#1282
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#1284
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Pit & the Pendulum (1961) It takes quite a high level of creativity and skills to develop a feature length film out of a short story of only 2 or 3 pages, but hats of to Richard Matheson...he always did that hell of a job fascinatingly. An eerie castle complete with torture chamber, murder, insanity, adultery, the ghastly look of premature burial, that huge swinging blade, and enduring performance by the great Vincent Price -- among the fantastic stylish & acclaimed horror films in '60s, Roger Corman's "Pit and the Pendulum" has all the elements that anyone could ask for. This is the solid proof in celluloid arena that Corman could produce suspenseful, atmospheric pictures both economically and efficiently. Price's portrayal of Nicholas (and also, in flashback, as his father, Sebastian) is so strong and beautiful that the other actors surrounding him seem merely adequate except Barbara Steele in the role of Elizabeth, Nicholas’s dead wife, who didn't go fade in Price’s presence even with a short screen time. I’m not sure that whether these two greats ever starred together in another production or not but surely they could make an adorable on screen pair for ardent horror fans. Through a great Gothic atmosphere, the colorful cinematography and gorgeous lavish sets, Roger Corman created a macabre masterpiece from Poe's classic tale. The castle's many corridors, steel doors, chamber or even the bluish flashback sequences captures the Gothic horror of Poe's stories and gives them homage in a truly unforgettable way that no one so far have done better than him. When they flashed to the scene of Elizabeth’s half decomposed corpse, with the mouth open and hands held up as if scratching at the inside of her coffin, or the resurrection scene, where Elizabeth’s “corpse” is walking around in shadows but keeps the viewer imagine seeing her bony face, or the final dungeon sequence when the blade of the pendulum sliced Francis's shirt and last but not the least that final shot of Barbara Steele’s terror-stricken eyes...there are so many remarkable scenes & sequences in this film that I think made the movie is not only a masterpiece of low-budget film-making, a movie that looks even better than most of the big studios productions, even today. >>: A The Masque of the Red Death (1964) This film features Vincent Price in one of his finest roles—as Prince Prospero. Prospero can easily ranks as his one the most sinister and wicked performance that I have seen so far besides Dr. Phibes and Edward Lionheart. The interesting thing about this film is its raising issues of faith, good and evil, the meaning of life, and humanity’s attitude toward the inevitability of death somewhat resembles Bergman’s The Seventh Seal in several ways. Much like his other film adaptation of Poe stories, Corman utilizes color to a great extent. The Red Death cloaked in bright red robes and designing the different chambers that lead to the prince’s shrine to Satan are as usually impressive like his other colorful Poe adaptation. With its vivid, saturated color canvas and its spectacular sets, this film looks like a vision conceived in madness. Some stories need to be told in a big way. More than a simple account of one man's fall from grace, this is a mythic tale, a morality play as relevant now as it would have been in medieval times. Corman has gifted it with an intensity rarely matched elsewhere in world cinema. >>: A
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@Letterboxd Last edited by roshiq; 07-16-2009 at 01:14 PM. |
#1285
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More great reviews Rosh! Those are two of my all-time favourites - especially Pit and the Pendulum. The image of Elizabeth in the coffin, followed by Price's reaction - "True! True!!" - is one of the most terrifying and unforgettable moments in film.
Glad you liked 'em man - now that it seems you're getting to be a Price fan, may I recommend Dragonwyck? It's not exactly horror (though it does feature some wonderfully eerie Gothic atmosphere) but it contains what is easily one of his greatest performances. Essential viewing for any fans of Mr. Price - check it out if you can! Back on topic: Gojira (1954) I've been a Godzilla fan since I was a kid, but up until now I'd only seen the cheesy, campy later entries in the series. This was my first viewing of the original masterpiece...and what a classic it is. A dark, atmospheric commentary on mid-50's society, preying on the fear of atomic weapons to create one of the greatest monsters of all time. And of course, it goes without saying that this is a milestone of special effects...you just can't beat a man in a suit. I'll take this over CGI any day of the week.
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"There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness." - Friedrich Nietzsche Last edited by The_Return; 07-17-2009 at 11:55 AM. Reason: Awful, awful typo. |
#1286
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#1288
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It does drag a little bit in the middle - it was Joseph Mankiewicz's first feature, and that shows in places - but Price's performance alone is enough to hold the audience captive throughout, not to mention a dark and compelling plot and beautiful cinematography. Without a doubt one of my favourite films of all-time...hope you like it! :)
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"There is always some madness in love. But there is also always some reason in madness." - Friedrich Nietzsche |
#1289
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Diary of a Madman (1963)
I have read the original story of Guy de Maupassant and that was very beautifully written and liked the story a lot. This film was very loosely based on that but still quite a nice treat indeed for the ardent fans of Price. Moreover, the stunningly beautiful Nancy Kovack looked pretty gorgeous in the movie.:cool: >>: B
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#1290
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The Haunted Palace (1963)
Very spooky! The script is certainly gripping with fantastic set designs: ground fogs, creepy castles with creaking gates and secret doorways, deformed town folks, loud thunderstorms...fantastic camera works nicely captures those nightmarish scenery and reflects the menacing suspense right onto the screen. Between the darkly macabre and an innocent naivety, Price handles his dual role brilliantly. Anne (Ward's wife) portrayed by beautiful Debra Paget and the woman played Curwen's mistress added a minimal but seductive tone in the film. >>: A-
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