Product Details

• Actors: Vincent Price, Elizabeth Shepherd, John Westbrook, Derek Francis, Oliver Johnston
• Directors: Roger Corman, Kenneth Johnson
• Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Full Screen, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
• Subtitles: English, Spanish, French
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
• DVD Release Date: August 26, 2003
• Run Time: 135 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00009PY4A
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #28,097 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "The Tomb of Ligeia / An Evening of Edgar Allan Poe" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

TOMB OF LIGEIA/EVENING OF EDGAR ALLAN - DVD Movie

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

71 of 71 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars His first wife is dead...but still a little catty!, April 24, 2004

By 

cookieman108 "cookieman108®" (Inside the jar...) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Tomb of Ligeia / An Evening of Edgar Allan Poe (DVD)

MGM supplies a double dose of Price and Poe with this Midnight Movies release of The Tomb of Ligeia (1965) and An Evening of Edgar Allan Poe (1970). The Tomb of Ligeia, directed by Roger Corman, was his last of the popular Poe series of films, and Corman certainly went out in style. Opting for shooting on location rather than use of soundstages, the production here is lavish and infinitely enjoyable.

The story centers on Verden Fell (Vincent Price), who lives in a run down abbey, with his wife, Ligeia, buried within the grounds. But is she actually dead? It was said her will was so strong, her desire to live so palpable, that maybe she didn't really pass. Elizabeth Sheppard also stars as Lady Rowena Trevanion, a woman who has a chance meeting with Verden, and soon finds herself enthralled with the man, despite his peculiarities, like his aversion to sunlight, his living in an abandoned abbey, etc. They are soon married, and then the weirdness really begins. Strange dreams, a black cat, Verden mysteriously disappearing in the night, and a sense that Verden's deceased wife, while not around in a physical sense, is somewhere in the abbey...maybe everywhere in the abbey, as her presence seems to permeated the structure, and it doesn't seem like she's too happy about Verden getting re-married...so what's the secret behind Verden's strange behavior? Is Ligeia really dead? What is the menacing presence lurking within the abbey, intent on haunting Lady Rowena?

As I've said, this is a really wonderful production full of rich, beautiful location shots. The decrepit abbey is provides a wonderful backdrop to this truly creepy story, and the minimal number of characters really helps to keep things tight and focused. Price, one of my favorite actors, does a wonderful job, and seeing him apply his craft is always a treat. Elizabeth Sheppard certainly manages to hold her own, sharing much screen time with price. What I found really interesting was the lack of physical horror within the film, and how the film avoided the luridness of some of the other Corman/Poe productions, seeming to stay more along the lines of the source material. Credit must be given to the write of the screenplay, Robert Towne, who later wrote the Nicholson/Polanski classic Chinatown (1974). A real nice adaptation with loads of atmosphere and a nice way for Corman to finish the Poe series with this eighth and final adaptation.

The second feature on this disc, An Evening with Edgar Allan Poe, isn't a theatrically released feature, but a made for TV movie starring Vincent Price. It's comprised of four vignettes, including the more popular Poe stories, The Tell Tale Heart, The Sphinx, The Cask of Amontillado, and The Pit and the Pendulum..Price is the only one throughout the entire feature, sometimes acting in a manner of relating a tale within character in the story, sometimes acting out the different characters within the stories. It's a very personal affair, and all tales follow the original stories very closely, something that wasn't necessarily true of the theatrical Poe features produced by Roger Corman starring Price. As far as I can tell, Corman had nothing to do with this production, but it was produced by American International, the same company that produced the Corman/Poe films. This feature runs 53 minutes. Since it was shot for television on video tape, the quality isn't all that great, but, if you are a fan of Price and/or Poe's works, then this will be a real treat for you. Price really sinks his teeth into the roles, relating each tale with flourish they so richly deserve.

The print provided for The Tomb of Ligeia looks really beautiful, presented in wide screen. The special features include two, separate audio commentary tracks, one with Roger Corman, and another with star Elizabeth Sheppard. There is also a theatrical trailer for the film. An Evening with Edgar Allan Poe is in full screen format since it was a feature made for television, and does have subtitles, which came in useful as the audio, while decent, was a bit weak at points.

Cookieman108

36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Price And Poe: A Great Combo, September 13, 2003

By 

Mike King "Mike Vegas King" (Taunton, MA United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Tomb of Ligeia / An Evening of Edgar Allan Poe (DVD)

"The Tomb Of Ligeia" was the last time Roger Corman would direct Vincent Price in a movie adaptation of an Edgar Allan Poe story. Vincent stars as Verden Fell, whose willful wife has just died. Her will to live was so strong that not even death could put an end to her. This moody movie is beautifully filmed, with the details of the decaying abbey and cemetery, as well as the vivid colors of the interior shots, benefiting greatly from the new DVD transfer. However, I found this costume horror film to be heavy on atmosphere and light on scares. The action didn't really pick up until the fiery climax.

"An Evening Of Edgar Allan Poe," originally shot on videotape for television in 1970, is officially released at last. Given the source material, the images are clear and the sound is good. Vincent Price delivers a powerful, one man performance of four Poe stories. "The Tell Tale Heart" starts the evening off on a strong note. Vincent gets more and more animated in relating how he planned to murder the old man he was looking after, how he dismembered the body in a tub to catch all the blood, and how he carefully hid the body parts. Of course, when the police come to investigate the complaint of hearing a scream in the night, Vincent loses his composure and reveals everything, because he hears the incessant beating of the old man's heart! "The Sphinx" is a comical piece, in which Vincent sees a gigantic monster in his telescope, which turns out to be a moth caught in a spider's web. "The Cask Of Amontillado" finds Vincent at his jovial best. He happily relates how he led his drunken friend through the dank catacombs to show him his latest wine purchase. Instead of sharing some drinks, he quickly chains his friend to the wall and then slowly seals him up alive, brick by brick. "The Pit And The Pendulum" features an amazing performance by Vincent Price. In the span of twenty minutes, Vincent relates the terrible tortures inflicted on him by the Spanish Inquisition with chilling detail and fiery conviction. For all fans of Vincent Price, this DVD is an essential purchase.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "I will always be your wife. Your ONLY wife...", May 6, 2005

By 

Dave (Tennessee United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Tomb of Ligeia / An Evening of Edgar Allan Poe (DVD)

"The Tomb of Ligeia" was the last of Roger Corman's eight Edgar Allen Poe adaptations, and he went all out. Instead of the usual cheap studio setting (although these were used for all the interior scenes), this movie had breathtaking photography of the English countryside, as well as a creepy graveyard. I consider "The Tomb of Ligeia" to be one of Corman's very best, if not his finest, Poe adaptation. It has wonderful performances from the entire cast, great cinematography, and haunting music composed and conducted by Kenneth V. Jones.

Vincent Price is Verdan Fell, a depressed man who's wife Ligeia has recently died and been buried. But at the funeral he remembers her final words: "Man need not kneel before the angels, nor lie in death forever save for the weakness of his feeble will." She was so strongwilled, in fact, that her spirit still lives, and Verdan is still controlled by her. But when he meets beautiful Rowena (Elizabeth Shephard), his life is forever changed. She feels sorry for Verdan but also loves him and over time she teaches him how to smile and be happy again. They marry, but as soon as they arrive at his castle for the honeymoon, Rowena senses evil in the place.

Over time Verdan drifts further and further away from his new bride, as his dead wife's control over him becomes stronger and more frightening. Ligeia seems to manifest herself as a black cat which always seems to be attacking poor Rowena. Eventually, Rowena discovers a secret room in the castle and finds Ligeia's body, but she may already be too late to break her control over Verdan...

I didn't realize until the ending that Elizabeth Shephard actually had a dual role, playing both Ligeia and Rowena. Now that is talent! Once again, Vincent Price gave another outstanding performance, taking his character from depressed to happy and then to homicidal! If ever there was a Poe adaptation by Corman that would make Poe rise up from his grave an cheer, "The Tomb of Ligeia" is it. The dvd has a sharp and clear image quality and the sound quality is awesome. Bonus features include the original theatrical trailer and two commentaries, one by Corman and the other by Elizabeth Shephard.

On the other side of the dvd is "An Evening of Edgar Allen Poe", a made-for-tv movie where Vincent Price gives a one-man show, narrating and acting in four different adaptations (no other actors were involved!): "The Tell Tale Heart" (one of my favorites from Poe), "The Sphinx", "The Cask of Amontillado", and "The Pit and the Pendulum". Price was a bit stagey but you can tell he loved being the center of attention. Roger Corman had little or nothing to do with "An Evening of Edgar Allen Poe", and it shows. I think it'd be best enjoyed by "hardcore" fans of Edgar Allen Poe. No bonus features are included for "An Evening of Edgar Allen Poe" except for subtitles, which come in handy as the sound quality is rather poor. Overall, this dvd is highly recommended just for adding "The Tomb of Ligeia" to your collection.