Argentina Hotels Travel - Son of Frankenstein
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List Price: $9.98
Argentina Hotels Travel Price: $89.98
Availability: N/A
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
Starring: Boris Karloff, Basil Rathbone, Bela Lugosi, Lionel Atwill, Josephine Hutchinson
Directed By: Rowland V. Lee
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: VHS Tape
EAN: 9786301257015
Format: Black & White
ISBN: 1558800670
Label: Universal Studios
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Universal Studios
Release Date: 1992-03-01
Running Time: 99
Studio: Universal Studios
Theatrical Release Date: 1939-01-13
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Editorial Reviews:
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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, snaggle-toothed peasant with broken neck. Convinced to revive the creature and vindicate his father's name, he toils away in the lab not realizing 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. 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 Ghost of Frankenstein. --Sean Axmaker
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: One of the all time greats
Comment: When it comes to Universal Studios you'll be hard pressed to find any with a greater legacy in the horror genre. Without Universal horror as we know it would be very different as these films by Universal inspired a whole generation of filmmakers even this current generation as well. Universal really set the bar for the horror genre in the 30s and in my opinion no studio has really ever come close. Son of Frankenstein was one of their last great movies. While they did make a lot of classics after this, but Son of Frankenstein was one of the last greats from the Golden era of Universal.
Horror is a genre that will never die and while there are times when they might be lacking a bit in ticket sales it never lasts too long. At the time horror wasn't really in a decline, but it wasn't as popular as it was just a couple of short years before. But with horror back in an upswing Universal was ready to once again get in the game. One of the ideas was a remake of the James Whale classic The Old Dark House from 1932 and another idea was a remake of The Black Cat from 1934, which starred Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi, and both would have starred in the remake. But instead they decided to go back to the Monster movies and bring back the classic franchise of Frankenstein.
Released in 1939 Son of Frankenstein was yet another winner for Universal. The only thing missing was director James Whale who didn't come back. Rowland V. Lee steps into the director's chair and for the most part does a great job. As far as filmmaking goes I have to say Son of Frankenstein is probably the best of the series. While not the best movie in the franchise this one is the best made, but it does sort of lack the James Whale touch, but this movie is so great it's easy to get over.
The script by Wyllis Cooper is fantastic; from just a writing standpoint I think this was the best screenplay of the series. The only flaw was the way the Monster was written, which I'll get into later. But the script is really smart and creative even if it follows the same basic structure of the original. The characters are all excellent and very fleshed out.
Rowland V. Lee really creates a masterpiece of filmmaking. As I stated earlier from a filmmaking standpoint this one is by far the best of the series, but it does lack the James Whale touch. The pacing of the movie is quite good; Son of Frankenstein gets off to a quick start, but does slightly slowdown in the middle sections. While never boring it's just a little slow. Rowland V. Lee though always manages to get the most out of each scene. While this one does lack the eerie feel of the original the final act does manage to deliver some chills. About the only complaint I have is the way the Frankenstein Monster was used.
Son of Frankenstein is the last movie in which Boris Karloff played the Iconic character. This time around the Monster isn't really the star of the movie. Obviously he plays a big part, but he's not as crucial to this one as he was in the previous two and he was a bit underused as well. He doesn't enter the movie until around the 30-minute mark and he doesn't really get to do much until the hour mark. The Monster was sympathetic, but yet scary as well. By right the Monster was by no means a villain, but this time around, while not totally a villain, he's not as sympathetic as he was before. James Whale really knew how to use the Monster and after he left I do think the filmmakers of the rest never used the Monster to his full advantage.
The one thing we know from Bride of Frankenstein is the Monster can be manipulated and Ygor played brilliantly by Bela Lugosi uses the Monster to do his dirty work, but in typical Universal fashion your villain isn't always pure evil. While Ygor is a pretty bad guy, he does seem to care for the Monster. In the first two Frankenstein movies the Monster only kills when provoked or scared, but this time Ygor is able to get him to kill people he wants revenge on.
The true stars of the movie are Wolf Von Frankenstein played by Basil Rathbone and Ygor. Like I said the Monster was just sort of there. But despite the Monster being underused, Karloff once again is nothing short of brilliant. He doesn't get a chance to show as much emotion as he did in the past two movies, but he does have his moments like when he sees his reflection in the mirror. One of the greatest moments comes in the final act, I don't wanna spoil the movie, but there is a scene with Ygor where the Monster lets out this scream, which was quite sad and Karloff just amazed me. Boris Karloff was truly one of the greats and in that brief moment all the sympathy for the Monster comes back.
Even though most fans seem to love Basil Rathbone in this flick a lot say he was a bit over the top. I totally disagree. I thought he was amazing; I loved Colin Clive as Henry Frankenstein, but he was over the top. There are moments when Rathbone is a bit over the top, but it fits with his character. In my opinion this is as good as any performance you'll find in this genre. Most people cite Dracula as Lugosi's best performance, but there are a number of people that will say Ygor was his best and I think I might agree. Lugosi was great as Ygor and as great as he was as Dracula I think I liked him a bit more here. Lionel Atwill also appears and once again is excellent.
The final act to Son of Frankenstein was my favorite parts of the movie; in my opinion this was the Monster at his scariest. While I think Karloff's performance was brilliant I think we can all agree it was better in Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein, but when the Monster goes on his rampage at the end his anger and rage were quite creepy and I think from a scare factor, this was the best performance by Karloff even if as a whole he was far better in the previous two.
Son of Frankenstein was the last truly great entry in the series and is every bit as good as the first two. I'd give Bride of Frankenstein the edge, but would rate this on par with the original. At 99-minutes this is the longest entry in the series and despite a couple of slow moments it never drags.
Customer Rating:
Summary: FRANKENSTEIN,THE WIZARD AND SCARLET! YEAH '39 WAS A GREAT YEAR!
Comment: 'Son Of Frankenstein' is the last great Frankenstein film! Karloff would say goodbye to the role that made him a star forever after this picture. The sets are great and the atmosphere is rich, add Rathbone and Lugosi with excellent performances and you got yourself a top notch monster movie. Karloff spends most of the film comatose which it a shame because he really does bring this character to life and without him the film becomes talky. This is the longest 'Frankenstein' film at 100 minutes which goes by quickly watching this third outing. Those factors make me bring the rating of the film down to 4 1/4 stars. The ending is very memorable and it could have been a great ending to the series but.......you can't keep a great monster down! Five more 'Frankenstein' films would follow. This is available on DVD on Frankenstein Legacy set and a double bill with 'Ghost of Frankenstein'. The DVD transfers are very good.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Artistically great, story average
Comment: Storywise, "Son of Frankenstein" is just an average monster movie. Boris Karloff's make-up and costume is not as good as in "Frankenstein" and "Bride of Frankenstein." Who came up with that furry, sleeveless vest--looking like it was made from used carpeting? And why is it that the monster forgot how to talk, something he learned in the previous movie? The pathos he displays in the first two movies is missing here, except for a brief moment when he finds Igor's body.
But artistically this film is a masterpiece. The set for Frankenstein's castle is brilliant: huge, forboding, made of cold stone--hard to imagine it as "home." And the acting! I think this is the best acting in any of the horror films of the 30's, 40's, and 50's. All three principle actors give Oscar-caliber performances, in my opinion. Basil Rathbone, always dependable, cranks it up a few notches towards the end as his panic starts growing. Lionel Atwill is great as the chief of police, growing more and more suspicious of the new Dr. Frankenstein. Late in the film, his verbal jousting with Rathbone is priceless. Both of them know more than they are saying, and both of them know that the other knows! And Bela Lugosi is brilliant as Igor--simply brilliant. He couldn't be more unrecognizable from his suave gentleman vampire Count Dracula. And I don't just mean the make-up, his voice and manner too. Horror movies were mostly overlooked in those days, but he definitely deserved a Best Supporting Actor nomination.
So enjoy this movie on an artistic level--it's worth it. I never get tired of it.
Customer Rating:
Summary: less effective than the two previous films, but still good.
Comment: "son of frankenstein" doesn't work quite as well as the earlier two films, but is still enjoyable thanks to a brilliant cast, a good script and some marvellous film sets.
always a pleasure to see some british actors in a hollywood production; boris karloff, basil rathbone and lionel atwill.
i think karloff made the right decision to end his time playing the creature; if he had continued, the character would have become stereotyped and thus removing its realism. he plays the part well enough, but not quite so in-depth as before. the one scene where i couldn't help but smile, is when the creature breaks into a shop. having done so, he looks out the window of the front door to make sure the coast is clear and pulls down the blind. that comes across as some sort of in-joke.
basil rathbone is very well cast as the latest line in the frankenstein family. he proves here that sherlock holmes wasn't the only character he could play well. the same applies to bela lugosi, having finally been given the chance to play someone as far removed from dracula as possible. if only this had happened more often, his career would have recovered.
my favourite member of the supporting cast, is without doubt lionel atwill. a terrific performance from start to finish; the way he has to keep adjusting his false arm when saluting is quite amusing.
this was the beginning of universal's "cheap and cheerful" output of horror films that lasted until the mid 40s. that isn't a bad thing exactly, but the films should have maintained a more substantial budget.
"son of frankenstein" finishes with a grand finale, consisting of a showdown between frankenstein and his creature.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Boris Karloff plays the Frankenstein monster for the third and final time
Comment: The 1939 film "Son of Frankenstein" was Boris Karloff's third and final appearance in the role that made him famous, but as you can tell from the art on the cover of this VHS the title character is played by Basil Rathbone. Meanwhile, Karloff as the Frankenstein monster is reflected in mirror reflector the film's mad scientist is wearing. Rathbone plays Wolf Frankenstein, who travels with his family to the castle he has inherited following the death of his father. However, he gets more than a cold shoulder from the villagers, who believe that the ghost of the monster is still claiming victims. Of course, the monster is still alive, but is being controlled by Ygor (Bela Lugosi), a grizzled figure who has survived having his neck broken when the locals decided to hang him. Wolf worshipped his father and hates what the family name has come to mean, so, of course, he proceeds to follow in daddy's footsteps and events take their course.
If you are wondering how this third Frankenstein film fits into the continuity of the series then you simply do not understand how Universal made these movies, because that was never a concern. Ygor is supposed to be the assistant of Wolf's father and suddenly the name of the village is Frankenstein rather than the castle, but all that really matters here is that there is another Frankenstein back in town trying to play God. For me the problem is that Ygor ends up being a more important character than the one in the title and in the next film he will literally take over the monster (and which involves another son of Dr. Frankenstein so the cycle can repeat itself).
There is no argument that this is a classic horror film like the first pair made by James Whale, because things are already getting derivative in terms of the script. Still, director Rowland V. Lee ("Tower of London") has the advantage of a strong supporting cast. Rathbone brings intelligence to the role without the manical bent provided by Colin Clive previously, while Karloff is back to grunting rather than speaking, which is how he wanted to play the monster. Lionel Atwill is Inspector Krogh, Lawrence Grant as the Burgomaster and Perry Ivins is Fritz, while Josephine Hutchinson plays Elsa von Frankenstein and young Donnie Dunagan is their son Peter. But it is Lugosi who is stealing all the scenes with some inspired bits of lunacy, and how much you like "Son of Frankenstein" is going to depend on what you think of his performance as Ygor.
This was the first monster movie that Universal had made in three years, and it is significant because it put the studio back in the monster movie making business big time, being followed by "The Ghost of Frankenstein" in 1942, "Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man" in 1943, "House of Frankenstein" in 1944, and "House of Dracula" in 1945, which is just the Frankenstein series that ends with "Bud Abbott Lou Costello Meet Frankenstein" in 1948. You can also throw "The Wolf Man" into the mix in 1941 and "Son of Dracula" in 1943. This is a mixed bag to be sure, but with the Universal Legacy series they are all out on DVD now and you can judge for yourself. Even if none of these are classics, "Son of Frankenstein" remains on the must see list just because it is still Boris Karloff behind Jack Pierce's makeup for the last time.
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