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Frankenstein
Double Feature
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U.S.A.
/ 1939, 1942
Directors:
Roland
V. Lee / Erle C. Kenton
Starring
Bela Lugosi, Lionel Atwill
Basil Rathbone, Boris Karloff
Cedric Hardwicke, Lon Chaney Jr.
B&W / Not Rated
SON OF FRANKENSTEIN: 100 Min.
GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN: 68 Min.
Format: DVD
Double
Feature Disc / R1 - NTSC
Universal
Studios
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Now
back in print 2007 edition
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Son
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8 |
Ghost
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4 |
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5 |
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Universal
has followed up its first batch of Classic Monster DVDs by issuing
a number of double feature discs combining some of the company's
lesser sequels to such seminal films as Dracula,
Frankenstein,
and The Mummy. What on the surface
should be welcome news to classic horror fans must be tempered
with mistakes in packaging, choice of films, and (I think) overcharging
for what are basically bare-bones discs devoid of any worthwhile
extras. Case in point: the Frankenstein Double Feature
disc pairing 1939's Son Of Frankenstein
with its immediate sequel, The Ghost Of
Frankenstein (1942). For one thing, I feel that Son
perhaps the last truly great Universal horror of the pre-'50s
era is
a grand enough film to have received a solo disc release of
its own, with an accompanying documentary and other goodies
(as was the case with the initial Classic Monster releases).
Instead it's been lumped together with its much inferior sequel.
Adding insult to injury, for some inexplicable reason the packaging
lists the tepid Ghost first! (The
disc's title screen rectifies this blunder by putting the films
in their proper order.) Still, Son
is a terrific movie worthy of its forebears; Universal should've
stopped making Frankenstein sequels once Boris Karloff stepped
away from the role. I'm just happy this gem has finally made
it to DVD.
Basil Rathbone headlines as Dr. Wolf von Frankenstein,
who's come to the European village named for his family to claim
the inheritance bequeathed by his late father.
This includes a huge medieval castle and the shattered ruins
of pop's lab, which was blown up at the conclusion of 1935's
The Bride Of Frankenstein. The
local townspeople aren't exactly happy to see him arrive. Though
Wolf promises them that the past is the past, that he won't
follow in his father's infamous footsteps, events prove the
locals justified in their worries. Trouble lurks in the form
of Ygor (Bela Lugosi, in his most famous role besides Dracula),
a snaggle-toothed graverobber once unsuccessfully hanged for
his crimes and with the twisted neck to show for it. He introduces
Wolf to
the Monster, long thought destroyed but still very much alive
under Ygor's care. In fact, Ygor's been using the Monster to
systematically bump off each of the jury members who sentenced
him to the gallows. Unaware of Ygor's evil secret, Wolf is galvanized
to complete his father's work and vindicate the Frankenstein
name. But restoring the Monster to the peak of "health"
only plays into Ygor's murderous hands and eventually leads
to more killings. Meantime, the one-armed local police chief,
Inspector Krogh (a marvelous Lionel Atwill), has his suspicions
to follow up and a village of restless citizens to placate.
Only when Wolf realizes that his own wife and son are also in
danger does he decide that the Monster and its real
master, Ygor must be destroyed.
Son
Of Frankenstein dots all the 'I's and crosses all the
'T's in the daunting task of following James Whale's magnificent
Bride. At 100 minutes it's the
longest of the Universal classic horrors, and while the ending
is typically abrupt the pacing is brisk and the movie never
feels padded. This was also the last UniHorror to have a substantial,
A-picture budget. The lavish, German Expressionism-influenced
production design is given full reign here, resulting in magnificent
sets, all shot with great attention to detail in the use of
light and shadow. Lugosi has perhaps his meatiest role in the
nefarious Ygor; he plays it to the hilt, his melodramatic acting
style perfect for the part. Atwill is unforgettable as the heel-clicking,
wooden-armed policeman Krogh. And Karloff is Karloff, of course,
the ultimate Frankenstein monster. (Having lost the power of
speech the character gained in Bride,
Boris's Monster just growls here, as in the first film.) Only
Rathbone his bombastic theatrical
style occasionally on overdrive in an attempt to out-"ham"
Colin Clive and the child actor
playing young Peter Frankenstein (who sounds like he's from
Louisiana) hit the occasional sour note.
Lovingly spoofed
by Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein,
this is one of the all-time great horror films and a genuine
classic. But Universal should've left the Monster to his fate
in the bubbling sulfur pits beneath the lab. After the third
film in the series it's all strictly downhill.
The Ghost of Frankenstein pales
in comparison to Son. The story
is weak, the script decidedly inferior and Lon Chaney, not the
incomparable Karloff, fills the Monster's oversize shoes this
time out. While great as the tormented Larry Talbot in 1941's
The Wolf
Man, the chubby-cheeked Chaney is a total nonentity
here as Frankenstein's creation. Not that even Karloff could've
salvaged this thing, mind you but his presence would've certainly
helped.
Though Son
ended on a happy note, with Wolf gifting the village with the
Frankenstein estate before departing for good, the locals
remain a surly and superstitious bunch. They claim that the
lingering "curse" of Frankenstein has withered their
crops and damaged commerce. Occasional sightings of the villainous
Ygor who's supposedly dead
have further set them on edge. The men of the town decide to
blow up Castle Frankenstein with dynamite.
Bela Lugosi
returns for a second time as Ygor, despite that character having
been shot to death in the proceeding film. (Virtually no explanation
of this is given, other than Ygor mentioning that his twisted
body is even more hobbled since being pumped full of bullets.)
The dynamiting of the castle cracks open a slab of dried sulfur
encasing the Monster. Ygor frees him and the pair flee into
the stormy night; the Monster
is struck by lightning, further reviving him. Ygor takes him
to Vasaria, home of that other son of Frankenstein, Ludwig,
who wasn't mentioned in the previous film. As it happens, Ludwig
(Sir Cedric Hardwicke) is a psychiatrist/surgeon who's been
experimenting with brain transplants. When one of his assistants
is killed by the Monster, Ludwig decides to transplant the deceased
doctor's brain into the creature's skull, replacing the warped,
damaged brain with one that's "good". But ol' Ygor
has different plans...
Ghost Of Frankenstein is inferior
in every way to the films that came before it, and not much
better than the abysmal "House of" flicks that ended Universal's
original Monster Cycle. Hardwicke manages to maintain his dignity
throughout but the rest of the cast is simply wasted. (Evelyn
Ankers, playing Ludwig's daughter, does nothing but show off
a series of fetching ensembles.) Even though his character should
be dead, Bela's Ygor for some reason now possessing a much
better set of teeth than in Son
gets most of the choice moments. And Chaney just doesn't make
a good Monster. He's bland and totally forgettable in the part;
anybody could've played it just as well. (Except maybe for poor
Bela, that is... one of the most embarrassing screen Monsters
ever in 1943's Frankenstein
Meets The Wolf Man though not really his fault.)
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for the disc itself, I was generally pleased with the sound and
picture quality of both features. The films haven't truly been
restored but they look and sound better than they have in previous
VHS incarnations. As mentioned previously, extras are practically
nonexistent. Each film gets some brief onscreen production notes;
a rough-looking trailer for Ghost
is also provided. That's it. The terrific Son
Of Frankenstein really deserves better treatment.
10/21/01 |
| UPDATE
After being out of print on DVD for two years, these films were
re-released in April 2004 by Universal Home Video in a combo package
(Frankenstein: The Legacy Collection)
also containing Frankenstein,
Bride
Of Frankenstein
and House Of
Frankenstein.
The original double feature disc pairing Son
Of Frankenstein with Ghost Of Frankenstein
will again be issued by Universal in July 2007... This
constant repackaging/reissuing of titles is ridiculous! - Ed. |
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