Cone of Silence

Just as jet engine-powered aircraft were starting to take to the skies, veteran "Capt. Gort" (Bernard Lee) is involved in a near miss trying to take off in his new, state-of-the-art "Phoenix" aircraft. At the subsequent inquiry, he faces thinly veiled criticism from "Sir Arnold" (George Sanders) but is nonetheless cleared to keep flying by his senior colleague "Dallas" (Michael Craig). This earns both of them the chagrin of fellow pilot "Judd" (Peter Cushing) who's convinced of operator error and makes no bones about expressing his suspicions about "Gort" - especially when a landing at Calcutta reveals some foliage in the undercarriage. Thing is, both "Gort" and "Dallas" are convinced they are following the rules, to the letter, so what's wrong? When a tragedy ensues, the most convenient solution would seem to be to simply blame the pilot, but perhaps the foliage might reveal more clues as to what actually went wrong? There's a rather unnecessary romantic sub-plot with Craig and Elizabeth Seal's "Charlotte", but otherwise this is quite tautly directed thriller that uses some decent photography to illustrate the perils of the pilots and the claustrophobia of their tiny cockpits. The setting in India also presents us with an almost palpably hot and humid scenario for these airborne shenanigans. Cushing delivers best, I thought, as the man who comes across as jealous, or concerned, or ambitious or maybe all three? It's a simple story well acted and told and maybe isn't a film to watch if you have the slightest fear of flying (or, indeed, want one!).

In the set CUSHING CURIOSITIES, there are 5 feature films and the 6 remaining episodes of the BBC's SHERLOCK HOLMES series from 1968. The movies were made between 1959 and 1974 and reflect not only the growth of Cushing's career but the many changes in society and the movie industry that brought about the end of the Gothic horror films in which he specialized. Three of the films are in black and white. SUSPECT (1960) and THE MAN WHO FINALLY DIED (1962) have pre-James Bond espionage themes. CONE OF SILENCE, based on a book, deals with faulty aircraft design and is based on fact.

In SUSPECT, Cushing plays a scientist who wishes to publish his findings on deadly bacteria while the British Government wants them withheld from public knowledge. The film co-stars Donald Pleasance and Ian Bannen. In THE MAN WHO FINALLY DIED, Cushing is an ex-Nazi who is trying to commit insurance fraud...or is he? Headlining the movie is Stanley Baker, just 2 years away from international stardom in ZULU. Baker plays a man who is shocked to discover that his German father (not Cushing), whom he thought was long dead, is still alive. Both movies are tense and terse.

The earliest movie in the set, CONE OF SILENCE, dates from 1959. It tells the story of a new line of airplanes that sometimes crash while attempting to land. Peter is an ambitious pilot who, in order to advance his career, blames the crashes on an older cohort rather than the structural flaw he knows to be the real cause. The film has a strong cast that includes George Sanders and Bernard Lee. Future Hammer regulars Andre Morell and Marne Maitland have significant supporting roles. As stated earlier, the screenplay is based on fact.

The other two films, BLOODSUCKERS and TENDER DRACULA are both in color, made in the early 1970s and were barely released. The first movie, about modern day vampires, suffered from producer interference resulting in the director having his name removed. It also underwent several name changes. I first saw it in a drive-in and it wasn't half bad. In addition to Cushing, it has the added presence of Patrick Macnee and Edward Woodward. The 10 minute LSD induced orgy scene, which caused the director to leave and was ultimately cut, has been restored here. .. SPOILER ALERT!... It adds absolutely nothing to the film.

TENDER DRACULA is a real oddity. It was made in France in 1974 and, aside from Cushing and THE THIRD MAN star Alida Valli, features an all French cast and crew. It was intended to be a combination horror comedy and sex farce and how well it succeeds will depend on your taste for...French horror comedies / sex farces. It does have its admirers but only in France which is the only place it was released before going straight to video. Whether it is Cushing's worst movie is debatable. He didn't think so, giving that distinction to 1967's THE BLOOD BEAST TERROR, but TD gets my vote.

As for the 6 SHERLOCK HOLMES episodes, they prove that Peter Cushing was one of the great Holmes interpreters right up there with Jeremy Brett and Basil Rathbone. His lean, gaunt features, dismissive attitude, and nervous energy are very close to Doyle's description of the character. Cushing also insisted that his wardrobe match the illustrations from the Victorian period magazines where Holmes first appeared. Nigel Stock is the perfect Dr. Watson. An ordinary man who helps to ground his extraordinary friend. Of the stories, only A STUDY IN SCARLET disappoints as the murderer's background has been eliminated.

So, in the final summary, CUSHING CURIOSITIES is a must for all fans of the actor even if not all the material is first rate. It gives us a chance to see Peter in some of his solid supporting roles before he became a horror star and some lesser known movies that he made to keep himself busy after his wife died in 1971... For more reviews visit The Capsule Critic.

I haven't seen this film for years, which is a pity because all i remember are a few powerful scenes thanks to the very impressive cast. Based on true events, but subtly changed to avoid law-suits, its actually a compelling little drama, a shame it hasn't been shown more often. The story on which it is based, the KNOWN Design Flaws in the Comet which were Covered up by the De Havilland company, and the subsequent "sacrifice" of an entire airline and its passengers in Italy, is actually screaming out to be remade! In this case, the truth is far worse than fiction...in the film, decent noble people save the day, in the reality alas...less noble and darker motives won...and people died needlessly. The performances in this little melodrama were so good, i actually remembered this film for at least 25 years...thats when i last saw it i think..well worth catching.

Airline pilot Bernard Lee is downgraded for 'pilot error', and eventually reinstated at full rating. His daughter, Elizabeth Seal, knows him for a by-the-book sort of man and puts a bug in the ear of pilot tester Michael Craig. He begins to suspect that the problem lies not in the pilot, but in the new jet plane; the company that manufactures it prefers to blame the man, rather than lose out in a hotly contested, lucrative market.

The movie is suggested by some issues in the De Havilland comet, the first commercial jet liner, in the early 1950s. Jet aviation was a hot topic for the movies, and NO HIGHWAYS IN THE SKY was on the film makers' minds as a likely model. All of the pilots start out being by-the-book, but their individual characters, both as men and pilots, come gradually to the fore, with Gordon Jackson (whose character is called, ineviltably, 'Jock') speaking offhandedly of instinct. In the meantime, we are confronted by everyone except Craif and Miss Seal, being walking avatars of professional probity, from George Sanders, who asks the correct questions at hearings, to Peter Cushing , who demands a retest of Lee .... and who is shocked to learn that he may have been guilty of a near-accident .... missed, like many, it is suggested, by sheer luck.

It's interesting to see in the cast so many actors who spent their careers playing villains. Instead they are tightly repressed. It's an interesting, coolly intellectualized movie that pits man and experience against the sleek, mechanized world we were moving into in the 1950s. The only strike against it is its lack of overt excitement around a now outmoded tecnology. Perhaps the modern audience would find it as relevant as a movie about steam automobiles that keep exploding. On the other hand, recent news about the Boeing 737 may make it telling.

CONE OF SILENCE is one of those rare films - a technical thriller. The subject of this film is a type of aircraft that has problems taking off and landing when carrying a lot of weight and in warm temperatures. After an accident as a result of this problem, the cause is listed as human error, leading the pilot involved to attempt to clear his name.

The subject matter is quite unusual and I enjoyed the way this film refused to pigeonhole itself to a particular genre. Even the characters are written in shades of grey rather than being merely black and white creations. There are thriller elements, some courtroom drama, but most of all this is about the human element.

What makes CONE OF SILENCE work is the exemplary cast who have been gathered together to bring the material to life. In lesser acting hands this might have felt slightly turgid, but the cast make it work. The underrated Bernard Lee is particularly good as the pilot whose failings make up the backbone of the plot, and Peter Cushing is fine as his foil, a misguided antagonist for the most part. There are also roles for George Sanders, Gordon Jackson, and Michael Craig. Hammer fans will spot the likes of Andre Morell (THE MUMMY'S SHROUD), Charles Lloyd Pack (DRACULA), Marne Maitland (THE REPTILE), Noel Willman (KISS OF THE VAMPIRE), Gerald Sim (DR JEKYLL AND SISTER HYDE), and Charles Tingwell (DRACULA: PRINCE OF DARKNESS) fleshing out the cast. CONE OF SILENCE is one of the more originally-plotted dramas I've seen from this era, and it doesn't disappointment.