The Masque Of The Red Death is one of the last Roger Corman's adaptation of an Edgar Allan Poe's story. Before this one he adapted titles such as Premature Burial, House Of Usher, The Raven, or Pit And The Pendulum (after The Masque he made one last adaptation: Tomb Of Ligeia). Always counting with the glorious presence of Mr. Vicent Price (except on Premature Burial -Ray Milland played the main role in that movie-). I've read each and every Edgar Allan Poe's stories, and I must say that Corman made the best cinema adaptation from Poe's tales. What I see in Roger Corman's adaptation is exactly what I saw on my mind as I read House Of Usher, Premature Burial, etc. And he made all those movies spending a few bucks, that is praiseworthy enough.
The Masque tells the story of Prince Prospero (Vincent Price), a mean and cruel tyrant which decides to invite all of his friends to his castle so they can be protected against the Red Death (sort of a medieval disease). Prospero has sold his soul to the devil, 'cause he thinks that way he will beat death. And we can see how decadent his friends are, and how heartless.
Corman perfectly recreates the castle atmosphere, its dungeons, its rooms, its sounds. Vincent Price has always performed arrogant and cruel characters better than anyone, with his theatrical ways, his looks, his magnificent voice, and so he does with Prince Prospero. The Masque may not be a masterpiece, but Price's performing sure it is. Too bad Vincent Prince has never been considered as one of the best classic actors ever (just like Lawrence Olivier or Charles Laughton), maybe because he got stagnating in terror movies (b-movies the more of the times); it's the same with Lugosi or Karloff. Superb actors which played always the same roles. But I'm sure that any of them were as talented as Laughton, Olivier, or Alec Guinness... It's worth watching The Masque Of Red Death even if it's just for Vincent Price's work. He belongs to an actors lineage that no longer exists.
PS: Though this movie is fully based on Edgar Allan Poe's "The Masque Of The Red Death", Corman introduced some parts from another Poe's tale: Hop Frog (the one about the dwarf and the tiny woman)... And I must say that it perfectly fits The Masque Of...
My Rate: 7/10 (11/10 as for Price's work)
The Masque tells the story of Prince Prospero (Vincent Price), a mean and cruel tyrant which decides to invite all of his friends to his castle so they can be protected against the Red Death (sort of a medieval disease). Prospero has sold his soul to the devil, 'cause he thinks that way he will beat death. And we can see how decadent his friends are, and how heartless.
Corman perfectly recreates the castle atmosphere, its dungeons, its rooms, its sounds. Vincent Price has always performed arrogant and cruel characters better than anyone, with his theatrical ways, his looks, his magnificent voice, and so he does with Prince Prospero. The Masque may not be a masterpiece, but Price's performing sure it is. Too bad Vincent Prince has never been considered as one of the best classic actors ever (just like Lawrence Olivier or Charles Laughton), maybe because he got stagnating in terror movies (b-movies the more of the times); it's the same with Lugosi or Karloff. Superb actors which played always the same roles. But I'm sure that any of them were as talented as Laughton, Olivier, or Alec Guinness... It's worth watching The Masque Of Red Death even if it's just for Vincent Price's work. He belongs to an actors lineage that no longer exists.
PS: Though this movie is fully based on Edgar Allan Poe's "The Masque Of The Red Death", Corman introduced some parts from another Poe's tale: Hop Frog (the one about the dwarf and the tiny woman)... And I must say that it perfectly fits The Masque Of...
My Rate: 7/10 (11/10 as for Price's work)