The Masque of the Red Death (1964)
Posted on December 27, 2005
Filed Under Classics, Creepy stuff, Series, The Occult
Roger Corman was nearing the end of his Edgar Allen Poe adaptations when he made The Masque of the Red Death, perhaps the most vividly interpreted and original of his offerings. That’s not to say that he takes artistic licence with it as he did with some of the earlier offerings (I’m thinking particularly of The Raven here). In fact it stays pretty faithful to the original text and the viewer will forgive Corman’s occasional flights of fancy as they tend to enhance rather than detract from the final product. Corman had intended this to be his second Poe picture following the success of House of Usher in 1960, but he passed it over because of the release of Bergman’s The Seventh Seal in 1957, which he held to be too similar in places.
What will strike you first when watching Masque (especially if you’re familiar with the rest of the Corman-Poe series) is lavishness in which the evil world of Prince Prospero is presented. Though the scale of the setting never really advances beyond Prospero’s castle walls there is a real sense of perspective which adds to the discomfort of the ‘Red Death’ lapping at the doors. It’s a rare thing to see Corman working with a healthy budget and he puts it to excellent use. The sumptuousness of the castle stands in stark contrast to the hell that is going on outside its walls, and it’s easy to see why young Francesca’s previously resolute faith is tested by these new surroundings. The dance of death is a gorgeous sight to behold, with the orgy of colours adding to the terror of Prospero’s realisation that he was backing the wrong horse all along. When contrasted with the closing five minutes or so, when the ‘Masque’ is joined by his ‘brothers’, it all adds up to a visual treat which serves the plot wonderfully. Corman is sometimes marginalised as a slightly-less-than-serious director which is why it’s a joy to see him turn out a film which, even if you isolate the cinematography and forget about the plot, is a master class in film-making.
Not that there is any need to isolate the plot. There are periods when the film tends to drift, especially the bits involving Juliana’s rites of passage. For some reason they just don’t gel with the rest of the picture, perhaps because they’re a little too overworked and thus seem burdensome and out of step with the sprightliness of the rest of the film. Undoubtedly the strength of Vincent Price’s performance completely dominates the film. He’s magnificent as Prospero, playing it completely straight and obviously loving every minute of what is one of the finest offerings of his career. It’s great to see him take on the role of such a vile character and snarl his way through scenes of every-increasing dastardliness. Though he is integral to the success of the film, and in truth you’d probably describe it as a one-horse show, Jane Asher is a perfect counter-part as the innocent and pure Francesca. The early Price-Asher scenes are especially effective, where her faith at first seems to unsettle the Satanist Price before the force of his personality inevitably triumphs, however fleetingly.
Masque of the Red Death is faithful to the spirit of Poe and is a wonderful addition to the Corman-Price working relationship, a period when both men were arguably at their best. It’s easy to overlook some of the more turgid scenes when you know that Price will be reappearing again presently to scowl at and kill more of his courtiers. The fact that the ‘Masque’ only appears on screen for about ten minutes gives us sufficient time and space to get the measure of Prospero-and, speaking personally, to thoroughly enjoy his company-before the final and inevitable judgement is delivered. Top-class all of the way.
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