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Son Of Frankenstein [1939]
![Son Of Frankenstein [1939]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51uIhHfscFL._SL160_.jpg)
Lionel Atwill makes a marvelous addition to the Frankenstein gallery as the wooden-armed constable, a legacy of the monster's rampage 25 years before. (Mel Brooks's loving lampoon Young Frankenstein, a veritable remake of this film, features the constable and his lumber limb in a major role.) Universal abandoned horror films in 1936, but the success of this sequel single-handedly revived the genre. Though lacking the gothic splendor and macabre humor of James Whale's originals, Rowland V. Lee's handsome production remains an intelligent, well-made classic of the genre and Universal's last great horror film. Lugosi returns as Ygor in The Ghost of Frankenstein.--Sean Axmaker
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Editorial
Amazon.co.uk Review
Basil Rathbone comes to Transylvania to inherit his father's estate in this second sequel to Frankenstein. The townspeople are suspicious, but young Frankenstein has no interest in reviving his father's work--until he discovers the monster hidden away in the castle, inert but very much intact and watched over by Ygor (Bela Lugosi), a sinister, snaggletoothed peasant with a broken neck. Convinced to revive the creature and vindicate his father's name, Frankenstein toils away in the lab not realising that Ygor plans to use the monster to revenge himself on the jury that sentenced him to hang. Boris Karloff makes his final appearance as the Monster, now little more than a mute, lumbering robot under the hypnotic control of Ygor. Rathbone is a dignified, suave scientist and a marvelous match to Lugosi's mad Ygor, a richly malevolent performance that dominates the film.
the prodigal son of Frankenstein
Review date: 2008-10-23 Rating: 6 out of 10
The opening scene when Wolf (Rathbone) arrives in Frankenstein, the village named after his infamous father, is quite atmospheric, as the train negotioates a petrified, gnarled landscape. And Lugosi's performance as Ygor is inspired though predictably hammy. Lionel Atwill delivers a memorable and believable performance as Inpector Krogh (lampooned affectionately in Young Frankenstein). But that's about all to commend this film. I love Rathbone in his Sherlock Holmes role, but I'm afraid I think his performance here is well over the top. Some scenes make me cringe in fact.He later castigated this film as a 'penny dreadful' but I'm afraid he's more than a few quid dreadful here.
Karloff's monster is now reduced to a speechless dummy wearing a grubby fleece, denuded of any emotional expression. He does, however give the film its only moment of pathos, in the scene where he discovers Ygor's body. My last complaint is 'little' Donnie Dunagan, who sounds like Arnold out of Diffr'ent Strokes, talking infant jive in a crummy, shrill American accent. Talk about anachronism or miscasting.
The 'expressionist' set is certainly striking but scarcely believable. My final point is to speculate- how much better would this film have been if Peter Lorre, the original choice to play Wolf, had played the part instead of Rathbone?
Similar Products
- The Ghost Of Frankenstein [1942]
- House Of Frankenstein [1945]
- Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man [1943]
- Dracula's Daughter [1936]
- House Of Dracula [1945]
Reviews
One doesn't easily forget an arm torn out by the roots...
Review date: 2008-06-04 Rating: 10 out of 10
My personal favourite of all the Universal Horror movies, Son of Frankenstein was the last of the classic trio starring Boris Karloff as the Frankenstein Monster, and marked the high-point of the Universal horror cycle; with an all-star cast and a satisfying, fast-moving storyline, this lavish A-picture still stands up well today.
After fleshing out the character in Bride of Frankenstein (1935), Karloff now returns the Monster to the status of a mute brute, more obviously the villain of the piece, though his friendship with Bela Lugosi's broken-necked Ygor is still quite touching in a monstrous kind of way. Speaking of Lugosi, he gives the performance of his life here, forgoing the oily hair and hammy gestures of his melodramatic Count Dracula to play a toothy, grotesque grave-robber. Basil Rathbone is a worthy successor to Colin Clive as the scientist, and Lionel Atwill enjoys his greatest role (famously spoofed in Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein) as the one-armed Inspector Krogh.
With its grand, expressionistic sets and doom-laden atmosphere, Son of Frankenstein is for me the definitive horror film of the period, using the era's most famous stars to great effect in a production worthy of their talents. Unlike James Whale's two Frankenstein films, there are no duff notes in the performances, with the one possible exception of Donnie Dunagan, the small boy who plays Frankenstein's son. He drops a couple of lines and his comic timing is terrible, however, as he is visibly about five years old this is easily forgiven.
After this movie Karloff decided that he had done all he could with the Monster, and it was time to leave the part behind; however, Universal had no intention of giving up on such a profitable formula and continued to churn out more ever-more contrived sequels with a variety of stiffs replacing him in the role...
Product Details/Specifications
Actor(s):
Bela Lugosi
Basil Rathbone
Boris Karloff
Creators:
Boris Karloff (Primary Contributor)
Bela Lugosi (Primary Contributor)
Director(s):
Recording label: Universal Pictures UK
Manufacturer: Universal Pictures UK
EAN: 5050582544091
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: Black & White, PAL,
Release date: 2008-05-05
Audience rating: Parental Guidance
Region code: 2
Running time: 95 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1939