Manchester University Press
2 Fisher before horror
Abstract
In thematic terms, a sense of desire as a dangerously uncontrollable force can be seen to inform Terence Fisher's later films. In the horror work, the powerful and effective heroes tend to be celibate while those individuals who succumb to desire usually end badly. In the pre-horror work discussed in this chapter, one gains a sense that Fisher is more engaged in those scenarios which afford him the possibility of exploring or commenting upon the perils of desire. Possible traces of Fisher's input are minimal, as one might expect from a project in which Noel Coward was so obviously the leading light. Most of the films he directed at Highbury and Gainsborough were thoroughly conventional, both generically and in broader aesthetic terms, and rarely went beyond the norms and types that characterise British cinema at this time.
Abstract
In thematic terms, a sense of desire as a dangerously uncontrollable force can be seen to inform Terence Fisher's later films. In the horror work, the powerful and effective heroes tend to be celibate while those individuals who succumb to desire usually end badly. In the pre-horror work discussed in this chapter, one gains a sense that Fisher is more engaged in those scenarios which afford him the possibility of exploring or commenting upon the perils of desire. Possible traces of Fisher's input are minimal, as one might expect from a project in which Noel Coward was so obviously the leading light. Most of the films he directed at Highbury and Gainsborough were thoroughly conventional, both generically and in broader aesthetic terms, and rarely went beyond the norms and types that characterise British cinema at this time.
Chapters in this book
- Front matter i
- Contents v
- List of plates vi
- Series Editors’ Foreword ix
- Acknowledgements x
- Introduction 1
- 1 Fisher in context 8
- 2 Fisher before horror 33
- 3 The horror man: 1957–62 81
- 4 Highs and lows: 1962–72 123
- Conclusion 162
- Filmography 167
- Select bibliography 192
- Index 195
Chapters in this book
- Front matter i
- Contents v
- List of plates vi
- Series Editors’ Foreword ix
- Acknowledgements x
- Introduction 1
- 1 Fisher in context 8
- 2 Fisher before horror 33
- 3 The horror man: 1957–62 81
- 4 Highs and lows: 1962–72 123
- Conclusion 162
- Filmography 167
- Select bibliography 192
- Index 195
