Tower Of London (1962)

Nothing seemed more appropriate a follow up to the 1939 Tower of London, than Corman's 1962 adaptation of the story.  For some strange reason, when I think of this movie, I always remember it in color, I'm always a bit taken aback by it's lush black and white (I guess I have horror dyslexia, I seem to remember Hitchcock's The Birds  in black and white, it is, of course, in color).  I am aware that it was intended to be shot in color, it was only producer Edward Small that insisted on the black and white.

Of the director's that Price worked with during his long career, no one seemed to understand him as an actor better than Corman.  Although they are known as a duo for bringing American horror/mystery writer Edgar Allan Poe to the big screen, this horror rendition of Shakespeare shows that they could take on just about any subject.

Corman turn this into a ghost story, but it is not done in any kind of schlock or over-the-top fashion.  Corman seems to be taking elements from Hamlet, and weaving them into Richard III fairly adeptly.  Richard not only sees ghosts like Hamlet, but also has his sanity questioned when he is seen to be looking at something that might really not be there:  perhaps he is merely mad in the head?  And he needs Price's acting prowess to pull it off.  Without Price's facial expressions while inhabiting the hunchback Richard of Gloucester, the attempt to make a horror film out of such a violent vision of political ambition would probably fall flat and seem too contrived.  Especially considering that Corman can't keep himself for adding a bit of his favorite plot sauce to the script:  some good old fashioned Devil Worship!

The film was released on the 27 October in the US.  It was produced through the Edward Small Production company under the name Admiral Pictures, though the theatrical distributors were United Artists.  The video and DVD distribution as fallen to MGM, who currently have it available in DVD form as a double feature with another Corman/Price vehicle The Haunted Palace (1963).  As an interesting trivia, the battle scenes are actually stock footage from the original Tower of London.  Also as a matter of "funny interest," the original tagline "Do you have 83 minutes to spend in the Tower of London?"--only problem...the movie is 79 minutes long. 

An aerial view of The Tower, along with the famous Tower Bridge.

A ground view of The Tower