Tower of London

Basil Rathbone is the drive of this historic Universal horror flick! His passion and cunning persona absolutely grasps the moments. Doesn't hurt to have a deformed Boris Karloff as ones henchman! Also the first Vincent Price performance of merit. Where Tower of London (1939) lacks is the structure rushing through the schemes surrounding Richard III's rise to the throne. But there's barely a dull moment with the chills of Basil & Karloff's grins setting the tone of Tower of London wonderfully.

"It's an old axiom of mine: marry your enemies and behead your friends."

Narratively it's nothing particularly special, a pretty standard historical drama about British royal infighting, engaging but unoriginal. It does have a great lead performance from Rathbone, who makes a great conniving villain, and a fun supporting role from Vincent Price, both of which raise the level of the film enough to make stand out a bit. Probably won't be memorable but it was decent fun.

Often classified as a horror film, this is actually a straightforward Costume Drama with some horrific "comedy relief" supplied by Karloff in one of his most memorable roles as a torturer who really enjoys his work.

The Shakespearean view of history played as a horror comic; despite an overall lack of pace, spirited scenes and good performances win the day.

Confusing plot, bad direction. High production values and good cast adds some points, but that doesn't really help it to be worthwhile.

Astonishingly dull, considering the cast