An Evening of Edgar Allen Poe
I chanced upon this the other day and couldn’t resist posting it here. It’s a short (52-minute) film featuring the wonderful Vincent Price in a one-man show consisting of dramatic recitations of stories by Edgar Allen Poe: “The Tell-Tale Heart“, “The Sphinx“, “The Cask of Amontillado” and “The Pit and the Pendulum“. As a huge fan of both Price and Poe I don’t really understand why I’ve never seen this before. This film was made in 1972, by which time his acting roles were largely self-parodying, playing camp villains in hammy horror films, roles I might add that he played with matchless gusto despite the often low quality of the scripts. But in this movie, filmed in front of a live audience, reminds us what a fine actor he was, his theatricality perfectly appropriate for Poe’s writing.
The whole movie’s a bit longer than I’d usually post in a blog item, but at least watch all of the first story which starts
TRUE! –nervous –very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad? The disease had sharpened my senses –not destroyed –not dulled them. Above all was the sense of hearing acute. I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell. How, then, am I mad?
Hmm.
Anyway, they just don’t make them like Vincent Prince any more…
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In the Dark 
August 20, 2012 at 10:51 pm
I too am a big fan of Vincent Price, ever since being scared out of my wits by the Abominable Dr Phibes as a child (also a fan of hammy horror). Thanks for posting this (I’ve not seen it before either).
As an aside, while 11 years old, Vincent shares the same birthday (May 27th) as that other great horror actor, Christopher Lee. Coincidentally, Peter Cushing was born on May 26th.
August 20, 2012 at 11:04 pm
The film that got me hooked on Mr Price was this one:
https://telescoper.wordpress.com/tag/the-fall-of-the-house-of-usher/
which I think is a masterpiece now, but which scared the crap out of me when I first saw it as a kid.
Vincent Price made many films (including House of Wax, Theatre of Blood, Journey into Fear, etc) extremely enjoyable because of his ability to send himself up without losing his natural acting ability. He certainly did camp exceptionally well. But he was an exceptional serious actor too and I do regret that he wasn’t offered more challenging roles. See, for example, how good he is in the classic film noir Laura made in 1944, which coincidentally I just watched (again) on DVD this evening.
August 21, 2012 at 9:08 am
If you want another reason to admire Vincent Price, listen to this speech he added to the end of a radio broadcast of an episode of “The Saint” (he played Simon Templar in the series):
August 21, 2012 at 10:13 am
As a renowned gourmand and art connoisseur, Mr Price had expensive tastes to supoort…
August 21, 2012 at 3:52 pm
I’m not usually wild for the various Poe film adaptations, but I love this one. Price and Poe were made for each other.
August 22, 2012 at 10:32 am
Indeed, Eatha Kitt was totally fabulous.
August 30, 2012 at 8:43 pm
[…] Last week’s post about Vincent Price reminded me of the film that really established him as a movie actor, the classic film noir Laura, in which he played the parasitic boyfriend of the eponymous heroine. If you’ve never seen the film, you should because in my opinion it hasn’t dated at all even though it was made in 1944. A song with the same name written for the film in 1945 (after the filming was completed) became a popular hit at the time as well as a favourite for jazz musicians, spawning numerous cover versions including one by the great Charlie Parker. Those of you who associate Bird with jagged frenetic bebop tunes might be surprised to hear his take on this romantic ballad, particularly as it involves him playing with strings. The Charlie Parker with Strings session received mixed reviews from the critics, primarily because many of the arrangements are a bit bland, but while I don’t like all these tracks, I do think Parker’s version of Laura is a gem in which he reveals a tender and romantic side to his music making that isn’t often appreciated. Share this:Like this:LikeBe the first to like this. […]