The Tomb of Ligeia / An Evening of Edgar Allan Poe (Midnite Movies Double Feature)

All is good

Me being only fifteen years old, you would not expect I would be a fan of old movies. Well, I am. I'm a fan of almost everything from Lon Chaney in the Phantom of the Opera to these films: the Tomb of Ligeia and An Evening of Edgar Allan Poe.I must voice how very well put together the Tomb of Ligeia was.The film is about a man named Verden Fell (Vincent Price), whose wife Ligeia(Elizabeth Shepherd), passed away, but he feels her will to cling to life, even after she looses it. Some months later, he meets the Lady Rowena (Also played by Elizabeth Shepherd) after she meets with a riding accident. She breaks off her engagement with Christopher Gough (Played by John Westbrook), a prosecuting lawyer, and marries Verden. After their honeymoon around Europe, Rowena and Verden return home. Rowena feels the presence of Ligeia stalking her and seeking to destroy her, and Verden disappears at night with no explanation of where he had been... what is going on in Verden Fell's abbey. What hidden horrors await Rowena? Can she help her husband let go of the memory of his Ligeia? Or will Ligeia never set her husband free from her control?I applaud Vincent in his performance as Verden Fell. Everyone in this movie was an English actor except for Vincent. I admire his ability to fit in with a bunch of English actors, which is something few American actors can do. I praise Elizabeth Shepherd for her ability to play both the parts of Lady Rowena Trevanion of Tremaine AND Ligeia, and her being so young (She was only twenty eight when she played this part! Holy crap!). Above all, I was extremely impressed by John Westbrook's performance as Christopher Gough. He's a freaking amazing actor! I feel I must include him for his brilliant acting, since hardly anyone has heard of him and notice his amazing ability to assume the character of the role he is playing. Plus, I love his deep, sensuous, mellifluous voice. It's sad that this was the biggest film role he was ever in. He deserved so many more roles in movies than he actually got. If you have seen Masque of the Red Death, he was the man in red, though not credited in his performance (Which I think he should have been!!!!). I fear I must stick John Westbrook at the very top of my list as one of my favorite actors of all time, Vincent Price being the second of my favorites. The rest of the actors I think were very well cast. I felt the scenery in the Tomb of Ligeia was absolutely beautiful, all filmed in southern England (I think...).Now, An Evening of Edgar Allan Poe, I thought was very brilliantly put together. It must have taken Vincent hours to memorize those stories, but an actor of his ability I think can accomplish it. I loved the way he acted out every word he spoke, with such emotion, dread, fear, and despair, as in the case of the Pit and the Pendulum and the Tell Tale Heart.Above all, both of these movies were amazing. I now have my favorite movie of all time decided: The Tomb of Ligeia. Yeah, that's right, I loved it that much.Love,Adrienne

MGM supplies a double dose of Price and Poe with this Midnight Movies release of The Tomb of Ligeia (1965) and An Evening of Edgar Allan Poe (1970). The Tomb of Ligeia, directed by Roger Corman, was his last of the popular Poe series of films, and Corman certainly went out in style. Opting for shooting on location rather than use of soundstages, the production here is lavish and infinitely enjoyable.The story centers on Verden Fell (Vincent Price), who lives in a run down abbey, with his wife, Ligeia, buried within the grounds. But is she actually dead? It was said her will was so strong, her desire to live so palpable, that maybe she didn't really pass. Elizabeth Sheppard also stars as Lady Rowena Trevanion, a woman who has a chance meeting with Verden, and soon finds herself enthralled with the man, despite his peculiarities, like his aversion to sunlight, his living in an abandoned abbey, etc. They are soon married, and then the weirdness really begins. Strange dreams, a black cat, Verden mysteriously disappearing in the night, and a sense that Verden's deceased wife, while not around in a physical sense, is somewhere in the abbey...maybe everywhere in the abbey, as her presence seems to permeated the structure, and it doesn't seem like she's too happy about Verden getting re-married...so what's the secret behind Verden's strange behavior? Is Ligeia really dead? What is the menacing presence lurking within the abbey, intent on haunting Lady Rowena?As I've said, this is a really wonderful production full of rich, beautiful location shots. The decrepit abbey is provides a wonderful backdrop to this truly creepy story, and the minimal number of characters really helps to keep things tight and focused. Price, one of my favorite actors, does a wonderful job, and seeing him apply his craft is always a treat. Elizabeth Sheppard certainly manages to hold her own, sharing much screen time with price. What I found really interesting was the lack of physical horror within the film, and how the film avoided the luridness of some of the other Corman/Poe productions, seeming to stay more along the lines of the source material. Credit must be given to the write of the screenplay, Robert Towne, who later wrote the Nicholson/Polanski classic Chinatown (1974). A real nice adaptation with loads of atmosphere and a nice way for Corman to finish the Poe series with this eighth and final adaptation.The second feature on this disc, An Evening with Edgar Allan Poe, isn't a theatrically released feature, but a made for TV movie starring Vincent Price. It's comprised of four vignettes, including the more popular Poe stories, The Tell Tale Heart, The Sphinx, The Cask of Amontillado, and The Pit and the Pendulum..Price is the only one throughout the entire feature, sometimes acting in a manner of relating a tale within character in the story, sometimes acting out the different characters within the stories. It's a very personal affair, and all tales follow the original stories very closely, something that wasn't necessarily true of the theatrical Poe features produced by Roger Corman starring Price. As far as I can tell, Corman had nothing to do with this production, but it was produced by American International, the same company that produced the Corman/Poe films. This feature runs 53 minutes. Since it was shot for television on video tape, the quality isn't all that great, but, if you are a fan of Price and/or Poe's works, then this will be a real treat for you. Price really sinks his teeth into the roles, relating each tale with flourish they so richly deserve.The print provided for The Tomb of Ligeia looks really beautiful, presented in wide screen. The special features include two, separate audio commentary tracks, one with Roger Corman, and another with star Elizabeth Sheppard. There is also a theatrical trailer for the film. An Evening with Edgar Allan Poe is in full screen format since it was a feature made for television, and does have subtitles, which came in useful as the audio, while decent, was a bit weak at points.Cookieman108