Evening star., 1953-04-23


The vital ingredient the cor
Of the new technical process on
bassador Theaters. This leaves
"House of Wax" with wildly
disheveled look in spite of the
fact that the actual camera
work represents a considerable
improvement over "B'Wana
Devil"
The story the studio snatched
up from the attic floor in it's
haste to get to the marketplace
Is q withered melodrama made
just 20 years ago as Mystery of
the Wax Museum. It deals with
q mad sculptor who, after losing
the use of his gifted hands, starts
killing his models and preserving
them in chemical veneer.
Clearly this sort of thing
stopped frightening mvoiegoers
back in the days of Lon CLANCY,
ST., but Warmers apparently did
not have time to consider that.
Or, If it did. it concluded that the
really pressing thing was to get
there firstest with even the least
est. '..
This it has done, without a
doubt, and it leaves novelty as the
films sole distinction. AS
swatch of the future. viewed
through polaroid glasses, it does
have it's dramatic aspects no
matter how hard these are to
perceive through the crust of the
ancient Screenscript.
X \ X \
The admirable qualities OF
"House of Wax" derive from the
skill and courage of its camera
crews. Nothing in the dizzy
script faxed them. When it
called for a pretty girl to be
placed unclothed in a mould,
prior to being cooked in wax,
they shot it with depth camera
and q straight face.
The fact is that these doughty
technicians seemed to be enjoy
ing the righteousness of their
work. Another sequence into
which they entered in a larkish
spirit-and why MOTIFS that
which reveals what a Can-Can
dance looks like in third dimen-
sion.
What it looks like, incidentally,
Is indescribable in a family
newspaper. but 1t very likely will
be the talk of the town. The
Can-Can in billboard dimen-
sions clearly is dance that was
invented and died of boredom
years ahead of its time. It will
now. no doubt. be resuscitated.
Viewed as comedy, which may
or may not be displeasing to the
producers and players Of House
Of Wax" the latest Sd f1lm has
its merry moments.
One worthy of deathleSS men,
ory. so far as this pioneer is con-
cerned, is the climactic sequence
between Frank Lovejoy as the
homicide detective and Phyllis
Kirk in the heroine role. In
rescuing Miss Kirk from Vim
cent Prices wax vat, Lovejoy
tactfully covers her unconscious
figure with his coat.
Apprised of his gentlemanly
conduct. Miss Kirk shyly thanks
him at a later meeting.
Thank you." she says de-
murely, "for the use of your
coat"
1T was nothing" the gallant
cop demurs.
1T was everything to me-"
says Miss Kirk, with downcsst
eyes.
1t is a pretty fine crumb for
audiences, too.
The acting in House of Wax"
is the sort that might be de-
Scribed as gingerly, as if the
players were afraid they might
fall into the wax boiler or be
consumed in the flames which
occasionally lick the screen. Or,
It may be that they simply felt
like ingredients in a test tube in
some madman'S laboratory.
Most ungrateful of the various
acting chores is that which falls
to Price as the demented, wildly
deformed artist. He has been
made up to resemble the illegit-
innate son of Dorian Gray and
If there is a tougher disguise to
live up to, Price has never en-
countered it.