The world has lost a great talent in the world of cinema with the passing of cinematographer Douglas Slocombe, who passed away last Monday at the age of 103. Slocombe was in the business over 40 years, working on 80 films, in which he received 3 Oscar nominations and 11 BAFTA nominations, winning 3 of those. But aside from his filmwork, his eariler days are a movie waiting to be made!
He started in journalism, working for the British United Press as a junior editor, while in his free time, he continued his passion for photography. He eventually started selling his stills to different magazines around the world, as well as continuing to write. His introduction to filmmaking came when he convinced Life to send him to Danzig in 1939, where he filmed some very dangerous subjects, like a meeting of SS stormtroopers. At the time, Danzig was known as the most dangerous place in Europe because of the German occupation. Slocombe’s work was being smuggled out by the Polish Embassy, but he was being watched very closely by the Germans. He would later spend a lot of time on different navy ships such as Destroyers, Aircraft Carriers, and more. After the war, he made his way into Ealing Studios, which is where he started his movie career.
It is one thing to be a director that makes a film, even a good one. But it takes a very different kind of director to make a film that brings out such a diverse and strong reaction. Like Polish director Andrzej Zulawski. While he only made a few films in his 40+ year career, all one needs to do is look at his 1981 film Possession to see what I’m talking about. Sure, you might not understand what is going on, but it is a powerful one none the less. Made during a bitter divorce, director Zulawski brought those intense emotions to life on the screen with this bizarre tale.
We meant to post this earlier this week but time just got away from us. But we hope to make up for it now. While Frank Finlay might have been known for his stage work, as well as plenty of TV work for the BBC, he did appear in enough horror titles that is worth noting.
Another new year, and now another passing of a great icon in the Horror & Sci-Fi genre world. Like many other fans this morning, I woke up reading the news that Angus Scrimm had passed away. Not sure how to even start with this eulogy, since anybody that had ever met Scrimm at one of the many conventions that he appeared at over the years, knew that he was as far opposite as the sinister character he was known for. While he might not have appeared in hundreds of movies, the ones that he did, he always made an impact, even in the smallest of roles. But of course, we all knew him as the evil Tall Man from the Phantasm series, where he really shined. But then seeing this man at a show, such a kind-hearted old gentleman, so happy, excited, and even thrilled, to meet fans of his work, treating each and every one of them with respect and kindness…it always left a strong impact for me to see this, each and every time.
Oscar winning cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond has passed away at the age of 85. While most of Hollywood know him from his work on films such as Deliverence (1972), The Deer Hunter (1978), The Rose (1979), and Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), Blow Out (1981), we here at the Krypt remember him for his earlier work, on some of the low budget films that we cherish as much as those classic pieces of cinema. Okay…maybe not as much, but we still enjoy them!
The horror genre has lost another legend, even though most fans probably don’t know who Germán Robles ever was. But in fact, he was one the very first movie vampire to ever bare his fangs on screen! That’s right, folks, right before Hammer’s Horror of Dracula was released, a black and white film from Mexico called El Vampiro came out, which featured Robles as the dreaded Count Duval.
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