Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man
Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man | |
---|---|
Directed by | Roy William Neill |
Screenplay by | Curt Siodmak[1] |
Produced by | George Waggner |
Starring | |
Cinematography | George Robinson[1] |
Edited by | Edward Curtiss[1] |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Universal Pictures Company, Inc. |
Release dates |
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Running time | 72 minutes[1] |
Country | United States[2] |
Language | English[2] |
Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man is a 1943 American
Developed under the title Wolf Man Meets Frankenstein, the film was to have Chaney portray both Frankenstein's Monster and the Wolf Man, an idea that was halted before production began because of the physical toll it would take on the actor. The script was filmed with the monster having lines of dialogue, which were removed after the production staff laughed at Bela Lugosi's delivery of the lines during a studio pre-screening. The film was released to what the authors of the book Universal Horrors described as "lukewarm reviews". The film was the first of a number of films that were later described as "monster rallies", involving having name-brand monsters interact with each other. Universal would follow this with House of Frankenstein and House of Dracula.
Plot
Four years after the events of The Wolf Man and The Ghost of Frankenstein, two graverobbers break into the Talbot family crypt during a full moon. They remove the
Larry transforms and kills a young woman, causing a mob of villagers to chase him down. Fleeing toward the ruins of Frankenstein's castle, Larry falls through the burned-out flooring and into the frozen cellars. He returns to human form, and discovers
Mannering begins the procedure, but his curiosity to see the monster at full strength compels him to alter the process and fully revive the monster. Horrified, Elsa attempts to stop the machines, and as a result Larry's life is not fully transferred. The experiment coincides on the night of a full moon, and Larry transforms as the Monster regains his strength. The Monster begins to carry Elsa away, but the Wolf Man attacks him. Vazec, the innkeeper, suspecting Elsa, Mannering, and Maleva of conspiring with Larry and the monster, destroys the dam overlooking the Frankenstein estate with dynamite, hoping to drown all five of them. Elsa escapes from the castle with Mannering, but the Wolf Man and the monster, engaged in their fight, are both swept away in the flood.
Cast
Cast adapted from the book Universal Horrors:[1][3]
- Lon Chaney Jr. as Lawrence Stewart Talbot, the Wolf Man
- Elsa Frankenstein
- Patric Knowles as Dr. Frank Mannering
- Lionel Atwill as Mayor
- Bela Lugosi as The Frankenstein Monster
- Maria Ouspenskaya as Maleva
- Dennis Hoey as Police Inspector Owen
- Don Barclay as Franzec
- Rex Evans as Vazec
- Dwight Frye as Rudi
- Harry Stubbsas Guno
- Doris Lloyd as Nurse
- Jeff Corey as Grave Digger
- Cyril Delevanti as Freddy Jolly—Graverobber (uncredited)
Production
Universal's plan for the film, initially titled Wolf Man Meets Frankenstein, was to have Lon Chaney Jr. portray both Frankenstein's Monster and The Wolf Man.[5] This plan was dropped due to concerns that the intricate effects would not be effective, and the physical strain it would place on Chaney to play both parts.[5] Chaney initially insisted on playing only The Frankenstein Monster and Universal briefly considered recasting the role of Talbot by borrowing Warner Brothers contract star Jack Carson before Chaney reconsidered and agreed to reprise the role of Lawrence Talbot. Among the cast was Dwight Frye, who died several months after the film's release, making it his final film for Universal.[4]
Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man went into production in October 1942 with Waggner producing and Roy William Neill directing.[3] The climactic battle between the Wolf Man and the Monster was handled by two stuntmen, Gil Perkins for Lugosi and Eddie Parker.[4] The battle was organized with instructions from Roy William Neill telling them where to start their fight, where to finish, and what kind of fight he wanted it to be, and letting the two actors figure out the rest.[4] On October 5, 1942, Maria Ouspenskaya suffered an ankle injury, and Lugosi collapsed on set and was ordered home by a physician.[6] The cause of Lugosi's collapse was exhaustion from the 35 pounds of make-up he wore.[6]
In keeping with the timeline of The Ghost of Frankenstein, in the script of Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man the brain of the character Ygor was transplanted into the monster, who was able to speak and was planning to take revenge on the world.[7] Three scenes were shot with the monster having dialogue.[7] Following a preview screening in the studio, the film played normally until Bela Lugosi as the monster spoke, upon which the staff on hand convulsed with laughter.[8] Siodmak explained that "Lugosi couldn't talk! They had left the dialogue I wrote for the Monster in the picture when they shot it, but with Lugosi it sounded so Hungarian funny that they had to take it out!"[8] Without the dialogue, the fact that the revived monster was blind is not mentioned in the finished film.[8] Edward Bernds, the sound man on other Neill films stated that the director had "absolutely no sense of humor" and would not have recognized the comedic nature of the scenes.[8]
Release
Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man premiered in New York on March 5, 1943.[2] It was later distributed theatrically by the Universal Pictures Company on March 12, 1943.[2] Clips of Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man show up in other 1943 films, including He's My Guy where Dick Foran and Irene Harvey work in a vaudeville-movie house where the film is playing.[6] In one scene, Joan Davis enters the auditorium and sees the Wolf Man growl, prompting her to growl back, sending the Wolf Man running away whining.[6] In the film Top Man, Peggy Ryan jumps into the back seat of a convertible and for no reason exclaims "Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man!"[6] Author and critic Kim Newman proclaimed the film to be "one of the most-often excerpted films in movie history", noting that it would later appear in the background of Mad Dog and Glory, being ignored by Robert De Niro and Uma Thurman as they have sex, and appearing in the background of Alien vs. Predator.[9]
Reception
The authors of Universal Horrors described the initial reception to the film as "generally lukewarm", with many writers treating the film as a joke.
From retrospective reviews, the authors of Universal Horrors stated that a great part in the success and popularity of the film was Chaney's portrayal of The Wolf Man which was described as "as good or better than the one he gave in The Wolf Man".[5] The authors criticized the screenplay by Siodmak as a weak element, noting how it either ignores or forgets events of the previous films.[6] Kim Newman gave the film three stars, and wrote in Empire that the film was "silly but enormous fun", noting the gypsy song in the film and the climactic final battle as standouts.[9]
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 25% of 12 critics gave the film a positive review, with an average rating of 5.0/10.[15]
Legacy
Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man was the first of what would become known as the "monster rally films".[3] These would be followed with other name-brand film monsters in crossovers such as House of Frankenstein and House of Dracula.[3] The authors of Universal Horrors declared that these films are "often blamed for the decline and demise of the classic Dracula and Frankenstein series, but by the mid-40s they were on their last legs anyways",[3] and the monster rallies "may be juvenilia, but they're slick and enjoyable, and a welcome opportunity for many of the best-loved horror stars to congregate in a single picture", and that among these monster rallies, Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man was the best in the series.[3][6] Kim Newman declared that the film set the precedent for future similarly themed films such as King Kong vs. Godzilla and Freddy vs. Jason.[9]
See also
- List of films featuring Frankenstein's monster
- Frankenstein in popular culture
- Werewolves in popular culture
References
Footnotes
- ^ a b c d e Weaver, Brunas & Brunas 2007, p. 322.
- ^ a b c d e "Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man". American Film Institute. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Weaver, Brunas & Brunas 2007, p. 323.
- ^ a b c d Weaver, Brunas & Brunas 2007, p. 330.
- ^ a b c Weaver, Brunas & Brunas 2007, p. 329.
- ^ a b c d e f g Weaver, Brunas & Brunas 2007, p. 331.
- ^ a b Weaver, Brunas & Brunas 2007, p. 326.
- ^ a b c d Weaver, Brunas & Brunas 2007, p. 327.
- ^ a b c Newman 2006.
- ^ a b Weaver, Brunas & Brunas 2007, p. 332.
- ^ Crowther 1943.
- ^ "'Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man' with Lon Chaney, Bela Lugosi, Patric Knowles and Ilona Massey". Harrison's Reports: 38. March 6, 1943.
- ^ Walt. 1943.
- Film Daily: 8. March 1, 1943.
- ^ "Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved October 8, 2023.
Sources
- Crowther, Bosley (March 6, 1943). "The Screen; When Gentlemen Meet". The New York Times. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
- Newman, Kim (May 15, 2006). "Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man Review". Empire. Archived from the original on December 4, 2020. Retrieved December 4, 2020.
- Weaver, Tom; Brunas, Michael; Brunas, John (2007) [1990]. Universal Horrors (2 ed.). McFarland & Company. ISBN 978-0-7864-2974-5.
- Walt. (February 24, 1943). "Film Reviews". Variety. New York: Variety, Inc.: 14.