The House of the Seven Gables

To begin with, my father owns a copy of the "Classics Illustrated" edition of Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel, which I recall reading myself as a kid. This movie version was produced by Universal, then going through its second Horror phase. Though not quite falling into that category, the Gothic trappings of the narrative at least evoke its recognizable style (in the same way that the fine Charles Dickens adaptation MYSTERY OF EDWIN DROOD {1935} would not have been amiss alongside the studio's remarkable initial outburst within the genre). Besides, that same year saw director May and cast members Vincent Price and Nan Grey (elevated to lead status) re-united for the well-above-average sequel THE INVISIBLE MAN RETURNS!

The plot involves the fraudulent purchase of the titular abode and the subsequent retribution of its rightful owner in the form of a curse…and sure enough, the usurper dies in the exact manner decreed by the jinx! The film actually starts years later with the current owners of the house reduced so close to bankruptcy that they seriously consider selling the property. However, one of the sons (George Sanders, here possibly at his most despicable – and that is saying a lot!) vehemently objects because, legend has it, a fortune is concealed within its walls! He manages to dissuade his father from going through with the deal, but his younger sibling (Price, another of Hollywood's great villains but in this case playing sympathetic) had been counting on the sale since he wanted to marry and settle in New York as a composer (we even get to hear the actor sing, and quite well too!). Confronting the old man, the latter suffers a heart-attack and fatally hits his head upon falling to the ground! Sanders (and a gathering crowd of onlookers) accuse him of murder and he is imprisoned for life…but, before being taken to jail, he puts on Sanders the very same curse that had afflicted their family!

Sanders thinks he can now have free rein with the house, but it transpires that his father (through solicitor Cecil Kellaway, who had also undertaken Price's defence at the trial) had bequeathed it not to him but to Price and his heirs, that is to say fiancée Margaret Lindsay! The years pass, with the woman growing bitter despite her attempts to obtain a pardon from the Governor, and Price even getting to meet the descendant (Dick Foran, the hero of another Universal monster sequel from 1940 i.e. THE MUMMY'S HAND, in which Kellaway also appears) of the man who had given his kin the evil eye in the first place, incarcerated for his abolitionist beliefs – never having believed in the jinx himself, Price has no qualms about befriending him! When the young man emerges from prison, he takes up residence at the house itself albeit under an assumed name since Lindsay has decided to take a lodger to rack up some income. Later, a distant female relative (Grey) also comes to live with her and, of course, the two fall in love.

In the meantime, Sanders' career as a (crooked) lawyer has soared…but, at long last, Price's sentence is revoked (on the condition that he provides evidence of his innocence!). When he returns home, Lindsay fears Price will think her looks have faded, while himself (in cahoots with Foran) starts acting strangely by digging the earth around the house and dismantling the property itself in the pretence of searching for the fabled treasure…which, needless to say, arouses Sanders' curiosity and greed all over again. Incidentally, the latter has compromised one of Foran's associates (Miles Mander) by utilizing anti-slavery money for their very purchase. Pestering him repeatedly to return the funds before they are discovered, he commits suicide (at the Seven Gables) and, when the Police turn up soon after, Sanders' protesting voice goes hoarse and he starts bleeding from the mouth…all the symptoms that indicate he truly is the latest victim of the curse (though Price, who had bestowed it upon him in desperation, does not blink an eye at its actual accomplishment)! Curiously enough, this form of reversal-of-fortune would eventually be undergone by Price himself in the recently-viewed ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN FABIAN (1951)!

In the end, both male leads leave their mark here, yet Price's character is clearly the more rounded one (at his best when putting down his 'glorious' ancestors' legacy early on) – incidentally, this is the first of 6 films he was featured in over the course of 43 years to have the word "House" in their title! On the other hand, somewhat surprisingly, May (hailing from the German Expressionist movement) does not impose a Teutonic style on the proceedings, letting the unfolding melodrama supply its own particular mood.

This film bears little resemblance to the 19th century Hawthorne novel (which may be a good thing, since nothing happens for about the first two-thirds of the book). On the other hand, this film could have been a whole lot better. Still, it's a decent way to kill 90 minutes.

George Sanders gives his usual performance as a pompous scumbag trying to cheat brother Vincent Price out of the family fortune, even though the family is bankrupt. When their father suddenly dies during an argument with Price, Sanders accuses his brother of murder. The jury convicts Price without deliberating. Ah, the good old days of law and order. Decades pass and Price's sentence is commuted, all while his fiancée, played by Margaret Lindsay, has changed from a beautiful girl to a sour old crone, teased by passing teenagers, as she locks herself away in her grief and loneliness. This hasn't attenuated Price's love for her, though.

Sanders and Price spend the film trying to out-ham each other, with neither succeeding. Price does get to sing while pretending to play the harpsichord. There is an unnecessary subplot concocted by the screenwriter involving abolition and Sanders making money off the slave trade. I guess somebody felt his character wasn't repulsive enough.

Margaret Lindsay is the most persuasive performer in The House of the Seven Gables. While I know that most film fans will be more interested in the participation of George Sanders and Vincent Price as part of the cast, I think it can be argued that this film may well have been the highlight of her career as an actress. She has a dominant role in a class "A" production and neither of her more illustrious male co-stars dwarf her.

The only way to see this other than a chance showing on Turner Classic Movies and the rare illicit posting on youtube is the Universal Vault MOD, and it really is quite gorgeous. I'd suggest it if you can afford it.

Vincent Price and George Sanders are reasons enough to see any film on their own, and were often high points in their lesser films. Seeing them in the same film together, like in 'The House of the Seven Gables' is even more of a pleasure. The source material is wonderful, wordy but very richly immersive and compelling.

'The House of the Seven Gables' may not be the greatest film in adaptation terms, there is not a whole lot of Hawthorne here, but as a film on its own terms it's well worth your while as long as it's not constantly compared to the book. 'The House of the Seven Gables' did need a longer length, would have given it at least another thirty minutes myself, to do justice to a story that is pretty complex even in the film and give the characters more depth, because parts did feel rushed.

Could have done personally without the abolition subplot, or at least made it less prominent, it was intriguing enough at times but it seemed to be there only to make Jaffrey more loathsome. That wasn't necessary as it is blatantly obvious that he already is even without it. While the acting is very good actually, there are a few individual moments where it is somewhat dodgy. The biggest offender is Jaffrey's final scene, which was wildly over-acted (rather unusual for George Sanders) and overly-melodramatic (even for a melodrama).

However, 'The House of the Seven Gables' has a sumptuous Gothic look throughout, particularly in the photography and lighting, with the house suitably mysterious and imposing and with elegant costumes. It may not have been made on a huge, lavish budget, but it was not that kind of film really, and there is nothing in the production values to betray that the budget was not a large one. The music is like its own character, adding so much to the mood of the film while also being a wonderful score on its own. The song Vincent Price sings (yes it is him singing and he sings pretty beautifully here) is a charming touch.

Direction is efficient and a vast majority of the time is in complete control of the material, with a few parts where the control is lost a little (Jaffrey's final scene especially). The script is thought-provoking and literate, Hawthorne's prose is compressed but the script here is no less interesting. Although rushed and in need of a longer length, the characters lacking depth and one subplot in need of a trim, the story has a rich atmosphere and is very absorbing.

With a few individual scene exceptions, the acting is very good. George Sanders is deliciously caddish, Sanders was an unparalleled master when it came to acting playing cads. Vincent Price has the more rounded character and is more restrained, and all the better for it. Margaret Lindsay is a knockout, her character transformation (of the three leading characters she transforms the most) is beautifully done, and more than holds her own against the two masters.

Overall, well worth your while. Just judge it as a film on its own rather than as an adaptation. 7/10 Bethany Cox

I was absolutely knocked out by Margaret Lindsay's (NOT Lockwood !!!) bravura performance in this film. It is inconceivable that she wasn't nominated, but 1940 was one of the most competitive Best Actress years ever. She ran the gamut from lovely young girl to pinched spinster. Her range was worthy of Bette Davis (with whom she co-starred many times). I loved the film itself also, and was inspired to read the book, which I loved as well. Miss Lindsay should have received more comment from students of good acting in all these years since the film. She definitely gave one of the finest performances I have ever seen by an actress in the movies, and I'm 63 !

Being a big fan of the book, I was avoiding this film for a LONG time. The first half hour of the film would lead a fan of Hawthorne to conclude that the screenwriter had never even READ the original novel.

However, the screenwriter in this instance simply wanted to spend the first 30 minutes dramatizing the 'back story' that Hawthorne only alludes to in the book. Jaffrey and Clifford are now brothers, not cousins. Clifford and Hepzibah are now lovers, not siblings ... and the details surrounding the murder of Clifford's father (his uncle in the book) are slightly different, but the movie is only 90 minutes long, and the film simplifies the plotline without erasing the POINT.

Some of the acting (Margaret Lindsay as Hepzibah, for example) is so brilliant, it makes you want to cry. The scenes that depict Phoebe's arrival to Seven Gables (Chapter 2 in the book, almost halfway through the film) are incredibly well acted. Other moments in the film are so badly and broadly acted, it's laughable. At the scene of the first murder, the camera actually does a quick pan to Margaret Lindsay in the doorway, biting her knuckle. Oy gevalt.

As is usual, reading the book is more of a challenge (not everyone enjoys Hawthorne's prose), but ultimately a MUCH richer experience. For a product of its time, however ... the film does itself justice.