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Vincent
Price Double Feature
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Tomb
Of Ligeia
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8 |
Evening
Of Poe
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7 |
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8 |
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Review by Lyle
Horowitz |
In
The Tomb Of Ligeia, Roger Corman's
last collaboration with Vincent Price, the director made a conscious
effort to move away from the look and feel of their previous
Poe pictures. Rather than shoot the film entirely on a soundstage
(as had been the practice), outdoor locations would be utilized.
Corman would also rely less on heavy fog and vibrant colors.
Many of the scenes would take place in bright sunlight. The
tone and construction of the film would still be that of an
old-fashioned horror tale, only less stylized and confined than
what Corman had done before.
The film concerns an English country gentleman,
Verden Fell, played by the immortal Vincent Price. Fell's mysterious
raven-haired wife, Ligeia, has died; now Verden is all alone
on his large estate except for his butler an an ominous black
cat. Verden is a tortured man, still grieving over his wife's
death. Then he meets Lady Rowena, a beautiful woman who resembles
his late spouse. Despite his aloof manner and melancholy air
she's attracted to him. Even with his misgivings for the future
Fell falls in love with her and they eventually wed. Their marriage
would even make Ike and Tina blush!
Fell
is nowhere to be found most of the day. He spends most of his
time in a desolate, ruined abbey, where his first wife's tomb
is located. Once Rowena comes to live at the estate she is stalked
by the menacing black cat and begins having horrible dreams.
(The highlight of the film, these dream sequences are imaginative
and horrific.) But Rowena isn't the only one with problems.
Fell is quite sure he's going insane
— either that or his new bride is being possessed by Ligeia's
evil, undying spirit. What happens next is unexpected and shocking,
but I won't give it away; you'll have to buy or rent the DVD.
Price
delivers a brilliant performance in the role. Verden Fell is
a somewhat different character from some of the others he played:
creepy, but through no fault of his own, and quite sympathetic.
(Although if I were to compare his portrayal with another one
of his Poe characters it would be Roderick Usher from The
Fall of the House of Usher). Elizabeth Shepherd is also
quite good. Acting ability aside, she compliments Price in that
she's a more mature actress than the typical ingenue... Since
Fell is established as a tragic romantic figure it would've
been silly to pair the middle-aged Price with some nubile twentysomething.
Tomb Of Ligeia is my personal favorite
Vincent Price horror film, and is a must-see for any fan with
a passing interest in the genre.
On
the flip-side of the DVD is a TV special from the early 1970s
entitled An Evening Of Edgar Allan Poe.
This is essentially a one-man stage play filmed for television.
Vincent is by himself on the stage, in period costume, reading
a selection of Poe stories to a small audience. The program
truly showcases Price's talents as an actor. It demonstrates
that he wasn't just a hammy horror film star but a highly skilled
performer in even the most intimate of venues. The four segments
in this 53-minute presentation are The Tell-Tale Heart,
The Sphinx, The Cask of Amontillado, and The
Pit and the Pendulum. Price fans should love it.
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The
print for Tomb
Of Ligeia
is excellent. Very little grain is seen and the audio is superb.
An Evening
Of Edgar Allan Poe,
however, doesn't feature a very good print at all. To be frank,
it's terrible. Granted, this was shown on television over 30 years
ago; the source for the DVD is a 16mm kinescope transfer of the
videotape. (I believe that when it was shown on AMC last April,
the print was darker, but not as fuzzy.) Tomb
Of Ligeia
is presented in its original theatrical aspect ratio 2.35:1. Evening
is presented in 1.33:1, which is correct since it was originally
a made-for-TV production.
Tomb
comes with a few interesting extras. Roger Corman's audio commentary
is very insightful and centers mostly on technique. Elizabeth
Shepherd's (separate) commentary track is different. Her commentary,
recorded over 20 years ago, was transferred from the laserdisc
release and features David Del Valle interviewing the actress.
Of the two, the Corman track is the superior, so if you were to
listen to only one then go with the former. Tomb
also features the original theatrical trailer. Evening,
understandably, has no extras. Overall, this is a must-have disc
for any admirer of Price and his work. There are some great extras
on this disc, with a beautiful print for Tomb.
Since the DVD can be had for as low as $10 in brick and mortar
stores, get it as soon as you can —
you don't want to miss out on this one! 9/14/03 |
| UPDATE
The disc went OOP two years after this review was posted: it's
currently going for up to three times the original price. |
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