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Starting
in the late 1950s with his starring roles in a pair of William
Castle chillers, Hollywood character actor Vincent Price moved
from supporting player to bona fide horror movie star. When
Roger Corman cast him in the first of his series of Edgar Allan
Poe adaptations his place as one of the greats of the genre
was cemented. Over the next decade Price would star in many
great and not-so-great horror films but in all of them his acting
style was that of man projecting to the cheap seats. That's
not to say he wasn't good in these roles — he was fantastic.
But nearly all of these stories asked for their star to slice
off juicy chunks of ham and serve them up with a wink and a
smile. This was exactly why director Michael Reeves did not
want Price as the star of his third film, Witchfinder
General. Reeves' film was to be a serious story about
a sadistic, wretched man and having the audience think it was
all in fun was the opposite of his intention. So when he was
forced to cast the star in the lead role, Reeves pushed him
hard to get a somber, grim portrayal of historical figure Matthew
Hopkins. By all accounts Price was initially unhappy with his
young director's tightfisted control but, regardless of the
personality clash on set, he gives one of his most brilliant
and chilling performances in the movie. I hope he appreciated
the role and Reeves' choices when he saw the complete film.
During
the English Civil War, Richard Marshall (Ian Ogilvy) is a soldier
serving in Cromwell's army who, when given two days' leave,
visits his home village to see his beloved Sarah (Hilary Dwyer).
While there he makes plans to marry her and take her away from
the place. This marriage is requested by Sarah's uncle John
(Rupert Davies), the village priest, who thinks that some of
the locals are rousing themselves against him. He fears for
Sarah's safety if they move on him and unfortunately he turns
out to be right. Just as Richard is leaving to rejoin his cavalry
squadron the lawyer Matthew Hopkins (Vincent Price) arrives
on his rounds of eastern England. He is a Parliament-appointed
and much feared "witchfinder" spouting pious garbage
about "rooting out Satan" but in reality simply using
his power for his own profit. With his callous henchman Stern
(Robert Russell), he tortures confessions out of anyone accused
of witchcraft and is handsomely paid for the service. When Hopkins
sets his sights on the priest, Sarah first tries to protest
his innocence but quickly realizes that only by offering her
body to Hopkins can she save her uncle. The slimy lawyer abides
by his agreement with the pretty young girl but when Stearne
discovers Hopkins' arrangement he finds a nasty way of undermining
it. This results in the priest and two old women being hanged
and the Witchfinder moving on to the next village.
Away at war, Richard
hears of the trouble at home and rushes back to find Sarah.
Getting the whole story from her he pledges his love by marrying
her in the ruined church and vows revenge on Hopkins. Unfortunately
Richard's duty as a soldier keeps him from immediate pursuit.
But when the he learns that his enemy is doing his cruel work
in the town where Sarah is now hiding, he seizes an opportunity
and goes after him.
Structured much like
a western, Witchfinder
General tells a great,
simple story of power abused and rightful vengeance. Stocked
with great British character actors, filmed on beautiful locations
and graced with a quick pace and compelling story, the movie
makes you sad that it was Reeves' last project. The talent on
display here points toward a fine future career that the world
was robbed of by his death. As the star of the film Price gives
one of his most controlled and chilling performances as the
heinous Matthew Hopkins, showing how good he could be outside
of the playful style he had used so effectively in the Corman
Poe films. He plays Hopkins with nary a smirk or arched eyebrow,
which has the effect of making him seem positively demonic at
times. When he tells a villager to bring two young accused witches
to his bedroom, his off handed way of justifying this obvious
sexual ploy is unsettling. This isn't simply a man who thinks
he's doing God's work but unintentionally spreading pain and
misery —
he knows full well what he's doing. He is evil of the worst
sort, sadistic hatred hiding behind a mask of self-righteous
piety. His oft repeated phrase to his various helpers in torture
is "You're doing God's work", but no Christian
God would smile on this man's knowingly merciless deeds. Price
is on screen for less than half of the film's running time but
his presence is felt every second after we first witness his
methods of extracting confessions. That his henchman Stearne
is even more of a sadist barely held in harness by his master
increases the dread any time either of them is seen. This film
is a sharp departure in tone from what Price was doing in horror
in the 1960s but he rose to the occasion and the results are
fantastic if truly dark and grim. I can understand fans of the
Corman movies finding this film distasteful and even repulsive.
It is harsh stuff, with no sense of humor and a bleak ending.
But for genre fans it's an essential film well-deserving of
the fine reputation it has earned.
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For
the first time it is now possible to see the original director's
cut of Witchfinder General on this
side of the Atlantic. On its initial stateside theatrical release
it was trimmed of some violence, the title changed to The
Conqueror Worm and Price made to record a prologue voice-over
to tie it to the Poe film cycle. Then, to add insult to axe wound,
on U.S. home video the wonderful music by Paul Ferris was removed
and a bizarre synthesizer score put in its place. But all this
is in the past with this fine DVD from MGM's Midnite Movies
line. The 39-year old movie is presented widescreen and looks
far better than any copy I have ever seen before. The image is
still a little softer than one might hope for but I think that
might be because of the budget and the film stock used rather
than any flaws in digital authoring. The movie still looks wonderful,
with great colors; for the first time I can actually see what's
happening in the day-for-night shots. The original mono soundtrack
is the sole audio option but it's more than adequate, sounding
very strong. Luckily for fans of the film two excellent extras
are included. The first is a very good commentary track with the
film's producer, Philip Waddilove, and star Ian Ogilvy. This track
is moderated by a film historian who does a fine job of questioning
both men and they are very forthcoming about the movie and its
director. Ogilvy was a schoolmate of Reeves, acting in all three
of his films, so his insights into the troubled man are most interesting.
The other bonus is a great 24-minute documentary called Witchfinder
General: Michael Reeves' Horror Classic. In this genre writers
and film historians join Ogilvy and others involved with the film
to discuss its production and reception. This is a superior featurette
and for my money could have even been longer, going into more
detail.
An
excellent DVD in every way, MGM is to be applauded for finally
getting this genre classic out in its preferred form — even if
it took nearly 40 years! 11/05/07 |
