As a Vincent Price fan I've waited many years to see this film and while I can't say it is a particularly outstanding film it is certainly adequate for its genre - although exactly what its genre is must be open to debate. It certainly isn't the swashbuckler one might expect from its star, Errol Flynn (who also penned the screenplay). Price actually seems to have more screen time than Flynn in this story of lust, blackmail and murder. Interestingly, Micheline Presle's "heroine" is totally unsympathetic in her actions while "villain" Price, while being weak and devious, is strangely sympathetic (despite being driven to murder by Presle's lies) and one feels that everybody would have been better off if "hero" Flynn hadn't interfered in the first place and saved Presle for being sentenced to death for a murder of which she really was guilty. The film seems to have originally ended with Presle getting her just desserts for her actions but an additional "softer" ending has very obviously been added with a voice over taken from an earlier love scene, indicating that she survives to be carried off in Errol's arms (a stand-in is seen here) - this scene was reputedly shot by Robert Florey. Happy birthday Vincent.
2 comments:
The only passing experience I have with this movie is a mention in THE FILMS OF VINCENT PRICE and that is all. Are you sure it wasn't directed by Max Castle, though???
The end bears the hallmark of Max's style but we have to remember that his career was amazingly similar to Florey's.
Post a Comment