Master of the World (1961) directed by William Witney
Post-American-Civil-War society (in the North at least) is full of a spirit of adventure. A balloonist club is dominated by a design debate between club president Prudent (Henry Hull) and Philip Evans (David Frankham), the man in love with Prudent's daughter Dorothy (Mary Webster). As the meeting wraps up, John Strock (Charles Bronson), a representative of the U. S. Government, wants to hire their experimental balloon to investigate a dormant volcano in Pennsylvania that has had a lot of noise and lights coming from it. The four go to explore the mountain only to be shot down by rockets. Landing inside, they are quickly whisked onto the Albatross, a highly advanced flying machine that is the home of the eccentric Robur (Vincent Price). Robur has built the Albatross to end the scourge of war on the Earth. He will threaten and/or destroy every military he comes near, causing peace through a reign of terror. The foursome do not agree with this plan, so Robur keeps them imprisoned on the ship. They plot to escape, though Strock is more interested in stopping Robur than in getting away. If that was not enough of a complication, Strock and Evans start vying for Dorothy's affection.
This story is based on two Jules Verne novels, Robur the Conqueror and Master of the World, so it has a lot of science and science-adjacent elements. Robur is the sort of calm, calculating villain with disdain for the larger world that Verne uses a lot (think Captain Nemo) and Price gives a fine performance in the role. The crew are fanatical idealists like Robur, though the French cook is strictly comic relief. The situation is interesting and well set-up, with plenty of complications to cause conflict between the characters. Dorothy is no damsel in distress and criticizes both Strock and Evans for their flaws, even as she takes care of them. The special effects are dated and less impressive than they could be, but they get the job done. The movie is more about working out the relationships and solving the problem of Robur's maniacal plan. This is just the sort of B-movie Price is often associated with. It has interesting ideas, doesn't have a top-tier budget and shows it, and will throw in stuff (like the comic cook) to cover all the bases whether they need covering or not.
I saw on wikipedia that this movie was an inspiration to Gene Roddenberry, who had his own tales of an international crew traveling on a ship and righting wrongs across their world.
Mildly recommended.
Tower of London (1962) directed by Roger Corman
Corman reunites with Vincent Price for a historical picture that's more of a Gothic horror than a factual retelling. This film presents a haunted Richard III (Vincent Price), literally haunted by the ghosts of everyone he murders on his way to the English throne in the 1480s. He sees them on the battlements and in his rooms. They even trick him into murdering his own wife Anne (Joan Camden)! Even such a heinous act does not deter Richard's ambitions. The plot follows the path laid out by Shakespeare, though the tone and action is more reminiscent of Macbeth.
The film doesn't stint on the horror, with Richard using some elaborate physical tortures on victims while he deals with the mental torments of his plagued mind (mostly ghosts taunting him, or is it his conscience?). Price is very good in the role, giving his performance just enough to keep the character intriguing while also being repulsive. Surprisingly, the movie is in black and white, so not completely like the Poe pictures from Corman and Price. The novel take on the historic plot works to their strengths and makes an entertaining film even if it is not historically (or even Shakespeareanly) accurate.
Mildly recommended--a surprising mashup of Shakespeare, Poe, and Corman that is entertaining in a Saturday Afternoon way.
Diary of a Madman (1963) directed by Reginald Le Borg
Magistrate Simon Cordier (Vincent Price) is an upright judge in 19th century France. He's called to the cell of a murderer who claims he did not commit the killings. The murderer says he had no free will and was under the control of another when he attacked his victims. In the cell, he attacks Cordier who accidentally kills him in self defense. Back home, Cordier hears a voice that calls itself a Horla and tells Cordier that he is a killer. Cordier denies it, but the voice insists on Cordier committing more crimes. Cordier goes to an alienist who advises Cordier to take a break from work and pursue some creative work. In his youth, Codier was a sculptor. After visiting an art gallery and running into a young model named Odette (Nancy Kovack), he hires her to pose for him. Odette is all too ready, though her husband Paul (Chris Warfield) objects. Odette is interested in Cordier and is also something of a gold digger. She gets involved with Cordier, leading to more killings inspired by the Horla. Or is Cordier just crazy?
The movie opens with the burial of Cordier. Many of the involved characters come to a reading of his diary, which chronicles what happened to him. It's a nice narrative device, setting up a lot of suspense that gets paid off well. The story is based on Guy de Maupassant and translates the words to film quite well. Price does a good job flipping between the good magistrate and the mind-controlled killer. Some of the special effects don't hold up sixty years later but a lot of the chilling moments do (which is what you watch this for, right?).
Recommended.
An Evening of Edgar Allen Poe (1970) co-written and directed by Kenneth Johnson
This hour-long television special features solo performances of Edgar Allen Poe tales by Vincent Price. The show has The Tell-Tale Heart, The Sphinx, The Cask of Amontillado, and The Pit and the Pendulum. All the tales feature first-person narration, so they are a natural fit. Even though Price is alone, his performance is captivating. The characters are all different as are the stories. The visuals are okay, though I imagine you could just listen to the audio and get ninety percent of the performance. The visuals aren't bad but they do require a little indulgence (it was filmed on video and some of the editing looks like TV editing from back then).
Recommended for Poe/Price fans. This isn't as good as the Corman-Poe cycle films, but is worth just hearing Price deliver the goods.
Cry of the Banshee (1970) directed by Gordon Hessler
Magistrate Whitman (Vincent Price) ruthlessly persecutes locals, especially those accused of witchcraft, in his rural 1500s English town. If he wasn't bad enough, he has several sons who are happy to terrorize the locals, especially women. Whitman leads an attack on a coven of witches led by Oona (Elisabeth Bergner). Inexplicably he leaves Oona alive after killing about half her followers. They enact a curse of Whitman and his family, begging Satan for an avenger. Meanwhile, son Harry (Carl Rigg) comes from Cambridge where he has been studying. Harry is joined by a new priest who tries to put some barriers on Whitman's behavior but is ineffectual. Whitman's daughter Maureen (Hilary Dwyer) is having an affair with a stable hand (Patrick Mower), who was an orphan found by their mother many years ago. He has a strange amulet and a way of calming brute animals and Whitman's distraught wife. He becomes the target of Oona's request for an avenger, leading to several bloody attacks on the Whitman family.
Price gives his usual performance in the role of a wicked witch hunter, a character he's played before. The story is not that good, with a bunch of unbelievable decisions throughout. Worse, the violence on women is unrelenting and unpleasant. Even though it is depicted in a negative light, there's still far too much of it and it is far too explicit. This was easily the worst of this set.
Not recommended.
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