Movie Reviews: The Masque Of The Red Death By: Edgar Allan Poe

 

GENERAL INFORMATION

Title/Original Title: The Masque Of The Red Death

Director: Roger Corman

Country and Year of Production: United Kingdom United States 1964

Running Time: 90 Minutes

Main Cast:: Vincent Price as Prince Prospero

Price also plays the Red Death during the unmasking scene

Hazel Court as Juliana, his mistress

Jane Asher as Francesca, a peasant girl

David Weston as Gino, Francesca's lover

Nigel Green as Ludovico, Francesca's father

John Westbrook as The Red Death (in physical form and voice; uncredited)

Patrick Magee as Alfredo

Paul Whitsun-Jones as Scarlatti

Robert Brown as Guard

David Davies as Lead villager

Sarah Brackett as Grandmother

Skip Martin as Hop-Toad, a dwarf jester

Verina Greenlaw as Esmeralda, Hop-Toad's dwarf lover

 

 GENRE

Horror

 The events narrated: are based on The Masque Of The Red Death Written By: Edgar Allan Poe

 

PLOT

An elderly woman is gathering firewood in the countryside. There is dim light and fog. She happens to see a man sitting with his back against a tree trunk, wearing a red robe with a hood.

The man, with his face uncovered, gives the woman a white flower that later turns blood red. He persuades her to go to the village to reveal a prophecy: "Freedom has come."

Prince Prospero finds himself in a village where he has an argument with two villagers and is about to kill them.

Francesca begs for mercy. The prince decides whether to kill her father or her fiancé, Gino.

Someone shouts that a woman is dead—the one from the prophecy. The prince learns of the prophecy: she died from the red death.

The three are taken to the castle, the men imprisoned, and Francesca with Prince Prospero.

The prince organizes a masked ball; none of them is allowed to wear a red costume.

The guests' bestiality prevails over reason.

Prince Prospero is a Satanist and seeks to convert Francesca, a fervent Christian. Francesca hears sinister noises that lead her to the black room where she finds Juliana, the Prince's wife, selling her soul to the devil to be immortal and gain absolute control over her husband, the Prince.

Prince Prospero will not kill Gino but will set him free, certain that he will die soon. During the journey, Francesca's fiancé will meet a man dressed in red holding tarot cards, who will give Gino the card representing humanity.

Gino will be saved from the plague thanks to his faith and his love for Francesca.

The man dressed in red arrives at the masquerade ball; the Prince, amidst the crowd, follows him, furious, to the black room with Francesca. Prince Prospero pulls down the hooded man's mask and sees his face marked by the red death.

During the ball, everyone dies of the plague except Francesca, who reunites with Gino.

At the end, seven hooded men appear, each wearing different colors, representing the various deadly diseases.

 

 NARRATIVE TECHNIQUES

The events are narrated in chronological order.

The narrative time:  corresponds to a long period (years)

 

CHARACTERS

The main characters are The Prince Prospero (Vincent Price) a rich man a satanist who sold his soul to the devil.

Juliana (Hazel Court) is his mistress, who sold her soul for jeaously, for the immortality and to possess her husband.

Francesca (Jane Asher) is a simple girl devoted to Christianity and future wife of Gino (David Weston) who really love her.

Ludovico (Nigel Green) is the father of Francesca.

The Red Death (John Westbrook)

LANGUAGE

The narrator is absent

The editing has a slow pace

The special effects are present.

The filming is filmed indoors and outdoors, alternating between open and closed spaces.

 

FILM MESSAGE AND THEMES

the inevitability of death.

The Illusory Nature of Time

The Hubris of Wealth and Power

 

 PERSONAL COMMENTARY

After the prophecy I appreciated the external environment where there is always the fog and dark and the unawareness of the guests who are dying from the red plague.