Masque of the Red Death (1989 film)

Masque of the Red Death

Film poster
Directed by Larry Brand, Jeffrey Delman
Produced by Roger Corman
Screenplay by Daryl Haney
Larry Brand
Based on The Masque of the Red Death by Edgar Allan Poe
Starring Patrick Macnee
Adrian Paul
Music by Mark Governor
Cinematography Edward J. Pei
Production
company
Release dates
 1989
Running time
 85 minutes[1]
Country United States[1]
Language English

Masque of the Red Death is a 1989 American[1] horror film produced by Roger Corman,[2][3] and directed by Larry Brand,[2] starring Adrian Paul and Patrick Macnee.[4] The film is a remake[5] of the 1964 picture by the same name which was directed by Roger Corman.[2][6] The screenplay, written by Daryl Haney and Larry Brand, is based upon the classic short story of the same name by American author Edgar Allan Poe, concerning the exploits of prince Prospero, who organizes a bal masqué in his castle while the peasants of his fiefdom die from the plague in great numbers.[4]

Plot

Machiavel (Patrick Macnee) is a mysterious masked rider in a red cape who roams the countryside of Prince Prospero's fiefdom. The appearance of the rider is followed by a deadly plague that scars its victims and decimates the peasantry. The rural people are becoming desperate and seek to escape the devastation. Meanwhile, Prospero (Adrian Paul) barricades himself at his palace, to avoid any villagers entering his immediate domain and disturbing him. He also organizes a masquerade ball where he invites the nobility of his land to participate. Village maidens are also brought into the castle to provide entertainment for his guests. Amongst them is Juliette (Clare Hoak), an innocent peasant girl, who continuously resists the prince's lustful pursuit. When Claudio (Jeff Osterhage), the prince's friend, advises Prospero to stop pursuing Juliette, the angry prince jails them in the dungeons of his palace. Meanwhile, desperate peasants try to breach the defences of Prospero's castle to escape the Red Death. In response to their attempts to enter the safety of his castle, the prince orders boiling oil to be poured on them from high atop the battlements, scorching many of them to death. The party is in full swing when a mysterious masked man in a red cape joins the fun unannounced.[2][7][8]

Cast

Reception and analysis

The film did not receive any substantial reviews when it was first released in 1989, but subsequently it became a more popular target of analysis in specialty publications. It received two stars from film critic Leonard Maltin, who commented that Paul's Prospero was "more thoughtful and troubled" but also that "despite an interesting approach to the figure of the Red Death and a literate (if talky) script, overall cheapness and very slow pace cripple this medieval melodrama."[9][10]

The Overlook Film Encyclopedia of Horror commended Tracy Reiner's performance in her role as Prospero's sister Lucrecia, but criticised the film: "The grandeur and elegance of Corman's earlier film are missing: in their place is plentiful dialogue about the cruelty of God and Death and the behavior of princes."[9][11]

In comparison to the 1964 version, the depiction of Prospero is described as more "troubled and thoughtful" but the role of Death has been criticized as appearing more "literate" and "verbose", attributes which, according to the critics, impact adversely the plot delivery and suspense of the film.[5]

In another critique, the film has been described as "more adept" and "less visually stylized" than the 1964 version, qualities, which according to the reviewer, hold the promise of better quality modern adaptations of Poe's works.[3]

Another critic describes the film as one of Corman's "weakest movies" and "Corman at his schlockiest". The script has been criticized as putting an emphasis on the love interests of the prince who is shown in an incestuous relationship with his sister Lucrecia, played by Tracy Reiner, while relentlessly pursuing innocent peasant girl Juliette, played by Clare Hoak. Adrian Paul's portrayal of prince Prospero is described as "more subtle" and "realistic", compared to the 1964 original, but the same attributes make the character dull, according to the review. The production values of the film have been described as "third rate" and the direction "haphazard". In the same review it is mentioned that "the cast is overacting shamelessly" and that the film is not faithful enough to Poe's story to justify its title.[6]

The Orlando Sentinel critic comments that to enhance the portrayal of Death in this film version, the rest of the actors play listlessly as if they were already dead for added effect. He then pokes fun at the special effects which he does not consider very effective. He also distributes fictitious honours to the actors, based on their pronouncements in the film.[8]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Alan Goble (1 January 1999). The Complete Index to Literary Sources in Film. Walter de Gruyter. p. 371. ISBN 978-3-11-095194-3.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Masque of the Red Death, The 2. US movie (1989). Concorde". Encyclopedia of Fantasy (1997). Roger Corman has made two movies with this title. 1. UK/US movie (1964). Anglo Amalgamated. Pr George Willoughby. Exec pr Nat Cohen, Stuart Levy. Dir Corman. 2. US movie (1989). Concorde. Pr Corman. Dir Larry Brand. Screenplay Brand, Daryl Haney. line feed character in |quote= at position 50 (help)
  3. 1 2 Wheeler W. Dixon (2 March 2000). The Second Century of Cinema: The Past and Future of the Moving Image. SUNY Press. p. 67. ISBN 978-0-7914-4515-0. Larry Brand's 1989 adaptation of Masque of the red Death, produced, not coincidentally, for Corman's new production company, Concorde/New Horizons,...
  4. 1 2 "The Masque of the Red Death (1989)". The New York Times.
  5. 1 2 Dawn B. Sova (1 January 2007). Critical Companion to Edgar Allan Poe: A Literary Reference to His Life and Work. Infobase Publishing. p. 112. ISBN 978-1-4381-0842-1. Corman's The Masque of the Red Death (1964), an ultrastylish adaptation starring VINCENT PRICE as the dissipated Prince Prospero ... In his 1989 remake, titled Masque of the Red Death, starring Adrian Paul, Clare Hoak, Jeff Osterhage, Patric Macnee, and Tracey ...
  6. 1 2 Thomas S. Hischak (21 June 2012). American Literature on Stage and Screen: 525 Works and Their Adaptations. McFarland. p. 141. ISBN 978-0-7864-9279-4. The 1964 British movie by American director Roger Corman added Poe's story Hop-Frog to the Masque of the red Death to make a feature film.
  7. ↑ "Die Maske des roten Todes Masque of the Red Death (1989), US" (in German). moviepilot.de.
  8. 1 2 Joe Bob Briggs (November 17, 1989). "Spirit Can't Be Revived In Remake Of 'Red Death'". Orlando Sentinel.
  9. 1 2 Don G. Smith (1999). The Poe Cinema: A Critical Filmography of Theatrical Releases Based on the Works of Edgar Allan Poe. McFarland & Company. p. 249. ISBN 978-0-7864-0453-7.
  10. ↑ Leonard Maltin (2009). Leonard Maltin's Movie and Video Guide. New American Library. p. 885. ISBN 978-0-451-22468-2.
  11. ↑ Phil Hardy; Tom Milne (January 1996). Horror. Aurum Press. p. 448. ISBN 978-1-85410-384-0.
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