TheCapsuleCritic

The trinity of producer Louis (Deke) M. Heyward, writer Christopher Wicking, and director Gordon Hessler were responsible for a series of British horror films from 1969-1971. 3 of these were marketed as Edgar Allan Poe movies. Their approach to the Gothic horror movie reflects the cynical attitudes expressed in popular media after the pivotal year of 1968. The first of these, THE OBLONG BOX, was the follow-up to the highly successful WITCHFINDER GENERAL (which was not made as a Poe picture just marketed that way in the U. S). It was directed by the highly regarded young director Michael Reeves. The prospect of making a horror film with an anti-Colonial theme would have appealed to Reeves but his early death in 1969 at the age of only 25 prevented that.

Director Gordon Hessler, who took over was not a Michael Reeves. The story of two 19th century brothers, one of whom is horribly disfigured by African witchcraft, could have been gripping but a confusing script coupled with uninspired direction make it uneven. Vincent Price returns to his theatrical style of acting and it seems out of place with the movie's realistic approach. However BOX has its moments including the disfigured brother's revenge on those who buried him alive, and the final revelation and resolution. Gothic horror fans should enjoy THE OBLONG BOX but present day horror fans will find it way too slow and too literary.

Price is joined once again by Hillary Dwyer, his WITCHFINDER GENERAL co-star. This time around she is his wife rather than his victim. She would play his daughter in the next Poe Adaptation CRY OF THE BANSHEE. Genre veteran Peter Arne plays a shady family lawyer while another genre veteran, Rupert Davies, who was also in WITCHFINDER, portrays a local artist. The role of the disfigured brother went to Brit TV actor Alastair Williamson. Christopher Lee's role as a doctor involved with grave robbers is small but significant and Lee makes the most of it. The photography is lush and the period costumes and settings are well rendered.

I first saw THE OBLONG BOX with a friend at a drive-in theater in Chattanooga in 1971 as part of a double feature. I was a big fan of the Roger Corman Poe pictures and this was the first non-Corman Poe film that I had seen. Made in 1969, BOX had taken advantage of the dissolution of the old movie Production Code in 1968 and was explicitly violent (compared to the earlier movies). That and the aforementioned cynical attitude left me with mixed feelings concerning it. My friend felt the same way. Now 50+ years later, I can enjoy it as a Gothic horror movie from an earlier time featuring old friends Price and Lee who share the same birthday, May 27th...For more reviews visit The Capsule Critic.

I clearly remember seeing this American International Pictures release in 1970 when it first came out and really disliking it. The movie was directed by Gordon Hessler who became AIP's go to Poe director after Roger Corman moved on. It really seemed like a slipshod affair with a jumbled storyline and poor editing. I'm rather surprised that I bought the DVD in 2003 but the price was right and I wanted to see if it was as bad as I remembered. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that it wasn't even the same movie that I saw. In fact the difference was like night and day.

It seems that AIP had a habit of completely altering the horror films that they were now making in England for the American market. In the case of CRY OF THE BANSHEE not only were scenes drastically re-edited from the original cut but an imaginative title sequence by Terry Gilliam (before MONTY PYTHON) was completely scrapped and the entire movie was re-scored. Seeing BANSHEE again, in the original British version, raised my opinion of it considerably but not my opinion of of director Hessler. He appears in a short documentary explaining what happened but it reveals his lack of respect for the Gothic horror genre.

Vincent Price plays a 16th century magistrate who delivers harsh justice to those he believes are practicing witchcraft (sound familiar?). In this case they actually are practicing witches and the leader of the local coven (legendary actress Elisabeth Bergner) summons a demonic spirit in the form of a groomsman (Patrick Mower) to destroy Price and his family. This would be the last movie for actress Hillary Dwyer who was so memorable in WITCHFINDER GENERAL. She quit acting, got married, and as Hillary Heath became a successful producer for British TV. Veteran Welsh character actor Hugh Griffith has a small but colorful role as a local gravedigger.

While this movie hardly qualifies as a masterpiece, it is a well crafted example of the Gothic horror film that perished with the advent of the Italian "giallos" and THE EXORCIST. BANSHEE is basically a reworking of Michael Reeves' WITCHFINDER GENERAL (CONQUEROR WORM in the U. S.) and like WG, it has absolutely nothing to do with Poe. Definitely worth the time if you're a fan but somewhat sad as it shows the genre in decline. However much worse was to come...For more reviews visit The Capsule Critic.

According to the numerous reviews of SWORD OF THE VALIANT, the majority are mostly positive although those that don't like it REALLY don't like it. Then there are those, like myself, who fall somewhere in the middle. However, of all the reviews, few mention the fact that director Stephen Weeks made an earlier version in 1973 called GAWAIN AND THE GREEN KNIGHT.

That version starred Murray Head (of JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR fame) as Gawain and character actor Nigel Green as (appropriately) the Green Knight. Although SWORD has the bigger name cast, GAWAIN is the more successful telling of the story. Check it out on YouTube after watching this version and then you can compare them for yourself.

In an interview director Weeks, who is also a novelist and a respected conservationist, discusses how the first film was altered against his wishes. 10 years later he tried again with a bigger budget and had the same thing happen. Although he was able to land such marquee names as Sean Connery, Trevor Howard, and Peter Cushing, he was forced by producers Menahem Golan & Yoram Globus to give the title role to Miles O'Keefe (Bo Derek's TARZAN) instead of STAR WARS' Mark Hamill.

While O'Keefe looks great, an actor he is not, especially when surrounded by the other veteran Brit performers. His blonde PRINCE VALIANT wig doesn't help. When your title character has zero charisma, then you are facing a severe handicap from the start and the movie never fully recovers although Connery's first appearance as the Green Knight is impressive. O'Keefe's Gawain is essentially the same at the end as he was in the beginning. There is absolutely no growth in the character unlike the first movie.

Because of the conditions he worked under, I got the feeling that director Stephen Weeks told screenwriter Stephen Weeks to turn the movie into a parody. Scenes change from comic to serious at the drop of a hat while Gawain's ability as a knight would rival Inspector Clouseau. He succeeds not through skill acquired but from brute strength and dumb luck.

SWORD was only 3 years after the hugely successful EXCALIBUR and this movie features a lot more sword fighting and jousting than GAWAIN did. As is often the case, the story stops dead for the action scenes which then go on too long. Israeli based Cannon Films were known for action pictures so this comes as no surprise. They also cut costs by using a synthesizer score by Ron Geesin which is bad even by 1980s standards.

Yet there is some merit to be found in SWORD OF THE VALIANT. The costumes are a delight to behold and the scenery, shot on location in England, Wales, and France, is authentic and spectacular. The top British talent employed do their best and are a pleasure to watch. They know the best thing to do in a project like this is to chew the scenery and have fun while doing it.

Following his next film project which remained unfinished due to underhanded financial dealings , Weeks gave up movie making and spent 30 years restoring and living in an old castle in Wales. He then moved to the Czech Republic in 2003 where he has written several period novels set in and around Prague.

Due to the TV screens of the time, this 2003 MGM DVD of SWORD OF THE VALIANT was released in a full screen rather than a widescreen aspect ratio. This means that the framing is wrong as the sides have been cut off and the movie is artificially full of close ups. Also the scope and depth of the cinematography is lost.

The bulk of the positive reviews come from people who saw it in a theater. Hopefully SWORD will soon receive a proper Blu-Ray release in the correct visual aspect as every movie deserves to be seen the way it was intended. .. UPDATE:: SWORD is now available in a beautiful widescreen transfer on a Spanish Blu-ray while GAWAIN is still available only on YouTube...For more reviews visit The Capsule Critic.