Film Review
Having scored a major box office hit with
The Curse of Frankenstein (1957),
the British film production company
Hammer was not slow to deliver
a thrill-making follow-up, with Peter Cushing reprising the role for
which he is perhaps best remembered. The story is a virtual
re-run of the original Mary Shelley concept, but with one or two sly
twists and a smattering of R.L. Stevenson's
Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. To save
money (something which Hammer was very good at), the film was shot
back-to back with
Dracula
(1958), in which Cushing also starred, as Professor Van Helsing.
The Revenge of Frankenstein is
widely regarded as one of the better entries in Hammer's series of seven
Frankenstein films. Thanks to a well-constructed plot and some
imaginative photography, the film manages to sustain its creepy
graveyard mood and suspenseful tension throughout, starting with a
guillotine execution and ending with a coda that is even more
chilling. Director Terence Fisher gets the best out of his meagre
budget, achieving wonders with the cheap but well designed sets.
One other notable name on the credits is Jimmy Sangster, the
scriptwriter. He not only penned Hammer's first
Frankenstein film but would also write, direct and produce several
other Hammer films, including the most off-the-wall entry in the
company's Gothic horror series,
The Horror of Frankenstein
(1970).
This film exemplifies what Hammer was particularly good at - scaring
audiences by evoking gruesome images of bloodcurdling nastiness in
their minds rather than by showing these on the screen. The
explicit horror content in
The
Revenge of Frankenstein is minimal - the only real shocker being
a brief shot of a blood-dripping brain being dropped into a jar of
water. Far more frightening is the implied horror of what dear
old Victor F. gets up to in his spare time - nonchalantly pinching body
parts so that he can build himself a friend and show the world how
clever he is. Now if only his parents had given him a Meccano set
when he was a boy...
Whilst the film excels in many areas, its greatest asset is clearly
Peter Cushing. The actor's impeccable turn as the aforementioned
Victor F. combines the silky charm of a quiet University professor with
the cold unremitting ruthlessness and streak of obsessive mania that
can only be found in mad fascistic dictators and P.E. teachers.
Interestingly, in Universal Pictures'
Frankenstein films of the
1930s, it was the creature (originally played by Boris Karloff) which was
the focus of the narrative. In Hammer's films, by contrast, the
Frankenstein stories all revolve around the scientist (our friend
Victor) and the creature is if anything peripheral to the plot.
This could only have been possible if Baron Frankenstein was played by
someone of exceptional charisma and talent - someone like Peter Cushing.
© James Travers 2009
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Next Terence Fisher film:
The Hound of the Baskervilles (1959)
Film Synopsis
Sentenced to death for his diabolical experiments, Baron Frankenstein
narrowly escapes his execution and sets up a medical practice in
another town, working under an assumed name, Dr Stein. The
baron's success at attracting patients makes him the envy of his
rivals, one of whom, Dr Hans Kleve, realises his true identity and
insists on working as his assistant. Frankenstein has resolved to
resume his experiments and, with Kleve's help, he transplants the brain
of his disfigured servant, Karl, into the perfect human body that he
has assembled. When the re-born Karl realises that Frankenstein
intends making him an exhibit to show off his achievement, he escapes
but, having sustained head injuries in a fight, he becomes a homicidal
monster. It looks as if history is about to repeat itself...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.