Tower of London

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DanTheMan 2 Ambitious to a point, Tower of London gives a uniquely sinister and highly compelling history lesson in what is a late 30s Universal and very loose take on Shakespeare's Richard III. It's a very well-made film and can be highly entertaining if you can give it a chance, but this film is less focused on horror and more on giving a compelling history lesson with lots of battles and much power struggling. Rowland V. Lee is a very proficient director, his technical prowess, even with his limited resources, shines through. Unfortunately, the romantic matters slow things down enormously and although clearly striving for some measure of authenticity, there are just too many characters for the budget or script to be able to deal with as one might have liked. Universal really did get their mileage out of Frank Skinner's score to Son of Frankenstein as it crops up again here and is used to great effect. Basil Rathbone and Boris Karloff give great central performances, with Rathbone playing Richard as a man whose greatest weapon is his self-effacing charm; rarely has utter ruthlessness been so likeable. While the glowering thuggery is Karloff's job here, and he does it with all his usual brilliance, there's even an early role for future master of malevolence Vincent Price, which certainly makes an impression as it's very against his type if you know his works. Deemed too graphic upon its release, Tower of London does offer a lot of dazzling and hypnotic entertainment, injecting an element of sardonic humour amidst what should be a tale of terror, but one done so well, it's hard not to be impressed. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/06/25 Full Review Liam D One of the more unknown titles in Universal’s older backcatalogue. It has a great cast but it isn’t that memorable Rated 2.5/5 Stars •  Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 08/10/24 Full Review Andrew L This film contains a lot of firsts. It is the first horror film Vincent Price ever starred in, it is the first time we see Karloff and Price together, and it is the first time we see Rathbone, Karloff, and Price teaming up together. We wouldn't see these three big names together again until 24 years later in THE COMEDY OF TERRORS. This film is a big piece of horror history that gets so often overlooked and forgotten. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 07/27/24 Full Review Steve D Plays fast and loose with history while providing little scares. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 04/12/23 Full Review Audience Member Excellent movie! It was like watching a 1939 version of Game of Thrones. Featuring Vincent Price, Boris Karloff, and Basil Rathbone. Three great actors in one great movie. Highly recommended. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/05/23 Full Review Audience Member based on historical events-with a horror spin Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/21/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Tower of London

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