Vincent Price longed to be taken seriously as an actor. Although he made his name epitomising sinister in horror films, in his heart he wanted to compete with the best of his generation. Whilst films such as House of Wax, The Abominable Dr. Phibes, House of Usher and Witchfinder General made his name, Price was always drawn to the theatrical. And when it comes to Shakespeare, there’s no better fit than Richard III. In Tower of London he brings the darkness of the ‘Crouchback’ to malevolent life.
Richard, Duke of Gloucester (Price) is not a happy prince. He had high hopes that his dying father, King Edward IV (Justice Watson), would name him Protector for the young prince Edward. However, when his brother George, Duke of Clarence (Charles Macaulay) is chosen instead, Richard hatches a dastardly plot to claim the throne for himself. He is not a man to let anything or anyone get in his way and there are no depths he won’t stoop to.
Tower of London is pure Price. He’s allowed free reign to indulge all his thespian dreams. Roger Corman lets him loose, combining the plots of Shakespeare’s Richard III and Hamlet to whip up all manner of intrigue, betrayal and carnage. Tower of London is full of scheming and plotting. It’s a fun experience and watching Price tear up the screen is worth every penny.
Special Edition Contents:
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD presentation of the feature, transferred from original film elements by MGM
- Original 1.0 mono audio (uncompressed on the Blu-ray)
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
- Brand-new audio commentary by Vincent Price’s biographer David Del Valle and Tara Gordon, daughter of actor-screenwriter Leo Gordon
- Interview with director Roger Corman
- Producing Tower of London, an archive interview with producer Gene Corman
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Dan Mumford
FIRST PRESSING ONLY: Fully illustrated collector’s booklet containing new writing on the film by Julian Upton
Tower of London is released on DVD and Blu-Ray by Arrow Video on Monday.
