The skull of the Marquis de Sade
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | The skull of the Marquis de Sade |
| Original title | The Skull |
| Country of production | United Kingdom |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1965 |
| length | 83 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 16 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Freddie Francis |
| script |
Milton Subotsky , Robert Bloch |
| production |
Max J. Rosenberg , Milton Subotsky |
| music | Elisabeth Lutyens |
| camera | John Wilcox |
| cut | Oswald Hafenrichter |
| occupation | |
| |
The Skull of the Marquis de Sade is a British horror film directed by Freddie Francis and starring Peter Cushing , Patrick Wymark and Christopher Lee . The film is based on the short story of the same name by the American writer Robert Bloch (" Psycho ") , who also worked on the script.
action
France, mid-1810s. One night, the proven phrenologist Pierre sneaks into the cemetery where the legendary Marquis de Sade is buried. He really wants to get his head. At home he boils the head so that he can only hold the skull in his hands, to which he attributes magical powers. Before he can finish his gruesome work, he is brutally killed.
A century and a half later in London. Christopher Maitland is a bizarre collector and writer on occult subjects. He is spellbound when a certain Anthony Marco, a little scrupulous junk dealer, offers him De Sade's skull for sale. Maitland learns that Marco has stolen the coveted item from Sir Matthew Phillips, a friend of Maitland's and like Maitland's collector of strange artifacts. Sir Matthew is not particularly saddened by the loss of the skull, as he ascribes magical powers to the accursed head de Sades that are almost equal to a curse.
And so he warns Christopher Maitland about its possession and the forces of evil that would emanate from it. The curse of the skull promptly hits its illegitimate previous owner, the thief Marco, who dies under mysterious circumstances in his shabby accommodation. Maitland, who was about to visit him because of the sales pitch, finds Marco's body and takes the skull of the Marquis de Sade. From now on he is also haunted by a curse. He begins to hallucinate, is gradually driven mad, and eventually dies of delirium.
Production notes
The film premiered on August 25, 1965 in the United States. In Germany, the strip started on April 29, 1966, in the producing Great Britain even on November 4 of the same year.
Reviews
"Stupid horror with extremely visible wires."
"A good cast gives the necessary support for a questionable script."
"Simple and boring horror film."
Individual evidence
- ^ The Skull of the Marquis de Sade in the Lexicon of International Films , accessed on November 9, 2018
Web links
- The skull of the Marquis de Sade in the Internet Movie Database (English)