Spirits of the Dead [WS]

"During the 1960s, Edgar Allan Poe became fashionable again, due largely to director/producer Roger Corman's series of Poe films starring Vincent Price, among others. Made on shoestring budgets, the films wonderfully captured the surreal mood of the original source material with evocative set designs, lush cinematography, and tongue-in-cheek performances. Yes, the films weren't always faithful to the original stories, but they sure made up for it with much imagination and style. Made at the tail end of the Corman films, Spirits of the Dead likewise captures the lunacy, bombast, and fantastical terror that have continued to make Poe's stories relevant. Split into three parts, Dead allows three distinctly different directors a chance to adapt the master scribe to the screen. The first film, Metzengerstein, is directed by Roger Vadim and stars his then-wife, Jane Fonda, and her brother, Peter. Louis Malle handles the second film, William Wilson, starring Alain Delon and the kittenish Brigitte Bardot. But it's the third of the bunch that has rightly made this anthology film so memorable: Federico Fellini's Toby Dammit starring Terence Stamp as a drunken actor who is haunted by a little girl who may or may not be Old Nick himself. Home Vision Entertainment's disc is a vast improvement over earlier video presentations of this film. Letterboxed at 1.75:1 (enhanced) and available in a French-language mono soundtrack (with clear and easy-to-read subtitles), the disc is superb looking in every way. Occasionally there are hints of some compression problems, especially during the first installment. But overall, the picture and sound are great. The only real complaint is that there isn't an optional English-language soundtrack available, since Stamp's track should really be heard with his own voice to be fully appreciated. The disc also allows you to watch each segment by itself if you feel so inclined. Nice liner notes have also been included. Definitely a worthwhile disc for your collection."