Tower of London (1939)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Rowland V. Lee

Writer:

Robert N. Lee (original screenplay)

Release Date:

17 November 1939 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | History | Horror

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...

Plot Keywords:

Murder | Executioner | Brother | Drowning | Battle

Cast

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

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #5819) | USA:TV-PG (TV rating) | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Castle, Backlot, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

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.

Quotes:

Mord: [to Richard] You're more than a king, more than a man. You're a god to me!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Best of Sex and Violence (1981)

An appropriately towering performance

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.