Evening star., 1939-12-04
Middle Ages
Fine Setting
Rathbone, Karlof
A Bloody Duo in
Tower of London

OF all the bloody pages of history,
those upon which are inscribed the
deeds Of the Middle Ages seem best
adaptable to the requirements of
the horror" Aim. Here were castles
which were gloomy, forboding, for
bidding piles of overwhelming stone.
Here were dungeons, torture cham
bers with their racks, their hot irons,
their other ingenious methods for
punishment and extracting informa-
ton. Here were men (though the
Middle Ages had no monopoly on
them) who lusted for power and
were happiest when involved in in
trigue and bent upon murder.
Here then Is the background for
Tower Of London" the new picture
at Keith's-a background in which
Basil Rathbone and Boris Karlof
are pair Of lads to cheer the heart
Of every horror" fan. Each OF
these accomplished murderers is
completely at home in these brutal
goings-on-Mr. Karloff, as the club
footed executioner, Mord, who
always wanted to 60 to battle 50 he
could learn how it felt to kill in hot
blood instead of cold, and Mr..
Rathbone, as Richard, the most
ruthless of all the Plantaganets. who
slashed his way toward the throne
Of England behind Mord's interfer-
ence.
The particular portion Of. the
Middle Ages which provides the
background and suggested the plot
for Tower of London" Is that latter
half of the 18th Century, when the
Plantaganets held the British crown,
were battling to keep it from the
Tudors, which Richard III was put
ting out of the way one after an
other of the rightful heirs to the
throne that he might ultimately
snatch the crown from the head of
his brother, King Edward Nv. That's
the story of Tower Of London
the account, historic and generously
favored with the flctional, Of the
bloody days leading up to 1885 when
Henry VII returned to establish the
Tudors on the throne.
Historically, Tower Of London"
does have its moments Of confusion,
being perhaps more confused than
inaccurate, it is more hysterical
than historical. Too, 1t Is far too
melodramatic to pass for q docu-
mentary account of the events Of
its day, but history Is not its genre
As a motion picture of that type
you naturally would expect when
finding Messrs. Karlof and Rath-
bone as teammates it is great sport.
It should fill all devotees Of the
cinema comedy of horrors with
great glee to see Mr.. Karlof put
the soul of an artist into sharpening
razor edge on his headsman's ak,
into stabbing a knife into the back
of q king-a knife shaped like
a cross" because the king was then
at his devotions. Mr.. Rathbone's
fans will like him, particularly when
he enters into drinking bout, wins
in the end by dropping the inert
form of his brother into wine vat,
leaving him there to gurgle his
worthless life away. There Is q
spanking battle scene, too, with
battle axes and bludgeons batter
ing wildly.
Mr.. Rathbone and Mr.. Karlon
play this all with commendable
lack of restraint, never stopping at
q leer when q triple leer will do.
Ian Hunters passably respectable
Edward w, Vincent Prices weakling
Earl of Clarence and Barbara
ONeils Queen Elizabeth caught up
in abhorred bloodshed are others
who neatly counterpart and at
times assist the charming villtanies
Of Mr.. Rathbone and Mr.. Karlod.
II. M.