The Tomb of Ligeia
| The Tomb of Ligeia | |
|---|---|
|
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| Directed by | Roger Corman |
| Produced by |
Samuel Z. Arkoff Pat Green |
| Written by |
Robert Towne Paul Mayersberg |
| Based on | short story by Edgar Allan Poe |
| Starring |
Vincent Price Elizabeth Shepherd John Westbrook |
| Music by | Kenneth V. Jones |
| Cinematography | Arthur Grant |
| Edited by | Alfred Cox |
| Distributed by |
Anglo-Amalgamated Film Distributors (UK) American International Pictures (USA) |
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Release date
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6 December 1964 (UK) 20 January 1965 (US) |
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Running time
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81 min. |
| Country | United Kingdom United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | 114,017 admissions (France) |
The Tomb of Ligeia is a 1964 American International Pictures horror film, produced in the UK by Alta Vista Productions. Starring Vincent Price and Elizabeth Shepherd it tells of a man haunted by the spirit of his dead wife and her effect on his second marriage. The screenplay by Robert Towne was based upon the tale "Ligeia" by American author Edgar Allan Poe.
The film was directed by Roger Corman, and was the last in his series of eight films loosely based on the works of Poe. Tomb of Ligeia was filmed at Castle Acre Priory and other locations with a mostly English cast, and is marked among the Corman-Poe cycle for its atypical outdoor scenes and opulent settings.
Verden Fell (Vincent Price) is both mournful and threatened by his first wife's death. He senses her reluctance to die and her near-blasphemous statements about God (she was an atheist). Alone and troubled by a vision problem that requires him to wear strange dark glasses, Fell shuns the world. Against his better judgement, he marries a headstrong young woman (Elizabeth Shepherd) he meets by accident and who is apparently bethrothed to an old friend Christopher Gough (John Westbrook).
The spirit of Fell's first wife Ligeia seems to haunt the old mansion/abbey where they live and a series of nocturnal visions and the sinister presence of a cat (who may be inhabited by the spirit of Ligeia) cause him distress. Ultimately he must face the spirit of Ligeia and resist her or perish.
The climax of the film takes place when Verden has a showdown with Ligeia, now in the form of a cat. Verden is blinded by Ligeia, but gets the upper hand and strangles the cat, while the tomb around him burns down, due to an accident. Christopher and Rowena start a new life together, while Verden and his wife perish in the flames.
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Wikipedia