Customer Reviews

Frankenstein - The True Story

5 star:		(54)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

While this isn't exactly how Mary Shelley envisioned FRANKENSTEIN and I wouldn't exactly call it "The True Story" (as opposed to, say, the lying, cheating version), this version adapted by Christopher Isherwood and Don Bachardy manages to touch on many of Shelley's themes while bringing some more contemporary ones into play as well. For it's time "Frankenstein: The True Story" brought wit, style and a visual flair missing from much of what was available on TV at the time.

The quality of the DVD isn't as good as it could be. The colors have faded and there's noticeable print damage throughout the presentation. I'm very very disappointed that Universal hasn't attempted to spruce this up more for its only probable incarnation on DVD. This is an excellent film with a terrific script that deserved the full restoration efforts of Universal. This was a top notch film that deserved to have all the respect of a theatrical film. Audio is OK but presented with such low levels you'll have to pump up the volume a bit for the film.

The original prologue featuring James Mason is included but not as an extra. Instead, it's presented at the beginning of the film just as it originally aired. On the one hand I like the fact that it is presented the way it originally appeared on the other I had forgotten how much of a spoiler this was showing scenes and presenting major plot points from the film. You may want to skip this chapter and go to the start of the film if you haven't seen the film in a while as it might spoil your enjoyment of the film.

As mentioned previously the film doesn't have any extras beyond the usual previews. A featurette on this pivotal and important film would have been appropriate. With the quality of actors in the film as well as the setting and budget spent on the project I would have hoped for some extras.

The supporting cast includes Baker, Sir Ralph Richardson, Sir John Gielgud, Agnes Moorehead, Margaret Leighton, Michael Wilding, Nicola Pagett and other top notch actors in supporting roles. The performances are dazzling throughout. Although it might not have the gore and rapid pace editing that contemporary audiences are used to it has a terrific and suspenseful story.

**Minor Spoilers Ahead**


Driven to search and question the limits of life and death by his younger brother's death, Victor Frankenstein makes a perfect pupil for fellow doctor Henry Clerval (David McCallum, "The Man from Uncle", "The Outer Limits"). Clerval and Frankenstein (Leonard Whitting from "Romeo and Juliet")collaborate on creating life from the dead. Victor is driven to science and the mystery of creating life by the death of his brother. When Clerval dies shortly before their experiment is complete Frankenstein continues on without him. Victor transplants Clerval's brain into the creature. Clerval discovered that his process was flawed but was unable to communicate this to Frankenstein before his death. Frankenstein succeeds beyond his wildest dreams creating a "human" creature (Michael Sarrazin)who is handsome, a brilliant mimic and extremely bright. Things go awry when the creature begins to disintegrate becoming a "monster" and treated with scorn by those around him. This makes the creature bitter and angry particularly at Victor who tries to destroy it.

Clerval's rival and former teacher Professor Polidori (James Mason)comes across the creature and approaches Frankenstein with a new proposal; Clerval's methods were flawed according to "Poly-Doly" (as Clerval called him)but Polidori can create life with a different techique and superior outcome for the "human" female Agatha(Jane Seymour)he plans on creating. The creature discovers Victor's plans and havoc results. To tell more would spoil much of the plot.

The screenplay by playwright Christopher Isherwood ("Berlin Stories" the basis for both "I Am A Camera" & "Cabaret" and "The Loved One")and Don Bachardy is marvelous taking some of the best elements of Shelley's story and giving the story a unique new twist as well. The TV film was nominated for a Nebula Award (writer's award from the Science Fiction Writers of America)and nominated for several Emmys. Directed by film & TV director Jack Smight ("The Twilight Zone", "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour" and the Paul Newman film "Harper")"FTTS" features strong performances from the veteran cast.

While I am disappointed at the quality of the presentation, I'm happy the film is finally available I just wish Universal had given this the budge necessary for restoring the film. Highly recommended for fans of classic horror films this classy production is still the best contemporary version of the story (although I did enjoy "Mary Shelley's Frankenstein" with Robert DeNiro and Kenneth Branagh)and well worth catching.

I've finally found it! I saw this movie for the first time when I was 10 yrs. old. I had ran across it on tv just a scattered few more times in my life and had forgotten the name of it. Searching seriously for it in the last 5-10 yrs. through the video stores. It's my favorite Frankenstein movie of all time! Why isn't it on DVD and offered uncut to the public! What a waste! If I'm gonna see a good movie I want to see the full version!! How can we make this happen? I have three children and don't want them to miss this one...

The Sci-Fi Channel broadcast this movie back in 1997, and out of curiosity I taped it, not expecting much. But I was pleasantly surprised. "Frankenstein: The True Story" is terrific entertainment. An incredible cast, a well-written script (closer to the novel than the Universal or Hammer versions), and beautiful cinematography.

For a while, "Frankenstein: The True Story" was available on VHS by Goodtimes Home Video. Yet almost half of it was cut out!! Ridiculous.

I haven't seen "Frankenstein: The True Story" on TV in seven years, even though I have satellite with hundreds of channels. None of my local video stores or libraries have a copy either. I once bought a copy of this movie from an obscure Internet company that sells out-of-print titles. They boasted that their copy of "Frankenstein: The True Story" was uncut, but it wasn't.

I would like to repeat what other reviewers have stated...this first rate movie needs to be released to DVD uncut...let me repeat: UNCUT. Hopefully with some commentary by the surviving actors like Leonard Whiting and Jane Seymour.

Amazon.com has a feature that allows you to enter your email address to be notified when this film (and other unreleased titles) is released to DVD. Supposedly, Amazon will notify the studio who owns "Frankenstein: The True Story" about the interest. So I would urge fans to sign up.

I have to take serious exception to the Amazon Editorial review that this movie is "camp lunacy." I think this is a severe misreading of this movie. Saying this movie is "camp" is like saying Shelly's novel is "camp." That's just dead wrong. As with Shelly, this is a straight-faced GOTHIC horror tale which explores a multitude of themes including the nature of beauty, God, science, identity, etc. This is the most intelligent and layered Frankenstein movie ever made. Sure, it's highly stylized, dialogue is arch, and there are scenes so horrific and perversely odd as to be almost funny...but that's part of the Gothic form. Watch Young Frankenstein (1974) for a "camp" treatment of the Frankenstein story. Tonally, this movie is dead serious and pure Shelly.

Okay, having said that, how does this movie compare to the other treatments of the Frankenstein story? Even though I love the Universal/Karloff films, I actually believe this version is the best adaptation of Frankenstein ever filmed. Make no mistake, as with Karloff, this movie takes liberties with the original book. But it does so to better illustrate key themes. Having the monster start off as beautiful (he even thinks "Beautiful" is his name) and accepted by Dr. Frankenstein and society is a master stroke idea which evokes even greater empathy for the creature when he finds himself suddenly rejected as he starts to develop tissue degeneration (no more "beautiful"). Everyone loves a child, but then... I also love that in this version the Bride is given substantial screen time beyond her creation. Here Jane Seymour gives us a fascinating version of a "female monster" -- vain, attention starved, manipulative, sexually predatory (she's Paris Hilton!). And the meeting between monster and bride...probably one of the best (and, yes, Gothic) moments in all of horror history.

Also, the production values are so high it's hard to believe this was made for TV. But, remember, this was made in the era of TV movies like ROOTS, etc. So not only is this is an example of just how good a Frankenstein movie can be, it's also a shining example of just how excellent television can be.

(One quick tip on viewing -- skip the James Mason prologue at the start. It's cool to have this included, but the clips give away too much of the plot.)

I won't buy the VHS version that has cut out the most important scenes from reading all the reviews. When this comes out on DVD with all 4 hours intact then I'll consider it. I read one review that says the same thing I've been thinking about for over 31 years that this movie made a big impact on me and I've had recurring dreams over the years of this spectacular Movie called Frankenstein: The True Story. The Horror scenes stuck with me for years especially the scene where the Arm with Hand still attached starts moving by itself even though it's not attached to a human being. Yes, I was a impressionable 8 year old girl who if watched a Horror Movie had nightmares for weeks afterwords. The Scenes with Michael Sarrazin though didn't scare me even when he started to degenerate because I felt so sorry for him. Jane Seymour's scenes should not have been cut out from this VHS version because she played a crucial role in the movie and played it fantastically(even when her head roled,YUK!) One of the English actors(David McCallum) in the Movie even went on to act in other U.S.A. T.V. Science Fiction Shows(Space 1999) and I had a longtime crush on him...Michael Sarrazin wasn't bad either(like yum!) When Amazon.com goes out of their way to put all 4 hours of the mini-series on DVD in it's full screen glory then I'll consider buying it. I've got my Memorys and I guess I'll have to keep them until Amazon.com does something about this tragedy. When it comes out on DVD in it's entirety all of you will want to buy the DVD believe me and chunk your VHS's.

I don't know why there is so much garbage in the movie market place that has made it to DVD & video, while this masterpiece lays dormant in a vault somewhere. Who the heck do we need to contact to get this out for the consumers? When you watch this awesome adaptation of the classic, you can't get out of your seat! You forget your surroundings, agenda--whatever. Its pace/ progression, casting, scenery makes it a tireless piece. And c'mon! Don't give me a hashed-up version! I want it in its full glory! I don't know how to go about contacting a studio (or whoever has the rights to this movie) but I'm going to learn. This extraordinary wonder (not being made available) is nothing less than a crime to those that appreciate the arts. This IS a must have!

How could they let an excellent movie like this go out of print? I hope someday soon they bring the uneditted version back on VHS or DVD as it is worth it no matter what the price. If it does, I hope it is a major duplicating company that reproduces the images in crystal clear quality. This had to be, by far, the best Frankenstein movie ever made! Follows Mary Shelley's novel!

Hardly the "true" story, but the best movie made from Mary Shelley's original classic and probably the truest to its spirit.

This video suffers from two things: an overinflated cost, and the shortening of its total miniseries running time by about half. Aside from that, it's great.

The elements and nuances in this script are more based on the true personal dynamics between Lord Byron, the Shelleys (Percy Bysshe and Mary) and Byron's personal physician, John Polidori, than on Mary Shelley's book. Shelley becomes Dr. Frankenstein (playwright Christopher Whiting) and Byron becomes the brilliant clubfoot Henry Clerval (David McCallum) - who later becomes the monster (Michael Sarrazin) - with Polidori appearing in a role Mary Shelley never wrote, an alchemist bearing Polidori's name (James Mason) whose ideas for the animation of dead tissue Clerval steals and Frankenstein utilizes. Mary herself appears as Frankenstein's wife (Nicola Paget), who despises his playing God and connivingly works toward the ruination of Frankenstein's handiwork but ultimately undoes only herself. Even Byron's lover, Clare Claremont, seems to have been partly adapted into the monster's sociopathically soulless mate (Jane Seymour), a creature the monster itself finally dismembers in a memorably chilling scene.

The script is frankly brilliant, the performances (from an all-star cast) uniformly excellent, and the production - especially for a T.V. movie - lush and absolutely incredible. The period sets and costumes and location shooting are worth the price of admission, alone. It's intensely dramatic, highly suspenseful, stunningly original and darkly atmospheric. The full version of this remarkable film occasionally makes the cable rounds, and if you can manage to see that one, by all means don't miss it - but this video is available until you do, and even at half the original running length, it's still the best Frankenstein ever committed to film.

Don't miss it.

I've been looking for this version of the Frankenstein monster story since 1982! I stayed up until 3 in the morning one Saturday night in high school to watch this superb 4-hour rendition, and I've been searching for it ever since. The twist is that the monster is originally created as a beautiful man, whom the doctor names "Adam." Later, Adam begins to deteriorate. The complexity and philosophical depth that the movie delivers is worth sitting through 4 hours for.

The '73 mini-series `Frankenstein - The True Story' is in my estimation the definitive film version of the Frankenstein Mythos. Finally a fully developed monster, the intended "Second Adam" appears before the audience displaying the full range Shelley's classic work. The creature moves subtly from perfection to grotesque, from innocence to degenerate showing the viewer the many faceted human (or non-human) emotions driving the creature along the way.

While this movie lacks the gothic atmosphere of some of the older, classic `Frankenstein' adaptations, this film delivers splendid production values, a stellar cast, a well conceived storyline and a profoundly intelligent, ongoing dialogue examining the nature of God, creation, the existence of the soul and the every blurring line between enlightenment and damnation. Such a rarity, a horror film offers depth and the opportunity for some afterthought after its conclusion. All that and the ravishing Jane Seymour too! It's almost too much to ask for.

My Rating: -4 ½ Stars-.