Tales That Witness Madness

Director: Freddie Francis Freddie Francis

Overview

Set in a psychiatric ward, Tales That Witness Madness is just that. Donald Pleasence plays Dr.Tremayne who tells his colleague Nicholas (Jack Hawkins) these horrific stories of his four patients' causes for committal: "Mr. Tiger," a tale of a boy who imagines a tiger kills his parents to end their disputes; "Penny Farthing," wherein a man journeys back to take the place of a Victorian-age relative; "Mel," of a couple who allows a possessed plant to come between them; and finally, "Luau," about a writer who wishes his dead mother would rest in peace, so sets off to find a sacrificial virgin to ensure it. Also featured in this film is Joan Collins, Marilyn Novak and Michael Jayston among others.

Product Details

Release Date:	06/26/2012
UPC:	0887090044103
Original Release:	1973
Rating:	R
Source:	Olive
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Mono]
Language:	English
Time:	1:30:00
Sales rank:	20,524

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Jack Hawkins	Nicholas
Donald Pleasence	Prof. R.C. Tremayne
Georgia Brown	Fay Patterson
Donald Houston	Sam Patterson
David Wood	Tutor
Suzy Kendall	Ann/Beatrice
Peter McEnery	Timothy Patrick
Frank Forsyth	Uncle Albert
Beth Morris	Polly
Neil Kennedy	Moving Man
Richard Connaught	Moving Man
Joan Collins	Bella Thompson
Michael Jayston	Brian Thompson
Kim Novak	Auriol Pageant
Michael Petrovitch	Kimo
Mary Tamm	Ginny Pageant
Leslie Nunnerley	Vera
Leon Lissek	Keoki
Zohra Segal	Malia
Russell Lewis	Paul
Bernard Ebbinghouse	Composer

Technical Credits

Jay Fairbank

Jennifer Jayne

Freddie Francis	Director
Norman Priggen	Producer
Jay Fairbank	Screenwriter
Milton Subotsky	Producer
Jennifer Jayne	Screenwriter
Nolan Roberts	Sound/Sound Designer
Ken Ritchie	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

Fans of horror anthology films will enjoy Tales that Witness Madness, a middling yet entertaining entry into that genre. As with almost all such omnibus affairs, it's an uneven excursion, as some segments simply work better than others, and the opinion as to which ones are the stronger (or weaker) will undoubtedly vary depending upon the tastes, experiences and expectations of the viewer. However, it's a fairly safe bet that the "living tree" episode will provide the most sheer entertainment, and the "lewd luau" the least. The former is in most ways the most ludicrous of the bunch, but that actually counts in its favor: after all, how seriously can one take a tale in which the chief rival is from the plant family? Joan Collins gets a great deal of mileage out of the part and is enormously fun to watch. By contrast, poor Kim Novak in the luau segment turns in a performance that is self-conscious and embarrassed, which only helps to sink the already-poor sequence. This viewer thinks that the time travel story is the most interestingly told and rewarding, but readily admits that many will find it slow and obvious. And while the tiger piece holds few surprises in terms of plot, the image of the boy calmly playing his piano as his parents are brutally disposed of is decidedly chilling. While Freddie Francis' direction is fairly standard for this kind of film, he does work with his cinematographer to create some striking visuals.