MovieChat Forums > The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971) Discussion > PRICELESS

PRICELESS

posted 18 years ago by tzogas
20 replies | jump to latest

Excuse the pun--I didn't realize I'd made one until I'd typed it, but ANYway...

I had only seen this movie once, when I was just a kid. I'm in the middle of watching it (DVD on pause), and I wanted to come on here and see what you all are saying about it. I can certainly appreciate this movie on some different levels at this point, and there's no question that I've always had great affection for that great character, Vincent Price. He seemed to me to be a man of amazing humor--here is one thing I missed before in Dr. Phibes, but did not fail to miss this time:

The part where Dr. Phibes has drained the blood out of the doctor, and left it on a table, above which there is a semi-nude painting. Price just HAD to be improvising this when he goes to leave, then pauses, walks back into frame and stares straight at the painting. He gives it a look, and then his head turns towards the dead doctor, with such a deadpan, "shake-your-head-at-this-guy's-bad-taste" look on his face, then he turns and silently glides away again.

Magic....

Anyone else have a favorite moment?

[–] glemay25 18 years ago

I cant say an exact fav moment but I loved every bit of this film. Price as Phibes, all the weird murders, the toy band playing that pleasant music, and
esp Vulnaria. Just a beautiful horror film

[–] bregund 18 years ago

Price knew how to camp it up. I love the part where he's sitting in the field watching the aviator and twirling a wildflower in his fingers, with Vulnavia standing in the background like a supermodel. The expression on his face is hilarious.

[–] 18 years ago

[deleted]

[–] diamonddolls 18 years ago

I preferred this film to the sequel. I thought the sequence of murders was a better plot device, leaving us to anticipate how he might interpret the different plagues. I also thought Vulnavia was better in this film. I thought she was going to end up being an automaton and I saw in the trivia section that it was planned at some point. Her movements and music playing were more captivating than the actress in the sequel, IMO.

I thought the "wild beast" killing and particularly the follow-up to it was one of the funniest dark humor scenes ever. When Trout said "Looks like a left hand thread" and you watch the feet rotating, I thought I wasn't going to stop laughing!

Beautifully made, extremely entertaining camp horror film. I wish it hadn't waited so long to see it!

[–] rimbaud14 18 years ago

I love the scene where he and Vulnavia are watching the aviator fly about. Then after the plane's crash and explosion, Phibes twirls the telescope about and begins applauding his own handiwork with a beautiful self-satisfied look on his face. Classic!

[–] tamamidog 18 years ago

I usually hate horror movies, but i LOVED dr phibes i want his organ its awsome
this movie is gold

[–] nightkatt 18 years ago

Love the amulet maker scene.....and the marching locusts. ;-)

The Terry Thomas (blood) scene is very good. A bit of humor when the girl comes in and he's still cranking the movie projector handle.

[–] tzogas 18 years ago

Bumping my own post.

What's YOUR favorite bit?

[–] mwelsh-6 18 years ago

to many faves to pick one but somehow I just love the bit about Phibes having a painting of his own profile on the windows of his car. how cool is that?

[–] Jimbeau4 18 years ago

Too many great moments to pick out. This movie succeeds on so many levels.
The brilliant and hilarious dialogue throughout.
The beautifully conceived [and in some cases hilariously butchered] art deco settings.
Vulnavia's phenomenal wardrobe.
The over the top acting of Price and North. [One scene not mentioned yet is where Vulnavia 'vogues', looking straight into the camera]

It should have won an Oscar.

[–] JeffreyBeaumont1 16 years ago

Deffinetly where terry thomas says 'I'm doctor longstreet you know' when suprised by the appearance of the girl. Gonna watch the sequel tonight for the first time in 20 minutes, so excited

[–] pjwoodall1 18 years ago

Years ago by chance I met a distant cousin of Vincent Price on a job interview, and he had a name only a genuine trivia buff would recognize--Stanley Price.
Actor Stanley Price was a longtime character actor and dialect coach who appeared in numerous Republic serials and BUCK ROGERS as well as THE LOST WEEKEND. Price told me that, when the actor died, his wife received numerous letters of condolence from people who remembered him.
I asked him if he had ever met Vincent Price, and he said he had when Price was doing a one-man show about Oscar Wilde and that they met backstage at Ford's Theater.

I also remember seeing Vincent Price interviewed by David Frost, and he said people often confused him with George Sanders. The worst it got was one night when he was hosting a UN dinner and one of the dignitaries asked him: "I hope you don't mind me asking this, but just how many of the Gabor sisters have you been married to?"

One of my favorite Price films is CHAMPAGNE FOR CAESAR, an early 50's spoof of radio quiz shows starring Ronald Colman as a Ken Jennings-type who knows all the answers to whatever questions Art Linkletter can throw at him. Price is
great as the sponsor. Unfortunately, they never show it on TCM and I don't think it has ever been released on tape or DVD.

[–] Fangus 18 years ago

Favorite moment? Ooh, hard. I have no 'unfavorite moment' in Phibes, one of my all time favorite pictures. (On the list with "Casablanca" "City Lights" "Rififi"and "Alexander Nevsky."

I never cease to be amazed that Vulnavia carts the Brussells sprouts into the lab in a tiny gilded wheelbarrow. Or the absolutely perfect look that flashes over Vincent Price's face when Dr. Dunwoody says "I'm a psyciatrist. You know, a headshrinker."(hee hee)

Also, how about the moment when Price and Virginia North dance in front of the "Cafe Monte Carlo." I mean, yow. (What great dancers!)

Oh, there is just no film like TADP. The one and only 1970s art deco, horror-comedy musical starting rats, bats, frogs and a hospital coffee urn filled with hungry locusts. I still think it's the best American film of 1971.

As for Oscars? It's a shame that Brian Eatwell's superb art direction wasn't nominated. Talk about doing wonders on a budget.

And I agree absolutely about the goldsmith scene. Aubrey Woods, in two minutes, gives the best performance in the movie. 1971 saw Mr. Woods in both "Phibes" and as the candy merchant in "Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory." What a year.

"More than one? Of course there's more than one. It's a SET."

[–] munkeh 17 years ago

Favorite moment - when thr. Wickham gets impaled by the brass unicorn and the inspectors have to "untwist" him from the wall. The old guy in the other room telling them to be quiet while you can see Wickham's feet turning in the background is too funny.

[–] andy-1047 17 years ago

Yes, a left hand screw! Absolutely one of the best horror films. I love it! And who wouldn't want to have Caroline Munro as your wife?

[–] 17 years ago

[deleted]