When Mussolini came to power in Italy, Fortunato (Bela Lugosi), a
simple stableboy but party member, seized the opportunity to take over his
master Count Montressor's (Romney Brent) castle - but to humiliate the
Count, he let him stay in the stableboy's quarters while forcing him to
givwe him his sister's hand in marriage. However, eventually, Fortunato,
now a general, became tired of the Count's sister and had her die in an accident,
while he already started to romance Fortunato's wife, taking her to Rome
with him when he went there. Montressor was clever enough to try and get a
divorce from his wife, but somehow it didn't work out, and thus one day
Fortunato shows up at the Count's castle - which the Count had reclaimed
for himself in the meantime - again to kill him. However, Fortunato takes
to drinking a bit, and can't resist an invitation to the castle's vast
vine cellars to taste of the Count's newly acquired cask of Amontillado.
Instead of giving his guest to drink however, Montressor uses his
guest's dizziness to overcome him, chain him up and wall him in. Then the
Count flees to Switzerland to later work for the Italian underground - and
it's not until the end of the war that he confesses his crime to the
police ... Some elements of this Edgar Allan Poe-adaptation
work extremely well - like setting the story during the second World War
-, others less so (like the story's less than perfect buildup), but a
great cast (including Bela Lugosi ina rather atypical role) make up
for the show's shortcomings and budgetary limitations (some of the sets
are ridiculously cheaply done) and make it totally worthwhile.
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