I truly think this was one of his best earlier performances before he became "the king of horror" but even here, in that old dark house, you could see here he was going.
I don't believe Gene Tierney, in her biography, ever had anything good to say about this movie but I know Price, in his biogrphy, liked it a great deal. :)
I did too!
I like this film too, beckeis, and I'm very impressed with Price's work in it. I wish I knew why Tierney disliked the film; I think it's better than "Leave Her to Heaven", and almost as good as "Laura", the other two films she and Price appeared in.
This movie is an interesting forerunner to the Edgar Allen Poe films Price would make for Roger Corman in the 60's. I've always wondered if Corman saw this film and decided Price was the actor he was looking for.
I wonder if she didn't like it because it was really very much Vincent Price's picture? He got the spectacular role; he got the great lines. In movies like Leave Her To Heaven Tierney got the roles that were central to the whole movie and that really gave her an opportunity to display her acting chops. But Tierney's performance in Dragonwyck is faultless, evwen if it's overshadowed by Price's bravura performance.
shareWow I loved Dragonwyck and a great reason for that is because of Vicent Price and his performance was magnificent. I loved everything right up until he was killed. Why couldn’t they just leave it at that why did they have to show Miranda going back home and asking the doctor to visit her that was very cheesy but still a very dark and gripping movie. All thanks to Mr Price.
shareYou can imagine the scene...
AGENT: Ah, Vincent, they're casting for a new film called "Dragonwyck". Would you be interested in auditioning?
PRICE: What's the role?
AGENT: It's an eighteenth century, aristocratic, drug-addicted, atheist, tyrannical wife-murderer.
PRICE: I'LL DO IT!!!!
That's hilarious! !!!
Yes, I do agree Vincent did steal the picture from Gene but, I do agree that he gave the best perfomance. He was amazing! So talented!
"Helen! Helen! I'm afraid. And I'm glad that I'm afraid!- Peeping Tom (1960)"
I loved this film!! I think that Dragonwyck had more edge than Laura, but I can not compare it to Leave her to heaven. I am sure this is one of those films that u can watch over and over.
I agree Price was perfect in the film-his acting reminded me alot of Edgar Allen Poe and Corman. I just love the ending when he dies in the patroon seat-marvelous. It is all in all a memorable and meaningful film.
I love the fact that he never lost his dignity! Even at death's door. I know why he may have reminded you of Poe. In the book, Poe was his 'buddy'. Although, he never had any real buddies. He said that he admires Poe's works and shows REAL ardour for the subject. But when he visited Poe just to tell him how much his work means to him and he loved Poe reading from a new poem but he he felt compempt that the guy was falling apart.
I agree, the film was EXCELLENT, and this is my favourite Vincent film. Apart from Pit and the Pendulum- another fantastic preformance and great movie. Yes, this is really a film that you can watch over and over. I just love when Miranda visits him in the tower. Wow. Just wow. I never knew another actor who could act so well! And that fict with the doctor. Hilarious! Vincent kept on getting beat up. That fight was one of the most funniest things I have ever seen! (Apart from Theatre of Blood- when Lionheart throws himself into the Thames and his daughter screams. There his was reciting Shakespeare and suddenly he falls in- and the way he falls! Anyway anything from Theatre of Blood is hilarious)You can tell that he preformed well- when he came in the room-where you see him for the first time- he just has a 'presence'. ANY Vincent film is watchable because he always gives a terrific preformance. I'm not saying that about this one, though, because this film is not crap.
"Dr Einstein- A quick twist like in London, huh?
Jonathan- I think it calls for something special- perhaps...the Melbourne Method
Dr Einstein- [cringing] No! Not the Melbourne method please! Two hours! And then when it was all over, what? The fellow in London was just as dead as the fellow in Melbourne.
-Arsenic and Old Lace (1944)"
In her book Self-Portrait she praises Vincent Price, she just did not think she was very good.
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I thought the same about Vincent Price. he was perfect for this part.
Got an autograph in the late 1988 - it was one of my first in autograph collection.
At first ,I knew Price as"the king of horror". Later, I found out he was known as a fine actor which he was{ as well as Claude Rains for example}.Here he captures the far-out disturbed look like at no other time.The picture is also notable for it's haunting mood and atmosphere a la "Laura" in which Tierney also co-starred with him."
shareI agree, his performance was absolutely magnificent, especially during the scenes when he was drugged... he looked truly insane there!
shareAlthough DRAGONWYCK isn't a horror film, I think this is the movie in which he found his horror personality. You can see him revelling in his role in this one. He must have known he had found his true screen vocation in DRAGONWYCK. There had been hints of this horror personality coming through the previous year in SHOCK. As you say in DRAGONWYCK, Vincent Price gave the best performance of his early years.
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