The Gorgon – 1964

A Hammer film Production released by Columbia Pictures
Copyright MCMLXIV Hammer Film Productions Ltd, – All rights reserved
MPAA Approved Certificate
The characters and incidents portrayed and the names used herein are fictitious and any similarity to the name, character, or history of any person is entirely accidental and unintentional
RCA Sound Recording
Produced at Bray Studios England
Eastmancolour by Pathe 83 mins
Storyline
Opening title:- “Overshadowing the village of Vandorf stands the Castle Borski. From the turn of the century a monster from an ancient age of history came to live here. No living thing survived and the spectre of death hovered in waiting for her next victim.”When his son Bruno is killed in mysterious circumstances, Professor Heitz travels to Vandorf hoping to find out the truth; but instead he is greeted by a conspiracy of silence involving Dr Namaroff, the top medical man there, and the police. The superstitious, frightened villagers try to make him leave but he refuses, determined to get to the bottom of the mystery. Then one night he is lured by a siren-like voice to the Castle Borski, where he stares straight into the eyes of the Gorgon. Instantly, he begins to turn to stone…..
Watch the trailer on YouTube
Crew
Function | Credited | Age at Release | Birth | Death | Age | Hammer Credits |
Art Director | Don Mingaye | 35 | 1929 | 8 Nov 2017 | 88 | 25 |
Assistant Director | Bert Batt | 33 | 25 Apr 1930 | 2011 | 80 | 13 |
Based on an original story by | J. Llewellyn Devine | 1 | ||||
Camera Operator | Cece Cooney | 57 | 11 Sep 1906 | 1 Sep 1993 | 86 | 5 |
Continuity | Pauline Harlow (Wise) | 26 | 1938 | Living | 83 | 11 |
Directed by | Terence Fisher | 59 | 23 Feb 1904 | 18 Jun 1980 | 76 | 31 |
Director of Photography | Michael Reed | 34 | 7 Jul 1929 | Living | 91 | 5 |
Editor | Eric Boyd-Perkins | 47 | 1917 | 4 Dec 2014 | 97 | 10 |
Fight Arranger | Peter Diamond | 34 | 10 Aug 1929 | 27 Mar 2004 | 74 | 4 |
Hair Stylist | Frieda Steiger | 28 | ||||
Make-up Artist | Roy Ashton | 54 | 16 Apr 1909 | 10 Jan 1995 | 85 | 36 |
Music Composed by | James Bernard | 38 | 20 Sep 1925 | 12 Jul 2001 | 75 | 24 |
Musical Supervisor | Marcus Dodds | 45 | 19 Apr 1918 | 30 Apr 1984 | 66 | 4 |
Produced by | Anthony Nelson-Keys | 52 | 13 Nov 1911 | 19 Mar 1985 | 73 | 41 |
Production Designer | Bernard Robinson | 51 | 28 Jul 1912 | 2 Mar 1970 | 57 | 46 |
Production Manager | Don Weeks | 59 | 15 Nov 1904 | 1 Mar 1988 | 83 | 30 |
Screenplay by | John Gilling | 51 | 29 May 1912 | 22 Nov 1984 | 72 | 21 |
Sound Editor | Roy Hyde | 43 | 15 Feb 1920 | 28 Jun 1985 | 65 | 30 |
Sound Recordist | Ken Rawkins | 46 | 1918 | 1971 | 53 | 18 |
Special Effects | Sid Pearson | 9 | ||||
Supervising Editor | James Needs | 44 | 17 Oct 1919 | 2003 | 83 | 111 |
Wardrobe Mistress | Rosemary Burrows | 36 |
Cast
Character | Actor | Age at Release | Birth | Death | Age | Hammer Appearances |
Bruno Heitz | Jeremy Longhurst | 32 | 26 Jun 1931 | 18 Feb 2001 | 69 | 2 |
Carla Hoffmann | Barbara Shelley | 32 | 13 Feb 1932 | 4 Jan 2021 | 88 | 8 |
Constable | Michael Peake | 45 | 13 Oct 1918 | 1 Apr 1967 | 48 | 2 |
Coronor | Joseph O'Conor | 53 | 14 Feb 1910 | 21 Jan 2001 | 90 | 2 |
Hans | Redmond Philips | 51 | 5 Jun 1912 | 3 Nov 1993 | 81 | 1 |
Janus Cass | Alister Williamson | 45 | 17 Jun 1918 | 19 May 1999 | 80 | 3 |
Kanof | Patrick Troughton | 43 | 25 Mar 1920 | 28 Mar 1987 | 67 | 5 |
Mad Martha | Joyce Hemson | 42 | 9 May 1921 | 16 Sep 1996 | 75 | 2 |
Megeira | Prudence Hyman | 49 | 2 Feb 1914 | 1 Jun 1995 | 81 | 1 |
Namaroff | Peter Cushing | 50 | 26 May 1913 | 11 Aug 1994 | 81 | 24 |
Paul Heitz | Richard Pasco | 37 | 18 Jul 1926 | 12 Nov 2014 | 88 | 4 |
Professor Heitz | Michael Goodliffe | 49 | 1 Oct 1914 | 20 Mar 1976 | 61 | 5 |
Professor Meister | Christopher Lee | 41 | 27 May 1922 | 7 Jun 2015 | 93 | 22 |
Ratoff | Jack Watson | 48 | 14 May 1915 | 4 Jul 1999 | 84 | 1 |
Sascha Cass | Tony Gilpin | 29 | 1935 | 25 Oct 2016 | 81 | 1 |
Footnotes
Barbara Shelley had already appeared in horror films, such as “Cat Girl” (1957) and “Blood of the Vampire” (1958, written by Jimmy Sangster). For Hammer, she also made “The Secret of Blood Island” (1965), “Dracula – Prince of Darkness” (1966), “Rasputin – the Mad Monk” (1966) and “Quatermass and the Pit” (1967):
This was the second time in his career that actor Michael Goodliffe played a statue. In “Up the Creek” (1958), he played the statue of Nelson on top of his famous column in Trafalgar Square!
Details were complied viewing the actual film.
Source of viewing copy – The Hammer Graveyard Collection