A simple Connecticut farm girl is recruited by a distant relative (Vincent Price), an aristocratic patroon, to be governess to his young daughter in his Hudson Valley mansion.Someone at Fox put together a "Horror Classics Volume 2" set and put this film in it. But does it belong there? Not at all. There is no horror in this film. Maybe there is hint at a family curse or a ghost or something vague, but it really boils down to a wealthy landowner and the farmers who rent from him. I presume the only reason the film made the set was because it stars Vincent Price.Interestingly, Gregory Peck was the first choice for Nicholas Van Ryn. Ernst Lubitsch was to direct, but became ill, pre-production was delayed, and Peck dropped out. This, to me, completely changes the film's aftermath. If Lubitsch would have made a different film, I don't know. But Peck starring might give the film more gravitas, and then it almost certainly would have avoided getting a "horror" label from people who haven't bothered to see it.

This film deals with several issues. First of all the way that religious zeal can destroy lives. The stark and restrained lives of these people cause them to abuse or at least restrict their children. I've always felt that there are no greater abusers than self centered religious people (that includes any and all religions). The girl is eventually cast adrift, marrying Vincent Price's character. She is treated royally until they marry. Soon she becomes just another tool in Price's toolbox. He rules the countryside without compassion or concern for those around him. This is a little soap opera-like, but it is a good story, particularly as it portrays a social milieu that few know about. It was almost as if a kind of gang mentality was here, where the "subjects" were required to support the family that they were led by. Price and Tierney are great by the way. Old Vincent, who is thought of first as a star of horror films, was once a romantic lead. Of course, he always had that kind of underlying threat.

Gene Tierney, Vincent Price and Walter Huston and Joseph L Mankiewicz were reasons enough to maintain interest in seeing Dragonwyck. While I had no problem with any of them, I did have a fair lot of issues with the film. The film is overlong and is rather ponderously paced. It further suffers from some clumsy scripting, a consequence of trying to cram too many different genres, and a story that has some suspense but suffers from the fact that it doesn't go anywhere for a bit of the time and the ending underwhelmed also. However, the production values are simply gorgeous, and the score is resolutely haunting. Mankiewicz's direction is solid. Gene Tierney looks beautiful and is adorable and touching. Walter Huston, Anne Revere and Jessica Tandy give terrific support. The best asset is the performance of Vincent Price, one that is devilishly handsome, sometimes frightening and always commanding. All in all, Price makes a deeply flawed movie worth watching. 6/10 Bethany Cox

Have just seen "Dragonwyck" after it had been released 66 years ago, and I found it to be absorbing, brilliantly acted and photographed. Gene Tierney stars as the simple farm girl who is elevated to Lady of the Manor for reasons that she did not comprehend, Vincent Price was superb as the master of Dragonwyck, while those two wonderful people, Walter Huston and Anne Revere, as usual, brilliant. The story by Anya Seton is well-handled, but that is where the frustration comes in-too many people in key roles just disappear from the film without any explanation, e.g. the Master's Daughter, The Housekeeper, the crippled maid,etc. It certainly gives the distinct impression that quite a bit of cutting has been done prior to release, as their part in the story was integral to the plot.