Time for a little jaunt into the Vincent Price back catalogue. But where to begin? When taking a fresh look at any number the horror movies of the time it's always tempting to revisit some of the old Edgar Allan Poe adaptations, or even the Dr. Phibes movies. Although some have been covered here before there's still a lot to choose from when considering his prolific, and often colourful, filmography. Many of them are releases tempting releases that feature the classic Roger Corman and Richard Matheson combo. But then struck by inspiration I thought it would be best to start at the top, and talk about his very best project.
It's true that this has several similarities with the Dr. Phibes films, with their themed death sequences and tongue in cheek black comedy elements. They're pretty theatrical while still being ghoulish enough to create some fun suspense moments. But are they just swapping biblical plagues for Elizabethan tragedies? Considering the results it seems like a slightly reductive point of view, and this is certainly more than the some of these parts. It's a film that manages to go beyond homage or even simple rehash to become something far superior. There are obvious cues from those earlier films (a character thought dead comes back for revenge) but merging those ideas with the world of Shakespeare is a master-stroke that pays off immensely.
Including a series of murders based on stage productions allows Vincent Price to really go overboard in terms of costumes acting and maniacal speeches. There's a lot of intricate scheming, and a lot of makeup and madness as things unfold. But it also allows him to become the centre of his own tragic story, even if certain elements are part of his egomaniacal self dramatisation. Again the results are more effective than they would first appear, and the pathos generated when flashbacks reveal the motivations for his murderous plan is pretty compelling. It has a foot in two different worlds, that of the actors solipsistic sense of importance, and the cruel outside reality of reviews and competition. It is obviously tempting to side with the performer, but things are never quite so straightforward.
Returning from a presumed watery grave to get back at critics, veteran actor Edward Lionheart (Price) gets to work on offing the local theatre review group. They took away his chance at a big award so he's going to take away their lives. In his mind they dismissed his contributions to the theatre, despite his obvious scenery chewing tendencies. It's probably something that strikes a nerve (or at least gets a few laughs) from actors in general, and probably critics too. The cold 1970s style comes through in both the murder effects and the garish outfits certain characters are seen wearing. The grisly deaths are quite a change when his older films often had pretty unconvincing blood, if it was shown at all. But the dark tone allows this to produce a lot of twisted comedy as he reproduces famous stage deaths; with the help of his new involuntary co-stars.
The murders in question are a mixture of the gruesome and the utterly ridiculous as Lionheart works his way through one of his old production schedules which includes some of the brutal moments from Othello, Julius Caesar and Titus Andronicus. Sequences involving hair curling equipment and a cookery TV show set to reimagine certain scenes with a modern day touch are particularly absurd. The disguises worn by the outraged Thespian and his mysterious assistant push this even further as they don a series of crazy hair pieces and costumes. One of the best moments involves a sword fight in which Lionheart wears a false moustache, until he reveals his (barely concealed) identity with a dramatic flourish.
Liberties are taking with The Bard's plays in several instances, but it allows for a variety of elaborate and amusing sequences. As Critics Circle head Devlin (Ian Hendry) puts it 'only Lionheart would have the temerity to rewrite Shakespeare!' This is a creative man, a man in pain, someone suffering for his art. Or so he believes at leat. He deserves vindication... even if his ego, and his sanity, are sometimes a problem. It's an obvious nod to his state of mind that the only people helping him stage for all of this are a band of homeless drunks. The obvious purple dye in the methylated spirits they're drinking in every shot (even during a wine tasting scene) adds to the bizarre nature of all it all. But these overwrought elements add to the heightened reality of the story.
The Theatre Critics Guild itself includes many familiar faces including Dennis Price, Arthur Lowe and Jack Hawkins, lending it an ironic quality as well as a touch of class. Vincent Price was described as an Anglophile, and he surely got some of the best choices for his on screen enemies here. Lionheart's daughter (Diana Rigg) adds an enigmatic performance that keeps the drama going in the more sombre moments and completes the ensemble feeling of the film. In the end it's a heady mixture of overblown acting, bloody vengeance and Elizabethan soliloquies, what else can you ask for? Price and Rigg both stated this was their best film, and it's hard to argue with them.
4/5
BONUS REVIEW
THE LAST MAN ON EARTH (1963)
I Am Legend is a great book but it has to be said that the major adaptations are pretty poor in terms of just keeping to the material. A lot of its fascinating ideas are never utilised which is kind of mystifying. The Omega Man did its own (admittedly entertaining) kind of thing with Charlton Heston versus a nocturnal cult. But the Will Smith vehicle which used the name of the book for no good reason is a mess, wasting a moody first act by going off the rails instead of keeping to the meaning of the title. The first version to be filmed at least makes an effort to use many of the great scenes from the Richard Matheson story.
The hero Robert Neville has become Robert Morgan for some reason, but at least they include the plague backstory. Scenes showing pits where infected people are taken and the nightmare of what happened to his wife are present and correct. But he's still a scientist in this version, which still is a big cop out. I understand it's easier to skip over the story of a drunk blue collar worker trying to understand biology when the film has limited running time, but that was part of the appeal. He was an every-man, someone who yelled at microscope specimens and became increasingly angry about his isolated existence. Vincent Price at least does a decent job as a grumpy, worn out guy who has the occasional mental breakdown. But it loses some aspects of the character in this truncated format.
For a movie from the 1960s it's actually a pretty bleak adaption. Perhaps it's a result of this being an Italian production outside of Hollywood norms. It could have once been a Hammer horror feature but the censors wouldn't allow it, which is a shame. But the result it still a dark doomsday story and its influence can be seen in later films. There are a lot of elements that seem quite similar to the siege situation from Night of the Living Dead, even if the ghouls here are (mostly) the same vampires from the book. Even the monochrome visuals are reminiscent of Romero's first zombie outing. But this isn't a zombie story, or a tale of one man versus a weird cult. It's about vampires.
Some elements like the undead having to be invited into a private home are implicit, but they do seem to have trouble with entry. They prefer to break windows and yell at Robert from outside his home each and every night. If only scenes depicting his research on the subject were included, so it could explore the nature of the mythology as intended. But it manages to capture a lot of the atmosphere, and the sense of gloom is maintained when they show him making hundreds of wooden stakes mapping the areas where he has used them. It's an vivid image and a key moment in the story that this version manages to get exactly right.
Things being to stumble a little in the climax and they don't use everything that made the original story so intriguing, but overall it's still a decent attempt. Certain reveals are still included and at least some of the ending is also still intact. Purely as a film it's not all great but there's enough to enjoy if you're up for a downbeat and moody evening. Or if you want a lesser known, but far better version of this story.
3/5
