La Maison aux sept pignons

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.

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...

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

"The House of Seven Gables" had been standing on my personal must- see list for more than 10 years now; ever since I saw a heavily shortened and altered version of the same tale in the sixties' horror omnibus "Twice-Told Tales". During this decade of abstinence, my admiration for the fantastic Vincent Price only increased and likewise also my passion for macabre stories about cursed mansions and family feuds. Needless to say I highly anticipated my viewing of "The House of Seven Gables" (and thus I'm probably biased and unreliably partial), and it promptly became one of the finest film experiences of the year. What a wonderful movie!

I haven't read Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel on which the movie is based, so I'll restrain from making references towards that, but it's fairly obvious (and confirmed in reviews by people around here who have read the book) that the script is a lot less detailed than the book. Even though its running time is slightly under an hour and a half, "The House of Seven Gables" often still resembles more of a soap-opera rather than a feature film, what with the many supportive characters that are introduced in the middle of the story, convoluted structure and several sub plots that largely remain undeveloped. The story takes place near Salem, Massachusetts (where novelist Hawthorne originates from) but for once there isn't a direct link with the infamous 1692 witch trials. In 1828, Jaffrey Pyncheon is summoned to his family estate and the legendary parental house of seven gables. The Pyncheon family is in deep debt and the younger brother Clifford insists on selling the house, much against the will of his older brother Jaffrey because he's secretly convinced there's an enormous fortune hidden somewhere in the house, as according to an old legend. When their father Gerald suffers from a stroke and dies during a heated discussion with Clifford, Jaffrey sees the opportunity to cowardly accuse his brother of murder and thus become the sole heir to the house. This doesn't turn out too well for Jaffrey, since in an attempt to protect himself from his debtors, Gerald changed his testament and donated the house and the estate to their cousin Hephzibah … and she also happens to be Clifford's devoted lover! For more than 20 long years, Hephzibah waits for her man to get released from prison, and only towards the end of this period she decides to flourish up the decaying house by taking in a lodger and opening a shop together with the newly arrived and beautiful younger cousin Phoebe. All these years, Jaffrey has been repeatedly trying to take ownership of the house at last, but he shouldn't have underestimated his brother, as he has had twenty long years in prison to carefully study the Pyncheon's cursed family history and develop a slick plan to get revenge.

"The House of Seven Gables" has everything I could possibly look for in a classic horror/mystery tale. The film benefices from a totally absorbing and intelligent screenplay, also filled with supremely written dialogues and continuous new dimensions added to the plot. The atmosphere is unsettling and tense throughout, even though the pacing slows down a little bit during the middle-section. Director Joe May ("The Return of the Invisible Man") makes supreme use of the sober decors and set-pieces, and he can also safely rely on his downright fantastic ensemble cast. Vincent Price is my favorite actor of all times, although admittedly this is largely based on the immortal horror roles he played as per the 1950s and onward. Still, in his earlier and more dramatic 40s roles like "Laura", "Dragonwyck" and definitely also this "The House of Seven Gables", Vincent Price certainly proved that he's a magnificent all-round actor! And here he even sings! Price isn't the only one responsible for the stellar performances in "The House of Seven Gables". George Sanders is also amazing as the arrogant and emotionless Jaffrey. He also had a very rich and versatile career, including genre highlights like "The Picture of Dorian Gray" and "Village of the Damned", and he committed suicide in 1967 allegedly because he was bored. Last but certainly not least, Margaret Lindsay truly gives away one of the most remarkable female performances of the classic film era. Her character Hephzibah undergoes a metamorphosis from a cheerful and optimistic young girl into a stoic and frustrated spinster waiting for her lost lover. Without exaggerating, she honestly deserved at least an Oscar for her role.

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.