The House of the Seven Gables

THE HOUSE OF THE SEVEN GABLES (Universal, 1940), directed by Joe May, is not a biographical story of movie actor, Clark Gable along with six other members of his family, but a screen adaptation based on the 1851 novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne about a family curse involving a mansion known as Seven Gables. Featuring Vincent Price, Nan Grey, Cecil Kellaway and Alan Napier, actors who were recently featured in THE INVISIBLE MAN RETURNS (1940), this reunion cast, headed by George Sanders and Margaret Lindsay, is not a horror story though the curse pitted upon the dark and gloomy Seven Gables and its outcome might be its only link to horror.

Rather than include a re-enactment to the opening chapters of the book to extend the 89 minute movie into two hours, the movie opens with a Forward note before the story begins: "In the middle of the 17th century in New England, there lived one Colonel Jaffrey Pyncheon, a powerful leader of the colonial government. In order to acquire a valuable piece of land, Pyncheon cold-bloodedly accused its owner, a simple carpenter named Matthew Maule, of practicing Witchcraft. The innocent man was promptly condemned to hang from the scaffold,. Matthew Maule had hurled this curse, "God hath given him blood to drink! Definitely Colonel Pyncheon built his mansion on the dead man's ground. On the day of its completion, he was found dead in his new library - blood trickling from his mouth. His descendants lived on at Seven Gables. Succeeding generations of villages cling to the belief that "Maule's Curse" dwelt there with them." Then, 160 years later on a September night in 1828 - at the House of Seven Gables. Hepzibar (Margaret Lindsay) is introduced as a free-spirited girl engaged to marry Clifford (Vincent Price). Clifford's relationship with his brother, Jaffery (George Sanders) finds them divided upon the announcement by their father's (Gilbert Emery) decision to put up their bankrupt home of Seven Gables up for public auction. Though musician Clifford intends on moving to New York with Hefzibar after they get married, Jaffrey, believing there's a hidden fortune of gold connected with the house, is upset about the news. A violent verbal argument between Clifford and his father, who has disinherited him, ends up with the old man staggering and dying of a heart attack. In order to retain Seven Gables, Jaffrey accuses Clifford of their father's death. His accusations convince the trial jury of finding Clifford guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment in the state penitentiary. Because of this, the now embittered Hepzibar, who has acquired the deed of ownership by the family lawyer (Cecil Kellaway), not only does she forbid Jeffrey from Seven Gables, but boards up the house, living in seclusion. Twenty years later, 1848, Phoebe (Nan Grey), Hepzibar's young cousin, moves in to the house after years of decay, and brings life into it again by setting up a Cent Shop. During the course of time, Phoebe becomes interested in Matthew Holgrave (Dick Foran), a boarder who happens to be a distant relative to Matthew Maule. As for Jaffrey, who hasn't given up hope in acquiring the hidden treasure of gold said to be somewhere in Seven Gables, intends not to stop at nothing to get it. Others in the cast include: Miles Mander (Arnold Foster); Harry Woods (Mr. Wainwright); Charles Trowbridge, Edgar Norton and Harry Cording in smaller roles.

Of the many screen adaptations to classic literature dating back to the silent film era, with the exception of an obscure 1910 short, this happens to be the only SEVEN GABLES movie produced during the days of classic Hollywood. As much as this adaptation elevated Vincent Price further exposure to leading man status, and the top-billed George Sanders gathering enough attention as the greedy and jealous brother, it's Margaret Lindsay who comes off best with her performance. Virtually underrated, yet talented actress when a good role comes her way, she is quite convincing with her early scenes as a happy young girl, and even more convincing later on as a bitter woman living a reclusive life while the man she loves is in prison. Her role might have been inspired by the talents of Bette Davis, who might have made the role of Hepzibar equally believable, though such changes in screen personality were already done in similar fashion by Davis in THE OLD MAID (1939). Now it was Lindsay's turn to act out her charm of hate and despair. Blonde Nan Grey, who comes in later in the story, is certainly a beauty to behold, and another one of the forgotten names and faces from the Universal contract players. Vincent Price even gets a rare chance of singing a song, "The Color of Your Eyes."

While many who have read the Hawthorne novel may find changes and deletions of characters from the book to become disappointed with the outcome, overlooking that, the final script is good enough to hold interest throughout. Formerly distributed to video cassette, and later available on DVD as part of the Universal vault collection, to date, THE HOUSE OF THE SEVEN GABLES, almost forgotten and overlooked, did have cable television showing such as American Movie Classics (1993-1999). Watch it for the screen adaptation by Nathaniel Hawthorne; the youthful Vincent Price years before his other house movie titles of HOUSE OF WAX (1953), HOUSE ON HAUNTED HILL (1959) and HOUSE OF USHER (1962) came his way; the sinister George Sanders; or the very fine performance given by the often overlooked Margaret Lindsay in a rare meaty role. (**1/2)

First of all, I never read the book, so my opinion is based on the movie as it is, and I think is very good. Being a Vincent Price fan, I must said that he delivers a terrific performance. His joy, his sadness, his fury, he really put his soul on the character. It only confirms how great actor he was, not only for the horror genre as many people think.. and he even sings here!! The films is more a romantic story than a mystery one, but works well all over. Vincent will do "House..." again several years later, as part of the "Twice Told Tales" trilogy, but this is the best version. A very curious detail: pay attention to the music when Vincent's brother (George Sanders)is looking for something in the basement... it's clearly the first melody of Danny Elfman's Batman!! I'll be waiting for the DVD from now on...

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 movie was made with a modest budget and was never intended as an "A-movie", though it had a bit higher production values and was a bit too long to be a true "B-movie" (i.e., the second and much cheaper film in a double-feature). With these modest expectations as well as some great but underrated actors, this film really delivers. You see, this film starred second-tier actors such as Vincent Price was a practically unknown and inexperienced actor as well as George Sanders who had been a supporting actor or B-movie leading man. Margaret Lindsay was probably the biggest name star in the film, though her career had seen better days in the 1930s. As a result of this and a very modest budget, none of the Universal Studios execs at the time suspected this would be one of their best films of the year. In fact, dollar-for-dollar, this film is one of the best films I have seen. Sure, it isn't GONE WITH THE WIND or THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES, but these films had very large budgets and the best writers/directors/producers and of course they had to be great films.

Sanders and Price play brothers--Sanders is the money-grubbing amoral one and Price is the basically decent man who is framed by Sanders for murder. The plot is pretty complex and I don't want to spoil the suspense by explaining it further, but trust me the plot is exceptional--especially when it comes to irony. The ending is just terrific and drips with poetic justice.

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 !