Alternate Best Actor 1973: Vincent Price in Theater of Blood

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Vincent Price did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Edward Lionheart in Theater of Blood.

Theater of Blood is an entertaining bloody romp about a hammy yet "deceased" Shakespearean actor seeking revenge against his critics through means devised by the Bard himself. 

It seems that I was waiting to review this performance in my earlier mentions of Price, as this is the Price performance that the world was waiting for, Price without filter, Price without reservations of good decency, Price without the limits of the Hayes code. Price let loose upon the world without classic restrictions and the leave to go for the fully villainous turn. The added bonus is that he gets to do this while also playing a Shakespearean actor so we don't just get Price as a villain, we get him to be a villain with the best monologues from the history of drama at his disposal. However, there is one more facet that in a way makes this performance seemingly review-proof, in that Price is supposed to be playing a hammy over the top actor, therefore he is given carte blanche in the role, and to criticize him for being "over the top" would mean he is doing exactly what he should be doing. Of course, I only say "seemingly" as given the go-ahead to go "over the top" is no guarantee of hamtastic gloriousness, the actor must deliver the proverbial goods. But hey, this seems like the character that Price might've been waiting through his whole sinister cinematic career to play, so one would hope he would not waste the opportunity. 

And he does not. Price's performance really is everything you'd want in a Vincent Price performance however all factored into a single Vincent Price vehicle. Price enters into this film as a kind of "ghost" to the proceedings as critics start to get bumped off and no one is sure who exactly is doing it. The odd thing in each one though is they all align with a kind of Shakespearean death. This as the first murder is done by Price in police garb to a critic on the Ides of March and leads the men to a group of hobos all with very sharp objects. Price looks on with an uncaring glare until the stabbed man approaches him and Price gives a brief lament before revealing himself. Price is exceptionally wonderful in then the duplicity of his two sides one of his delivery of Mark Antony's speech, in blunt contrast to the critic statement that Price's Edward is dead, to Price's retort, spoken with as much savoring as possible, informing the critic that he is alive and the critic is the one who is dead. Price instantly establishes Edward both as a devilish fiend but also a devilish fiend who takes the Bard most seriously. Of course, this is just but a warmup for Price's performance that takes this idea much further than this. 

We learn that Edward Lionheart was an actor who could not seemingly get a positive notice from a single critic, hated much by all. Again even this I think would seemingly make him review proof, however, Price actually does give far more nuanced than one would expect. Take the scene with the second critic he meets where they have a bit of a discussion before Lionheart gets on with his intention. Price begins with kind of this almost diplomatic if not friendly welcome in opening the discussion. When speaking towards the critics hating him so much, Price's delivery is a bit calm at first and actually expresses genuine hurt in mentioning the brutal reviews he receives. There's a vulnerability that Price reveals, however, this is before he naturally segues towards a darker tone. Price keeps the calm though making him all the more unnerving as he suggests the critics' method of death to be upcoming soon. Price portrays in this though a genuine sense of hatred in Lionheart as goes about it, as much as he shows joy in the kill, what I love is that Price suggests how it is that Lionheart was genuinely pained by what was said about him. 

Each murder that Price goes about with is a highlight, in part due to the creativity of the murderous methods, but also Price getting to play around with a different idea each time around, while still carrying the Shakespearean theme. When he goes about performing a doctor for the murder, Price brings a callous precision as though he really was performing surgery. This makes for some rather dark comedy as he orders a scalpel, a saw, a lipstick for tracing, and a basin, all while performing such a brutal murder, with this incredible professional ease. Price is hilarious, in the darkest way possible, as he so matters of fact in each step right down to just the way he looks down during his slow decapitation of the critic. When next performing the Merchant of Venice, with such ham as Shylock with a high pitched voice, Price is pretty bad in his final speech, as intentionally so as shown by his switch in the final line that goes from poorly performing Shylock to the devious Lionheart spoken with a true biting conviction by Price denoting that he will have his "pound of flesh". In this instance literally cutting out the critic's heart, which ends with Price's quiet dutifulness, which once again is rather hilarious if so darkly, as he measures to ensure that it amounts to a pound nor more no less. One of my favorites though being a later murder though as Price gets to be a hippy hairdresser where he fashions another oddball turn, that is delightful as he speaks his slang, while with that evil grin that is so distinctly Price, before swapping to a ferocious monologue again as he curses the next critic to hell...via electric barber chair. 

It is worth again noting though that Price's performance is both Price as the Price that he is kind of known for as public consciousness, and the best form of that, but there is more to it than that. This as we get a flashback when Lionheart was denied a critics choice award once again, Price delivers his mocking monologue to their poor taste with that boisterousness, but also there is a true sadness in Price's performance. This is to the point you do feel kind of sorry for Lionheart as he appears to commit suicide as a man who seems ashamed of his own existence leading him to recite Hamlet's "To Be or Not To Be" soliloquy. Price delivers this largely of course, but there is real passion in it as he speaks it as a suicidal note of this defeated man. Of course, there is so much to love just in getting Price to play into the villainy, none greater in Shakespeare than Richard III again and he tears into the "Winter's Discontent" with the great aplomb you'd hope for. Price simply is just wildly entertaining here by having so much fun with every speech and variation of the murderer that we are given here. Price delighting in every moment as he drowns the next critic as Richard, or actually even his very phony french accent he does as he engages in a duel with his arc rival Devlin (Ian Hendry). The latter scene itself embodies the tone wonderfully in the duel that is fully theatrical and just a whole lot of fun. Price provides the punctuation to every moment in his zestful speech and eyes that are just blaring with vengeful and fiendish glee. 

 

Still, though the disgusting passion he brings as he speaks his motivation against critics is more than just being the broad villain, even as Price is so enjoyable as the broad villain. The merging of these two sides comes in the climax as he intends to kill Devlin through a King Lear-inspired blinding. Price gloriously speaks as the greatest actor, at least an actor who believes himself to be the greatest, as he speaks his execution of Devlin as though he would an awards speech. Sadly for Lionheart, he suffers tragedy as his daughter (Diana Rigg), who has been helping him every step of the way as his accomplice, dies leading him to mourn as Lear himself would while a fire rages around him in a burning theater. Price is amazing in the scene as he captures just the right tone of ham with genuine emotion as he tenderly holds his daughter's corpse as he stands above what will be his funeral pyre. Price speaks overly dramatically, yet in his face is the genuine emotion of a father having lost his daughter. Price is strangely is honestly kind of moving, just as he is a most proper over-the-top actor taking in his grand exit for all its worth. Unlike the smug Devlin, who honestly Lionheart is far more likable as protagonist than despite Lionheart's murdering, who dismisses Lionheart's final performance, I will not. This is Price at his best. He is a glorious ham here, but there is some depths both in the way he enacts Shakespeare, but also in this actor who was betrayed for his devotion to his craft. More than anything though just a wildly entertaining turn that is everything you want from Price as a delectable devious cinematic killer that is so much fun to watch.

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