The Abominable Dr. Phibes/Dr. Phibes Rises Again!
by Robert Fuest
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Actor: Hugh Griffith, Joseph Cotten, Terry-Thomas, Vincent Price, Virginia NorthDirector: Robert Fuest
Brand: Sony
Writer: Robert Fuest
Producer: James H. Nicholson
Producer: Louis M. Heyward
Producer: Ronald Dunas
Writer: James Whiton
Writer: Robert Blees
Writer: William Goldstein
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 184 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2005-02-15
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
DVD Reviews of The Abominable Dr. Phibes/Dr. Phibes Rises Again!
DVD Review: Nobody seeks revenge like the Abominable Dr. Phibes!
Summary: 5 Stars
Once again the mails have betrayed your faithful reviewer, which means that tonight's double-feature of "Screaming Skull" and "The Werewolf vs. Vampire Woman" has been postponed. So tonight we substitute a pair of classic over-the-top revenge movies starring Vincent Price as Dr. Anton Phibes (short "e" not long "e" on the last name). Not since Dante came up with appropriate eternal punishments for those sent to the Inferno has there been such a macabre genius for taking vengeance as Dr. Phibes. There are some imitators. After making the sequel here Price himself did "Theatre of Blood" and there is also "Who Is Killing the Great Chefs of Europe?" But both of those are closer to the buffet approach to splatter flicks more in the mode of the "Friday the 13th" movies than the diabolical Dr. Phibes.
In "The Abominable Dr. Phibes" the title character, played to the hilt and beyond by Price, seeks revenge upon the nine doctors he feels are responsible for the death of his beloved wife, Victoria. As a source of inspiration, Phibes uses the Plagues of Egypt, knocking off victims (including Terry-Thomas) with frogs, locusts and the like with the help of his silent and voluptuous assistant Vulnavia (Virginia North), while trotting off to have fun playing his grand pipe organ. Poor Inspector Trout (Peter Jeffrey) tries to get one step ahead of the Good Doctor, but he cannot even keep up as the murders progress. Phibes saves the best for last and Dr. Vesalius (Joseph Cotten), the man who botched the operation, at least in Phibes twisted view. By this point Phibes is up to the Death of the First Born and Dr. Vesalius has to operate on his son to keep the boy from suffering the same fate as Phibes (shudder).
"The Abominable Dr. Phibes" is like "Richard III" and "Silence of the Lambs" in that you find yourself rooting for the villain. This might be camp but it is done with such style and flair, not to mention a macabre (if not sick) humor. I love the fact that Vincent Price does all of his lines as a sort of disembodied voice. His lips never move, a result of having his character's mouth currently being in the side of his neck (what did you expect in a film that is so tongue in cheek?). This 1971 film, directed by Robert Fuest, was scripted by James Whiton and William Goldstein, a pair of decidedly sick human beings.
The film was enough of a hit that the next year we were treated to "Dr. Phibes Rises Again," directed again by Fuest who co-wrote the script along with Robert Blees (who co-wrote "The Cage" pilot with Gene Rodennberry for the original "Star Trek"). This rushed sequel is not as good as the original mainly because it was a rushed sequel. Gary Owens from "Laugh-In" actually provides a voice-over narration to recaps the first film in case we forgot something important. It turns out Dr. Phibes wakes up after three years in what is now considered suspended animation to find his mansion has been demolished (must have forgotten to pay taxes). Missing is an ancient Egyptian papyrus which the doctor can use to resurrect his beloved Victoria (Caroline Munro) and which is now in the hands of Darius Beiderbeck (Robert Quarry), a famous scholar putting together an expedition to a remote mountain in Egypt. There he hopes to find inside the mountain a tributary of the River of Life, which bestows immortality. Beiderbeck is several centuries road and is running out of his personal stock of elixir and needs a new source.
Along for the ride are Beiderbeck's fiancée Diane (Fiona Lewis) and Professor Ambrose (Hugh Griffith), who are joined by Phibes, a new Vulnavia (Valli Kemp), Victoria's body, and the doctor's collection of clockwork musicians. Phibes starts killing people, but his methods start off being more outrageous than clever. Having created an opponent who might actually stand a chance against Vibes, this movie brings back Inspector Trout to be just as ineffectual as he was the first time around. If the first movie had engaged in this much schlock there would not have been a sequel. When they do the "I don't think--I know" gag you are about ready to because the first movie was so much fun and this one is trying so hard but substituting enthusiasm for wit.
That is until the final scene. You see, "The Abominable Dr. Phibes" is rated five stars and "Dr. Phibes Rises Again" was coming in at three-and-a-half until we get to the song for the grand finale. That makes us round the movie up to four, which has the disc averaging four-and-a-half stars. But "The Abominable Dr. Phibes" is essentially horror comedy viewing so again, we round up, even though the presence of only the original trailers as DVD extras is an insult. It will be interesting to see how Dr. Phibes deals with those that dare insult him in this manner.
Description of The Abominable Dr. Phibes/Dr. Phibes Rises Again!
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