The Tomb of Ligeia (1964)

Day 26 of Sobriety.

The Tomb of Ligeia is the last movie in what is generally referred to as Roger Corman’s “Poe Cycle” of films based (often very loosely) on the works of Edgar Allen Poe. If I am right there are eight such films, nine if you include the non-Corman directed, but very similar in style, The Oblong Box (1969). The Tomb of Ligeia is the sixth of the series that I have watched (or re-watched) recently, and although I greatly enjoyed it, quality wise I would place it in the lower ranks of those films in comparison to works like The Haunted Palace (1963), The Masque of the Red Death (1964), and House of Usher (1960). Actually, although I still have a few films in the series to watch, I doubt any of them will reach the quality of those films, which I think are superb.

In any case The Tomb of Ligeia still has a lot going for it. It has Vincent Price, of course, for a start, although I understand that he was not Corman's first choice for the part, having been considered a bit to old at the time. Nonetheless, he does "his thing" admirably and as only he can, and portrays a very intense and tragic Verden Fell—an aristocrat who lives in dread and awe of his deceased, blasphemous, wife Ligeia. Joining him in a double role as both his new paramour Rowena and the dreaded Ligeia is Elizabeth Shepherd, who would much later appear in a small role as an ill-fated journalist in Damien: Omen II (1978). On that occasion she had a run-in with not a cat, but a raven—another favorite in Poe’s Menagerie. She is great in her double role in Ligeia. I didn’t even realize it was the same actress until the end credits.

As with every other film in the cycle (that I have seen), the brooding gothic atmosphere is the draw, largely established by Price’s performance and the sumptuous sets and cinematography. Much of the film was shot on location at the ruins of Castle Acre Priory in Norfolk, and it looks stunning. Likewise, the interior sets are lavish, detailed and beautifully photographed.

I haven’t read the original Poe story since I was a teenager, so I don’t know exactly how much this film deviates from or embellishes it, but I would imagine it is quite a lot, as I understand the original story is a very short and impressionistic work. The narrative of the film, too, is comparatively simple, something that is conspicuous even given its short (85-minute) running time. But it is all about the atmosphere, and that it has in spades.

One aspect that I felt let the film down considerably was the heavy use of the “black cat” motif, which is really the central motif of the film. One of the main issues was the visual representation of the cat itself. It was by far the worst actor in the film. It was supposed to represent a sinister, menacing presence, but it just looked thoroughly disinterested in almost all of its scenes—probably wondering when it’s next treat was coming. Worst of all were the scenes in which the cat was supposed to actually attack people. These were mostly achieved by either throwing the cat (or maybe sometimes a stuffed cat) at the actors from off camera. One scene in which the cat is supposed to claw Rowena’s face had a single (clearly fake) paw reach in—at head height!—from off camera and paw her face. Was the cat levitating? In another scene the running cat is depicted as a kind of shadow puppet on the wall of the castle, this almost looked artfully impressionistic, but I wonder if that was the intention, or if it was just another cheap effect. Unfortunately, some of those scenes were almost laughable, and I felt they marred the otherwise sombre and polished tone of the film.

In one early scene, Verden takes Rowena, whom he has just met, into his mansion to tend to an injury she sustained in a riding accident. He barks instructions to his manservant to “bring brandy and bandages!” (in that order!). I felt a small wistful twinge when the servant poured Rowena a huge gobletful of brandy. “That’s easily enough to get the job done...” I thought, enviously. I wonder how long it will take for that restless ghost of my own to stay still and quiet in its grave...?