CORRUPTION
UK, 1968, 91 minutes, Colour.
Peter Cushing, Sue Lloyd, Noel Trevarthen, Kate O' Mara, David Lodge, Anthony Booth.
Directed by Robert Hartford- Davis.
Corruption is rather an ugly film – even though its central concern is physical beauty.
It was released in 1968 and is very much a film of its time, especially in the swinging London, Carnaby Street psychedelic visual style, models and miniskirts, bright colours, leery photographers…
And, at the centre of this is, of all people, Peter Cushing as surgeon Sir John Rowan. For some moments, Cushing at 55, has to act as a romantic lead, passionately kissing a glamorous model to whom he is engaged – but not really his cinematic style. And he looks less at home, after several hours of surgery, at the swinging party.
There is a confrontation with the photographer, played by very young Anthony Booth (from Till Death do us Part, and Cherie Blair’s father!). The model is disfigured and Sir John spends the rest of the film attending to surgery, at first his stealing a dead woman’s pituitary gland and wreaking wonders, but it soon fails and, desperately, he kills a prostitute (Peter Cushing wrestling with a bare-breated woman and gorily stabbing her and decapitating her), then a woman on the train, continually urged on by the ambitious and vain fiancee.
There is a somewhat vicious climax, a substantial body count – especially as the huge laser is switched on, swinging indiscriminately and causing mayhem and death.
Peter Cushing had become a key figure in the Hammer horror films and was to continue at Hammer and in Dracula and other films throughout the 1970s.
Dir Robert Hartford- Davis made a number of these horror films as well as in blacksploitation films in the United States.
1. Late 1960s horror call film? The psychedelic look and echoes of Carnaby Street and the look of the swinging 60s? The story and its time? Looking dated?
2. The hospital setting and surgery? The swinging party, guests, clothes, styles, photography? Homes, the coast, the railway, the trains? The cliffs? The musical score – in terms of the time?
3. Peter Cushing as Sir John Rowan? Famed surgeon, hours in the operation room, Steve and his admiration and support? Falling asleep, the phone call from Lynne, going to the party?
4. Peter Cushing, aged 55, acting against type, romance, kissing, at the party? His looking uncomfortable in this role?
5. The party, the photographer and his brash approach, the model with no thoughts in her head? Lynne, the party, dancing, wanting to stay? John and his clash with the photographer, the fight, the overturning of the light, burning Lynne’s face?
6. Lynne, in surgery, the visit of her sister, John and his support? Lynne’s character, her vanity?
7. John, his studies, surgery in ancient times, contemporary developments? Steve and his questions? The dead woman, taking the pituitary? The surgery and its success? Lynne and her revival? John and his lack of ethics, his devotion to Lynne? The challenges from Steve?
8. The failure of the operation, Lynne and her desperation? The effect on John, his obsession, decision to kill the woman, going to the prostitute, the struggle with her, the brutality of her death, his taking her head? The further surgery? The continued need? Terry and her visit, the loss of opportunity to kill her? Going to the railway station, on the train, killing the woman in the carriage, her head, the body under the railway seat? Police investigations?
9. Lynne, her vanity, recovery, going on the cruise with John, the sudden return, the corruption of her face, the continued operations, her growing desperation? Urging John on? No scruple?
10. Terry, the visit, being taken in, the meals? The irony of her casing the house, the plans for the robbery? Her disappearance, the gang coming in, the threats to John and Lynne, then using them to force John to operate despite his scruples and his nerves?
11. The sister, her visit, discovering the truth, her being chased through the rocks, to the sea, death?
12. The confrontation of the group, the touch of madness? The woman doing the cooking and discovering the head? Lynne persuading the young man to go with her, pushing him over the
cliff?
13. The return, crisis, Lynne switching on the laser, it swinging wildly, and killing everyone, John tried to turn it off, failing?
14. The final focus on John, his face, the return to the party – what happened and truth, whether his jealous imagination or reality? His corruption?
