Lightdeossk Captivating movie !

Derrick Gibbons An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Gary The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

Caryl It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

utgard14 Trio of horror stories based on works of Nathaniel Hawthorne. The first story is "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment," about two elderly friends, Dr. Carl Heidegger (Sebastian Cabot) and Alex Medbourne (Vincent Price) who discover magical water that they use to become young again. Heidegger decides to use the water on the corpse of his long-dead love Sylvia (Mari Blanchard), with surprising results. The second story is "Rappaccini's Daughter." Giovanni Guasconti (Brett Halsey) falls in love with beautiful Beatrice Rappaccini (Joyce Taylor) at first sight. Beatrice is the daughter of scientist Giacomo Rappaccini (Vincent Price) and, much to Giovanni's horror, her father has injected her with plant toxins that make her deadly to touch. The third, and most famous, story is "The House of the Seven Gables." Gerald Pyncheon (Vincent Price) returns to his ancestral home with his new bride (Beverly Garland). Ignoring warnings of a family curse he scours the house looking for a treasure reportedly buried somewhere inside.All of these stories are loosely adapted from Nathaniel Hawthorne stories. The segments are of varying quality but they are all watchable and enjoyable enough. The first story is probably my favorite, helped in large part by Sebastian Cabot's sensitive portrayal of Heidegger. The second is my least favorite and the third is OK. Price is in all three and, as usual, is excellent. Price was also in the 1940 film adaptation of "The House of Seven Gables." It was far superior to this version so please check it out if you can. Twice-Told Tales is an enjoyable time-killer but nothing exceptional. Vincent Price fans will love it more than most.

AaronCapenBanner Sidney Salkow directed these three adaptations of Nathanial Hawthorne stories starring Vincent Price & Sebastian Cabot: "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment" - A rejuvenation formula has unforeseen consequences in this nicely produced but routine story, with Price & Cabot in good form at least."Rappaccini's Daughter" - A man with an elaborate garden poisons his daughter so that she will never leave it, though it doesn't go according to plan... Ineffectual and forgettable."The House Of The Seven Gables" - A cursed family home brings about its inhabitants destruction in this ho-hum version; not bad, but not particularly memorable either.

TheLittleSongbird So what was my main attraction to Twice-Told Tales? Vincent Price, one of my favourite actors and one who brings 100% no matter what the movie is like. Nathaniel Hawthorne is another good reason also. I actually enjoyed Twice-Told Tales. It does have some sparse production values, has moments where it is very stagy and talky and has ponderous pacing. It is in the third segment The House of the Seven Gables where these problems are especially prominent. The photography, some good effects and the acting, especially from Price, make the segment worth the watch at least, but it felt dull to me and tries to cram far too much in, which undermined the story-telling severely. Thankfully the other two segments really made up for it. On the whole the photography is lush, the dialogue provoking more thought and the stories much more interesting. Sidney Salkow's directing does show signs of efficiency, particularly in Rappacinni's Daughter. I wholly concur with the general consensus that the second segment Rappacinni's Daughter is the best one of the three, it is creepy and atmospheric, the most lush in look, is the most emotionally complex and has a really well-told story(it is also the most faithful to Hawthorne's writing). The first segment Dr. Heidegger's Experiment also has an effectively macabre feel, and I liked its more hopeful ending. The cast are very good in what are essentially examples of ensemble acting. Beverly Garland doesn't have a lot to do but makes the most of it. Richard Denning plays it straight and he is also not so bad. Sebastian Cabot brings to the table a very sympathetic performance, even if he has been better before, his rapport with Price is beautifully and subtly done. Jacqueline De Wit is a joy here, and the best of the support cast for me. Vincent Price is the film's best asset, he commands the screen effortlessly and all three of his roles play to his strengths. Overall, has a weak final third but two thirds of it, especially the second segment, are excellent. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Mr_Ectoplasma "Twice-Told Tales" is a trio of Gothic horror stories written by Nathaniel Hawthorne (who is considered a classic American writer), all starring Vincent Price. The first story, "Dr. Heidigger's Experiment", revolves around two men who discover a potion late one stormy night that can revive age. The second story, "Rappucini's Daughter" is about a woman who shares the same biological qualities as a beautiful but poisonous plant that was created by her father. And the third story, "The House of the Seven Gables" is about a family curse placed upon the Pyncheon family, and the curse makes itself known late one night when the remaining family gathers on the property to discuss inheritance.Sometimes funny, sometimes ridiculous, but always entertaining is the way I'd describe this movie. By today's standards, this film is unbelievable in more ways than one. The movie was made in 1963, which actually surprised me, because the quality was quite poor considering the time - most films after 1960 were much higher quality (take "Psycho" as an example). The acting (mainly centered around Vincent Price) isn't convincing at all, even Price himself has that unbelievable, campy quality in this film - but hey, it's a rather old movie, so I have to take it easy on it. I have read all three of the stories featured in this film, and they are mostly nothing like the actual books themselves. Especially the last segment, "The House of the Seven Gables". I actually enjoyed that book (although I'm not the hugest fan of Hawthorne's work), but the film translation was rather ridiculous. It was as if they took the basic idea of a curse and an old house, and fused them together with some common elements of old-time horror films, and came up with this story that is light years different than the actual novel. The special effects are anything but mind blowing, and are bordering (if not crossing into) laughable. Everything looks very fake, but again, for it's time, it probably wasn't considered bad - I'm going to take it easy on this film.Overall, "Twice-Told Tales" is a movie that will probably gain no respect by the majority of today's audiences. It's far too dated and the quality isn't believable enough anymore, and most people who are shown it nowadays would laugh at it, and I can understand why. But if you are a fan of the old-time classics, and are familiar with older films, you'd probably like this. But for most people, it'll be hard to take it seriously. 6/10.