Average Rating: 
Rating:  - It's Still Alive After All These Years
After repeated attempts of securing a Frankenstein, director James Whale hired a middle-aged character actor named William Henry Pratt (stage name: Boris Karloff) who had previously been limited to cameos, stand-ins, and predominantly small eccentric parts to play Frankenstein's monster. Karloff's restrictive age, massive obscurity, and absence of experience may have emerged as hindrances for this newly discovered personality. However, time and popular opinion has obliterated these fears into long lost paranoid hallucinations.It is Boris Karloff's indisputably iconic and singularly haunting performance as the child-like brute, misunderstood and despised by all, whose only longing and desire is to be loved and cared for by others that continues to be one of cinema's timeless jewels of acting perfection, dramatic magnitude, and note-fully seamless pathos. Karloff's monster, like Anthony Perkin's Norman Bates or Robert De Norio's Travis Bickle, is one of cinema's fortunate accidents of how the exact casting of just the right perfect someone can unbelievably bolster the film. Karloff's casting as the inevitably sympathetic artificial concoction of a mad scientist with a deity complex turned out to be one of many grandiose happy accidents that has allowed this 70 year-old gothic horror film to continue to be copiously admired, internationally beloved, and enthusiastically cherished up to contemporary times. Frankenstein retains numerous stellar elements including a magnificently captivating early sound ensemble cast including Edward Van Sloan (Doctor Waldman), Mae Clarke (Elizabeth), Frederick Kerr (Baron Frankenstein), Dwight Frye (Fritz), and the unforgettable Colin Clive, the archetypal mad scientist, (Henry Frankenstein), brilliantly provocative Frankenstein make-up by make-up genius Jack Pierce, manically splendid and cleverly articulated German Expressionistic sets ,that place this tale in an indescribable alternate Grimm Fairy Tale reminiscent landscape, James Whales immeasurably eloquent moral consolidation and inventively multi-faceted interpretation of Mary Shelly's tale, and forever crowned with one of cinema's most cunningly virtuoso and unredeemable bravura performances of inarticulate primal indignation and childish rage ever recorded on film by Karloff as the monster. However due to it's age and Hollywood production values at the time, Frankenstein is not totally absent of problems: lacking of a musical score to countermarch the film's profuse talkativeness, predictably saddled with pedestrian and extremely dated comedic and romantic sub plots, and weakened by an awfully trite comedic conclusion. Despite these blemishes, Frankenstein consummately embodies the finest narrative qualities of the early Universal monster films, contains the simply greatest incarnation of Frakenstein's monster, and stubbornly remains both in ambiance and creative evocativeness the finest film version of the Mary Shelly story. Talk about staying power!!! As for Frankenstein's DVD format, it contains a uncannily pristine Pan and Scan
Standard presentation, intriguing Making-Of Documentary, Film Historian Rudy
Behlmer's audio commentary, original theatrical trailer, and much more. Universally (pun intended) recommended to anyone interested in film classics,
the Universal Monster films, or films of the 1930's. Followed by James Whales
superior sequel The Bride of Frankenstein (1935). P.S. Never Give Franky Flower Petals Near a Pond
Rating: - It's Alive! It's Alive!
At last! Isn't this what we all investment into DVD for? (or at least it is for me) Digging deep into their vaults (sic) Universal Studios have packaged the first in a promised series of Classic Monster flicks with suitable aplomb and style. This is the real classic of silver screen horror films and spawned a series of sequels which still reverberates today. Not only do we get the best possible print of the movie, uncut - yes the complete print including the full lakeside scene - but it is crowned with a host of extras which make full use of DVD. Not only is there an excellent audio commentary, but we are also given a tremendous behind the scenes look at the treatment of Mary Shelley's monster by Universal (crammed full of tantalising trailer snips from all the Universal canon). If you have a DVD player with Region 1 capabilities then you owe it to yourself to invest in this beauty.Classic monster tales don't rate any higher than Frankenstein. It really is the grand-daddy of all subsequent monster movies and Universal's classic is arguably the first real sound horror film. The film kicks off with an historic pre-credit sequence by Edward van Sloan, who warns the cinema audience of the 30's about the terror to come. The script, as adapted by John Balderston, bears little real resemblance to Mary Shelley's book (taken really from Peggy Webling's stage adaptation) and is really responsible for beginning the confusion over the identity of Frankenstein. (As we all now know the creator of the monster was named Frankenstein and not the creature he manufactured.) In putting together the story line, Whale drew on previous European cinematic monster incarnations (Der Golem/Cabinet of Dr. Caligari) for a visual style which became a classic to be imitated for decades. In establishing his players, he drew up the blueprint for all subsequent horror films (the crazed scientist/the hunchback assistant/the fire brandishing peasants/etc.) and cast wisely for his star players. It is common knowledge that the first studio choice for the role of the monster was to have been Bela Lugosi (hot on the heels from starring in Dracula), but through a quirk of fate, the role was offered to Boris Karloff (who was then a veteran of nearly 80 films!). The performance by Karloff must rank as one of the greatest cinematic creations (of any movie). It is both frightening and sympathetic at the same time (in my estimation his nearest rival would be King Kong). In the incredible Jack Pierce make-up the image of Karloff as the monster is indelibly etched into 20th century cinema as a true icon. On DVD the film looks its best yet for home cinema consumption. Inevitably the wrinkles of age are all too apparent. The film has not received the full restoration treatment that others have been honoured to from the video archives, but warts and all can do little to hold back to power of some of these images. The black and white photography is for the most part pure and the scratches, tears and dust specs don't detract too much from your viewing enjoyment. The audio quality is surprisingly clean and has thankfully been left in its original mono. For DVD and horror fans alike it is the extras which push this disc up into the "must have at all costs" category. First off, Rudy Behlmer's audio commentary is great. Highly informative and interesting. This is a model of how audio commentary should work - an enthusiast passing over his love of a film to other fans. David J. Skal's original documentary "The Frankenstein Files" is a 45 minute featurette covering the lead up to Whale's movie and the subsequent development by Universal is keeping the monster alive and kicking. There is a real find from the archives in the Universal short, "Boo!" - a parody of the genre using footage from Nosferatu as well as Frankenstein. The "Frankenstein Archives" represent the best I have seen on any disc. Not only does it offer posters from across the world, but there is a plethora of movie stills presented in sequence with accompanying dialogue lifted from the soundtrack. It is a great way to trawl through these scenes and should be taken up by other distributors. Even the bog standard menu screens are given the full works with music and it is all rounded off with the re-release trailer and Web Links. This is now my top DVD. All in all this DVD must rank as my own personal top release of 1999. The film is a true classic. The presentation is all DVD should be with great back-up archival material. If you love the movies and cinema there can be no better way to show that appreciation than by getting your hands on this real gem right away. There are more promised (Bride of Frankenstein, The Wolf Man, The Invisible Man, etc.) - I, for one, can hardly wait.
Rating:  - Classic early talkie
Frankenstein had life before this the second filmed version of Mary Shelley's novel (the first was a lost silent film). Originally Robert Florey was slated to direct and a young screenwriter by the name of John Huston had a hand in the early screenplay. Bela Lugosi was offered the role and it was announced as his follow up to Dracula. All of this, of course, never happened. Lugosi chose not to do the film and Florey moved along with him to his next project.Stage director James Whale had just made his first feature film and chose Boris Karloff to play the monster. He cast Karloff after making a number of sketches of the actor's face in the role. Two careers were born along with the Monster. John Balderston's adaption plays fast and loose with the source material but it works. Jack Pierce's make up for Karloff was astounding for its time rivaling the best work of Lon Chaney. The film is a bit stiff and static but then so were many early talkies. The sound cameras were too cumbersome to move around a lot. Still, the photography and Whale's direction are both strong. It's clear, though, that Whale is still a little unsure of himself as a director as the film is packed with dialog (much of it unnecessary). Performances are uniformly excellent with Dwight Frye notable for his scenery chewing as the hunchbacked assistant to Dr. Frankenstein. Colin Clive plays Frankenstein as a jittery, nervous high strung individual (much like Clive himself no doubt). The extras are great on the DVD. The commentary is always interesting and provides much insight into the era (including the difficulties when the film was reissued. The Hays Commission dictated that the film be edited prior to re-release eliminating the sequence between the Monster and the little girl at the well). Frankenstein isn't Whale or Karloff's best film but clearly one of their most important.
|
