The Abominable Snowman, 1957.
Directed by Val Guest.
Starring Forrest Tucker, Peter Cushing, Maureen Connell, Robert Brown, Arnold Marlé, Richard Wattis, Wolfe Morris, Fred Johnson.
SYNOPSIS:
A kindly English botanist and a gruff American scientist lead an expedition to the Himalayas in search of the legendary Yeti.
Hammer are taking a swing and hitting physical media collector’s again with a very fetching 4K UHD/Blu-ray box set of The Abominable Snowman, a movie that doesn’t quite fall under the umbrella of ‘one of the big boys’ when it comes to the studio’s output, instead straddling the divide between their early output and the horror movies they would become known for later on.
Whilst on a botanical expedition to the Himalayas, scientist Dr. John Rollason (Peter Cushing) hooks up with a group of American explorers out to find the legendary Yeti, despite Rollason’s wife Helen (Maureen Connell) and the host Lama (Arnold Marlé) warning him not to go. The explorers are being led by Tom Friend (Forrest Tucker) and although Rollason agrees to go on the principal of scientific research, Friend is more concerned about capturing one of the mythical beasts for his own fortune and glory, leading to conflicts between the two as they head deeper into the unknown. After Friend’s Sherpa guide sees the Yeti and runs away, the explorers become the victims of paranoia and when they start falling prey to the terrors of isolation, Helen attempts to mount a rescue to save her husband, but what will she discover when she finds him?
Originally released after Hammer’s breakthrough horror hit The Curse of Frankenstein, The Abominable Snowman is closer in look and feel to their sci-fi output from a couple of years earlier, the icy black-and-white photography at odds with the lairy Eastmancolor visuals of the former, although Peter Cushing’s dynamic energy gives it a slightly fresher appeal than had one of their more established stars taken the role. Despite Forrest Tucker being given top billing – Cushing was not quite enough of a bankable headliner for Hammer’s US backers, although that would change the following year with the release of Dracula – it is Peter Cushing who is the most memorable, his earnest performance a stark contrast from the relatively laid-back Tucker and, again, foreshadowing what he would go on to bring to Hammer’s more lavish productions as bigger success came their way.
And Cushing really is the main attraction here because, despite some stunning visuals filmed in the Pyrenees, the movie does take its time getting to where it needs to be. It isn’t boring, as there are some fine performances on display and the tension that is created by the combination of isolation, ambition and ego from the characters is compelling to watch, but unless Peter Cushing is spicing things up with his formidable line delivery and convincing use of props the momentum does slow down somewhat. There are a few attempts to get some testosterone on the screen as alpha male Tom Friend and the more reserved Rollason come to blows over each others’ motives, but these are brushed over fairly quickly, as altitude sickness is blamed and everyone becomes friends again.
However, when we get to the final act and the titular creature is on point to make an appearance things get more interesting and the action is ramped up. One of the Yeti is played by character actor Fred Johnson, a Hammer regular at the time who was apparently cast in the role because of his expressive eyes, giving the creature a somewhat human appearance that plays into the final scenes, during which Peter Cushing also gives a masterclass in saying a lot by doing very little. It isn’t the explosive creature feature ending that Universal or MGM might have gone with had they made it, but it is a more emotional payoff after having just sat through a relatively pedestrian build-up for the previous 80-or-so minutes.
But whatever the highs and lows of The Abominable Snowman as a film, this is another winning package from Hammer, who have once again collected as much supplementary material as is possible for a 70-year-old movie and given it their stunning boutique treatment. Coming in the now-traditional leather-feel slipcase, the set comprises of two 4K UHD discs and two standard Blu-rays, with the content duplicated on both formats so no need to swap to see a particular feature, you get two cuts of the movie and for extras we get no fewer than four new documentaries related to the movie, all featuring the usual suspects such as Hammer expert Wayne Kinsey, actor Toby Hadoke, Nigel Kneale biographer Andy Murray plus others, an archive interview with director Val Guest, a video essay about giant monsters in the movies by Heather Wixson, audio interviews, audio essays, two new audio commentaries, collector’s book, on-set photographs, trailer, censor card, a poster and art cards, so you can’t say Hammer haven’t dug deep for this one.
It goes without saying that this stacked release is definitely one for the collectors, and watching the movie within the context of the special features and by looking at it with a retrospective lens The Abominable Snowman is a much more rewarding experience than simply viewing the movie on its own, especially if you have not seen it before. Lovingly restored by Hammer and released fully uncut for the first time anywhere, The Abominable Snowman looks fantastic – especially when you consider most of it was filmed on sets at Bray and Pinewood Studios, as the location shooting in the Pyrenees was done by the second unit just for establishing shots – and the pristine black-and-white 4K UHD image manages to maintain the illusion that the actors really were on a mountain, so it is a set worth picking up if you want a physical copy. However, as far as its place in movie history – or even just Hammer’s own catalogue – goes it gets a little buried by the horror movies that were made either side of it to really stand out as a major title, and were it not for Peter Cushing’s presence and the discussions had around him and his place at Hammer there is a chance that it may not have gotten as stunning a release as this.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
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Chris Ward
