Lovesusti The Worst Film Ever

Dynamixor The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

TrueHello Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

Humaira Grant It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

JohnHowardReid This lavish historical spectacle moves like a cavalry charge down a steep hill until about halfway through. Oddly enough, the point at which the action starts to slow down is when Edward IV dies. As Edward is played by that normally stodgy actor, Ian Hunter, one would have thought that his death would make little difference. But Hunter is a great deal more animated than usual in "Tower of London". Not only does he play his lines with force and credibility, but he portrays Edward as a scoundrel who is as lively and charismatic as he is unscrupulous and dastardly. Rathbone, on the other hand, who is cast in the seemingly more meatier role of Richard, plays it rather cool and deadly, with little animation. He comes to life only in his dueling sequences which he carries off with his usual flair. Karloff, rather strikingly made up with his bald head, twisted leg and club foot, is a more interesting presence.At its best, the film ranks as a must-see movie. The battle sequences (especially the initial conflict in the rain) and the set pieces (like the execution) are most vividly directed and staged. Great sets and superb cinematography add significantly to the film's appeal. The only technical letdown is provided by the rather pedestrian music score.

tomgillespie2002 Contrary to many an assumption, Tower of London is actually not a horror film, despite the dark and miserable English castle setting, the sight of Boris Karloff as club-footed executioner Mord, and the presence of Rowland V. Lee - a director perhaps best known for Son of Frankenstein (also released in 1939) - behind the camera. There's also the existence of Roger Corman's low-budget effort of the same name, which emphasised the horror and pushed genre legend Vincent Price (who also appears here in a smaller role) into the central role as the deformed, scheming Richard III. In fact, Lee's Tower of London is a historical drama, borrowing much from Shakespeare's Richard III but somewhat confusingly leaving out much of the detail.Edward IV (Ian Hunter) sits comfortably on the throne of England after defeating King Henry VI (Miles Mander) and imprisoning him in the Tower of London. The feeble-minded former king wears a paper crown and lives in the hope that his son will return from exile in France to reclaim his crown. Edward enjoys combat practice with his formidable and cunning brother Richard, Duke of Gloucester (Basil Rathbone), while their soft, drunken younger brother the Duke of Clarence (Price) watches on enviously. Richard is an incredibly capable leader of men, but is way behind in the line of succession. He keeps a mini theatre hidden away where he plans to remove everybody in his way, and despite the many rivals who could challenge him for the crown, the hunchbacked prince will stop at nothing until he is seated on the throne.Although not a horror, Tower of London certainly looks like one. The huge set created for the film became a staple of Universal, and the dark, chilling castle could be seen in many genre pieces produced by the studio in the following years. There's also a few brutal but bloodless murders, almost always involving Karloff's Mord, who is the closest thing the film has to a monster. Yet for the most part, this is more akin to Shakespeare, performed by a ridiculous wealth of acting talent. There are great turns by Hunter, Mander, Price (in only his fourth role) and Barbara O'Neil as Queen Elyzabeth, but the film belongs to Rathbone and Karloff, with the former even eclipsing Laurence Olivier's arguably hammy thesping in the 1955 film. Packing what is an incredibly complex tale into 90 minutes can confuse matters, but this is an entertaining, somewhat lighter alternative to Shakespeare's infinitely more grandiose work.

gavin6942 In the 15th century Richard Duke of Gloucester (Basil Rathbone), aided by his club-footed executioner Mord (Boris Karloff), eliminates those ahead of him in succession to the throne, then occupied by his brother King Edward IV of England.This film has suffered from being thought of as horror, probably because it has Vincent Price (in a very early role) and Boris Karloff. It is not horror. Some have taken to calling it "quasi-horror", which may be true, though exactly what that means is not clear so who is to say? Anyway, if you go in expecting horror, you will leave disappointed.As a historical drama, this is an exceptional film. If you do not know English royal history, the characters are more than a little confusing. But if you go in understanding the basic plot, it is a great tale of treachery and evil ambition. And, for the most part, a true story.

lugonian "Tower of London" (Universal, 1939), directed by Rowland V. Lee, according to the original screenplay by Robert N. Lee, is an historical account based on the brutal rise to power of King Richard III. Mixing fact and fiction, "Tower of London" could easily be categorized as a Gothic horror tale due to the casting of Basil Rathbone, Boris Karloff and Vincent Price (in third film role), actors long associated in the horror genre. Aside from reuniting director Lee along with Rathbone and Karloff from "Son of Frankenstein" (1939), it also lifts the underscoring used from that same film. While there are no mad scientists, monsters or tales of the supernatural this time around, the horror is best described from its opening introduction: "No age is without its ruthless men ... who in their search for power, leave dark stains upon the pages of history ... during the middle ages ... to seize the throne of England. In 1471, this has been done by Edward IV ... who has violently deposed the feeble Henry VI and holds him prisoner. Within the deep shadows of the tower walls lives the population of a small city ... some in prison cells and torture chambers ... some in palaces and spacious lodgings ... but none in peace. A web of intrigue veils the lives of all who know only too well that today's friends might be tomorrow's enemies." Following its introductory of Queen Elyzabeth (Barbara O'Neil), wife of King Edward IV (Ian Hunter), as she bathes her three children, comes the main factor with characters of interest: Mord (Boris Karloff, in a standout performance), a sadistic executioner sharpening the blade of the headman's axe for his next victim on the chopping block. Working under direct orders of Edward's younger brother, Richard III (Basil Rathbone), Duke of Gloucester, Mord idolizes him with these words, "You are more than a Duke, more than a King ... you are a God to me." Equally villainous, Richard, who slowly schemes to take control of the throne, is seen to have miniature replicas of royal competitors he intends on destroying hidden in his secret cabinet, removing them one by one, throwing them into his fireplace once that mission is accomplished. The romantic interest falls upon Lady Alice Barton (Nan Grey) and John Wyatt (John Sutton), the latter whom Richard exiles to France. After the death of the Prince of Wales (G.P. Huntley Jr.), Richard tricks his widow, Anne Neville (Rose Hobart) into marrying him. Moving forward to 1483 as Richard takes control of the throne, he orders the execution of his two two young nephews, Prince Edward V (Ronald Sinclair) and Prince Richard (John Herbert Bond). Elizabeth sends for her exiled cousin, Wyatt, to help form a powerful army against Richard, which proves an impossible task after Wyatt's capture, imprisonment and extreme measures of punishment and flogging by the grinning Mord in the Tower of London.Containing many gory scenes, either suggested or acted out, the film's most famous sequence is the wine drinking contest between the cowardly Duke of Clarence (Vincent Price) and Richard, concluding with the unconscious Clarence being tossed into the large tank of Malmsey wine by Richard and Mord where, after shutting the lid, each listening patiently to the sound of the victim's last bubbling breath. According to Bob Dorian, former host of American Movie Classics where the film aired from 1994-1999, the scene came close to becoming reality where Price nearly drowned in the process when the lid was stuck shut. The same was said by Bob Osborne, host of Turner Classic Movies, when "Tower of London" made its TCM premiere October 23, 2006. In spite of his near death experience, it was Price who enacted the role of Richard III the 1962 remake. The actual battle sequences of Barnet, Tewkesbury and later Bosworth's Field are depicted here, but are briefly staged. With its straightforward dramatic theme, only Tom Clink (Ernest Cossart) and his chimney sweep boy assistant (Walter Tetley) offer some lighter comedic moments. The only thing missing is William Shakespeare's "Richard III" recital made famous by John Barrymore.A lavish scale production with sets that could have been replicas for the sound remake of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," a production originally produced by Universal in 1923, but remade by RKO in 1939, "Tower of London", at 92 minutes, regardless of historical inaccuracies, is in a class by itself, thanks to the believable/ unsympathetic performances by Rathbone and Karloff, the noteworthy support of the aforementioned actors along with Leo G. Carroll (Lord Hastings), Lionel Bellmore (Beacon Chiruegeon), Ralph Forbes (Henry Tutor) and little Donnie Donegan (Prince Richard as a child) among others.Formerly distributed to home video in the 1990s, "Tower of London" can be found on DVD with Karloff's science fiction melodrama, "Night Key"(1937) on its flip side. (*** kingdoms for a horse)