Customer Reviews

The Wolf Man (Special Edition)

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If you've been keeping up with the DVD releases of Universal Monsters, you might already know this is the 3rd time The Wolf Man has been released in the past 10 years. But this new deluxe 2-disc edition should prove to be the definitive release. In addition to a spectacular restoration (which is still not quite perfect, but probably the best the film will ever look on home video), there is an exhaustive array of bonus features. Actually, only two of them are new, but when added to the already excellent extras carried over from previous releases, this is simply a must-have for anyone with even a slight interest in the film.

But let's take a quick look at the film itself. The Wolf Man has always been my favorite Universal Monster. I think it's the combination of Curt Siodmak's poetic and gothically romantic screenplay, and the Everyman performance of Lon Chaney Jr. as Larry Talbot. Chaney will perhaps forever reside in the shadow of contemporaries like Karloff and Lugosi, but it's difficult to imagine either of those horror superstars bringing the same authenticity to the role of Talbot.

Chaney also gets winning support from Claude Rains, Patrick Knowles and Evelyn Ankers (whose well-documented dislike of Chaney also serves as a testament to her acting abilities...the two are charming together on-screen). Maria Ouspenskaya also appears in her signature roles as the gypsy Maleva, while Bela Lugosi has a too-brief but equally-memorable role as her son.

As for the bonus features, the two new ones are a brief (10 min.) overview of werewolf movies featuring the likes of John Landis, Rick Baker and several film critics, and a 36-minute documentary on Chaney's career. As a long-time fan of this fan and Lon Chaney Jr., I confess I didn't learn a lot of new facts about the actor; but for the uninitiated, it will no doubt provide some much-needed illumination into the man and his body of work.

Also, in case you missed the previous releases, here are the holdover supplements: "Monster By Moonlight" is a well-done look at the film and its sequels, hosted by John Landis. There's a documentary on makeup wizard Jack Pierce. A trailer gallery features previews for several werewolf films, including the new 2010 version of The Wolf Man (by the way, props to Universal for not making this set an extended commercial for the remake, the way some of the bonus materials in The Monster Legacy Collection (Frankenstein / Dracula / The Wolf Man) did for Stephen Sommer's 2003 bomb Van Helsing (Widescreen Edition)). "Universal Horror" is a terrific feature-length documentary on all of Universal's classic horror output. Lastly, an audio commentary with Tom Weaver provides deeper insight into the film's production.

Now it must be said that this long-overdue set would probably not have been released at this time without the 2010 remake. And as of this writing, I have not seen the new movie. I do hope that--whether it is ultimately a success or not--it will inspire film fans to go back and take a look at this classic original. Certainly, this is a must-buy for anyone who loves the original film. And remember, Monster Fans. . .there are still many films of this kind that deserve the deluxe treatment. So before you complain about double (wait, make that TRIPLE) dipping to get your hard-earned bucks, remember that future releases are dependent on how well items like this sell. In other words, support your classic monsters! Enjoy the set; I give it my highest recommendation.

"Even a man who is pure in heart/And says his prayers by night/May become a wolf/When the wolfbane blooms/And the autumn moon is bright..."

Sure, Dracula gave a face and a mythology to the vampire in the 1800s, but the werewolf didn't get similar treatment for quite some time. It was only with "The Wolfman" that the werewolf got his due, creating the template for lycanthropes everywhere -- a haunting, atmospheric story about a mildly creepy man who (through no fault of his own) turns into an unholy mixture of man and beast.

Larry Talbot (Lon Chaney Jr) returns to his ancestral Welsh home after many years away, to reconcile with his estranged dad who looks nothing like him (Claude Rains). He immediately starts acquainting himself with his old home, including being rather creepy towards a lovely woman named Gwen Conliffe (Evelyn Ankers), who is working at her dad's antique store. He even accompanies Gwen and her friend Jenny to a local gypsy camp to have their fortunes told.

But after having her fortune told, Jenny is horribly killed by a wolf; Larry beats it to death with his silver-topped cane, but not before being bitten. You can probably guess what happens next -- the wolf turns out to be the gypsy fortuneteller (Bela Lugosi), and Larry's bite mysteriously heals overnight. And after being warned by an aged gypsy woman (Maria Ouspenskaya) that he has now contracted the curse of the werewolf, Larry finds himself undergoing a terrible transformation at night... and killing.

It's a sign of how good "The Wolfman" is that its dated special effects (hello, lap dissolve!) and prosthetics don't hamper it as a story -- it's an intelligent, slowly-unfolding story about an ordinary man whose good deed backfires in a big way. It's also less "boo! Scary!" horror than psychological horror -- Larry is left wondering if the dead gypsy passed on his horrific curse, or if all the talk of werewolves has given him clinical lycanthropy. In other words -- is he cursed, or is he insane? Not a fun choice.

And George Waggner wraps the movie in suitable atmosphere -- lots of misty forests, quaint rural villages, shadowy chapels and the occasional outbursts of shrieking and offscreen violence. The beginning is a little awkward (enough canned father-son "reunion" conversations!) but kicks into gear when the characters go wandering off to see the gypsies -- and after that, it's a slow bloody build as all the scientifically impossible things come true, and Larry finds himself increasingly trapped.

And while some of the werewolf stuff (including the famous rhyme) was made up for the movie, it adds a note of mythological creepiness, as well as some lovely incantations ("The way you walked was thorny, through no fault of your own...").

And Lon Chaney Jr. did an excellent job bringing a sympathetic edge to the werewolf, turning convincingly from a jovial engineer/aristocrat to a man haunted by his horrific change. The one problem: he isn't very sympathetic at the beginning, since he basically stalks Gwen (looking in her window with a telescope?) and won't get lost when she tells him to. Ankers gives a good performance as a local love interest, and Ouspenskaya gives a spectacular performance as the old gypsy lady -- eerie, sympathetic to Larry's plight, and with a dry sense of humor.

This special edition will be released just in time for the Benecio Del Toro remake, and as such they're also giving it the two-disc treatment. Older features include a feature commentary, Wolf-Man Archives, "Monster By Moonlight", and there's also a disk full of new documentaries -- one of Universal Horror movies, a documentary on the life and movies of Lon Chaney Jr, the life and art of Jack Pierce, and one on werewolf legends throughout history.

Despite a slightly creepy lead character, "The Wolfman" is still an enduring classic -- it's no longer exactly scary, but it is deliciously spooky. Definitely a must-see.

Here are the features for the Legacy Series 2 Disc DVD Special Edition:

- Commentary by film historian Tom Weaver

* Featurettes:

- The Wolf Man: From Ancient Curse to Modern Myth,

- Pure in Heart: The Life and Legacy of Lon Chaney Jr,

- He Who Made Monsters: The Life and Art of Jack Pierce,

- Monsters by Moonlight

- The Wolf Man Archives

- Universal Horror documentary narrated by Kenneth Branag

Sooner or later, every horror film fan returns to the sources of the genre. The Universal Monster movies produced between 1923 and 1936 are among the very best of these. During this period, the Laemmle family still ran Universal Pictures. Under their stewardship, horror films received a certain cachet -- along with big budgets, great directors, great actors and lavish production values -- on par with other A-list pictures of the time. Only a handful of Universal's horror pictures made after this "Golden Age" match the high quality of their famous predecessors. "The Wolf Man" (1941) is one of the very few to succeed.

Prior to watching this film for the first time, I'd only ever seen Lon Chaney Jr. shamble through the low-rent "Mummy" sequels and the rather poor "Son of Dracula." However, his performance in "The Wolf Man" is an utter revelation! Here, his acting isn't subtle and nuanced (although Claude Rains's is), but it is heartfelt (and heart-rending). It's difficult not to like him in this and I found myself genuinely feeling for his plight; hoping-against-hope that he'd find a way to beat the werewolf curse that had been thrust upon him unawares. Alas, by the end of the movie... well, it's a really good ending. So good, in fact, that Universal kept the Wolf Man around for four more movies. Personally, I don't need to see 'em. I'm perfectly happy with this movie right here!

That's a good thing too, since "The Wolf Man" is the only movie you're gonna get if you buy the two-disc Universal Legacy Series edition. Disc one contains the film (in an astonishingly clear transfer) along with an amusing commentary by film historian, Tom Weaver, a poster/still slideshow and a short documentary hosted by American Werewolf in London Special Edition director, John Landis. Disc two contains a short werewolf documentary, a documentary about Universal makeup legend, Jack Pierce, and the surprisingly non-fluffy (and occasionally disturbing) feature-length "Universal Horror" documentary. Owners of the Universal Legacy Series editions of Dracula (75th Anniversary Edition) (Universal Legacy Series) and The Mummy (Special Edition) (Universal Legacy Series) may be tempted to stomp all over this disc since they'll already own one -- or both -- of these last two documentaries, but then they'd be crushing a rather welcome biography of Lon Chaney Jr. exclusive to this release (so far). Otherwise, this is a pretty amazing little set for an essential film in the Universal horror canon.

As far as my Amazon ordering experience went, I am grateful every day that we live in an age where items like this can be easily obtained online. In the wake of the recent remake, I had hoped to snag a copy of this DVD from local retail shops, only to be told that it wasn't in stock; quite a quandary considering Universal are *not* a notoriously small studio and "The Wolf Man" is a fairly major horror classic. Despite promises they could "order it in" for me within four-to-six weeks (at an average cost of $30 Cdn), I opted to order it from Amazon instead. The DVD arrived in my mailbox three days later (and for $10 less than the local retail price).

Nice restoration of the classic 1941 film. Extras are very well done... Why wasn't Cortlandt Hull consulted for the "Werewolf of London" segment? All in all a good purchase...

I purchased this DVD "The Wolf Man" (Special Edition) (Universal Legacy Series) (on 04/23/2010)by Lon Chaney Jr. for my husband. He was excited to be able to find the DVD movie from Amazon.com website! I would like to share a little story with everyone. While shopping in local retail store "The Wolf Man" movies was on display and at the time we didn't make the purchase to buy that day...but, later returned within a few days only to find that the movie he had his hopes of getting was gone! We ask one of the store clerks what happen (movies on the rack)..only to find out that all the movies that didn't sell were sent back to original store order. We asked, "If anymore will be order"?...the response was no! My Husband was very disappointed! So, I remembered that I had purchase orders from Amazon.com before and was always very satisfied with all my purchases, I decide to go on line, take the chance that the movie my husband desired was there! He was so happy and I was too, knowing that I made him (husband)very happy through Amazon.com purchases is truly amazing!

After receiving the Wolf Man movie, we watched together and my husband turn to me and stated and I quote..."This movie really took me back to my childhood days".

I could not have done this without your help!


Thank you AMAZON.COM! The movie was great! Your site is Awesome!
GE

"Even a man who is pure in heart/And says his prayers by night/May become a wolf/When the wolfbane blooms/And the autumn moon is bright..."

Sure, Dracula gave a face and a mythology to the vampire in the 1800s, but the werewolf didn't get similar treatment for quite some time. It was only with "The Wolfman" that the werewolf got his due, creating the template for lycanthropes everywhere -- a haunting, atmospheric story about a mildly creepy man who (through no fault of his own) turns into an unholy mixture of man and beast.

Larry Talbot (Lon Chaney Jr) returns to his ancestral Welsh home after many years away, to reconcile with his estranged dad who looks nothing like him (Claude Rains). He immediately starts acquainting himself with his old home, including being rather creepy towards a lovely woman named Gwen Conliffe (Evelyn Ankers), who is working at her dad's antique store. He even accompanies Gwen and her friend Jenny to a local gypsy camp to have their fortunes told.

But after having her fortune told, Jenny is horribly killed by a wolf; Larry beats it to death with his silver-topped cane, but not before being bitten. You can probably guess what happens next -- the wolf turns out to be the gypsy fortuneteller (Bela Lugosi), and Larry's bite mysteriously heals overnight. And after being warned by an aged gypsy woman (Maria Ouspenskaya) that he has now contracted the curse of the werewolf, Larry finds himself undergoing a terrible transformation at night... and killing.

It's a sign of how good "The Wolfman" is that its dated special effects (hello, lap dissolve!) and prosthetics don't hamper it as a story -- it's an intelligent, slowly-unfolding story about an ordinary man whose good deed backfires in a big way. It's also less "boo! Scary!" horror than psychological horror -- Larry is left wondering if the dead gypsy passed on his horrific curse, or if all the talk of werewolves has given him clinical lycanthropy. In other words -- is he cursed, or is he insane? Not a fun choice.

And George Waggner wraps the movie in suitable atmosphere -- lots of misty forests, quaint rural villages, shadowy chapels and the occasional outbursts of shrieking and offscreen violence. The beginning is a little awkward (enough canned father-son "reunion" conversations!) but kicks into gear when the characters go wandering off to see the gypsies -- and after that, it's a slow bloody build as all the scientifically impossible things come true, and Larry finds himself increasingly trapped.

And while some of the werewolf stuff (including the famous rhyme) was made up for the movie, it adds a note of mythological creepiness, as well as some lovely incantations ("The way you walked was thorny, through no fault of your own...").

And Lon Chaney Jr. did an excellent job bringing a sympathetic edge to the werewolf, turning convincingly from a jovial engineer/aristocrat to a man haunted by his horrific change. The one problem: he isn't very sympathetic at the beginning, since he basically stalks Gwen (looking in her window with a telescope?) and won't get lost when she tells him to. Ankers gives a good performance as a local love interest, and Ouspenskaya gives a spectacular performance as the old gypsy lady -- eerie, sympathetic to Larry's plight, and with a dry sense of humor.

This special edition will be released just in time for the Benecio Del Toro remake, and as such they're also giving it the two-disc treatment. Older features include a feature commentary, Wolf-Man Archives, "Monster By Moonlight", and there's also a disk full of new documentaries -- one of Universal Horror movies, a documentary on the life and movies of Lon Chaney Jr, the life and art of Jack Pierce, and one on werewolf legends throughout history.

Despite a slightly creepy lead character, "The Wolfman" is still an enduring classic -- it's no longer exactly scary, but it is deliciously spooky. Definitely a must-see.

As a long time fan of Universal's series of monster movies, I was extremely pleased when this horror gem was released to this long-deserved two-disc DVD set. It was released as a promotion for the 2010 remake of "The Wolfman" but it is a must have for any horror fan.

The film opens with an English nobleman named Larry Talbot (played by Lon Chaney Jr.) returning to his ancestral home in the village of Wales, after an 18 year absence in America. His return is due to the death of his brother. While working on a telescope in his father's observatory, Larry gets a glance of a beautiful woman in an antiques shop. He meets the woman, Gwen Conliffe played by Evelyn Ankers, and sets up a date. Larry accompanies both Gwen and her friend Jenny to a gyspy encampment where we find horror legend Bela Lugosi in a cameo as Bela, a fortune teller. While telling Jenny's fortune, Bela becomes worried and tells Jenny to leave. Jenny is attacked in the woods by a wolf, and Larry comes to help and kills the wolf, but not before he is bitten. The curse of the werewolf has been passed onto the unsuspecting Larry, beginning a long road paved with horror and suffering.

This film could not have been cast any better. Lon Chaney Jr, the son of horror icon Lon Chaney, gives an absolutely heartbreaking performance as Larry Talbot. He just has a natural air of tragedy about him that makes you feel for him. Claude Rains does a pretty good job as Larry's practical father, who does not believe in werewolves, dismissing the idea as nonsense. Evelyn Ankers is excellent as Larry's love interest, securing her future title as one of the greatest "scream queens" of the 1940s.

This new DVD release of the horror classic is phenomonal. It includes two disc that are loaded with various documentaries of sorts, inculding a making of documentary, the history of werewolves, and two tribute documentaries of Lon Chaney Jr., and Jack Pierce, the make-up master for the film.

Great cast, special effects and make-up are excellent,fog-covered forests, gypsy camps, and a real thrilling climax that . A must-have for horror fans of all ages

"The Wolf Man: Special Edition" contains the original 1941 movie that added a fourth monster to Universal's star horror trio of Dracula, the Frankenstein monster, and the Mummy. This movie is the source of much of the "legendary" information about the werewolf, especially that a werewolf can be killed only by a silver bullet or a silver club. That mythic idea is the product of imaginative screenwriter Curt Siodmak, not ancient lore.

The story, a variation of "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde," is simple and works because it assumes the existence of werewolves without unnecessary explanations. There is a scene in which Claude Rains, playing Larry Talbot's (Lon Chaney, Jr.) father, recites some mumbo jumbo about lycanthropy, the technical term for people who believe they can turn into wolves. But the film takes off almost at once as Larry, trying to defend a woman being attacked by a wolf, is bitten. Turns out the werewolf is none other than Bela Lugosi, trading in his Dracula cape for a gypsy get-up, and his mother -- the old Gypsy woman Maleva -- is played by Maria Ouspenskaya, a small, elderly woman who was an acting teacher when she wasn't moonlighting in character movie roles.

The photography in "The Wolf Man" is especially notable. With loads of smoke to simulate mist, the actual limitations of the soundstage were masked and the forests seemed endless, though the actors had only a few yards to run in one direction or another. Tight editing makes the forest look deep and expansive.

"The Wolf Man" rightfully became an iconic creature. The monster is an unwilling one, infected by a werewolf's bite and thus doomed to seek human prey. Chaney, though not one of Hollywood's brighter lights, is very good as Larry, who knows he kills while in werewolf form and is tormented by the knowledge. The viewer sympathizes with his plight. At a mere 70 minutes, this is Chaney's best and best-remembered film. It co-stars Ralph Bellamy, Patric Knowles, and Universal's scream queen, Evelyn Ankers.

DVD extras are abundant on this two-disc set. There's a making-of featurette, a gallery of original publicity materials, feature commentary with film historian Tom Weaver, a look at werewolf mythology, a retrospective of the film career of Chaney, Jr., a well deserved tribute to Jack Pierce, who created the make-up not only for Chaney's werewolf, but also for the other three Universal monsters; and "Universal Horror," a splendid documentary about the making of some of Hollywood's most memorable horror flicks.

"Even a man who is pure of heart and says his prayers by night, may become a wolf when the wolf bane blooms and the autumn moon is bright."


Universal was famous for their horror films and "The Wolf Man" is one of their most entertaining. Foggy sets, a great cast and an atmospheric score from musical director Charles Previn offer late night fun for classic film fans.

Lon Chaney Jr., son of one of the great actors of the silent film era, stars as Larry Talbot. He has come home to Talbot Castle after the tragic death of his older brother. Talbot Castle is the family estate, and returning to see his father (Claude Rains), Larry finds himself surrounded by old legends of men who transform in to wolves at the full moon. He dismisses them as nonsense in the beginning, finding something much more pleasant to focus on in Gwen (Evelyn Ankers). Romantic touches such as Larry first spotting Gwen through his telescope and immediately becoming smitten offer old-fashioned charm, making the events which follow a terrible tragedy.

While Larry is wooing Gwen, her best friend, Jenny (Fay Helm) is attacked in the woods by something once a man, but no longer human. When Larry rushes to save her he is bitten by the mysterious creature, which suddenly, and inexplicably, proves to be a man. It is the least of Larry's worries, however, as he has been bitten while trying to save her, perhaps sealing his fate. Maria Ouspenskaya nearly steals the film as the knowing gypsy woman who forsees his dark future and tries to help. Once Larry realizes the legends are true and no one is safe, he turns over the charm given him for protection to his love, Gwen, praying she will not need it.

Curt Siodmak's original screenplay has just the right mix of romance and horror to make this one of the most famous and entertaining of Universal's horror films, catapulting him to prominence in the genre. The former reporter who had began his long association with the film industry in the 1920's with Fritz Lang's Metropolis fled Germany with after Hitler took over. His reputation in Hollywood has grown over the decades, the Val Lewton/Jacques Tourneur masterpiece, I Walked With a Zombie, listed among his screen credits. It also sparked the career of the lovely Evelyn Ankers, who went on to star in many of Universal's horror and mystery films during the cycle. She looks too pretty for words in Vera Ralston's gowns and makes the perfect heroine to Chaney's tortured character in The Wolf Man. Their romance is actually the heart of this film, his sad destiny more poignant because he has everything to live for in Gwen.

Ralph Bellamy as Colonel Montford, Warren William as Doctor Lloyd, Patrick Knowles as Larry's rival, Frank Andrews, and Bela Lugosi as the gypsy, Bela, round out an excellent cast. This is about as much fun as you can have on a rainy night with the lights down and a big bowl of popcorn in your lap. Don't miss it!