Vincent Price sings? In a Gilbert & Sullivan curse comedy? Absolute chaos.
The Baronet of Ruddigore, Sir Despard Murgatroyd, has inherited a family curse which forces him to commit a crime every day — or die in agony. He hates the curse, doing his heinous misdeeds as early as possible and good works for the rest of the day to compensate!
Acting
Vincent Price's gloriously hammy baritone villainy.
Direction
Stage-to-screen energy that leans into artificiality.
Costume
Gothic melodrama meets technicolor nightmare gowns.
Director
Barrie Gavin
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This was Vincent Price's rare filmed musical performance; he trained specifically for Gilbert & Sullivan's patter songs despite his established horror career.
Ruddigore was Gilbert & Sullivan's 'flop' in 1887, later rehabilitated; this 1982 BBC production helped revive its reputation as underrated satire.
GB
