The House of the Seven Gables [HD]

Near classic
Vincent Price did not always do horror movies, but he was always a good actor and this film proves it. Price actually does not play the heavy in this film, that role falls to George Sanders who excels in a role where he deals out treachery. Price, Sanders and Margeret Lindsay all give outstanding performances. This may not be Vincent Price's best film, but it certainly ranks up there as one of his best performances. This is not a horror film, but it is a dark film that shows the impact greed can cause. The ending seems a little rushed, but it is still effective. There are no special effects and just simple sets, but the story and fantastic acting make this a great film for a wide range of viewers.

Tall Tale
THE HOUSE OF SEVEN GABLES (Joe May, 1940) is typical Golden era studio-bound Hollywood fare. This DVD release has the film in gorgeous black and white and very good sound quality, but no subtitles at all and no extras.
It is based on a classic story by Nathaniel Hawthorne. This tale of betrayal, time-defying love and revenge revolves around two brothers of very different character, one joyously romantic (the tall and early Vincent Price in his 6th film credit), one greedy and vile beyond belief (the tall and great George Sanders, of many a classic movie). Sanders, strangely, doesn't seem completely at ease with his part, maybe because the character he plays is quite one-dimensional, with no redeeming feature, exhibiting no charm or wit (Sanders' trademark roles have those two elements). It's Price who shines most here, his part requiring him to display a wide range of emotions, from unabashed romantic love to a doomed sense of fate, from sprightly young musician to revenge seeker...

Vincent the great
I am glad I bought a copy of this DVD. I must admit the menu thing does not work like typical DVD copies but the movie transfer is of enough quality to me. The transfer comes in original Standard format and no subtitles are provided. As far as the movie concerns, I really enjoyed Vincent Price in his betrayed brother role. I really think Vincent Price was a top drama actor not only suitable for horror films. I think many people would enjoy the story. It has everything, brother to brother jellowsy, impossible love, and sweet revenge, all that without the need of special effects. Great movie.

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