Film Review
A decade after Universal Pictures ended its run of Gothic horror films,
which stretched back to the mid 1920s, a relatively unknown British
company named Hammer decided to embark on its own adaptation of Mary
Shelley's classic
Frankenstein
novel. The film's success not only transformed the fortunes of
Hammer overnight, earning it an international reputation, but also
revived the Gothic horror genre on both sides of the Atlantic.
The Curse of Frankenstein marked
the beginning of Hammer's long and highly profitable association with
the genre with which it will forever be associated.
The film is also significant in that it sees two stalwarts of British
horror pitted against one another for the first time - Peter Cushing
and Christopher Lee. Both actors were catapulted to stardom by
this film, although this would be the only time Lee played the
Frankenstein monster. Whilst Cushing would become closely
identified with the role of Dr Frankenstein, Lee would be better known
for his portrayal of Dracula, beginning with Hammer's adaptation of
Bram Stoker's novel, released the following year (with Cushing playing
Van Helsing). This was not the first time the actors had worked
together - they had shared the credits on two previous films: Laurence
Olivier's
Hamlet (1948) and John Huston's
Moulin Rouge (1952).
The executives at Hammer were wary of infringing Universal's copyright and
went to great lengths not to emulate that company's 1931 production of
Frankenstein,
which director Terence Fisher claimed never to have seen before making
this film. One area of particular concern was the design of the
monster's face, which Universal had patented. The monster in
Hammer's
The Curse of Frankenstein
is more recognisably human than the cadaverous creation made famous by
Boris Karloff in the Universal films, although as the series
progressed, Hammer's Frankenstein monster would gradually begin to look
more like Universal's.
It is interesting to compare Universal's and Hammer's Frankenstein
films. The most striking difference is their design.
Hammer's films were more realistically portrayed than Universal's,
lacking the heavy stylisation that was directly inspired by German
expressionism, although they were just as atmospheric and
frightening. Whereas Universal's films revolved around the
monster, Hammer's films focused on the scientist who created him, and
it can be argued that it was Peter Cushing's portrayal of Baron
Frankenstein that made the series so popular. In the six sequels
to
The Curse of Frankenstein,
Cushing played the sinister scientist in all but one,
The Horror of Frankenstein
(1970), an unsuccessful black comic remake of this film.
© James Travers 2009
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Next Terence Fisher film:
Dracula (1958)
Film Synopsis
Whilst in prison, awaiting his execution for murder, Baron Victor
Frankenstein relates his tragic life story to a priest.
Inheriting his father's estate, the young Victor began a series of
experiments with his friend and mentor Paul Krempe, the aim being to
artificially create life. Having successfully revived a
dead dog, Frankenstein begins to assemble human body parts to construct
a human being which he hopes to bring to life in his
laboratory. The one missing ingredient is a brain of great
intellect, so Frankenstein invites an eminent professor to his house so
that he can steal his brain. Unfortunately, the brain is damaged
during the operation and instead of creating a rational human being
Frankenstein gives life to a psychotic, homicidal monster...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.