Dr. Phibes Rises Again
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| Dr. Phibes Rises Again | |
|---|---|
 Dr. Phibes Rises Again DVD cover |
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| Directed by | Robert Fuest |
| Produced by | Smauel Z. Arkoff Richard F. Dalton Louis M. Heyward |
| Written by | Robert Blees Robert Fuest |
| Starring | Vincent Price Robert Quarry Valli Kemp |
| Music by | John Gale |
| Cinematography | Alex Thomson |
| Editing by | Tristam V. Cones |
| Distributed by | Anglo-EMI Film Distributors Ltd./MGM-EMI (UK) American International Pictures (USA) |
| Release date(s) | 1972 |
| Running time | 88 min. |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
Dr. Phibes Rises Again (1972) was the second Dr. Phibes movie, a sequel to The Abominable Dr. Phibes. It was directed by Robert Fuest, and starred Vincent Price as Dr. Anton Phibes.
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[edit] Plot
The moon rises at a predestined angle and awakens the sleeping Dr. Phibes three years after the events of the previous movie. To his dismay, he finds that his house has been demolished and his papyrus scrolls stolen, the scrolls he needs to find the Pharaoh's Tomb in Egypt, where the River of Life flows. After identifying the source of the papyrus theft, he packs and leaves for Egypt with his assistant Vulnavia (now played by Valli Kemp, since the original actress, Virginia North was pregnant at the time; however, this was not a problem since the character was drenched in acid at the end of the first film). His primary goal is still the awakening of his dead wife, Victoria.
The thieves of Phibes' scrolls suffer an attrition problem as Inspectors Trout and Waverly chase Phibes across the world. The party is led by Beiderbeck (Robert Quarry, best known for playing Count Yorga). Although he looks young, he is several hundred years old and wants to find the River of Life in order to stay alive and be with his lover Diana forever. This time Phibes' murders all have an Egyptian theme to them; for example, one character is sand-blasted to death. Other deaths include someone being stung to death by scorpions, being eaten by an eagle (in the original script impaled by a gold eagle in the same way a doctor in The Abominable Dr. Phibes was impaled by a golden unicorn), and a golden snake piercing someone's skull.
At the climax, Beiderbeck sacrifices his life in order to save Diana. The film ends with Phibes riding a raft down the River of Life with Victoria, while singing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow". It is left ambiguous whether Victoria is resurrected or not, although a picture inside the DVD shows her in the raft with her eyes open and smiling at the camera.
Due to copyright difficulties, Price's rendition of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" was replaced on the original VHS release by background music lifted from elsewhere in the film. For prints shown in theaters and on television, the original ending is always intact. The original music is restored on the DVD edition. (Several other American International Pictures from this period suffered a similar fate when released for home video, having their original scores replaced. For example: Witchfinder General and Scream and Scream Again.)
The film was rushed into production after the success of the first. The script, penned by Fuest, suffered due to budget restraints, as well as studio meddling (it was them who forced Vulnavia to return, Phibes was originally to have a new assistant, as well as many parts and plot points getting edited out, leaving some viewers confused.) It did not help that Vincent Price and Robert Quarry did not get along well behind the scenes. Some other actors from the original film, such as Terry-Thomas, appeared in different roles.
Opinion on this film is divided, and generally it is considered as good as the first Phibes outing.
[edit] Deaths
- Biederbeck's Manservant: bitten by a snake then pierced through his skull by a golden snake coming out of a telephone receiver
- Harry Ambrose: neck broken by Phibes then stuffed into a bottle and tossed off the boat
- Shavers: clawed to death by an eagle and remains eaten
- Stewart: stung to death by scorpions after being strapped to a device by Phibes
- Baker: crushed by his own bed while Dr. Phibes is turning the crank that will end his life
- Hackett: buried alive after being sandblasted in his car
- Darius Biederbeck: aged to death after failing his task to find the river of life that would have given him immortality
[edit] Proposed sequels
This was to be followed by a third Dr. Phibes movie, The Brides of Phibes or Phibes Resurrectus. It would have had Phibes protecting his secret of eternal life from a group of Nazis, who he would kill off one by one. His wife would also be brought back to life.
A sequence which exists in several proposed sequels had the Clockwork Wizards, Phibes' band, attacking people. Many scripts had Victoria being resurrected, and showed her as a very kind, loving soul that Anton is very gentle around. But one had her as a vicious control freak who was worse than he was.
Price also talked in an interview of a script he characterized as "Dr. Phibes in the holy land", which he enjoyed, but American International wasn't interested in producing it.
One script, penned by the people who wrote the original Phibes screenplay, had Phibes facing a group of Satanists lead by Dr. Vesalius' now adult son. Some of the deaths were incredibly elaborate; a Hoover device which sucked out people's organs and someone being covered in butter and fed to a lobster. The film ended with Vesalius thrown into an acid pit, Vulnavia committing suicide, and Victoria coming back to life only to be killed again. It ended with Phibes taking his own life and the words "Keep on trucking" appearing on a large screen. The screenplay, much like the initial draft of the Phibes script, is generally devoid of humour and is more vicious, which may be why it was passed over.
Another plan for a sequel was The Seven Fates of Dr. Phibes in this, Phibes resurrects Victoria, and the two search for seven small statues that will fulfill their ultimate plan, with assistance from Vulnavia (who is described as looking different, suggesting another actress would play the part.). Sections of the film take place in Athens, and there is even a labyrinth at one point. To obtain these statues, they kill people in styles based on Greek mythology (a Trojan horse, Cyclops, Cerberus, Minotaur, etc.) Trout and Waverly appear again, though at one point Trout leaves the police and later rejoins it. There is the usual banter between them ("When in Crete, do as the cretins do." "I thought you already did, sir.") Seven Fates would have revealed Vulnavia's identity as the Greek Goddess Athena), and featured footage of Phibes before his accident. There is again a Satanic character, who like Beiderbeck and Vesalius, is in many ways Phibes' equal but he concedes defeat and lets Phibes kill him, crying, "It is better to rule in hell then serve in heaven." People suggested for the role were Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing or Donald Pleasence. This film would have ended with Phibes getting his own face and voice back. Athena would then break her silence saying, "Come, Children of Zeus. You do not belong here in this age. This time has no place for you. You are of a different race now, and must take leave of moral worlds to find your home among the sky and stars. Come with me, now, it is time." Then Phibes, Victoria and Athena ascend into Heaven via a flying organ, which would once more play Somewhere Over the Rainbow. Waverly, shocked, exclaims, "This isn't possible, and if I'm wrong, may God strike me down." He is then struck by a bolt of lightning, while Phibes' laugh echoes.
A treatment of this film still exists, and Vincent Price gave it his approval, but his declining health, among other factors, prevented it from being made.
Tagline: Flesh crawls! Blood curdles! Phibes lives!
