THE COMEDY OF TERRORS: Boris Karloff gets to exhibit some of his flair for humor as Joyce Jameson’s doddering grandfather.
THE HAUNTED PALACE, either for US or UK re- lease. The Arrow disc therefore ports over “A Change of Poe” to represent him.
Additionally, Arrow includes a feature-length audio commentary by David Del Valle and Derek Botelho, the author of THE ARGENTO SYNDROME.
Thankfully, this track is fundamentally scene-spe- cific, but it’s mostly a freewheeling, highly listenable gabfest between two enthusiasts. In an extremely useful and jovial interview, Kim Newman holds court on the subject of H.P. Lovecraft and how THE HAUNTED PALACE, the earliest Lovecraft feature adaptation if not the earliest film bearing his influ- ence, fits into the overall scheme of Lovecraft cin- ema. Most welcomely, Ronald Stein’s gnawing, baleful (and at times overbearing) score—neverthe- less, one of the decade’s best horror scores—is iso- lated on a separate Music and Effects track. A stills and poster gallery and theatrical trailer (2m 14s) top off the package.
THE COMEDY OF TERRORS 1963, Scream Factory, 83m 7s Arrow Video, 83m 8s
Scripted by Richard Matheson with the directorial reins handed over to veteran director Jacques Tourneur, THE COMEDY OF TERRORS has been the undeserving butt of unkind remarks and disap- pointment for many years, but is actually the most sophisticated comedy AIP ever made. It is one of the rare comedies carried along on the high quality of its language, much like Rouben Mamoulian’s LOVE ME TONIGHT or Preston Sturges’ UNFAITH- FULLY YOURS and, like the latter film, it
28
complements its own manic, sometimes slapstick qualities with disturbing darkness. Vincent Price stars as Trumbull, the alcoholic owner of a failing fu- neral business who, aided by his much put-upon employee Mr. Gillie (Peter Lorre), who is in love with his boss’ tone-deaf opera diva wife (Joyce Jameson), decides to start providing himself with customers when his landlord (Basil Rathbone) confronts him “with the incommodious prospect of taking up residence in the street.”
The film is included in Scream Factory’s VINCENT PRICE COLLECTION II, on the same disc with THE RAVEN, while Arrow Video has is- sued the title only as a stand-alone release. The 2.35:1 presentation is lovely and comparable on both versions, sporting a more delightfully diverse color palette than THE RAVEN. In the longest of the various “Richard Matheson: Screenwriter” segments (9m 35s), the author reminisces about the film with great favor, revelling in the quality of the casting and the enthusiasm of the various players for the script itself. He takes credit for suggesting Tourneur, whom he later pitched to direct his TWILIGHT ZONE episode “Night Call.” (In one of the stranger serendipities I’ve uncovered as a researcher, Tourneur had previously directed a 1961 episode of THE BAR- BARA STANWYCK SHOW—“Dear Charlie”—that bears some startling similarities to parts of Matheson’s script. It stars Milton Berle as a cad- dish sot, much like Price’s Trumbull, who moves into a rooming house run by two aging sisters and their meddling cat, the only one who is not fooled by Berle’s true nature and who bears the brunt of his furtive hostilities. When he learns that the sis- ters are wealthy, Berle proceeds to woo them, turn
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95