Confessions of an Opium Eater

Seaman Vincent Price arrives in San Francisco from the Far East. He gets involved with Linda Ho, a picture bride who is to be auctioned off in the underground maze beneath Chinatown.

Nominally based on Thomas De Quincy's CONFESSIONS OF AN ENGLISH OPIUM EATER, it seems a mildly incoherent, sloppily composed movie. On the other hand, there is the implication that this is all an opium dream, which would go a ways towards explaining the lack of sense. Given that the producer-director, Albert Zugsmith, was a hard-working man who had produced movies like Orson Welles' TOUCH OF EVIL and directed SAPPHO DARLIng, I'll come down in the middle. I think he intended this to be an opium dream, but given the script by Robert Hill, the remnants of the Production Code, and his own less than stellar talents, it's not a great success. Still, it provides a chance to see a lot of Studio Era actors like ichard Loo, Phillip Ahn, and Victor Sen Yung.

Enter a world of hidden rooms, sliding panels, secret passages, narrow sewers and opium dens; a world where, at the Hour of the Rat, pretty Chinese girls are auctioned off to the highest bidder. When Gilbert De Quincey (Vincent Price) arrives in San Francisco's Chinatown in 1902, he is quickly embroiled in a viscous Tong war between two rival factions. The seductive Ruby Low and her followers organize the picture bride auctions on behalf of ancient Ling Tan. The supporters of the Chinese Gazette's murdered editor, George Wah, oppose them. De Quincey bears the moon serpent tattoo, aligning him with Ruby Low, but his actions suggest he may have other motives.

Albert Zugsmith, better known as the producer of Orson Welles' "Touch of Evil", produced and directed "Opium Eater", a black and white b-grader hastily dismissed by reviewers. It has genuine merit to those who like offbeat cinema. Although it uses Thomas De Quincey's 1821 book title, (actually called "Confessions of an English Opium Eater") it conjures up its own story of deception and murder. Price as Gilbert De Quincey, who also narrates the film, suggests he is an ancestor. "Opium Eater" actually has more in common with the Fu Manchu mysteries or the yellow peril pulps popular in the 1930s. Add to this its fortune cookie dialogue and ramblings about dreams, reality, death and destiny and you have one very strange movie indeed. There is no doubt "Opium Eater" is bizarre, but it is also literate and genuinely mysterious.

Albert Glasser's spooky soundtrack is one of the films great strengths. His eerie electronic score endows it with an ambience of unease and dislocation. In one scene, after Price awakens from his opium-induced nightmare, axe-wielding henchmen chase him across rooftops. Here the music drops right off the soundtrack and we are left with only an unnerving silence. Zugsmith's direction is clumsy at times but many intriguing moments make up for this, including his creative use of slow motion and the nightmare montage in the joss house. This drug scene must have been quite controversial in 1962 and I wonder if it was snipped from certain prints or caused the film to be banned in some areas.

The love/hate relationship between De Quincey and Ruby Low suggests their fate is predetermined and leads to a quite unexpected, but oddly satisfying outcome.

It's a flawed film, but remains a curious, haunting experience deserving of a cult following. >

OK, I've known I've wanted to see this for years, but had no idea how great it would be!!! Price is as ace as usual, but the scene is well and truly stolen by the little dwarf girl. Some more things that make the film great - The fact that all the Orientals talk in broken English, while Price fills every line with overblown emotion and literate philosophical asides, the record number of secret passages and lifts, the incredible opium trip/dream sequence (and the resulting slow-motion escape is even better)and the fact that the whole thing plays like a 30's adventure film mixed with a 60's drug film! Perfect.

Highly recommended, naturally.

One of my sci-fi/horror/fantasy reviews written 50 years ago: Directed and Produced by Albert Zugsmith for Allied Artists release. Reissue title for TV: "Souls for Sale". Screenplay by Robert Hill, from Thomas De Quincey's book; Photography by Joseph Biroc; Edited by Robet Eisen and Roy Livingston; Music by Albert Glasser; Art Direction by Eugene Lourie. Starring: Vincent Price, Linda Ho, Richard Loo, June Kim, Philip Ahn, Victor Sen Yung, Caroline Barrett, Geri Hoo, Terence de Marney, John Fujioka and Vincent Barbi.

Super exploitational opus by Zugsmith features a unique opium-induced nightmare sequence. Price first suffers through a scary horror montage ot terror-filled objects zooming toward the camera, distorted by a "burning hole bubble in film" effect at the last moment. Biggie is a world's record endless slow-motion sequence of Price flying through the air and eluding his pursuers. Many dazzling shots included in this camp classic.

If it's a completely bizarre horror flick you're after, then you can go wrong with Confessions of an Opium Eater as there is NOTHING typical about this flick, and overall it is just as much an oddity as its title suggests it is! I actually saw this film under the alternative title 'Souls for Sale', but 'Confessions of an Opium Eater' does the film far more justice. My main reason for seeing the film was because it's a Vincent Price film that I'd never come across before, and anyone seeing Confessions of an Opium Eater for the same reason won't be disappointed as this is Vincent Price as you've never seen him! Indeed, not even the usually distinctive master of the macabre can deliver the usual in this film. The plot is often confusing and doesn't always flow well, but the themes of opium induced hallucinations, Chinese human auctions and odd little midgets are usually enough to see it through and ensure that it's hard to care about the shortcomings with the plot.

The dialogue is surprisingly lyrical, and it's a huge benefit to the film that Vincent Price is on hand to deliver it. Price's voice always bodes well with dialogue like this, and that doesn't change here. Confessions of an Opium Eater was filmed in black and white, and while the cinematography looks rather cheap; it does fit the feel of the film. Vincent Price takes centre stage at almost all times, and while there are some memorable characters among the supporting cast - it is always clear that this is Price's film. The film is directed by Albert Zugsmith; and the fact that he is better known for his producing credits is hardly surprising as his direction isn't exactly inspiring...but then again, you can't expect brilliance in a B-movie picture like this one. There are a number of standout moments in the film, however, and chief among them is Price's hallucination sequence; which somehow manages to blend well with the rest of the picture. Overall, Confessions of an Opium Eater is a film that is well worth tracking down despite not being one of price's out and out best efforts, and I highly recommend it.