![]() ![]() Price’s legacy as a vaunted member of the Universal Monsters society alongside Bela Lugosi, Boris Karloff and Lon Chaney Jr. Lee’s Service de Luxe in 1938 – a lighthearted comedy – but it did not take long for Price to appear in his first fright feature: The Invisible Man Returns (1940). The macabre movie maestro made his Silver Screen debut as Robert Wade in Rowland V. This is a movie best appreciated with that extra dimension.īuy a copy of my book, "Straight-Up Blatant: Musings From The Aisle Seat," on sale now at ! Paperback and Kindle editions also available at Amazon.House of Wax (1953) is an incendiary swath of auld lang syne cinema that continues to spark fiery enthusiasm for one of Vincent Price’s most memorable horror film roles. If not, let it serve as an incentive to get one. If you have a 3D Blu-Ray set-up at home, House of Wax is a film you must add to your collection. Its inclusion means you're getting two full-length movies on one disc. The original theatrical trailer is on the disc, as well.įinally, there's Mystery of the Wax Museum, the 1933 feature that House of Wax was based on. “Round-the-Clock Premiere: Coast Hails House of Wax" runs about nine minutes and offers silent footage of the movie's premieres, with Hollywood stars (including Ronald Reagan) in attendance, as well as ordinary moviegoers. This is a very entertaining doc that serves as a perfect companion piece to the main feature. Famous fans like Joe Dante, Wes Craven, and Martin Scorsese appear on-camera to offer their perspectives on both the film itself and its groundbreaking use of 3D. Among the topics: how de Toth overcame his visual issues to direct the movie, the special projectors and sound systems installed in theaters to show it, and how the 3D craze of the '50s came to be. “ House of Wax: Unlike Anything You've Ever Seen Before!” is an all-new, 48-minute documentary looking back at the film. Scenes involving a mechanical contraption Jarrod uses in making his creations benefit from 3D, too the machine's parts poke out at you ominously. In 3D, Jarrod's museum looks massive, and the way the statues stand out from everything else gives them an eerie quality. Outside of the movie's famous paddle-ball sequence, the director used 3D for atmosphere rather than for gimmickry. ![]() It's quite possible that de Toth's seeming liability was actually an asset. Nonetheless, he made what, along with James Cameron's Avatar, is widely viewed as the definitive 3D motion picture. ![]() In what has to be one of the great cinematic ironies, House of Wax was directed by Andre de Toth, who had only one eye and therefore couldn't experience his own film's 3D effects. ![]() Could Jarrod be doing something nefarious? Hint: yes. One young woman, Sue Allen (Phyllis Kirk), notices that Jarrod's sculpture of Joan of Arc bears an uncanny resemblance to her missing friend Cathy (Caroline Jones). However, his reappearance coincides with a number of local disappearances. It appears that Jarrod perishes in the blaze, but later, he reemerges, ready to present a new and improved museum. Jarrod refuses, so the guy torches it anyway. His dishonest business partner suggests burning down their museum to collect insurance money. Vincent Price plays Henry Jarrod, a master wax figure sculptor who practically views his creations as children. Needless to say, this is one of the most significant home video releases of the year. Motion Picture Imaging have done something both remarkable and important: they've made House of Wax available on 3D Blu-Ray, with a 4k scan, a complete restoration, and perfect 3D image alignment. Seeing it in 2D is the same as watching it in black-and-white or without sound you're fundamentally not seeing the film as its makers intended. Here is a movie that was designed and made for the then-new technology. One need look no further than 1953's House of Wax for proof. And, at times, 3D has been used magnificently. Regardless of what you think about it, a fair number of prestigious filmmakers have opted to use the format over the decades. As the love-it-or-hate-it debate over 3D rages on, a simple fact is often overlooked: 3D has an important part in our cinematic heritage. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |