Tower of London (1962)

The twisted Richard III is haunted by the ghosts of those he has murdered in his attempt to become the King of England.

Director:

Roger Corman

Writers:

Leo Gordon (story) (as Leo V, Gordon), F. Amos Powell (story) (as Amos Powell)

Stars:

Vincent Price, Michael Pate, Joan Freeman

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Vincent Price	...	Richard of Gloucester
Michael Pate	...	Sir Ratcliffe
Joan Freeman	...	Lady Margaret
Robert Brown	...	Sir Justin
Bruce Gordon	...	Earl of Buckingham
Joan Camden	...	Anne
Richard Hale	...	Tyrus
Sandra Knight	...	Mistress Shore
Charles Macaulay	...	George, Duke of Clarence
Justice Watson	...	Edward IV
Sarah Selby	...	Queen
Donald Losby	...	Prince Richard
Sara Taft	...	Richard's mother
Eugene Mazzola	...	Edward V (as Eugene Martin)

Storyline

On the death of his brother King Edward IV, Richard of Gloucester conspires to get the throne for himself. The late King had two young sons, his heir, Edward V and the younger Prince Richard, but they are not of age and so names his other brother, Clarence as Lord Protector of the Realm. Gloucester soon kills his younger brother but is haunted by his ghost and what he has done. As he continues to kill those around him, Gloucester is haunted by those he has betrayed hearing voices and slowly descending into madness. He spreads rumors that the late King's two sons are illegitimate and therefore not eligible to ascend to the throne. He assassinates the young princes and is crowned King Richard III. The ghosts from his past have the final say however.

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Plot Keywords:

ghost | king richard iii | 15th century | gothic horror | london england | 

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Taglines:

Do you have the courage to spend 83 minutes in the Tower of London?

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Genres:

Drama | History | Horror | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 October 1962 (USA)

Also Known As:

La torre de Londres

Filming Locations:

Producers Studios - 5330 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$200,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Edward Small Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

79 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The original tag line "Do you have the courage to spend 83 minutes in the Tower of London?" was slightly off, since the film's running time was only 79 minutes.

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Goofs

When Richard pushes the freshly murdered Clarence into the vat, you can see Clarence take a deep breath and hold it, just prior to being submerged.

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Quotes

Opening Narrator: The Tower of London - a monument to the corruption of the soul, wherein the shadowed past a man gained the throne of England despite the insane ambition that drove him to evil and murder. He escaped the headsman's block but he could never escape the ghosts of his conscience. It is the night of April ninth in the year fourteen eighty three, the night that Edward IV, King of England, will die. Rumours that the King is on his deathbed have filled London and the people await the booming of the ...

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Connections

Referenced in Special Collector's Edition: La colina de las botas (2011)

User Reviews

Great if you remind yourself this is NOT good history and you don't mind the hamminess of Price's performance.

King Richard III of England is a very tough guy to understand today because the truth about him is hopelessly muddled. Most of what we THINK is true about him comes from Shakespeare's Richard III--which is very entertaining but Skakespeare was probably no better a historian than Paris Hilton! His histories are based on both traditional tales AND an effort to make the Tudor dynasty look good (after all, Elizabeth was queen while many of his plays were produced and if they were critical of her family, he would have likely been beheaded). So, considering that Richard III was murdered by her grandfather (Henry VII), it's not surprising that in the play he's a scheming and deformed jerk. This film also is based somewhat on Shakespeare's tradition, though he's far crazier. Whether Richard actually killed his nephews, walked like a hunchback or was so untrustworthy and stupid is up for debate--and many historians do question the traditional view of the king.

Now, if you aren't a history teacher or a member of the Richard III Society (www.richardiii.net), most of this probably won't matter very much to you. My advice is to just watch the film for it's entertainment value--not historical.

As entertainment, it's not bad. Fans of Vincent Price will especially enjoy his way over the top and highly emotional re telling of the reign of Richard. Seeing his face contort and ghosts popping in and out certainly is fun to watch, as is the nasty scene involving dropping a rat in a cage on a man's face! Obviously, this is NOT a Merchant-Ivory production!! No, in many ways it's highly reminiscent of director Roger Corman's other forays with Price (such as his Poe "inspired" films). And so, if you like them, you'll love this homage to insanity and evil. If you are looking for something more...well, you won't find it.