Customer Reviews

Curse of Frankenstein [VHS]

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Shot in colour and released in 1957, "The Curse of Frankenstein" is, of course, the film that made Hammer Films a household name for horror/thriller movie fans all over the world. To fully appreciate the importance and impact of "Curse", you have to look at it in the context of the time when it was made. By the mid-fifties, horror films had long passed their peak in Hollywood--certainly in terms of quality. Black and white "quickies", with almost no budget, were being churned out for teenagers to watch at the drive-in ( at least, those who were watching the screen ! ) Shlock-masters like Roger Corman and Bert Gordon were turning out "masterpieces" like "The Wasp Woman" and "The Amazing Colossal Man".

Suddenly, we have a small studio in England, making a horror film with excellent production values, gorgeously creepy sets, fine costumes, professional actors and a talented director, Terence Fisher. At the same time, along with a classy look, you add liberal amounts of gore ( certainly by 1950s standards ), and a couple of voluptuous "damsels in distress" who can scream lustily when they encounter the monster. It was a winning formula that Hammer would raise to an art form.

Peter Cushing plays Baron Von Frankenstein, and his terrific performance dominates the film. His character goes through quite a transformation from curious scientist to an obsessive fiend, determined to "create life" at, literally, any cost. His mentor/friend Paul Krempe ( Robert Urquhart )is an enthusiastic assistant at first, but soon becomes alienated by the Baron's frantic and ultimately murderous behaviour. Sometimes body parts are easily available--sometimes you have to be "creative" in obtaining them !

Of course, this flesh and blood "jigsaw puzzle" comes to life in the form of a hideous, pathetic creature played by Christopher Lee, who soon breaks loose, displaying no appreciation whatsoever for being "born" ! As I mentioned earlier, two beautiful women "round out" the cast. Gorgeous Hazel Court is Elizabeth, the Baron's betrothed, and Valerie Gaunt is Justine the maid. Justine is, as they say in England, the Baron's "bit on the side"--when she threatens to spill all the Baron's secrets unless he marries her, you just know that her future is "cloudy".

"Curse" may not be Hammer's best film, but it put the studio on the map and started an enduring partnership of two very fine actors--Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee.

The DVD exhibits good colour, with occasional haziness and mono sound. The extras are sparse--a few notes on other Hammer films, and a trailer. I would have loved some comments from Mr. Lee--sadly Peter Cushing passed away some time ago.

Still, if you like classic horror films, "Curse" has to be in your collection--its importance cannot be over-estimated. Recommended.

A very sad footnote, dated 30 April 2008. Ms. Hazel Court has passed away at age 82. She was most famous for her roles in horror/suspense films produced by the Hammer Studios and also Roger Corman. A talented actress, she always brought glamour and a touch of class to any production she was involved in.

I've got to thank Warner Bros. for finally coming out with "The Curse of Frankenstein" on DVD. And where as I was a bit suspect of the quality of the film element used for the "Horror of Dracula" DVD released on the same date as "Curse", I have no complaints at all about the quality of this film's presentation by Warner.

It is beautiful. And apparently Warner used a very fine quality source print for this release. The colors are lovely, and the widescreen presentation is satisfying. As a great admirer of Hammer films, it is exciting to finally see this beautifully photographed film as it was seen on the big screen in 1958.

The story is much closer to Mary Shelley's original novel, though the creature, here played by Christopher Lee, is much like the one portrayed by Karloff; large, horrifying to look at, and almost an "idiot" in intellectual capacity, but somehow tugging at our sympathies. But he is more frightening to behold in this film, with his ghastly white complexion, and bizarre, searching eyes. As the film progresses, he becomes even harder to behold as he is ravaged by the terrifying encounters that make up his sad, short existence.

And Peter Cushing is astonishing in his portrayal of Baron Victor Frankenstein. He is a single-minded, driven scientist. Both brilliant intellectually, and uncompromising in vision. And yet, he is also not exactly evil, though his actions are, as is seen clearly by the murdering of his one-time lover and maid, Justine, as you see both determination and regret reflected in his expressions, while he listens to her screams.

It's easy to see why, when viewing both "Horror of Dracula" and "Curse of Frankenstein", these two films made Cushing and Lee international stars and horror icons. Both films have come to represent all that made Hammer Sudios great in their glory days, with lavish period sets, beautiful color photography, and music scores that rivalled bigger budget Hollywood films.

The DVD itself holds no extras of worthwhile mention. The facts presented in the small section called "The Making of a Monster" are nothing that any entry level Hammer film follower would not know already. It's a shame that Christopher Lee couldn't be encouraged into doing a commentary, or a short interview on the film's history and its influence on modern horror. That may not be Warner Bros. fault, as we all know, Lee has been very busy of late on the big screen, and keeps very busy off of screen.

Both "Curse of Frankenstein" and "The Horror of Dracula" DVDs are a must for Hammer film lovers. Hopefully, if sales are good, Warner will release the other Hammer films they hold license to, such as "Taste the Blood of Dracula" and "Dracula Has Risen from the Grave".

The classic Hammer Studio's first major foray into the horror genre remains one of its best. Long unavailable, 'The Curse of Frankenstein' features two great performances from Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. Cushing creates a sinister but understandable Doctor and Lee gives new dimension to (what had become) a tired role in the Universal canon. Lee today still has a tremendous mind and memory, and has been doing some of his best work (in the recent 'Lord of the Rings'). 'Curse' was followed soon after by 'Horror of Dracula' (now released simultaneously on DVD). For an introduction to Hammer's stylistics and genre makeover, you can't start much better than these two films. (Though do check out Anchor Bay's recent years' releases)

The Curse of Frankenstein was the first of the many gothic horrors for which the Hammer Studios became renowned, and it remains one of the best.

Fisher's seminal film contains all the sophistication, irony and terror that made the Hammer Frankenstein series so successful and memorable. Peter Cushing plays the villianous Baron magnificently, and Christopher Lee presents us with an original and sympathetic portrayal of the creature. Production design is stunning, especially some of the lush matte paintings, and veteran James Bernard supplies one of his best scores.

I will watch any movie with Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. It is even better when that movie happens to be a horror classic. The Curse of Frankenstein happens to fall into that category. This is the movie that launched Hammer films association with the classic Universal monsters. Though at this time, they were not allowed to copy the monster look from the Universal film. They re-scripted the Frankenstein story so that more closely resembles the Mary Shelley novel. Cushing plays Dr. Victor Frankenstein with Lee cast as the monster. The movie has the trademark Hammer gothic look and was directed by Terrence Fisher.

The picture quality of the DVD is superb. The picture is presented in widescreen format. The colors are bright with no signs of scratches or dirt as far as I could tell. You would never know this movie is over 45 years old. The sound is presented in its original mono track. Voices come through loud and clear. There are very few extras. There is a film trailer and a still gallery with film facts called "The Making of a Monster". It would be nice to have Lee record a commentary at some point. Hammer went on to produce 6 more Frankenstein films, with Peter Cushing in the title role of 5 of them. The Curse of Frankenstein should be the cornerstone of any good classic horror or Hammer DVD library.

Universal's success with the B&W Frankenstein (1933) may have inspired Hammer to bring the legend up-to-date in the 50's. Like the Universal flick, this one has little to do with the novel by Mary Shelly. Fans of the Universal Frankenstein series may not like what Hammer did, but their twist on the legend is not without merit. If nothing else, it gave us the marvelous Peter Cushing as the heartless and malevolent Baron Frankenstein, a strong character role that lasted through many films and almost defined Cushing's career. And Hammer also gave the legend glorious, gory color, beautiful period costumes and sets, voluptuous women to gawk at (and who often are in the gravest danger!) and lots and lots of body parts in various stages of decay, providing relief from the then current trend of atomic mutations and gigantic monsters wiping out entire cities.

Where the Universal Frankenstein series focused on the monster (who appeared in the same makeup film after film), the Hammer series focused on the not-so-good doctor (actually, Baron) in his endless quest to 'make a friend'. Cushing's Baron is always aristocratic, remote and cold, interested only in creating life, even if he has to kill everyone around him to do it! Like Colin Clive's mad doctor (Universal), Cushing's mad Baron has little or no compassion for his creature once it is alive (in that, both movies are faithful to the novel). The Baron is indifferent and aloof, and relies far to much on lobotomy to correct bad behavior in his offspring. Can we say, Malpractice? But, he is like any good villain, delightful to watch as he goes to greater and greater extremes to succeed, only to fail more miserably each time. This guy is doomed to failure, we just don't know how he'll botch the next attempt. And his attitude is what holds us. We want to shake some sense into him, of course, and we are fascinated by his remarkable air of superiority. We can't help but watch him again and again.

Christopher Lee (of Dracula fame) does his best as the monster, but has no lines and little action other than to be killed and revived over and over. Yet, with his body language and what facial expressions he can evoke through his hideous makeup, Lee does at times elevate his character above the killing machine monster the script calls for, and evokes pity as he suffers from the ruthless scalpel of the wicked Baron. There is an advantage to videotape here, because you can pause the film and focus on certain scenes, which of course, you could not do in a movie theater. Using this technique, there are several shots of Lee which are remarkable, but pass too quickly under normal play to fully appreciate. This was Lee's only role as the creature, and he is better remembered for his work as Count Dracula, also from Hammer. It is a pity that the writers did not give him a speaking part, in keeping with the novel, as Lee's wonderful speaking voice would have added much to the character.

The rest of the cast serves mostly as window dressing, or a source for body parts and the occasional outbreak of moral indignation. The exception is Hazel Court as Elizabeth. She also appeared in many Hammer films, and always carried her character well. Her Elizabeth is wonderfully patient, if incredibly naieve even for a 19th century girl, and does she ever look good in period costume!

By today's standards, this film may seem silly, the musical score is particularly bland and predictable, the creation scene is remarkably weak and disappointing, (what could match Univeral's all electric masterpiece anyway? Perhaps, they sensibly didn't bother to try) but it set the standard for the many Hammer Frankenstein films that followed ( which all starred Cushing as the Baron). When it opened, this movie was quite successful, and it is rarely seen today, even on classic film cable. To collectors and Hammer buffs, it is a must have, the one that started it all. This one is all guts, and little glory, but it's where Hammer's Frankenstein series started, and well worth the price, just to own a piece of history.

Although "Curse Of Frankenstein" was technically not the first of Hammer's horror movies ("The Mystery Of The Marie Celeste", from 1935 {and starring Bela Lugosi}, gets that honor) it was their first in a couple decades and it was the one that really launched Hammer Horror as a force. It came out in 1957, at the beginning of a great burgeoning of horror, and it set the tone for a lot of Hammer's movies that would come and make the studio the UK's most signifigant horror player for years. So it has great historical signifigance, but how does it rate based on its own merits? A mixed grade, actually.

The story is familiar: that of Victor Frankenstein attempting - and ultimately succeeding - to create life by stitching together pieces of the recently deceased and then using electricity hoping to spark reanimation. And, in familiar fashion, the creation is bestial, rejected by Frankenstein, and goes on to wreak havoc. The trouble is that the telling of the story is too restrained for its own good. Now, there's nothing wrong with choosing to ge subtle rather than direct, but "Curse Of Frankenstein" is Too subtle for its own good - at places it becomes almost sedate. (Horror of Dracula, released the very next year, paced itself better and created the atmosphere that I think they were going for here). Fortunately, the film's cast is perfectly suited to minimize the detrimental effects of too much restraint. Peter Cushing plays Frankenstein, and Cushing excelled at playing characters where there was a lot going under the surface. His version of Victor Frankenstein is a quiet, intelligent, and cultured but brusque aristocrat, with great brutality and ruthlessness submerged under a thin veneer of respectability. Christopher Lee plays the monster and, though he's in surprisingly few scenes, does a great job of portraying a tortured and confused creature with motions and even just the look in his eyes. The movie focuses more on Victor's attempts to create the monster than on the monster himself; extending the second part and dealing more with that monster could have also been a plus. On a positive note, you see the beginnings of Hammer's great flair for production design, use of color, etc. - and this was just at the beginning, when they had less resources and the finished project was kind of 'rough'.

On its own, it's a fine movie. It doesn't approach Hammer's best, but it's still a good, solid horror movie (although not especially scary; it's hard to believe this was so controversial in its day). It's also the start of Hammer's long-running Frankenstein saga and, I believe, the first time Cushing and Lee appeared together onscreen. So even with its shortcomings it's definately worth seeing; it may appeal most strongly to those who prefer their horror from a bit before the late 50s/early 60s boom - the days of Universal Monsters classics and their peers - but I think most horror fans will find it a worthy movie.

If you don't like it, then you just don't get what Hammer is all about.

"The Curse of Frankenstein" (1957) is one of Hammer Films' best productions, with the great horror talents of Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee to entertain viewers. This also happens to be Hammer's first color film and the first in their Frankenstein franchise. Though I prefer my favorite horror actor Cushing as the "good guy", I think he excelled in his role as Frankenstein, not only here but in the other films as well. In "The Curse of Frankenstein", Victor Frankenstein (Peter Cushing) is in prison awaiting execution for the murder of Justine (Valerie Gaunt, whom if I'm not mistaken has played one of Dracula's brides in another Hammer production), a maid in his home. He is narrating his story to a priest via flashback - as a young boy, the intelligent, confident and wealthy Frankenstein forms a close friendship with his tutor, Paul Krempe (Robert Urquhart), and the two become partners in the various medical experiments thought up by Frankenstein. One of these experiments involves bringing a dead dog back to life, and Frankenstein is so ecstatic at his success, that he decides to create life itself in the human body, by piecing together different parts of the body. Paul Krempe finds this an abomination and refuses to participate, and is on the point of leaving, when Elizabeth (Hazel Court), Victor's betrothed arrives at the Baron's home. Paul realizes he cannot abandon Elizabeth in the hands of a maniac, and tries to shield her from the horrors of the Baron's experiments. The full horror begins when the creature of Frankenstein's making comes alive and unleashes havoc.

This movie is wonderful for various reasons - the sets, score, and costumes, not to mention the ghoulish manner in which Frankenstein procures the various body parts lend a truly macabre feel to the movie, infusing it with a high sense of Gothic horror. The acting by the cast is simply excellent - Cushing shines as the egotistical and maniacal scientist, and Lee (though almost unrecognizable, but not quite) is believably creepy as the monster (no lines here, but the horror is all too evident in the expressions on his face). The others, especially Krempe as played by Robert Urquhart, enhance this horror drama with their credible acting.

This DVD is in widescreen format, in full color, 1:78 anamorphic 16:9, running time is 83 mins, and is Not Rated. Includes an original trailer of the movie. An excellent horror movie in all aspects, this is a true Gothic classic, and a must-have for fans of classic horror.

This was the first Hammer production that I ever saw and it blew me away! Fortunately, at the time, there was no classification of films otherwise, I would've missed this gem (only to see a full-screen, truncated version on TV years later). I saw The Curse Of Frankenstein several times before it disappeared forever.

Thank God Universal wouldn't allow Hammer to use their copyrighted Frankenstein look. Instead, the make-up artist (Phil Leakley) created something totally original and, in my opinion, far better. And the stunning, cold, dead look of Jack Asher's cinematography & the brilliant guiding hand of Terence Fisher made this a horror film that would live on for years. Of course, one cannot forget the superb contribution from the scriptwriter, Jimmy Sangster (horror films at that time, never had such a quality in their writing).

If you like the other Hammer films, by all means, buy this DVD. It's the best of all the Hammer films as far as I'm concerned! And it's widescreen, perhaps, a bit wider than its original theatrical release (1.66) to accommodate today's 16:9 TVs.