Can I Come Out From Behind The Sofa Yet(i)? (The Abominable Snowman (DVD))

Member Name: keeperofthematri

Product:	The Abominable Snowman (DVD)
Date:	28/10/09 (42 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good acting from Cushing and Tucker, Good snowscape set, Thoughtful script

Disadvantages: Bit slow, A bit too "talky", Arnold Marle's accent as the Lhama

Background:

Hammer has previously purchased the film rights for The Quatermass Xperiment and Quatermass 2 from the BBC when they concluded negotiations to buy the rights to a TV play entitled "The Creature". Like the two Quatermass stories this had been scripted by Nigel Kneale. By the time "The Abominable Snowman" (the new name for "The Creature" went into production however Kneale had left the BBC which meant that he was free to adapt his TV play for Hammer to film.
There were a number of changes between the BBC version of Kneale's script and the version that was finally filmed by Hammer but the basic story remained the same and Peter Cushing who has played the role of Doctor Rollason in the TV version along with Arnold Marle (Lhama) and Wolfe Morris (Kusang) would all appear in the Hammer version.


Plot:

Dr. John Rollason (Peter Cushing) and his colleague Peter Fox (Richard Wattis) have been busy packing away samples of medicines and other things that they've found or have been given by the monastery high in the Himalayas. Unknown to Helen Rollason (Maureen Connell) her husband has received an invitation from Dr. Tom Friend )Forrest Tucker) to track down the legendary yeti. He's already had one climbing accident and she's vehemently opposed to his going.
The Lhama (Arnold Marle) also delivers a warning of sorts about hunting for the yeti and then the five man team, Rollason, Friend, Ed Shelley (Robert Brown), Andrew McNee (Michael Brill) and their guide Kusang (Wolfe Morris) set off to look for the creature.

It soon becomes apparent that Rollason and Friend have diametrically opposed viewpoints regarding the potential capture of any creature. Rollason wishes to find one purely for study purposes, so that it can be studied to throw further light on Darwin's theory of evolution. Friend, on the other hand, is determined to exploit the creature for financial gain with "showings" on television etc.

Things begin to go badly wrong when McNee steps into a trap meant for the creature and ends up injuring his leg. Then the camp that the team are staying in is attacked and the team start to show signs of mental strain. Do the strange creatures have some sort of power over the human mind? And, if so, will they use that power to safeguard their own survival? As the death tolls starts to mount it begins to look as if none of the team will make it back down the mountain alive......


Opinion:

The first thing I watched on the DVD was the theatrical trailer for the American release of the film which had the slightly different title of "The Abominable Snowman Of The Himalayas". Over scenes from the film you can have a good chuckle over the following voiceover:-

"A small band of men on a perilous search for the man beast of Tibet. The Abominable Snowman of the Himalayas. You've heard of him, haven't you? The World's most shocking monster. No-one's ever lived who's seen him. Be on your guard. He's coming to this theatre. The Abominable Snowman dares you. We dare you ~ dare you to see the Abominable Snowman of the Himalayas. Warning! Only those with stout nerves and strong hearts should risk seeing the Abominable Snowman of the Himalayas"

Lol! The "you've heard of him, haven't you?" really made me laugh. Anyway, on to the film.


The first thing that's noticeable about this film is that it's comprised of just three elements. Firstly there's the location filming (which took place in the Pyrenees), secondly there are the scenes in the monastery and thirdly there are the studio based scenes set on the mountain. It's obvious to anyone watching this film where the studio filming for the mountain scenes and the location filming starts and ends. Having said that special mention must go to production designer Bernard Robinson and art director Ted Marshall for their work on both the monastery and mountain sets. Despite this being a low budget film they've really managed to create a sense of depth and scale with the snowscape set that they built at Pinewood studios. There are a number of shots with various characters in the foreground and something else going on in the background which really give the viewer a feeling of space.

People have been interested in the Yeti or the Abominable Snowman since the press started reporting rumours of the existence of them in the Himalayas. In the film Rollason theorises that these Yeti may actually be a third line of evolution, running alongside man and the great apes whilst all Friend in interested is the commercial gain that he'd get from capturing such a creature. Rollason's forced to worked with Friend, even though he dislikes and distrusts him, firstly because he's curious about the Yeti himself and secondly because Friend's the only person who knows where the food and supplies that have previously been stored on the mountain are located.
As the number of members in the team drop these two men are forced to work together more closely despite the fact that neither of them likes the other much. Cushing and Tucker both perform well in their respective roles and really wring every ounce of tension between their two characters out of the script. You're left wondering whether one of them will actually "crack" and end up killing the other!

Wisely the production team have kept the sight of the Yeti to a minimum. We may see a hand, or an indistinct shape in the snow or in the shadows but that's definitely the right way to go. As far as the Yeti is concerned less is definitely more and the fact that, as a viewer, you don't get to see clearly what one looks like means that your imagination is free to create it's own visual images. The final shot of the Yeti (you'll see what I mean if I watch the film) is very touching and effective though.

Overall this is an average sort of film. It's a little too "talky" and a little to low on incidence to completely engage and retain the interest of the average viewer. However it does contain one wonderful moment when Rollason (Peter Cushing) wonders whether it's man who is the destroyer and whether the Yeti are waiting to claim the Earth once we've gone. You only have to look at the changes we've made to the landscape since the Industrial Revolution and the effects that our lifestyles have had on climate change and global warming, not to mention the number of endangered species there are in the world now to realise that Cushing's musings about Man The Destroyer are probably a lot more relevant now then they were when the film was made.

Worth watching if only for the snowscape set and the performances of Peter Cushing and Forrest Tucker. Oh, and Arnold Marle (the Lhama) sounds like he's trying out some Viennesse accent in "'Allo! 'Allo!"



Availability: The film appears to have been deleted so is now only available from 3rd party sellers on site like Amazon Marketplace, E-bay etc.


Cast:

Dr. Tom Friend - Forrest Tucker
Dr. John Rollason - Peter Cushing
Helen Rollason - Maureen Connell
Peter Fox- Richard Wattis
Ed Shelley - Robert Brown
Andrew McNee- Michael Brill
Kusang - Wolfe Morris
Lhama - Arnold Marle
Major-Domo- Anthony Chinn


Extras:

+ Theatrical Trailer for the American release of the film.
See above. Unintentionally hilarious.

+ Commentary by director Val Guest
{I haven't watched this so I can't comment on it)

+ Interview with Val Guest.
The Director talks about his work with Hammer and, more specifically his work on this film. From the looks of things this was filmed at the same time as he was interviewed about Quatermass 2. His opinions about some Hammer films and the people that worked on them or for the company will be of interest to any Hammer fan.

+ The World of Hammer
An episode from the TV series, narrated by Oliver Reed, which focussed on the films Peter Cushing made from Hammer. The clips used are from the films She, Dracula, The Brides Of Dracula, The Mummy, The Abominable Snowmen, The Hounds Of The Baskerville, Twins Of Evil, Fear In The Night, The Curse Of Frankenstein, Frankenstein And The Monster From Hell

+ 24 page booklet featuring rare stills and information about the film.


DVD Details:

Format: Black & White, Widescreen, PAL
Language English
Region: Region 2
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
Number of discs: 1
Classification: 12
Studio: Hammer Films
DVD Release Date: 26 May 2003
Run Time: 86 minutes

Summary: The Abominable Snowman