hear this. He directed some terrific films, and also some great episodes of The Avengers. | ||
| Stevie Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 194.32.31.1 |
I thought the man deserved a proper resumé of his achievements in genre cinema, so here goes... I wasn't aware that Roy Ward Baker started his career way back in 1938 as Assistant Director to Alfred Hitchcock on 'The Lady Vanishes' - talk about learning from the master! He also directed more genre films than I realised, get this: 'The October Man' (1948) - Hitchcockian amnesia/murder thriller, scripted by Eric Ambler. 'Paper Orchid' (1949) - murder mystery. 'Highly Dangerous' (1950) - sci-fi/bacteriological warfare thriller, scripted by Eric Ambler, about insects being deliberately infected with deadly germs, shades of 'The X-Files'! 'Operation Disaster' (1950) - twelve men trapped in a submarine going slowly mad, with only enough air for eight to survive until rescue, psychological thriller. 'I'll Never Forget You' (1951) - time travel romantic drama! 'Don't Bother To Knock' (1952) - psycho-thriller with Marilyn Monroe as a deranged lunatic threatening the life of a child she is babysitting!! 'Night Without Sleep' (1952) - Hitchcockian amnesia/murder thriller. 'Inferno' (1953) - survival in the wilderness adventure/revenge thriller, with purportedly the best artistic use of 3D in cinema history! 'Tiger In The Smoke' (1956) - early example of the "let's drive the rich widow insane" type psychological thriller Hammer would later excel at. 'A Night To Remember' (1958) - the best film ever made about the Titanic disaster, bar none! He then spent much of the early-mid 60s working on the TV Series' 'The Saint' & 'The Avengers'. Before... a list of films that need no introduction: ‘Quatermass And The Pit’ (1967) – for Hammer. ‘The Anniversary’ (1968) – for Hammer, with one of Bette Davis’s best performances imo. ‘Moon Zero Two’ (1969) – a rare outer space sci-fi movie for Hammer. ‘The Scars Of Dracula’ (1970) – for Hammer, can you believe I haven’t seen it! ‘The Vampire Lovers’ (1970) – for Hammer. ‘Dr Jekyll And Sister Hyde’ (1971) – for Hammer. ‘Asylum’ (1972) – for Amicus. ‘And Now The Screaming Starts’ (1973) – for Amicus. ‘The Legend Of The Seven Golden Vampires’ (1973) – for Hammer, and it’s quite wonderful. ‘Vault Of Horror’ (1973) – for Amicus. ‘The Monster Club’ (1981) – along with Pete Walker’s ‘House Of The Long Shadows’ & the TV Series ‘Hammer House Of Horror’, this provided a fine swan song for the golden era of old-fashioned British horror, it was apt Baker was there until the end… | ||
| Frank (Frank) Username: Frank Registered: 09-2008 Posted From: 85.222.86.21 |
Steve - it's a brilliant resume. Just look at his genre work and his non-genre work, marvelous. | ||
| Stevie Walsh (Stephenw) Username: Stephenw Registered: 03-2009 Posted From: 194.32.31.1 |
There was loads more non-genre work but I only listed the standout ones, Frank. |