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IMDb > Tower of London (1939)

Tower of London (1939) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
6.9/10   504 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 11% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Rowland V. Lee
Writer:
Robert N. Lee (original screenplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for Tower of London on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
17 November 1939 (USA) more
Genre:
Drama | History | Horror more
Plot:
In the 15th century Richard Duke of Gloucester, aided by his club-footed executioner Mord, eliminates those ahead of him in succession to the throne... more | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
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User Comments:
An appropriately towering performance more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)
Basil Rathbone ... Richard - Duke of Gloucester

Boris Karloff ... Mord
Barbara O'Neil ... Queen Elyzabeth
Ian Hunter ... King Edward IV

Vincent Price ... Duke of Clarence
Nan Grey ... Lady Alice Barton
Ernest Cossart ... Tom Clink
John Sutton ... John Wyatt
Leo G. Carroll ... Lord Hastings
Miles Mander ... King Henry VI
Lionel Belmore ... Beacon - a Chamberlain
Rose Hobart ... Anne Neville

Ronald Sinclair ... Boy King Edward
John Herbert-Bond ... Boy Prince Richard
Ralph Forbes ... Henry Tudor
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Additional Details

Runtime:
92 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)
Certification:
USA:Approved (PCA #5819) | USA:TV-PG (TV rating) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
After a preview screening in November, 1939, 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 Son of Frankenstein (1939). Only pieces of the original score survived the final cut. more
Quotes:
Mord: [to Richard] You're more than a king, more than a man. You're a god to me! more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in The Best of Sex and Violence (1981) more

FAQ

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1 out of 1 people found the following comment useful:-
An appropriately towering performance, 6 February 2007
6/10
Author: christopher-underwood from Greenwich - London

Ambitious, historical tale with lots of battles (fairly well done) and much power struggling, particularly of course by the hunchbacked Richard. The matters romantic slow things down enormously and although clearly striving for some measure of authenticity, there are just too many characters for the budget or script to be able to deal with as one might have liked. However, given the limited resources, a reasonable result is achieved, helped enormously by three excellent male leads. Basil Rathbone is very fine indeed and very convincing in the role of the scheming, Richard and none of the camp Price would bring to the role another time. A very young Vincent price is also most effective and it is great to see his crooked smile and fluttering eyelids already swinging into action. A bit too fey here perhaps but lets himself go in the infamous drinking scene. Incidental to the main story and probably originally added as a bit of light relief, Boris Karloff brings anything but. An appropriately towering performance and despite very few lines and not a lot of screen time he drags himself into centre frame and haunts one's memory afterwards.

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Recent Posts (updated daily)User
What Did Vincent Price Drown In? calfan
What was up with Mord tucking the princes into bed? tcshan
Familiar Music vacousin
Universal Horror Forum ricktc
who dunit? jamdonahoo
Horror? jjkxbtt
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