Crescendo * (1970, Stefanie Powers, James Olson, Margaretta Scott) – Classic Movie Review 6869

Director Alan Gibson’s mediocre 1969 Hammer horror stars Stefanie Powers as Susan Roberts, a brisk and capable US research graduate, who sets off for southern France to seek out a decidedly odd family to do her thesis research on a recently deceased composer. Staying with his eccentric relatives may not be the best idea!

[Spoiler alert] They include composer’s widow Danielle Ryman (Margaretta Scott), her heroin-addict invalid son (James Olson) and their attentive, soon-to-be-murdered maid Lillianne (Jane Lapotaire).

A trick ending, dull sex scenes, a few nightmares and some solid acting from a decent cast (also Joss Ackland and Kirsten Betts [Kirsten Lindholm]) can’t save this from being a derivative, hokey and murky slice of Hammer horror hokum, not too happily written by the usually reliable stalwarts Jimmy Sangster and Alfred Shaughnessy.

It is based on an original screenplay by Alfred Shaughnessy, as well as an original screenplay and idea by Michael Reeves. It was intended to be Reeves’s next project after Witchfinder General [The Conqueror Worm] (1968) but he died of accidental barbiturate overdose on February 11, 1969, aged 25.

The X certificate original runs 65 minutes and the cut PG version runs 83 minutes.

Crescendo is directed by Alan Gibson, runs 99 minutes, is produced by Hammer, is released by Warner Bros, is written by Jimmy Sangster and Alfred Shaughnessy, is shot in Technicolor by Paul Beeson, is produced by Michael Carreras, is scored by Malcolm Williamson and is designed by Scott MacGregor.

It was released in a double bill with Taste the Blood of Dracula (1970).

Producer Carreras hoped to get Joan Crawford for the Margaretta Scott role but she wasn’t playing.

RIP Jimmy Sangster.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 6869

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