Actors: Vincent Price, Diana Rigg, Ian Hendry, Robert Morley, Coral Browne, Milo O'Shea
Review Summary and Plot Commentary about Theatre of Blood
At the 1970 London Critics' Circle Awards, egotistical Shakespearean actor Edward Lionheart (Vincent Price) stands poised to accept the Circle's highest honor, the award for Best Actor in a Theatrical Production.
When the award is given to another actor, Lionheart snaps, seizing the trophy and diving into the Thames from the balcony of the Circle's office.
Two years later, the presumed-dead Lionheart resurfaces in the burnt-out husk of his old theatre. Wearing a variety of costumes and disguises and aided by his equally-deranged daughter Edwina (Diana Rigg) and a gang of homeless vagabonds, the former leading-man begins to slay the nine members of the Critics' Circle in a most gruesome fashion, the crimes based on murders found within the plays of the Bard that were a part of the killer's final season onstage.
Now, the president of the Critics' Circle (Ian Hendry) and Inspector Boot (Milo O'Shea) of Scotland Yard must race against time to stop the next crime of the madman.
--James Craver, Resident Scholar
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Analysis of Theatre of Blood
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Composition of Movie Actual chase scenes or violence - 40% Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 40% Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20%
Time/Era of Movie:
- 1960's-1970's
Crime & Police Story?
Yes
Crime story:
- catching/stopping killer
- hunted by killer/stalker
Criminal enemy is...
- bad vigilante getting revenge
If this is a criminal POV story...
- killing innocent people
Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Profession/status:
- writer
Age:
- 40's-50's
Hair color?
- brunette (Brown)
Hair style
- short/standard straight (man)
Body type
- average (man)
Events of movie makes character more...
- tougher
Ethnicity/Nationality
- British
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Strong but gentle sense of humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- average physique
Secondary Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Hair color
- white/grey
Hair style
- (man) short/standard curly
Body type
- average build (man)
How much in movie?
- 60%
Ethnicity/Nationality
- British
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
Profession/status:
- killer
Eccentric:
Yes
- eccentric
- obsessed
- deluded
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in:
- 90%-100%
Hair color
- brunette (Black)
Hair type
- (man) short/standard wavey
Body type
- average (man)
Ethnicity/Nationality
- British
Intelligence
- Very much smarter than other characters
Physique
- average physique
Sense of humor
- Cynical sense of humor
How sensitive is this character?
- mean, arrogant
Setting
City?
Yes
City:
- London
Misc setting
- building
Style
Accounts of torture and death?
- very gory visuals of deaths and torture
Movie makes you feel...
- all mixed up
How many deaths in film?
- 8 or more
How much use of techno gadgets?
- 1 (None)
Kind of violence:
- hand to hand
- swords
Unusual forms of death
- asphyxiation
- dropped from large heights
- fright
- frying (electrocuted)
- diced
- run over
- flamed
- drowned
- impaled
- decapitated
- perforation--swords/knives
- blunt clubbing (like seals)
Non-American film?
Yes
What language?
- English
Any profanity?
- None
If Soundtrack VERY NOTICEABLE...
- Orchestra/classical
