Argentina Hotels Travel - Ghost of Frankenstein
|
List Price: $14.98
Argentina Hotels Travel Price: $18.90
Availability: N/A
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
Starring: Cedric Hardwicke, Ralph Bellamy, Lionel Atwill, Bela Lugosi, Evelyn Ankers
Directed By: Erle C. Kenton
|
Average Customer Rating:   
|
|
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: VHS Tape
EAN: 9786302841770
Format: Black & White
ISBN: 6302841771
Label: Universal Studios
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Universal Studios
Release Date: 1997-09-16
Running Time: 68
Studio: Universal Studios
Theatrical Release Date: 1942-03-13
|
|
|
|
|
|
Editorial Reviews:
|
|
The monster lives! Again! Picking up where Son of Frankenstein left off, Bela Lugosi's gnarled Ygor survives yet another rampage by angry, torch-carrying villagers and frees the monster (The Wolf Man himself, Lon Chaney Jr., taking over from Boris Karloff) from his sulfur grave. The latest cinematic Frankenstein scion, brain surgeon Ludwig (Cedric Hardwicke), wants to dissect the creature, but the ghost of his father convinces him to save it by giving it a new, "good" brain. Ygor has his own devious plan and enlists Ludwig's shady assistant (Lionel Atwill) in a brain-switching scheme. Ably directed by the pedestrian Erle C. Kenton, The Ghost of Frankenstein gives up the gothic mood and moral quandaries of the original films for the busy, action-packed plots that defined Universal horror films of the 1940s. The human characters are all rather dull (except for Lugosi's animated, eye-rolling performance), and Chaney has none of Karloff's pathos or subtlety under the make-up, but the film opens with a spectacular bang as the villagers dynamite the castle, and skips from one inspired scene to another. The monster rejuvenates himself during an electrical storm with a jolt of lightning, mutely undergoes a courtroom cross-examination (by a ridiculously intent Ralph Bellamy), and finally goes on a blind rampage in the fiery climax. Frankenstein's monster returns (this time with Lugosi as the creature) in Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man. --Sean Axmaker
|
|
|
Spotlight customer reviews:
|
Customer Rating:
Summary: Highly enjoyable sequel
Comment: The Ghost of Frankenstein was released in 1942 and was the last time the Monster would have his own movie, after this he would appear in only crossover movies. The Ghost of Frankenstein was the first movie in the series to have another actor to play the Frankenstein Monster who was of course played by the brilliant Boris Karloff. Lon Chaney Jr. now steps into the role of the Monster and he was probably the best choice for the role even if his performance was slightly flawed, which isn't all because of Lon Chaney.
Despite popular belief the Monster isn't a walking idiot or is he really a villain. Whenever people refer to him as that I have to laugh since they obviously never watched these movies even though they claim they did. The Monster was very sympathetic at least when played by Karloff and the only time he was really dangerous is when provoked or scared. The Monster had almost this childlike quality that Karloff brought to the role, but he was hardly an idiot. Lon Chaney made a name for himself in the masterpiece The Wolf Man where like Karloff's Frankenstein's Monster Chaney also played a sympathetic character.
But here in The Ghost of Frankenstein the Monster is not exactly a villain, but he's not the sympathetic character he was when played by Karloff. Quite honestly I liked Lon Chaney as the Monster. At first I didn't, but I was comparing his performance to Karloff's too much, which is understandable since he is playing the same character, but now after viewing this movie again and not comparing Chaney to Karloff I quite liked him and I would possibly rate Chaney as my 2nd favorite actor to play the Monster, but he is a distant 2nd.
The Ghost of Frankenstein is a better movie than often given credit for and better than I have given it credit for in the past, while it offers nothing really new to the Frankenstein series in its own right it is an enjoyable flick. The original is a masterpiece of the genre and Bride of Frankenstein is one of very few sequels that actually matches the greatness of the original and in some ways out does it. It's not easy to keep that going and it's also easy to dismiss this movie when compared to the first 2 and I suppose even the 3rd part Son of Frankenstein. But again in its own right The Ghost of Frankenstein is a semi-classic.
The screenplay by Scott Darling is actually pretty good overall; while not as creative as the previous parts and as I stated earlier this one doesn't really offer anything new to the series it is well written and has a solid bunch of characters. Maybe not everything here works, but the good is good enough to make up for any shortcomings. The script does borrow heavily from the original, which is fine since the original had a terrific script.
This was the first of 3 Monster movies directed by Erle C. Kenton, as he would later to go on and direct the crossover movies House of Frankenstein & House of Dracula. Of the three, The Ghost of Frankenstein in my opinion was by far the best of the three. The movie runs at a nice pace, while the middle sections slowdown a bit Kenton always keeps the movie interesting and is able to build some decent suspense. Erle C. Kenton may not make a masterpiece of the genre, but he does make a really fun movie.
Like I said before this time around the Monster is a bit more of a villain rather than the sympathetic character he was when played by Karloff. The Monster is a bit angrier and is a lot quicker to attack than he was previously. There are moments when you can see the humanity in the Monster in particular the scenes with the little girl Cloestine played by Janet Ann Gallow. But besides those scenes the Monster is a bit angrier and meaner and is quite different at times than he was in the other parts, but I suppose a different director and a different take on the Monster. But this time around he's a bit more of a villain. Even in Son of Frankenstein even though played by Karloff the Monster was a bit different than he was in the first 2.
I did like what Lon Chaney Jr. brought to the role, but he was failed by his writer and director. While I did like the script and the directing, but the Monster wasn't given much to do. When I brought up how people see the Monster as a walking idiot it did sort of start around this time; even in Son of Frankenstein, the Monster wasn't given much to do, but just sort of stumble around. And here we have the same problem; I guess they both lacked the James Whale touch who really knew how to use the Monster. The problems with Chaney really weren't due to him. Bottom line is he's no Boris Karloff, but he does manage to bring a little more to the role than what he was given to work with.
Bela Lugosi returns as Ygor and again is excellent in the role. By this time in Lugosi's career he was pretty much reduced to Poverty Row and when in a movie by a studio like Universal it was normally a cameo or a part that was either non-speaking or very little dialogue. Cedric Hardwicke is great as Ludwig Frankenstein and Evelyn Ankers one of the scream queens of the 40s provides an excellent performance as well as Elsa Frankenstein. Lionel Atwill is often forgotten, but he appeared in many of these movies for Universal and is always a pleasure to watch.
This was also the last of the Monster that was created by Dr. Frankenstein, well sort of. I don't wanna give away any major details of the movie away, but after this in the next installments it isn't the same Monster by right, but in the next movie Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man the final act of this movie was ignored and the Monster was back to being that of the original creation of Dr. Frankenstein. Bela Lugosi stepped into the role and is often knocked for his performance of the Monster, but he played the role the way it was meant to be played, but due to the editing all mentions of Ghost of Frankenstein were taken out and thus ruined Lugosi's performance, which wasn't so bad when taking into fact he's not the same Monster, but due to editing the Monster is now back to being the same Monster from previous parts his performance was ruined.
Overall The Ghost of Frankenstein is a better movie than if often gets credited for. While this might be the weakest of the series (ignoring the crossover movies) it's still a pretty good movie with solid characters and solid acting. While Lon Chaney isn't anywhere near the level of Karloff as the Monster, Chaney still delivers an excellent take on the Monster and is probably my 2nd favorite. His performance was a lot better than even I originally gave him credit for. Again he's no Karloff, but Lon Chaney still made a great Frankenstein Monster.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A GHOST OF IT'S ORIGINS BUT, IT'S A LOT OF FUN!
Comment: Exit Karloff enter Chaney Jr. in the role of the monster! 'Ghost of Frankenstein' has the great sets and the atmosphere but, it lacks Karloff's depth in the monster department. Chaney Jr. is stiff as the monster and so enters the beginning of the brainless robot monster that inhabits the 'Frankenstein' films hereafter. Although this is not a classic, it is a very entertaining installment in the series. Lugosi,Atwill and Hardwicke..they're all here in this low budget fright fest which was one of the first cheap 40's Universal horrors. This is available on DVD in the Frankenstein Legacy collection and on a double bill with 'Son of Frankenstein'. The DVD transfers are very good. I rate this film 3 1/2 stars
Customer Rating:
Summary: Lugosi's Ygor completes his takeover of the Frankenstein monster
Comment: Boris Karloff was wrong when he objected to having the monster speak in "Bride of Frankenstein." The progression of the character from the inarticulate brute of first "Frankenstein" movie was a smart move and the second film in the Universal series is the best of the bunch. How wrong Karloff was about his most famous creation is amply proven in "The Ghost of Frankenstein," the fourth film in the series and the first with someone other than Karloff playing the monster (Karloff's daughter agrees with me). Lon Chaney, Jr. gets the honors and he follows Karloff's lead from the previous film, "The Son of Frankenstein," where no longer speaks and is shuffling with a much stiffer gait. In other words, Chaney is reinforcing the stereotype of the Frankenstein Monster that exists today.
It is easy to defend the earlier films in the Universal "Frankenstein" series. After all, the first two were directed by James Whales and stuck the closest, all things considered, to Mary Shelley's original novel, and Karloff played the monster in the first three. By when we get to "The Son of Frankenstein" and "The Ghost of Frankenstein" the driving force of the stories is no longer the monster or his creator, but Bela Lugosi's Ygor. Ironically, Lugosi had turned down the role of the monster in the first "Frankenstein," which then catapulted Karloff to stardom and codified his performance as the finest monster in screen history. Consequently, I can look at Lugosi's two Frankenstein movies as his revenge (and not in a good way).
"The Ghost of Frankenstein" was written by Scott Darling ("Charlie Chan at the Opera") from a story by Eric Taylor ("The Black Cat"), and was directed by Erle C. Kenton ("Island of Lost Souls"). Actually, this 1942 film is more "The Son of Frankenstein II" because the Dr. Frankenstein of this one is Ludwig von Frankenstein (Cedric Hardwicke of the 1939 version of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame"), another son of the original Dr. Frankenstein. Ludwig helps people suffering from diseases of the mind and when he finds out that his father's monster is still running around his solution to the creature's apparent immortality is dissection. If his father could sew a body together, then unsewing it to take it apart makes sense. But Dr. Bohmer (Lionel Atwill) thinks this is a bad thing and Ludwig does not feel compelled to argue the point, especially after the ghost of his father shows up and tells him to play along in the family business.
When their colleague Dr. Kettering (Barton Yarborough) is killed by the monster, Ludwig comes up with the bright idea of replacing the criminal brain in the monster's skull with that of Kettering. However, Ygor, who has survived having his neck broken after being hung, and now has also survived the three bullets that Basil Rathbone put in his chest in "Son," has a better idea. So the question is whose brain is going to end up in Chaney's skull, especially since the monster has his own weird suggestion. There is a minor plot line involving Ludwig's daughter Elsa (Evelyn Ankers) and the local proescutor (Ralph Bellamy) adds little to this 67-minute film.
Basically, the problem with this movie is that Lugois's Ygor is a more interesting character than Hardwicke's Ludwig and breaking the fundamental dynamic of a Frankenstein movie to make the insane assistant more important than the mad doctor is not a smart move. I was almost going to round up on this one because of the twist provided by one of the basic medical concepts regarding transplants that comes into play at the end, but not quite. The idea of transplanting a second, "better" brain into the monster's head is pursued more successfully in later films, most notably Hammer's "Revenge of Frankenstein" and "Frankenstein and the Monster From Hell." Certainly the makers of these later films were inspired by the failure of "The Ghost of Frankenstein" to even come close to maximizing the story line's potential.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Chaney tries hard
Comment: Lon Chaney Jnr tries his guts out in this next installment of the Frankenstein series but unfortunately falls a little flat. Don't get me wrong , this is still a quality movie from Universal but Chaney is a little away from his usual character of the Wolfman and it is difficult to see him in any other role. I think Universal struggled a little with the Monster with Chaney and then Lugosi in the main role until Glenn Strange came along. Lugosi's Ygor becomes a little laborious but how could you not love the Master of Horror. Sir Cedrick Hardwick adds his professionalism to the screen and probably holds the movie together. All in all this is a pretty good flick and is great addition to anyones collection
Customer Rating:
Summary: Too Enjoyable to be Judged as Really Bad
Comment: This text refers to the transfer for the Frankenstein Legacy Collection.
The fourth film the series of Frankenstein films began the swan dive that ended as a belly flop. The return of the monster was kept as plausible as could be expected. It also retained continuity with the series. Ygor's return didn't make any sense though. No decent explanation is ever given for it. It just proves that a good villain can't stay in bad guy heaven when there's megabucks to had from a sequel it seems. The studio heads decided the film needed new "Frankensteins" so they made up a new set of relatives. The plot took a (ridiculous) turn that started and finished right there. And so it goes ...
The news isn't all bad though. The overall "look" of the film is excellent. Universal had creating the atmosphere for their "creature features" down to a fine art. The sets are good. The lighting (as usual) is excellent. Today's filmmakers could learn a lot by studying the work done in these features. Some of the acting is pretty good as well. Evelyn Ankers is every bit as engaging as she was in anything she appeared in. That lady always filled the screen with charm and presence. She never seemed to turn in a bad performance and could deliver the most inane dialogue with the utmost of conviction. Her "screams of terror" are classics. And she always seemed to enjoy doing these flicks. Lionel Atwil was a regular player in Universal's line of horror and mystery pictures. He's great as the humbled but still proud Bohmer. He never turned in a bad performance. Cedric Hardwicke is perfect as the father figure gone wrong. Most of the characters these people portray were pretty shallow ones, basically fixtures needed so the action could take place. That they could become sympathetic ones is a tribute to the actors who portrayed them. Bela Lugosi reprised his role as Ygor and he managed to add some depth to the character. He gives a pretty good insight into the pain the character suffers, enough to make him sympathetic, but not enough to make him likeable. It takes a good actor to pull that off.
Lon Chaney's portrayal of the monster appears to be a case of a good actor being handed a bad deal. For some reason the monster was cast as a one-dimensional brute. He was stiffer than before as well. It's hard to say whose idea this was. It's not likely to have been Chaney's. Lon was notorious for being drunk on the set but he generally brought intelligence and commitment to most of his roles. He still brought an air of menace to the role and he conveyed the pure raw power of the creature well but the other facets Karloff had given the character were missing. The make up job on the monster looks cheap as well. It's hard to believe it was done by Jack Pierce, the man who did the work in the previous "Frankenstein" features. Pierce was probably faced with budget cuts and/or time restrictions. Whatever the cause, he was far better at his craft than this vehicle shows. These things were probably the result of decisions made by the people who controlled the studio. In ay case they set the trends characterized the portrayal of the monster throughout the rest of the series.
The film is a lot of fun to watch though. Yes, a lot of things were done wrong but it's still enjoyable enough that it's hard to refer to it as really bad. The transfer to DVD for this edition is excellent. If you sit back and enjoy it for what it is it's still worth a look or three, even after all these years.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Argentina Posters
Argentina Art Prints
Argentina Travel 2008 Calendars
2008 Monthly Calendars
Argentina Hotels Travel Special Resources
Argentina Arts
Argentina Business
Argentina Culture
Argentina Education
Argentina Government
Argentina Health
Argentina Map
Sports & Recreation
Travel & Tourism
Tourist Attractions
Argentina Museums
Argentina Travel Important Resources
Argentina Books
Argentina Magazines
Argentina Travel Destinations
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Calafate, Argentina
Cordoba, Argentina
Iguaza Fallsar, Argentina
Jujuy, Argentina
Salta, Argentina
San Carlos Bariloche
Trelew, Argentina
Tucuman, Argentina
Ushuaia, Argentina
Argentina Travel Hotels
Bariloche Hotels
Buenos Aires Hotels
Trelew Hotels
Cordoba Hotels
|
