Blue Blood (1973 film)
Blue Blood is a 1973 British-Canadian horror film directed by Andrew Sinclair and starring Oliver Reed, Fiona Lewis, and Derek Jacobi.[1] It was based on the novel The Carry-Cot by Alexander Thynn and was shot on location at Longleat House in Wiltshire.[2]
| Blue Blood | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Andrew Sinclair |
| Produced by | John Trent Kent Walwin |
| Written by | Alexander Thynn (novel) Andrew Sinclair |
| Based on | The Carry-Cot by Alexander Thynn |
| Starring | Oliver Reed Fiona Lewis Derek Jacobi Anna Gaël |
| Music by | Brian Gascoigne |
| Cinematography | Harry Waxman |
| Edited by | Keith Palmer |
Production company | Mallard Productions |
| Distributed by | Mallard Productions |
Release date | 1973 |
Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom Canada |
| Language | English |
Premise
A debauched young aristocrat entrusts the running of his country house to Tom, the butler, on whom he depends absolutely. Before long the servant begins to dominate his master, to the alarm of the newly-hired German nanny who senses sinister, demonic intent in Tom's control of the house.
Cast
- Oliver Reed as Tom
- Fiona Lewis as Lily
- Derek Jacobi as Gregory
- Anna Gaël as Carlotta
- Meg Wynn Owen as Beate
- John Rainer as Clurman
- Richard Davies as Jones
- Gwyneth Owen as Agnes
- Patrick Carter as Cocky
- Elaine Ives-Cameron as Serena
- Tim Wylton as Morrell
- Hubert Rees as Dr Barratt
- Dilys Price as Mrs Barratt
- Andrew McCall as Gerrard
- Sally Anne Newton as Susannah
Critical response
In a contemporary review, Richard Combs of The Monthly Film Bulletin described Blue Blood as a series of "cheap, coarsely-filmed charades" and criticised the film's direction: "... once Sinclair gets down to working out his theme (black-blooded butler usurps degenerate, blue-blooded employer), the skimpiness of his material and the shoddiness of this TV-sketch technique become painfully evident." He added that Reed's performance made the character Tom "one of the most physically repellent of screen villains".[3]
References
- "Blue Blood". horrorpedia.com. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
- Rigby p.260
- Combs, Richard (January 1975). "Blue Blood". The Monthly Film Bulletin. Vol. 42 no. 492. London, UK: British Film Institute. p. 5. ISSN 0027-0407. OCLC 2594020.
Bibliography
- Rigby, Jonathan. English Gothic: A Century of Horror Cinema. Reynolds & Hearn, 2000.
External links
- Blue Blood on IMDb