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Theatre Of Blood [1973]


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Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review

A brilliant, bizarre 1973 comedy-horror, Theatre of Blood pitches somewhere between a Hammer horror and the Ealing comedy Kind Hearts and Coronets.

Vincent Price stars as the hammy, self-important and thoroughly psychotic Edward Lionheart, a veteran thespian who refuses to play anything other than Shakespeare. Piqued by a circle of critics, whom he feels were disrespectful in their notices and denied him his rightful Best Actor of the Year Award, he decides to murder them one by one in parodies of some of Shakespeare's grislier scenes. He's aided by his daughter Edwina (played by Diana Rigg, often in fake moustache and male drag) and a ghoulish company of dosshouse zombies.

Some of the murders are quite extraordinarily gruesome, despite their camp, comedic overtones. Arthur Lowe's henpecked critic has his head sawn off while asleep (in a parody of Cymbeline) and Robert Morley's plumply effete dandy is force-fed a pie made from his beloved poodles, choking him to death (cf Titus Andronicus). Jack Hawkins and Michael Horden also meet unpleasant ends. Theatre of Blood is a genuine and underrated oddity in the annals of British cinema and especially uncomfortable for those who happen to be in the reviewing trade.

On the DVD: Theatre of Blood on disc is not a triumph of digital enhancement, with sound blemishes unamended and hazy, faded visuals in places. The only extra is the original trailer. --David Stubbs


Theatre of Blood
Review date: 2008-09-27 Rating: 8 out of 10

As a general rule, I am not especially drawn to horror films - even those which have a strong vein of comedy running through them - but Theatre of Blood (Douglas Hickox, 1973) is one of the exceptions.

Firstly, it has a very imaginative premise:- Ham Shakespearean actor forced out of his profession by a "circle" of theatre critics decides to revenge himself on the lot of them, by murdering them one by one in ways that have been directly lifted from Shakespeare's plays. He is assisted in this by a new "company of players" he has recruited from the ranks of London's down and outs. At this point, Theatre of Blood reminded me of Stanley Kubrick's A Clockwork Orange which came out a couple of years earlier. And it's none the worse for that.

Secondly, the casting of Vincent Price as Edward Lionheart - the avenging actor in question - is spot on.

Thirdly, the film has an excellent cast of supporting actors - Diana Rigg and Ian Hendry (both of The Avengers), Arthur Lowe (Dad's Army), Harry Andrews, Dennis Price, Robert Morley - indeed every role (even the minor ones) appears to have been taken by stalwarts of the British stage or screen of that era. Sometimes, with films of this vintage, I remark that it could do with a contemporary makeover. But quite frankly - even given the revolutionary changes in filmic technology that have taken place since 1973 - you could not get together today a cast as "right" for the material as this one is. So the casting is a strong point in favour of this film. Direction and camerawork are also good for the standards of the time and (for style watchers like myself) Theatre of Blood does contain a fair measure of early seventies chic.

Having said that, MGM should have enhanced the picture quality for the DVD release. The sound quality, too, is not all that it could and should have been. Theatre of Blood is not a masterpiece, and nor is it a work of art, but as a good film it still deserves better than the current DVD release gives it.




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Reviews


Theatre of Blood -- Brush Up Your Shakespeare
Review date: 2008-06-24 Rating: 10 out of 10

I think that Vincent Price is always worth watching. He could be both
horrible and funny at the same time. Theater of Blood is a near perfect
example. It was filmed in London in 1972, with an excellent cast of actors who, like Price, are unfortunately deceased.

Price plays a second-rate actor who fakes his own death in front of critics who did not like his stage work, which included only Shakespeare. With the help of his daughter, played by Dianna Rigg, and a gang of homeless people who are mentally-ill, Price plots the deaths of the critics who panned his Shakespearean roles. Price kills nearly all of them using the clever means of making the punishment for each fit his version of what each deserves.
I enjoy his pursuit of vengeance and at the same time wish for his
apprehension by the film's end. Then I return to being sympathetic with him once more.

Theater of Blood gives us a good tour of London in the early 1970's and
has such a superb cast of so many British actors who made Twentieth Century theater and film so entertaining. Perhaps only Alec Guinness is
missing in this one.

Critics Beware - What Vincent Price does in this film could happen to you if you continue to write unfair criticisms of actors' work and if some
of them decide to take revenge against you !!!!!


Art imitating life?
Review date: 2008-02-28 Rating: 10 out of 10

Vincent Price Edward Kendall Sheridan Lionheart a shakesperian actor who seemingly commited suicide. This hillarious and quite gory horror is one of Price's greatest horror films he is perfectly suited in this role as a lot of people could argue that Price had many reasons to go around murdering critics. Vincent Price remains not only one of the greatest horror actors of all time but also an excellent actor just look at his performances in Laura and While the City Sleeps. Even in his horror roles his voice and his sense of timing are nothing other than fantastic.
The plot Price returns from the dead to murder the critcis who caused his demoise by infilicting terrible deaths on them based on shakesperian deaths. For example one gets drowned in wine one burnt alive and everyones favourite is when Robert Morley is choked eating a pie filled with his own poodles. Top stuff

It's another Classic VP film
Review date: 2008-01-03 Rating: 10 out of 10

One of my fave films - Vincent Price is fab as a hammy old actor who will only play Shakespearean roles. Constant critical scorn drives him to a failed suicide attempt. Believed to be dead he takes his murderous revenge on the critics.

This is where the black humour of the film really kicks in. The murders are all based on the plays of Shakespeare and are really quite gruesome in places, although top marks for creativity! Without giving too much away if you're a dog lover you might want to look away during one of the killings and you'll never look at those over the head hair dryers in the same way again.

Price is aided and abetted by a bunch of alcoholic vagrants and his daughter played by Diane Rigg who gets to wear some quite dodgy outfits - dressed as a male hairdresser in a bad perm wig and tash is one of my particular favourites!
All in all it's a brilliantly camp film, just the thing for when you've had one of those days at work where someone has treat you like a stink beetle. Stick this in the DVD player and enjoy seeing Vincent getting even!


A fine combination of wit and gore
Review date: 2007-12-30 Rating: 8 out of 10

Edward Lionheart is a Shakespearean actor who has more ham than talent. His plays have been savaged by the London critics, who now have denied him a great acting honor. He shows them the error of their ways.

Vincent Price plays Lionheart in one of his most effective and slightly campiest roles. I say slightly campy because Price actually does an effective job of showing Lionheart in a sympathetic manner, and his reading of Shakespeare (when he's not doing it as Lionheart on the stage) is good. Diana Rigg as Lionheart's daughter, Edwina, is as psychotically effective as Price.

Lionheart sets out to prove his critics wrong by dispatching them in ways drawn from Shakespeare's plays. Among the methods, one is set up to kill his wife in a jealous rage and then is taken off (Othello). One is upended in a butt of wine (Richard III). One has a pound of flesh removed (The Merchant of Venice). One is stabbed and hacked to death in a crowd (Julius Caesar). And the funniest (and sickest) is reserved for Meredith Merridew (Robert Morley), who at first finds great pleasure in his two poodles that he loves dearly (Titus Andronicus). For those who enjoyed this scene, I highly recommend Julie Taymor's Titus with Anthony Hopkins.

Among the actors playing the critics, in addition to Morley, are some of Britain's finest: Dennis Price, Jack Hawkins, Harry Andrews, Michael Hordern, and several others.

Price is known now, I suppose, as a hammy horror specialist. He made a lot of money and enjoyed himself immensely doing it. But the man could be a good actor. I thought he was effective as Shelby Carpenter in Laura. Occasionally you might come across a Samuel Fuller movie called The Baron Of Arizona. Price is excellent in it.

Theater of Blood is a witty, well-made movie, but it's best enjoyed if you have a passing knowledge of Shakespeare. The movie is camp, literate and gory. Nice combination.

The DVD transfer is very good.

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Vincent Price
Coral Browne
Harry Andrews
Ian Hendry
Diana Rigg

Creators:
Vincent Price (Primary Contributor)
Diana Rigg (Primary Contributor)

Director(s):

Recording label: MGM Entertainment
Manufacturer: MGM Entertainment
EAN: 5050070008845
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: PAL,
Release date: 2002-10-21
Number of discs: 1
Audience rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
Region code: 2
Running time: 102 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1973-04-05
Language: English (Original Language)

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