As a kid, Vincent Price was right up there with my favorite horror movie icons, Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi, even though they were a generation apart. My first introduction to his films was probably "House on Haunted Hill" and even though somewhat dated now, it managed to give me the willies back in the day. In "Tales of Terror", Price teams up with horror director Roger Corman in a somewhat overly lavish production of three stories based on the works of Edgar Allen Poe. In particular, the extravagant use of color doesn't lend itself to the creepiness of the subject matter, and the picture might have been better served in good old black and white.
Of the three vignettes, I enjoyed the Black Cat story the best, particularly with Peter Lorre in full bloom matching wits with Price in a wine tasting challenge. Both actors go a bit over the top in their characterizations, and one might best describe the facial expressions of Fortunato Luchresi as, well, Price-less. The ending was somewhat telegraphed by the frequent appearance of Lorre's hated black cat, nevertheless an ironically classic Poe ending.
The Morella and Valdemar bookending segments are merely adequate at best. The first story doesn't end on any kind of note that makes sense considering the rest of the story, as the title character takes out a decades long revenge on her husband when it was her daughter she blamed for her own demise. With Valdemar, so much effort went into the subject of 'mesmeric control' that it would have been more appropriate for Price's character to overcome Carmichael (Basil Rathbone) using the power of thought. Not having read Poe's original treatment, I guess I would have handled the whole thing just a bit differently.
What struck me the most about Vincent Price's involvement in this film was the fact that his character died in each chapter. I don't know that a lot of actors would be willing to go that distance for the sake of their craft. But Price always delivered the goods with a classic stature and a melodious voice that made him just such a treat to watch and enjoy.
Of the three vignettes, I enjoyed the Black Cat story the best, particularly with Peter Lorre in full bloom matching wits with Price in a wine tasting challenge. Both actors go a bit over the top in their characterizations, and one might best describe the facial expressions of Fortunato Luchresi as, well, Price-less. The ending was somewhat telegraphed by the frequent appearance of Lorre's hated black cat, nevertheless an ironically classic Poe ending.
The Morella and Valdemar bookending segments are merely adequate at best. The first story doesn't end on any kind of note that makes sense considering the rest of the story, as the title character takes out a decades long revenge on her husband when it was her daughter she blamed for her own demise. With Valdemar, so much effort went into the subject of 'mesmeric control' that it would have been more appropriate for Price's character to overcome Carmichael (Basil Rathbone) using the power of thought. Not having read Poe's original treatment, I guess I would have handled the whole thing just a bit differently.
What struck me the most about Vincent Price's involvement in this film was the fact that his character died in each chapter. I don't know that a lot of actors would be willing to go that distance for the sake of their craft. But Price always delivered the goods with a classic stature and a melodious voice that made him just such a treat to watch and enjoy.