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Films: Frankenstein/Bride Of Frankenstein/Son Of Frankenstein/The Ghost Of Frankenstein/House Of Frankenstein
Stars: Boris
Karloff, Colin Clive, Mae Clarke, John Boles, Edward Van Sloan, and Dwight
Frye/Boris Karloff, Colin Clive, Elsa Lanchester, Ernest Thesiger, Dwight Frye,
Valerie Hobson, O.P. Heggie, and Una O’Connor/Basil Rathbone, Boris Karloff,
Bela Lugosi, Lionel Atwill, Josephine Hutchinson, Donnie Dunagan, Emma Dunn, and
Edgar Norton/Sir Cedric Hardwicke, Ralph Bellamy, Lionel Atwill, Bela Lugosi,
Evelyn Ankers, and Lon Chaney, Jr./Boris Karloff, Lon Chaney Jr., John Carradine,
J. Carrol Naish, Anne Gwynne, Peter Coe, Elena Verdugo, and Lionel Atwill
Writers: Garrett
Fort, Francis Edwards Faragoh, John L. Balderston, Peggy Webling, William
Hurlbut, Willis Cooper, W. Scott Darling, Edward T. Lowe, and Curt Siodmak
Based On The Story
By: Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
Directors: James
Whale, Rowland V. Lee, and Erle C. Kenton
Feature length: 70
minutes/75 minutes/99 minutes/67 minutes/70 minutes
Extras: Audio
Commentary Tracks For Frankenstein and Bride Of Frankenstein, Stephen Sommers On
Universal’s Classic Monster: Frankenstein’s Monster Featurette, She’s
Alive! Creating The Bride Of Frankenstein Documentary, The Frankenstein Files:
How Hollywood Made A Monster Doccumentary, Poster and Still Galleries, Boo!: A
Short Film, Theatrical Trailers
Languages: English
Two-Channel Monaural Sound
Subtitles: English
Captions and French and Spanish Language Subtitles
Packaging:
Two-Disc Book Style Digipack Gatefold Within A Slipcase
Chapter Stops:
16/18/18/18/18
Sound: Two-Channel
Monaural Sound
Year of Theatrical
Release: 1931/1935/1939/1942/1944/DVD Release: 2004
Theatrical
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Home Video
Distributor: Universal Studios Home Video
MPAA Rating: Not
Rated
Reviewer: Mark A.
Rivera
Mary Shelley’s
“Frankenstein” is actually considered a work of science fiction as much as
it is a horror story and some academics might argue that it is more a work of
sci-fi than it is horror. When in doubt a person can always categorize a media
that crosses genres like sci-fi, horror, and fantasy simply as fantastic
fiction, but the Universal feature film “Frankenstein” directed by James
Whale and starring Boris Karloff as the monster and Colin Clive as his creator
Doctor Frankenstein forever made the character a horror icon. As a whole, the
“Frankenstein” films are in my opinion more interesting than the Universal
“Dracula” features, with the notable exception of the original feature film
adaptation of “Dracula” directed by Tod Browning. I have watched
“Frankenstein” and James Whale’s sequel “Bride Of Frankenstein” before
and I have to admit that every time I watch Karloff’s performance I am moved.
He really brought an element of pathos to the character that added dimension and
quite frankly no one has equaled. There is a cliché that states, “There are
no small parts. Only small actors,” and I think Karloff, as Frankenstein’s
Monster is an example of this. What could have become a gross parody or a
one-dimensional character truly becomes a being we can feel empathy for while
still fearing him. Subsequent actors to play the monster after Karloff just made
it have all the personality of a mindless robot. It then stopped being
interesting or scary and became an object to parody as Mel Brooks proved
brilliantly in his excellent comedy spoof “Young Frankenstein.” Even Robert
DeNiro’s performance as the monster in Kenneth Branagh’s feature version
seemed like an unintentional parody at times.
So while not
entirely faithful to Shelley’s novel, “Frankenstein” at least captures a
bit of the essence because of the casting and screen direction. Whales sequel is
one of the few feature films that equals if not surpasses the original in any
genre. There is a bourgeois element to the “Frankenstein” films that seems
to place the upwardly mobile characters as being above the law while the
proletariat suffers much for the consequences of the Barron’s family’s
actions. At the end of “Frankenstein” Dr. Frankenstein’s father, the Baron
toasts to the House of Frankenstein surrounded by a bunch or serf like servants
while the townsfolk are left to suffer the indignation and tragedy. Even
Frankenstein’s monster is a victim. He is born into a cruel world where the
most basic human needs and compassion are all but denied to him. He is the
ultimate poster child for the misunderstood. Even the Bride created for him in
the sequel spurns him. In “Son Of Frankenstein” Basil Rathbone plays the son
who returns with his family to claim his inheritance where the townsfolk are
understandably upset at his arrival considering the events that had occurred in
the first two films. Bela Lugosi gives a nice character turn that I think shows
that he had more range than he was given credit for as Ygor, the mad shepherd
with malevolent interests in seeing Frankenstein’s monster rise again. By this
time we learn that the monster virtually indestructible. So when events go south
for the House of Frankenstein, guess who bares the brunt of the mayhem? Yet at
the end they give Frankenstein and his family a cheerful farewell and he leaves
them the mess to clean up. Sure in “The Ghost Of Frankenstein” the film
opens with the townspeople destroying the castle once and for all, but it does
not stop Ygor from taking the monster, which is now so identified with the
Frankenstein name that it simply is referred to as “Frankenstein” to a
nearby town where he gets Frankenstein’s brother (Sir Cedric Hardwicke)
involved in trying to fix the problem with the creature leading to dubious
results. “House Of Frankenstein” features Boris Karloff as the mad scientist
that brings the monster (Glenn Strange) back to life and features Dracula (John
Carradine) and The Wolf Man (Lon Chaney, Jr.) too. The sequel to this film was
“The House Of Dracula,” which is featured in Universal Studios Home
Video’s “Dracula: The Legacy Collection”
DVD set while the film that preceded “House Of Frankenstein” entitled
“Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man” appears in “The Wolf Man: The Legacy
Collection” DVD set so if you want the complete cycle for these screen monster
icons, you have to buy all three sets or the gift set with the three monster
busts. So far I have to admit that as a whole I am impressed with the quality of
each set and really do agree that they are definitely worth adding to nearly
anyone’s personal DVD collection as the packaging states.
The quality on all
five feature films is impressive with each film presented in their original
(1.33:1) theatrical aspect ratio with clear English Two-Channel Monaural Sound
and optional English Captions for the hearing impaired as well as French and
Spanish Language Subtitles. Film Historians Rudy Behlmer and Scott MacQueen
provide excellent audio commentary tracks for “Frankenstein” and “Bride Of
Frankenstein” that covers in great detail the various differences between the
book and stage plays as well as earlier versions of the script and unrealized
casting opportunities.
These commentaries
are supported by the documentaries “She’s Alive! Creating The Bride Of
Frankenstein” (38:52), which is hosted by Filmmaker Joe Dante and “The
Frankenstein Files: How Hollywood Made A Monster” (44:50) hosted by Film
Historian David J Skall with both featuring interview clips that include Film
Historian Scott MacQueen, Boris Karloff’s daughter Sara Karloff, Director Bill
Condon, Author and Filmmaker Clive Barker, and Makeup Master Rick Baker. One
thing I liked in particularly about “The Frankenstein Files” was that it put
the entire Universal “Frankenstein” feature film cycle into perspective all
the way through to “Abbott And Costello Meet Frankenstein” and even
acknowledged the Hammer films as a testament to the longevity of these monster
creations that were made new for another generation while creating genre film
icons out of Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee.
The featurette
(6:08) with Director Stephen Sommers discussing the inspirations from
“Frankenstein” on his film “Van Helsing” feature clips from the film as
well as behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with Shuler Hensley, who plays
Frankenstein’s monster in the film, Samuel West, who plays Doctor Victor
Frankenstein in the movie, and Van Helsing himself, Hugh Jackman.
There are two
montage galleries of poster art and still photographs for “Frankenstein”
(13:10) and “Bride Of Frankenstein” (9:25) respectively as well as the
theatrical trailers for “Frankenstein” (1:41), “Bride Of Frankenstein”
(1:29), “The Ghost Of Frankenstein” (1:57), and “House Of Frankenstein”
(1:43). A short film entitled “Boo!” concludes the extra value features
included within this DVD set. “Frankenstein” and “Bride Of Frankenstein”
appear on the first dual layered disc while the other three films and the
balance of the extra value materials are contained on both sides of disc two,
which is a DVD-18.
A good DVD set is
worthy of repeat viewing and “Frankenstein: The Legacy Collection” is
definitely a good DVD set that can be purchased now at retailers on and offline
from Universal Studios Home Video.
© Copyright 2004
By Mark A. Rivera
All Rights Reserved.
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