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When I was
a kid (Editor: You can remember back that far? Snicker,
snicker), WABC-TV in New York bought the rights to show
all the old Universal horror films: Dracula, The Wolfman,
The Invisible Man, The Mummy, all the classic films from the
'30s and '40s. ABC would show one film each Saturday night
after the late news, but the station also made the unusual
decision to have a little fun. An actor was hired to host
the show. He would don a Transylvanian period costume and
ghoulish makeup. He had a creepy (and cheesy) set, dominated
by the coffin of his wife (with whom he would frequently confer).
Experiments with brains (cauliflower) were popular (remember,
this was black and white TV). Werewolf cries were his favorite
sound effect (he would frequently join in a good howl). He
would insert himself into the featured film to offer a snide
remark long before a similar practice on Mystery Science Theater.
The name of this character was Zackerly, and, by a strange
coincidence, he was played by the uninhibited, imaginative,
frequently funny, and sometimes over-the-top John Zackerly.
(I've often wondered what became of him. Was he cursed by
his character ala Peewee Herman? Or did he become a country
and western DJ in some quiet little rural town?) It was during
Zackerly's show that I had my first amusing exposure to Universal's
horror film library, so it was with some nostalgia that I
spun up director James Whale's 1931 production of Frankenstein
This classic
monster film is very loosely based on Mary Shelley's 1818
Gothic Novel of the same name, and every one of you knows
the plot. Dr. Henry Frankenstein (Colin Clive) is obsessed
with learning the secrets of life and death. He robs graves
for human remains with his hunchbacked assistant Fritz played
by Dwight Frye (Igor would appear in a later film). He assembles
his creation in a huge abandoned watchtower isolated in the
hills of the Bavarian countryside. He's unaware that the fumbling
Fritz has stolen a criminal brain from a local medical school
after he dropped a more serviceable specimen.
Back at
the schloss, Frankenstein's fiancee Elizabeth (Mae Clarke)
is worried about her Henry. His letters are becoming more
and more incoherent. She asks her friend and soon-to-be best
man Victor Moritz (John Boles) to take her to Frankenstein's
laboratory to beg him to come home. They enlist the help of
Dr. Waldman (Edward Van Sloan), Frankenstein's ex-professor
at medical school. They arrive at the stone fortress of a
lab during a horrific lightening storm, the very storm Frankenstein
has chosen to impart life on his creation.
After a
brief exchange in which Frankenstein is slighted by accusations
of madness, he insists that they accompany him into his laboratory.
He ushers them in and locks the door behind them. In one of
the screen's classic sequences, amidst sparks and flashes
and Jacob's Ladders, the creature is bombarded with rays "beyond
the ultraviolet," life giving rays. When the creature stirs,
Frankenstein exults and collapses in exhaustion.
From the
start, the Monster (Boris Karloff) is portrayed as a sympathetic
character. He's initially quite childlike, but he reacts violently
and with deadly force when Fritz repeatedly torments him with
whip and fire. Frankenstein and Waldman subdue the frantic
Monster with a hypodermic anesthetic and decide that it must
be put to death. The Monster may only have been defending
itself from Waldman's scalpel (admittedly somewhat vigorously)
when it awakens on the operating table. The Monster stumbles
down the stone staircase, finds his way to the door, and vanishes
into the night.
Frankenstein
had returned home to recuperate and to marry Elizabeth. His
father is the local Baron, so the occasion is a time of great
rejoicing for the whole village. On his wedding day, the celebration
is cut short as a peasant named Ludwig (Michael Mark) carries
the lifeless body of his young daughter Maria (Marilyn Harris)
through the village. She's been drowned by the Monster, who,
unknown to Ludwig and the villagers, was unaware of the consequences
of playfully casting the youngster into the lake. The burgomaster
(Lionel Belmore) organizes the vengeful rabble. They divide
into three torch-bearing groups and with bloodhounds and pitchforks,
search for the Monster in the darkness.
Frankenstein
leads one group into the hills. He becomes separated from
his group and finds himself face-to-face with his angry creation.
He resists but he's beaten into unconsciousness and dragged
to an old, abandoned windmill. The villagers rush to save
him, but a fallen rafter has blocked the door. The villagers
can't get in. In the upper portion of the mill, Frankenstein
regains consciousness and tries to escape. During the struggle
he's thrown onto a windmill blade and falls to the ground,
injured but still alive. The villagers set fire to the mill
with the Monster trapped inside. As the villagers carry Frankenstein
home, we see the windmill ablaze. At home once again, Frankenstein
recovers from his injuries with Elizabeth at his side.
Despite
his having made eighty films prior to Frankenstein, this notable
classic is credited with launching Boris Karloff's career,
an actor often described as a gentleman and a gentle man.
He would forever be associated with the horror genre, apparently
grateful for the work. Interestingly, Bela Lugosi, having
successfully brought Dracula to the screen earlier that year,
turned down the role. He felt it beneath him to accept a non-speaking
part, but he would play the Monster in one of the many, many
sequels.
This version
of the film has all the scenes and dialog restored that were
cut by censors many years ago. When the Monster first comes
to life, one of Frankenstein's lines included a reference
to feeling like God. This may have been considered blasphemous
at the time. The scene in which Fritz torments the Monster
with fire is a bit longer in this cut. And we now see the
Monster grab Maria and hurl her into the lake. He then flees,
seemingly upset and confused, when she fails to float as the
flowers did. Even with these additions, Frankenstein runs
for only seventy-two minutes; we must remember that when it
was released, a program of a double feature with news and
a short was the norm.
Video: How Does The Disc Look?
The films
original aspect ratio of 1.37:1 is presented in full-frame
video, and while I usually avoid full-frame presentations,
I couldn't resist the content. The transfer is remarkably
good for a film that's nearly sixty years old. There are a
few scratches and nicks on the source print, but I was surprised
at how few there are. Some of the restored footage shows a
slight change in graininess and contrast as compared to the
rest of the film (particularly the added scenes with Maria
at the lake). The film is in black and white, of course, and
the contrast and brightness are fine. The level of detail
is also better than I expected.
Audio: How Does the Disc Sound?
The Dolby
Digital monaural sound is, again, surprisingly good for a
film of this age. Obviously, the soundtrack has limited bandwidth,
and distortion levels are not up to modern standards. Sound
effects are consistently distorted but acceptable. The dialog
is quite clear, although I did hear some variation in level
from scene to scene, which could have been corrected easily
and was not. There is no musical score; this film was made
at a time when only opening and closing credits were scored.
Supplements: What Goodies Are There? There are
a variety of interesting and odd supplements to tell you about.
The Frankenstein Files is a very good forty-five minute documentary
that includes many interviews and insights. (When you select
it from the Bonus Material screen, don't be confused when
you're presented with what appears to be a language and captions
menu. Make your selections and the featurette will begin.)
The continuity
stills from the principal photography are presented with much
panning and zooming, accompanied by dialog from the film.
There is a very strange little short called "Boo!" that epitomizes
the humor of the day; a narrator is heard in voiceover, trying
to be droll, as we watch edited scenes from what appears to
be Nosferatu, Frankenstein, and Phantom of the Opera. A re-release
theatrical trailer is included. And most notably, a fascinating
commentary track by film historian Rudy Behlmer is available
to run over the film.
There are
extensive production notes, Cast & Crew biographies and filmographies,
and sixteen chapter stops. French is available as captions
for both the film and the featurette.
Parting Thoughts
Made for
only $291,000 during a shooting schedule that spanned little
more than five weeks, this classic film was seen by over fifteen
million people during its original theatrical release. This
was the film that saved Universal Studios. I welcome it and
its siblings to DVD.
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