James Whales' version of "Frankenstein" is many times removed from Mary Shelley's novel as most of Hollywood's films are.But this is the version of "Frankenstein" that we all know ...even better than Shelley's classic,but difficult novel. If a person wants a film version that follows Mary Shelley's novel to the letter but is still a classic piece of cinema and is chilling,atmospheric and memorable then one should see the film "Terror Of Frankenstein".Producer Calvin Floyd made it and it is a great version of the novel and a film that is neither boring or suffering from a star's ego to tell his version of the story as was Kenneth Brannagh's film which is not the masterpiece that it and a variety of uninformed other's have claimed it to be.
Universal's "Frankenstein"(1931) is an amazing film to see.It is uniquely it's own version of the tale of a medical student who is not a doctor but is a scientist on his own misguided quest to create life from the dead.Colin Clive is Baron Henry Frankenstein who has chosen to break any ties that he had with the medical school where he had attended.In this writer's opinion Colin Clive is Baron Frankenstein and he's ideal as the reasonably mad scientist.Also this writer prefers Frankenstein's first name being changed to Henry for this film and for the entire Universal series.How sad that Clive would only live to the age of 37 and expire in 1937.
Boris Karloff is the Frankenstein Monster.James Whale,Boris Karloff and makeup magician Jack Pierce are all responsible for one of the all time greatest movie monsters ever to show his pathetic face on the silver screen!The Universal version of the Frankenstein Monster with Boris Karloff portraying the part made me feel that way back as a child I was seeing Frankenstein's Monster actually alive on film for the first time.It is still a superb sight to see even to this day more than 30 years later! From the very beginning of "Frankenstein"we are shown the black,white and gray images of death as Baron Henry Frankenstein and his hunchbacked assistant Fritz(Dwight Frye) steal bodies from newly buried graves and roadside gallows. Henry Frankenstein takes these corpses to his laboratory which is in the top of an old stone watchtower.Frankenstein tells his former teacher(Edward Van Sloan) that he has ..."found the ray that had first brought life into this world" and in his laboratory's machinery he has harnassed it to bring his creature to life!It is Henry Frankenstein who declares(before he brings his creation to life)that,"That body is not dead.It has never lived."After the creature has been brought to life and has been presumably living in the dungeon of this ancient watchtower that we first see the immortal first images of The Frankenstein Monster.Karloff's monster is gigantic in size with a flat head, a bolt sticking out of either side of his neck,a neanderthal like brow that looms over his 2 eyes which have dark circles under them and eyelids that droop so far over his eyes that he appears to be only half alive.This Monster is a pitiful child who tries to grab for light when it's first cast upon him and is afraid of fire when the sadistic Fritz cruelly tortures him with it. This performance of Boris Karloff proves that he was one of the greatest actors that ever lived along with Spencer Tracy,Gene Hackman,Al Pacino,Edward G. Robinson,Peter Lorre,Charles Laughton,Jack Nicholson,Henry Fonda,James Cagney and James Stewart. Boris Karloff's last great film is the drama"Targets"(1968}.Karloff expired in 1969 at the age of 81.
Universal's first 3 Frankenstein films: "Frankenstein"(1931),"Bride Of Frankenstein"(1935) and "Son Of Frankenstein"(1939)are stark wonders to behold...see them when you can!
Universal's "Frankenstein"(1931) is an amazing film to see.It is uniquely it's own version of the tale of a medical student who is not a doctor but is a scientist on his own misguided quest to create life from the dead.Colin Clive is Baron Henry Frankenstein who has chosen to break any ties that he had with the medical school where he had attended.In this writer's opinion Colin Clive is Baron Frankenstein and he's ideal as the reasonably mad scientist.Also this writer prefers Frankenstein's first name being changed to Henry for this film and for the entire Universal series.How sad that Clive would only live to the age of 37 and expire in 1937.
Boris Karloff is the Frankenstein Monster.James Whale,Boris Karloff and makeup magician Jack Pierce are all responsible for one of the all time greatest movie monsters ever to show his pathetic face on the silver screen!The Universal version of the Frankenstein Monster with Boris Karloff portraying the part made me feel that way back as a child I was seeing Frankenstein's Monster actually alive on film for the first time.It is still a superb sight to see even to this day more than 30 years later! From the very beginning of "Frankenstein"we are shown the black,white and gray images of death as Baron Henry Frankenstein and his hunchbacked assistant Fritz(Dwight Frye) steal bodies from newly buried graves and roadside gallows. Henry Frankenstein takes these corpses to his laboratory which is in the top of an old stone watchtower.Frankenstein tells his former teacher(Edward Van Sloan) that he has ..."found the ray that had first brought life into this world" and in his laboratory's machinery he has harnassed it to bring his creature to life!It is Henry Frankenstein who declares(before he brings his creation to life)that,"That body is not dead.It has never lived."After the creature has been brought to life and has been presumably living in the dungeon of this ancient watchtower that we first see the immortal first images of The Frankenstein Monster.Karloff's monster is gigantic in size with a flat head, a bolt sticking out of either side of his neck,a neanderthal like brow that looms over his 2 eyes which have dark circles under them and eyelids that droop so far over his eyes that he appears to be only half alive.This Monster is a pitiful child who tries to grab for light when it's first cast upon him and is afraid of fire when the sadistic Fritz cruelly tortures him with it. This performance of Boris Karloff proves that he was one of the greatest actors that ever lived along with Spencer Tracy,Gene Hackman,Al Pacino,Edward G. Robinson,Peter Lorre,Charles Laughton,Jack Nicholson,Henry Fonda,James Cagney and James Stewart. Boris Karloff's last great film is the drama"Targets"(1968}.Karloff expired in 1969 at the age of 81.
Universal's first 3 Frankenstein films: "Frankenstein"(1931),"Bride Of Frankenstein"(1935) and "Son Of Frankenstein"(1939)are stark wonders to behold...see them when you can!