Page 1 of 1

Hammer and Star Wars

Posted: 2003-03-15 08:49am
by Peregrin Toker
Am I the first to notice that many of the actors which played major villains in SW movies started their career at the british studio Hammer??? (known for its cult horror movies)

Among these actors were Peter Cushing (Dr. Frankenstein and also Van Helsing in several Hammer flicks, Grand Moff Tarkin in ANH), Christopher Lee (Hammer's Dracula and AOTC's Count Dooku) and David Prowse (he played Frankenstein's monster in the last of Hammer's Frankenstein movies - but is better known as Darth Vader).

Were these people cast as SW villains because of their roles in Hammer movies, or simply as a matter of coincidence???

Note: I am aware that Ian McDiarmid (Emperor Palpatine I) never appeared in a Hammer flick.

Posted: 2003-03-15 11:16am
by Seele
But Ian Mcdiarmid was in Sleepy Hollow which was inspired by by the Hamner style and Ray Parks also was in that flick as well.

Posted: 2003-03-15 11:19am
by Montcalm
How about the goog guys of SW did some of them played in Hammer movies?

Re: Hammer and Star Wars

Posted: 2003-03-15 11:29am
by Joe
Simon H.Johansen wrote:Am I the first to notice that many of the actors which played major villains in SW movies started their career at the british studio Hammer??? (known for its cult horror movies)

Among these actors were Peter Cushing (Dr. Frankenstein and also Van Helsing in several Hammer flicks, Grand Moff Tarkin in ANH), Christopher Lee (Hammer's Dracula and AOTC's Count Dooku) and David Prowse (he played Frankenstein's monster in the last of Hammer's Frankenstein movies - but is better known as Darth Vader).

Were these people cast as SW villains because of their roles in Hammer movies, or simply as a matter of coincidence???

Note: I am aware that Ian McDiarmid (Emperor Palpatine I) never appeared in a Hammer flick.
This is no coincidence; I think GL wanted it. If I recall correctly, Christopher Lee wanted to be in EpII to sort of pay homage to his old friend Cushing.

Posted: 2003-03-17 03:45am
by Boba Fett
The funny thing is that they're very talented actors.

Take a look at the actors in horror movies nowadays... :roll:

Posted: 2003-03-17 04:05am
by Peregrin Toker
Boba Fett wrote:The funny thing is that they're very talented actors.

Take a look at the actors in horror movies nowadays... :roll:
I've heard that the actors in The Blair Witch Project weren't even actors to begin with. But Hammer had actors of Shakespearean quality at their disposal!! Those were the days!

Posted: 2003-03-17 04:09am
by Boba Fett
Simon H.Johansen wrote:
Boba Fett wrote:The funny thing is that they're very talented actors.

Take a look at the actors in horror movies nowadays... :roll:
I've heard that the actors in The Blair Witch Project weren't even actors to begin with. But Hammer had actors of Shakespearean quality at their disposal!! Those were the days!
Agreed!!!

That's why I rarely watch new horror movies.

Posted: 2003-03-17 04:17am
by Captain tycho
Boba Fett wrote:
Simon H.Johansen wrote:
Boba Fett wrote:The funny thing is that they're very talented actors.

Take a look at the actors in horror movies nowadays... :roll:
I've heard that the actors in The Blair Witch Project weren't even actors to begin with. But Hammer had actors of Shakespearean quality at their disposal!! Those were the days!
Agreed!!!

That's why I rarely watch new horror movies.
Hell yeah, I agree.
I remeber all those great horror movies.
But nowdays 'horror' can be summed up in one word: gorefest..
No style, nothing...just gore.

Posted: 2003-03-17 05:57am
by The Yosemite Bear
yeah, I have wanteed to make a decent horror movie for a while. Something with tension ^ no gross out,

Posted: 2003-03-17 09:59am
by Peregrin Toker
Captain tycho wrote:
Boba Fett wrote:
Simon H.Johansen wrote: I've heard that the actors in The Blair Witch Project weren't even actors to begin with. But Hammer had actors of Shakespearean quality at their disposal!! Those were the days!
Agreed!!!

That's why I rarely watch new horror movies.
Hell yeah, I agree.
I remeber all those great horror movies.
But nowdays 'horror' can be summed up in one word: gorefest..
No style, nothing...just gore.
That's not horror, that's slasher.

Not to go off topic, but in my opinion the horror genre is actually better suited to litterature than movies.

Posted: 2003-03-18 04:41am
by Master Arachnos
Kinda swinging off at a tangent here...but has any1 seen the classic hammer film 'twins of evil'...

yummy....