Saturday, April 18, 2020

Dragonwyck



(1946) Written and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz; Based on the novel by Anya Seton; Starring: Gene Tierney, Vincent Price, Walter Huston, Glenn Langan, Anne Revere and Vivienne Osborne; Available on Blu-ray (Region B) and DVD

Rating: ****½ 

“I didn’t expect you to understand – how could you? Don’t be offended. By ordinary standards, you’re quite intelligent. But I will not live by ordinary standards. I will not run with the pack. I will not be chained into a routine of living which is the same for others. I will not look to the ground and move on the ground with the rest. So long as there are those mountaintops and clouds, limitless space.” – Nicholas Van Ryn (Vincent Price) to Miranda (Gene Tierney)


Many thanks to my excellent co-host, Gill Jacob from RealweegiemidgetReviews, for helping make The Vincent Price Blogathon a reality. I’m excited to be part of this three-day multi-blogger event, covering numerous topics about this fascinating, multi-faceted personality. Be sure to check out all the exceptional posts!

The eminently watchable Vincent Price made a career out of protagonists that you loved to love, and villains you loved to hate. This movie fan, however, enjoys Price best when he’s portraying characters at their worst. With his refined manner and velvet tongue, he could deliver a curse and make it sound like a benediction. Price shines in his landmark role as landowner Nicholas Van Ryn,* the brooding patriarch of Dragonwyck Manor.

* Fun Fact #1: Before Price was ultimately cast, Gregory Peck and Laird Cregar (who died tragically young) were considered for the role of Nicholas Van Ryn.


Based on Anya Seton’s 1944 novel (set in 1844), Dragonwyck displays many of the hallmarks of a gothic romance, including a headstrong heroine in a love triangle, treacherous dealings, and a shadow-filled mansion harboring dark secrets in every corner. The big budget ($1.9 million) production marked the directorial debut of Joseph L. Mankiewicz, taking the reins after the original director, Ernst Lubitsch suffered a heart attack. Their creative partnership initially went well, but due to Lubitsch’s meddling or (depending on your interpretation of events) the broadening chasm between their artistic differences, Lubitsch had his name removed from the credits.


Gene Tierney plays the naïve yet strong-willed Miranda Wells. After her mother (Anne Revere) receives an invitation from Nicholas Van Ryn, a wealthy distant relative, Miranda jumps at the chance (overcoming objections from her father) to venture out of her sleepy farming community of Greenwich, Connecticut to Dragonwyck estate in New York. She finds her benefactor a charming host, but all is not as it seems with Nicholas or the dark legacy he’s inherited. Much to Miranda’s consternation, Van Ryn’s young daughter Katrine (Connie Marshall) views her father and mother Johanna (Vivienne Osborne) with loathing. Nicholas is also reviled by the townspeople, who toil on land he owns, with no possibility of purchasing a plot for themselves.* He enjoys privileged status as quasi-royalty in his private fiefdom, collecting rent from the poor farmers.** A young, idealistic local doctor, Jeff Turner (Glenn Langan),*** sides with their plight and takes a keen interest in Miranda. Turner vies for Miranda’s affections, but Miranda (thanks in part to Nicholas’ machinations) only has eyes for Nicholas.

* Fun Fact #2: This system, a carryover from wealthy Dutch immigrants settling in America, was known as a patroonship (Say it, it’s fun!). You can find out more here: https://u-s-history.com/pages/h3966.html

** Fun Fact #3: T.V. fans might recognize one of the angry farmers, Klaas Bleecker, played by Harry Morgan (aka: Henry Morgan) of M*A*S*H fame.

*** Fun Fact #4: IMDB lists Langan’s height at six feet, two-and-a-half inches, while the Blu-ray commentary stated that he was six feet, five inches. Whichever source you believe, Langan was similar in stature to co-star, Price, who was six feet, four inches. As imposing as he seemed in Dragonwyck, Langan would appear in his biggest (wink, wink) role, 11 years later, as Lt. Col. Glenn Manning in The Amazing Colossal Man (1957).


Veteran character actor Walter Huston plays Miranda’s pious, controlling father Ephraim, who’s skeptical of the world outside his family’s tight-knit community. He takes umbrage at what he perceives to be her shift in loyalty, shunning their simpler way of life for the extravagance of Dragonwyck. Ephraim and Nicholas are polar opposites, representing constraint anchored in religious fundamentalism, contrasted with indulgence and atheism. Nope, there’s not much of a middle ground here, but it’s a story told in broad strokes, consistent with its romantic underpinnings.


While Vincent Price received third billing behind Tierney and Huston, he effectively steals the show from his co-stars as the alternately charming and tyrannical Van Ryn. His character’s true nature is gradually revealed to Miranda once she falls into his trap. He abhors imperfections (“Deformed bodies depress me”), and regards those who work under him as inferiors, not equals (reserving much of his anger for Miranda’s maid Peggy, played by Jessica Tandy). Immediately after his wife’s sudden death (under dubious circumstances that we can spot a mile away), he expresses his intentions to Miranda, as it becomes abundantly clear that his primary goal is to find someone who can provide him with a son. It’s a little too simple, however, to paint Van Ryn as a sneering monster, with his mercurial temper and scheming ways. As expertly portrayed by Price, Nicholas Van Ryn is a man of refinement and contradictions. The ruminative, tortured quality of Price’s performance has invited comparisons to his Poe characters a decade and a half later (coincidentally, in a scene that was in the book but unfortunately omitted from the screenplay, Van Ryn would have met Edgar Allan Poe).


Dragonwyck includes many visual touches that make it rise above simple historical melodrama. Miranda’s introduction to Dragonwyck Manor, perched on a cliffside, is especially memorable, viewed from the deck of a steamboat. Inside the mansion, an ominous portrait of Van Ryn’s great grandmother (who killed herself many years ago) watches over the residents’ heads. Later in the film, when Miranda summons the courage to makes the trek to Nicholas’ secluded attic hideaway, we’re treated to expressionistic flourishes, with the intimidating staircase shrouded in distorted shadows. There’s also a hint of the supernatural, as Van Ryn and his daughter Katrine are tormented by harpsichord playing and ghostly sounds in the night.


Whether or not producer Lubitsch’s alleged meddling created significant waves, it pales in comparison to the contentious relationship 20th Century Fox experienced with Joseph Breen and his Production Code Office, which imposed multiple revisions to the script and even the women’s costumes. In the film Van Ryn mentions his drug addiction, but makes no mention of opium (referenced in the book). Although oleander plays a significant part in the story, Breen wanted to omit any references to how the toxic plant was employed, out of fear that some moviegoers might try to duplicate the deadly results. One of the largest concessions to the Production Code, which dictated that the perpetrator must be punished for his crimes, prescribed eschewing the ending from the book (Spoiler Alert), in which Van Ryn heroically sacrifices himself to save some drowning victims of a steamboat accident. Arguably, the ending that was created for the film works just as well.


Much like its antagonist, Dragonwyck becomes progressively darker as we delve into the mystery of Van Ryn. It’s a fractured love story, depicting a clash between classes, and the perils of unchecked entitlement. Despite her strong performance, co-star Tierney reportedly wasn’t much of a fan of the film. She looks radiant though, and is utterly convincing as a young woman as much in love with a dream as she is with a man. Dragonwyck boasts a uniformly excellent cast, great atmosphere, stunning cinematography and a lush score by Alfred Newman. Price has never been better as Nicholas Van Ryn, in a performance that would set the template for many characters he would subsequently play in other films.

Sources for this article: Indicator Blu-ray commentary by Steve Haberman and Constantine Nasr; 2008 featurette: “A House of Secrets: Exploring Dragonwyck” 
                


21 comments:

  1. Thanks again for being such a fabulous co-host and for your support asalways. Loved this review and definitely keen to see this.. loved those quotes from Price's character, even heard these in his voice in my head.

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    1. And thank you, Gill! It was an honor to co-host with you!

      I think you'd really enjoy this movie. I think everything sounds better with Vincent's voice. :)

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  2. A terrific review, Barry (as always). I haven't yet seen this film, but I can only imagine how fab Vincent P is in this role.

    Also: I love your Fun Facts.

    And: Thanks for co-hosting this blogathon. My admiration for Vincent P. has grown enormously due to all the terrific entries.

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    1. Awww! Thank you for the kind words. :) It's such a terrific film. I only regret that I took so long to see it.

      And my pleasure! It's been fun doing this blogathon with such a terrific co-host as Gill. I'm still reading through all the entries but they're wonderful. It's great to see all the VP love!

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  3. As a fan of Gothic romance, you would think I have seen this film, but I have not.

    You're intriguing review, Barry makes me realize I seriously need to correct this oversight.

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    1. Thanks! Well, I know Guillermo del Toro is a big fan of this movie, and who am I to contradict him? :) All the same, it took me far too long to see this.
      I think you'd really like this (there's a good print on YouTube, by the way).

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  4. Patroon, a term I've never heard before. I looked it up and read its definition and a very young Vincent Price portrayed one perfectly.I had never heard of this film, but after reading the blogathon I decided to give it a look. I felt the cast was great and the acting just as wonderful. I feel that the role of Van Ryn was written for Price. Thank you for letting me know about a very worth while film to view for myself.

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    1. You're very welcome! When I saw this film, I never thought I'd learn about a forgotten chapter of American history. Patroon was definitely a new term for me as well.
      I agree that Vincent Price was perfect for the role (along with the rest of the cast). Thanks for stopping by!

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    2. My pleasure, and my enjoyment as well.

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  5. Fabulour review, Barry. I'm ashamed to say I have yet to see this film but I'll get there. You can be sure of that.

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    1. Thanks, Michael! It took me forever to see this film (even though it's apparently a favorite of Guillermo del Toro's), so don't feel bad. I'm sure you'll get around to it. I'd like to hear your thoughts when you see it.

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  6. Thanks for the backstory on this very interesting film! From a contemporary standpoint, it's hard to imagine the Breen Office meddling in a Gothic romance of this sort, but even 19th century literature could touch on themes and topics that were prohibited during that censorious period.

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    1. Thanks, Brian! Unfortunately the Breen Office's tendrils seemed to reach far and wide. All the same, many of the themes in this movie shine through. Thanks for stopping by.

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  7. Harry/Henry Morgan is one of those guys that was never young. He's like Gene Hackman in the sense I think they were both born looking 47 years old. You mention him being from M*A*S*H, to me he's always Officer Gannon from "Dragnet."

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    1. Agreed. He was about 30 in Dragonwyck, but he didn't look it. Thanks for mentioning Dragnet.

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  8. I haven't seen this movie in a long time and lately it has been on my mind. I was enthralled by your look at Dragonwyck and hope that next viewing can live up to it.

    Thanks for hosting this blogathon. It was great fun.

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    1. I'm not sure why it took me so long to see this, but I'm sure glad I did. I hope you enjoy your next viewing. I'd love to hear your thoughts about it.
      And thank you for participating! It was fun hosting the blogathon, and reading the many submissions (which I'm still working through).

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  9. Excellent review, as usual!! Been a while since I saw this one. I think it needs a rewatch!

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    1. Thanks a bunch! I'm already looking forward to watching it again. :)

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  10. Thank you so much for covering Dragonwyck, Barry! While I love Vincent Price as a horror actor, I think too often people focus on that part of his career and ignore his many fine non-horror roles! Regardless of genre, Nicholas van Ryn is one of his very best roles. I also have to say that this is one of the best looks at Dragonwyck I have ever read.

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    1. Thank you, kind sir, for your words of encouragement! I enjoyed writing about this film, which I neglected to watch for far too long. I agree that folks tend to overlook Price's non-horror roles. He was such a versatile performer (among many other things).

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