Hammer Films: The Bray Studio Years (Paperback)

by Wayne Kinsey (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Hammer Films was one of the most successful independent production companies of the 1950s and 60s. The company's movies conquered box offices around the world, but the movies it produced during this era were all produced at the same modest facility near Windsor, in the English Home Counties. Acclaimed Hammer expert Wayne Kinsey has gained exclusive access to production files and censor reports, and conducted numerous interviews during many years of research. The result is a definitive and exhaustive history of Hammer's golden age, as seen through the eyes of the stars and technicians who actually made the films.

Product Details

• Paperback: 356 pages
• Publisher: Reynolds & Hearn (October 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1903111447
• ISBN-13: 978-1903111444
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #446,162 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating and essential, June 27, 2004

By	www.DavidLRattigan.com (United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

I haven't put this book down since I first picked it up six months ago. Kinsey's history of Hammer's Bray years (i.e. until 1967) is full of fascinating details I have not encountered elsewhere. He really manages to inspire an affection and enthusiasm for both the films and the Bray studios themselves.

By far the best section, and the reason I keep returning to the book, is the multi-page illustrated tour through the history of Bray's backlot, packed with rarely seen photos of Hammer's most memorable sets.

Essential reading for Hammer fans.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The first half of the essential Hammer reference, August 17, 2007

By	garv (DeKalb, IL) - See all my reviews

Wayne Kinsey's books on Hammer Films (The Bray Studios Years and The Elstree Studios Years) together form the essential reference on the short-lived British studio that brought us the greatest horror films of the 60's and 70's. The books are well-researched and packed with behind-the-scenes stories and photos. If you love Hammer, you need to own these books.

I was under the impression that the first volume, Hammer Films: The Bray Studios Years, was out of print, because I had tried ordering it from several online dealers that were unable to obtain the title. However, Amazon's sellers just delivered a new copy to my doorstep recently. Snatch up these books while you can!

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good try but not enough new and interesting material, June 5, 2004

By	Kevin Killian (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Who doesn't love Hammer Films? The author, Wayne Kinsey, a true fan, has devoted this book to the classic Hammer Years, at Bray Studio, a veritable Shangri-La, or mythical place, only this was real. On this lot Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing and dozens more gave their finest performances in a variety of monster, slasher, terror, sci-fi and less easily classifiable films, for a parade of studio execs who sometimes resembled a kind of family--ever the more so in retrospect. Kinsey presents a film by film breakdown, in chronological order, with many lurid and comical photos. My, there were some beautiful starlets working for Hammer, and they seemed to take off their clothes at a moment's notice. As for the men, maybe not so intriguing outside of Cushing and Lee, but those two alone account for a huge variety of eccentric tics and tragedies.

What I didn't like was the repetitiveness of the formula. each film discussed in exactly the same way, and then the details of the film censors checking every script ahead of time and issuing stern warnings about "do not do this or that." OK, a bit of this is worthy of perusal, but too much and the reader deducts a star. And this was too much. All in all, this book merits a "4" on the KINSEY SCALE.