Tower of London (1939)

Powerful

People are voting emotionally.

Good concept, poorly executed.

Don't Believe the Hype

Basil Rathbone stars as Richard, the Duke Of Glouster, a ruthless and ambitious man who systematically plots to murder all those who stand in his way to the throne, held by King Edward the IV. He is helped in this by his loyal and sinister servant, the club-footed Mort(played menacingly by Boris Karloff) who tortures, imprisons or exiles all who oppose him. Eventually, Richard does come to power after Edward dies, becoming the famous King Richard the III of England, who must face a returning enemy in battle to secure his power, aided by the eager Mort... Vincent Price is amusing as a drunken Duke of Clarence, another victim. Good acting and direction(by Rowland V. Lee) with literate script make this film a winner.

Those who have seen Richard III as written by William Shakespeare (or even the updated version with Ian McKellan) will find this to be the "cliff notes" version of that classic play. Basil Rathbone, after going into the Bard with "Romeo and Juliet", now enters the world of one of the most vile rulers of England's history, a hunchback who basically killed off his entire family to rise to the thrown and only be knocked right back down again. It is obvious that historical villains like this keep winning on their rise to the top so their fall will only be greater, and that is the fate of the Duke of Glouchester who has too many steps in his way to get to the throne. His brother (Ian Hunter) has already usurped the throne, has two sons in line, followed by a cowardly brother (Vincent Price) who simultaneously hates and fears him at the same time. The Queen (Barbara O'Neil) senses that her two sons are in danger from their supposedly loving uncle, and other royal in-laws either go abroad or are executed to avoid the wrath of his ambition and the evil executioner (Boris Karloff).Poor Price gets the worst fate, a drinking contest which ends with a visit to the wine vats. How does Rathbone stay so sober? Perhaps, like a camel, he is able to store the wine in his hump. In real life, Richard III's hump was much more obvious than it was, maybe not as large as the one of the bell-ringer of Notre Dame, but certainly not as subtle as the one Rathbone has here. Not since Livia of "I Claudius" has someone dispatched so many relatives in an effort to get closer to the throne, and Duke Richard delightfully steps on as many heels as he can to get there. Even children aren't safe, and one poor child (delivering a message for a princess) feels the wrath and literally Karloff's boot while trying to get out of the castle.Handsomely made, this delightful epic may not be as poetic as Shakespeare, but it is certainly better than other historical epics who changed a lot of facts to add more drama to the plot. (Like this story could use any more drama...) Made just at the outbreak of war in Europe, I'm sure this was seen as a warning to Hitler and Mussolini that previous ruthless leaders ultimately fell. It is ironic that Price (playing the Duke of Clarence) ends up in the hunchback costume years later when American International filmed its own version of the story that was a bit darker, if not even more camp.

The picture begins with a foreword : ¨No age is without its ruthless men -who , in their search for power , leave dark stains upon the pages of history . During the Middle Ages -to seize the tower of London was to seize the throne of England . In 1471 this has been done by Edward IV (Ian Hunter)- who has violently deposed the feeble Henry IV (Miles Mander) and holds him prisoner . Within the deep shadows of the Tower walls lives the population of a small city , some in prison cells and torture chambers , some in palaces and spacious lodgings , but none in peace . A web of intrigue veils the lives of all who know only too well that today's friends might be tomorrow's enemies¨ . As this excellent film tells the story of power-hungry Richard III Crookback (an incisive Basil Rathbone who features an acclaimed acting) , 6th in throne succession , subsequent and eventually crowned king , the English monarch who brutally executed the people who attempted to get in way to the throne . Richard eliminates those ahead of him in succession to the throne, then occupied by his brother King Edward IV of England. Richard , Duke of Gloucester , is a dominant , unstoppable , mean lord , gross black spider of a figure that devours or possesses everything on its path . After the death of Edward he becomes Richard III, King of England, and he needs only defeat the exiled Henry Tudor to retain power . Deformed and ruthless English king Richard battles Prince of Wales' army , as the opposing forces converge in Gloucester-shire and the Prince prays for victory at the Priory of Hereford . This melodrama is based on historical events , during Two Roses War , ¨Red Rose (York)¨ ruled by Edward IV and Richard III followers and ¨White Rose (Lancaster)¨ Henry VII followers who vanquish them . There finally takes place battle of Bosworth , in which Richard III is defeated and takes over the kingdom , a new ruler named Henry VII Tudor.Dazzling , hypnotic entertainment that was deemed extremely graphic for its time and some of the torture scenes had to be cut before it was released . More interested as historical drama than as a terror film , the picture profits from a magnificent cast who gives over-the-top interpretations . Well produced and atmospheric picture , being stunningly directed by Rowland V .Lee , which gives Boris Karloff one of his best characters as the shaven-headed executioner who looks like a forerunner of ulterior roles . Gorgeously polished visuals are perfect foil for the slimy , evil goings-on . The battle scenes were an ordeal to film. Principally shot on August 19, 1939 at a ranch in Tarzana, the fog machine proved ineffective in the face of high winds. The 100-degree heat caused the 300 extras to suffer and rain machines caused the soldier's cardboard helmets and shields to disintegrate. Additional battle scenes were shot on August 22 and on September 4, 1939, but the California heat continued to play havoc with the cast, crew and equipment . Production wrapped on 4 September 1939, 10 days and nearly $80,000 over budget . Tremendous black and white cinematography by George Robinson and stunning dramatic impact in one of the most successful Universal films ever made . Good musical score , though studio heads were alarmed that the score contained nothing but period music and ordered a new score be written ; time considerations ultimately prevented this, with Frank Skinner cobbling together pieces from his score from The son of Frankenstein , only pieces of the original score survived the final cut. Other films dealing with this historic personage are the followings : ¨Tower of London¨(1962) by Roger Corman with Vincent Price as Richard III , Michael Pate , Sandra Knight ; it results to be a sophisticated remake and Price plays a role taken over in the 1939 rendition who coincidentally appeared as the doomed Duke of Clarence ; the classic ¨Richard III¨ (1955) starred and directed by Laurence Olivier with Ralph Richardson , John Gielgud , Cedric Hardwicke , this is the landmark version of the Shakespearean play . And modern take ¨Richard III (1995) by Richard Loncraine with Ian Mckellen , Jim Broadbent , Robert Downey Jr and Nigel Hawthorne , being set in an imagined 1930s London of swanky Art Deco .

Tower of London (1939) Directed and Produced by Roland V. Lee. Starring Basil Rathbone, Boris Karloff Barbara O'Neil, Ian Hunter, Vincent Price, Nan Grey, Leo G. Carroll, John Sutton, Miles Mander, and Donnie Dunagan (for some reason I can't stop laughing at those two names being together).The opening music in Tower of London would tell you that it's a horror film. The truth of the matter is, that Tower of London isn't much of a horror film, as it a historical piece. Despite the presence of Boris Karloff, Vincent Price and yes Basil Rathbone (he did some Horror films), this is attempting to be more straight than scary. The film is more or less a retelling of Richard iii (Rathbone) attempts to conquer the throne in England during the 15th century, by any means necessary. Richard is joined by his loyal executioner Mord (Karloff). It is a story of betrayal, power, and descent into madness. It is an interesting retelling, but does have some differences.Released the same year as Son of Frankenstein (both films feature the same two leads, Rathbone and Karloff). Tower of London was probably more or less an attempt to give Basil Rathbone a leading role, that wasn't Sherlock Holmes (this film even begins with Starring Basil Rathbone and then listing the rest of the cast members as with).This film features some fencing. With Rathbone being a naturally trained fencer, Roland V. Lee and the other people behind the film felt that they could probably get away with having fencing in the film (seeing as it was a common thing in that era). And the fights are pretty impressive, probably the best parts of the film, being extremely entertaining, as Richard likes to fence with other people.There is a particularly good scene where after King Henry death is announced, Richard goes to his room and there he set of a dolls lined up, these dolls all have something in common, they are people that he wants dead. With King Henry and two others descent for the throne having already been knocked out, he throws the dolls into the fire, and places the remaining heirs to the throne on top, plotting which one to kill next. The scene is particularly good, because it shows how far Richard will go just to ascend to the throne. The music that plays in the background is particularly good, giving the scene an eerie feeling.Three of the six actors in this film (Rathbone, Karloff and Price) would all reunite with the film, The Comedy of Terrors. A scene in that film mirrors this film, by having Price kill off Rathbone (after Rathbone wouldn't stop coming back to life).The scenery is terrific. It actually looks like we're in London in the 1400's.The acting is pretty good with Rathbone as usual perfect in the role of the sinister Richard the iii, with Karloff just as equally good in the role of his henchman Mord, who is sinister and freaky. Vincent Price is good in a small role, which was one of his earliest films. Here he plays the Duke of Clarence who meets gets challenged to a drinking contest by his brother Richard the iii (you heard me right), that ends with one survivor. Although Price is commonly associated with low-brow horror films, one must not forget that Price started as a serious dramatic supporting actor (including appearances in films such as Laura, and Dragonwyck, and then became started making horror films in the 50's. Another good performance in the film is Ian Hunter as King Edward IV. Here he is depicted as being stronger than what he was in say the Shakespeare play, Richard the iii.The film was remade in 1962 by Roger Corman (although maybe in name only). Ironically enough this time it starred Vincent Price in the role of Richard.All and all the Tower of London is fairly entertaining. I wouldn't call it the most accurate retelling of a historical event, but I wouldn't call it the worst. The acting makes up for most of its fault and for the most part, I suggest it worth a look. Of course I don't like the fact that people label this as a horror film, as there's nothing really scary about it.