Tower of London (1962 film)
| Tower of London | |
|---|---|
The theatrical release poster
|
|
| Directed by | Roger Corman |
| Produced by | Gene Corman Edward Small |
| Written by | Leo Gordon F. Amos Powell Robert E. Kent |
| Starring |
Vincent Price Michael Pate Robert Brown Charles Macaulay Joan Freeman Morris Ankrum |
| Music by | Michael Anderson |
| Cinematography | Archie R. Dalzell |
|
Production
company |
Admiral Pictures
|
| Distributed by | United Artists |
|
Release date
|
October 24, 1962 |
|
Running time
|
79 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $200,000 |
Tower of London is a 1962 historical drama and horror film, starring Vincent Price and Michael Pate. Directed by Roger Corman, the film was produced by Edward Small Productions.
The film tells a highly fictionalised account of the rise to power and eventual downfall of King Richard III of England, freely combining elements derived from the plots of Shakespeare's plays Richard III and Macbeth.
Aside from the historical setting, the movie is not connected to the 1939 film of the same name, starring Price, Basil Rathbone and Boris Karloff.
Richard, the duke of Gloucester (Vincent Price), is dismayed when his dying brother King Edward IV names their brother George, Duke of Clarence as Protector to his young son and heir, Prince Edward. Richard wants the position himself, to become de facto ruler after his brother's death. He secretly stabs George to death with a dagger bearing the crest of the Woodville family, framing the dying king's in-laws. Richard is now named Protector. His wife Anne approves of his crime and encourages him to take the throne for himself.
After the death of King Edward, Richard tries to achieve his ends by intimidating the widowed queen's lady-in-waiting Mistress Shore into claiming that the dead king's two children are illegitimate. She refuses, and Richard tortures her. After she dies on the rack, Richard claims he executed her for spreading the rumour that the princes were illegitimate. He says that the two princes should be placed in his protective custody.
The ghosts of Clarence, King Edward and Mistress Shore haunt Richard, warning him that they will be revenged at "Bosworth". He is also told that he will be killed by a dead man. Shore's ghost merges with the body of Anne, and a semi-deranged Richard strangles his own wife, believing her to be Shore. Without his beloved Anne, he is struck with guilt and loneliness. Richard consults the Moorish physician and sorcerer Tyrus, who shows him visions of his future, including the prophecy that he will be king.
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