Disc 4 is a Ray Milland double feature and the best disc in the set. Edgar Allen Poe’s Premature Burial finds Milland’s character obsessed with being buried alive after seeing his father prematurely interred. Avoiding that fate becomes the focus of his entire life, so obviously he’s going to have to deal with it before the movie ends.
Corman made a series of popular Poe films. He began this one not working with distributor AIP, yet they eventually bought their way back in. Vincent Price was going to be the lead, but was unable as he was under contract, which was probably for the best as Milland does a great job. Charles Beaumont, a successful teleplay writer over the entire run of The Twilight Zone, wrote the script. The disc includes a special feature of Corman interviewed in 2002.
X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes stars Milland as a professor who experiments with perfecting man’s vision. He experiments on himself and starts seeing through clothing, but continues seeing deeper and deeper, eventually heading to subatomic levels. The closer he gets to seeing the world as it truly is the madder he grows. The visual effects created to convey what Milland is going through, while economical, look very good. The movie has a very interesting religious subtext. The film includes an audio commentary by Corman recorded in 2001.
The Roger Corman Collection runs a wide gamut of genres and quality. The entire set is recommended for serious movie fans. Most people won’t be able to appreciate his accomplishments, but Corman movies are great to watch because they teach viewers what to do and what not to do when making movies. I would recommend seeing one or two before purchasing this set.
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