The Masque Of The Red Death

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Skipling

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I was fascinated by this film as a child and have recently obtained it on dvd and watched it again on a couple of occasions. It is based on a short story by Edgar Allen Poe and stars Vincent Price and Jane Asher. It was the last of director Roger Corman's selection of Poe adaptations made throughout the sixties.

From Wikipedia said:
The story is set in medieval Europe. Prince Prospero, a cruel, jaded Satanist, invites several dozen of the local nobility to his castle for protection against an oncoming plague, the Red Death. The local peasantry, or anyone that the Prince suspects of being infected by the plague, are killed by crossbow fire outside the castle walls, or their villages are burned to the ground.

Subplots include the abduction and attempted corruption of Francesca, an innocent Christian peasant girl, the revenge of the dwarf jester Hop-Toad upon the brute who abuses his beloved mistress, and the Satanic self-initiation and downfall of Prince Prospero's consort Juliana. The film includes one of Corman's distinctive psychedelic dream sequences.

There are a number of interesting facets about this film, most notably the metaphorical allusion that can be drawn between the elite pathocracy and the gathered dignataries in Prospero's castle. They are all self-centred sycophants eager to avoid the plague of the red death, happy to reside in the castle of a satanist in order to avoid their demise.

Another is the quartet of coloured rooms in the castle chambers, each a different colour; white, yellow, violet/purple, and black. Prospero declares that his father imprisoned a friend of his in the yellow room for a year or more, and when he was released he could no longer bear the sight of the sun or a daffodil. Greenbauming and torture spring immediately to mind here.

The film, classic Corman low budget, is nevertheless a splendid visual feast of lurid colours and fine detailed cinematography from future "The Man Who Fell To Earth" director Nicholas Roeg. The atmosphere of opulence, lethargic mundane evil is contrasted with the worthy poverty of the peasant community ruthlessy abused and murdered by the satanist-in-chief.

This film really made me think about the relation to the real world situation, as I wondered about the number of uber-wealthy in the elite who may think they can buy themselves salvation via the consortium, a la the recent 2012 movie. One of the ahem, "noblemen" in the film is played by horror stalwart Patrick Magee, who speaks of "the anatomy of terror", abuses a midget dancer (and clearly sexually desires her) and generally devotes his life to the corruption of women in general. A portrayal of a true psychopath here.

Price's character, Prospero, does the same but in a more subtle way, with twisted paramoralistic interpretations of the absence of God in this world as a reason to give service and subservience to the Devil, or Lucifer, the fallen angel. A classic trap that keeps many people firmly entrenched in the yhwh/satan dialectic, little realising that they are one and the same, albeit with different "faces". In this way he attempts to convert the mind of the young Christian peasant girl, Francesca; even daring her to choose between her father and her lover as to who's life should be spared.

It's a super film, I must say I love it, and anyone with an interest in sixties gothic will enjoy this and it really does give you plenty to think about in its rather short duration. And it most surely needs no future remakes from cheesy directors and actors who have no subtlety or gravitas.

Sorry if that sounds snobby but these films need that quality, imho.
 
I've yet to find an uncut version of this movie. Its always so heavily censored as to be unwatchable. Roger Corman is one of my favorite movie makers, I'll see if it can be found on Netflix. Thanks!
 
The european version I purchased seems exactly the same as the version I saw on bbc as a kid, so I cannot comment on any cuts. It's about an hour and a half in duration.
 
Skipling said:
The european version I purchased seems exactly the same as the version I saw on bbc as a kid, so I cannot comment on any cuts. It's about an hour and a half in duration.

I had to do a search, but it popped up on Netflix instant watch. It was an hour and half long, and uncut. (Why the versions I saw cut out what they did is beyond me) It was nice to see the whole thing.
 
What with the virus going round I thought this would make a good choice of film to watch again, so I'll be pulling out the DVD for another viewing tonight. It's one of Roger Corman's finest films in my view, made on a threadbare budget but with real talent in the acting/production dept.

PS- I was Skipling in another forum incarnation who started this little thread. I heartily endorse this film as a great watch!
 
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