Quote:
Originally Posted by Nosferatu@Cult Labs  I wasn't aware of The Queen's Guards as every interview I've seen and read only mentions Peeping Tom as the film which wrecked his reputation and made him relocate to Australia to try and resurrect his career. |
I once interviewed the editor of
The Queen's Guards (and
Peeping Tom), and she told me that she hated the project from the start - and gave me the distinct impression that Powell was none too fond of it either.
Much though the critics would prefer otherwise, it's very rare indeed for bad reviews to kill a career - in fact, I'm really struggling to think of an uncontentious example. But an expensive flop is far more threatening, and in Powell's case he had two in a row. In fact, he hadn't had a bona fide hit in ages.
But just imagine what might have happened if
Peeping Tom had been released a mere six months later, in the wake of
Psycho. In fact, if its distributors had any nous, they should have reissued it and cashed in on one of 1960's biggest hits, but they'd long since washed their hands of it, presumably in the hope that
The Queen's Guards would pay off. Whoops.