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Posted: |
Sep 14, 2016 - 9:16 PM
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RoryR
(Member)
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Searching the board I find this movie has never been discussed. It's a flawed B-level Universal horror programmer but has good stuff in it. I like the first twenty minutes that involved doomed lycanthrope Lawrence Talbot better than most of the original THE WOLF MAN. The opening with the two grave robbers breaking into Talbot's crypt is one of the best sequences in all of the Universal classic horror movies, but the entire film is wonderfully atmospheric, fast paced and kind of fun. Yeah, Lugosi's Monster is unfortunate, but he still manages to proved a few effective moments, like a truly menacing grin when he gets a full dose of electricity.
Universal has finally restored the film digitally from a 4K scan of the nitrate original camera negatives and it's now out on Blu-ray in two collections, one of Universal's Frankenstein series, the other of their Wolf Man and werewolf movies. FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLFMAN, released in March 1943, is the fourth sequel to 1931's FRANKENSTEIN, and the direct sequel to 1941's THE WOLF MAN.
Anyway, the HD transfer looks spectacular for a movie that's over seventy years old and I highly recommend anyone interested pick it up.
Anyone interested?
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Oh, gosh, Rory. I grew up with the Universal monsters, and this one has always been a favorite since I was 10 years old (that would be 1962!).
WARTS AND ALL (and there are a lot of warts here!), I have a great deal of affection for this film.
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Posted: |
Sep 14, 2016 - 10:55 PM
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jef29bow
(Member)
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Let's not forget, that a lot of the problems in FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLFMAN were the result of the post-production tampering that was done. It especially hurt Lugosi's performance since he was suppose to be playing a blind and talking monster, which -- let's face it -- made sense considering what happened in the previous film, GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN. But audience laughter at the previews killed that faster than a stake through Dracula's heart (still, I'd give anything to see those scenes). But, as you stated, there is a lot of great stuff here (love the build-up to the final one-on-one, and I don't care if it was all done by stuntmen, because it looks wonderful), not the least of which is Hans J. Salter's patched-together-from-previous-Universal-monster-epics score. Still, I don't know if I'll be picking this up on blu-ray as part of either the Frankenstein or Wolfman sets; as great as the first set of Universal monsters on blu-ray was (and it was exemplary), I don't appreciate the company making me buy multiple copies if the same film in order to get the one that I want or need. Frankly, I have enough duplicates of the Universal monsters already.... Not that I don't love them.
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The New York Times, reviewing a previous DVD incarnation a few years ago, began by stating something to the effect of, "It may not be CITIZEN KANE, but I'll bet you'll be watching it a lot more often." I think that about sums it up, as far as our affection for this guilty pleasure, this treasure from our youth, is concerned.
Hans' music does include some previous cues from THE WOLF MAN, his collaboration with Frank Skinner and Charles Previn, (chiefly during the climactic duel), and some chase music he himself had written for THE GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN, but the lycanthrope's share of the score was totally and brilliantly original, from the pastoral wagon journey, and the tenderly somber funeral march for the dead girl, to the eerily beautiful moonlit transformation, and evocative tone poem settings for the opening graveyard and the subterranean ice cavern. To say nothing of "Faro-La, Faro-Li," the big gypsy production number which so gets under the skin of Lawrence Talbot.
The opening graveyard sequence is, I would say, probably the most genuinely scary scene in Universal's 40's monster pictures. Primarily this is because it is the scene which eschewed their standard approach and instead embraced the Val Lewton philosophy of keeping your horrors as unseen as possible.
Incidentally, my interview with Hans is back in print, I'm glad to say, in Tom Weaver's anthology, "I Talked With a Zombie," but if you can find a copy of its initial appearance in a 1978 Cinefantastique magazine you can see a wonderful wraparound cover painting by the late Roger Stine (who also painted the cover for my STAR TREK book) and, inside, some of Hans's written-out themes including the aforementioned funeral music from FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLF MAN in its entirety.
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Posted: |
Sep 15, 2016 - 2:01 AM
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By: |
jef29bow
(Member)
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The New York Times, reviewing a previous DVD incarnation a few years ago, began by stating something to the effect of, "It may not be CITIZEN KANE, but I'll bet you'll be watching it a lot more often." I think that about sums it up, as far as our affection for this guilty pleasure, this treasure from our youth, is concerned.
Hans' music does include some previous cues from THE WOLF MAN, his collaboration with Frank Skinner and Charles Previn, (chiefly during the climactic duel), and some chase music he himself had written for THE GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN, but the lycanthrope's share of the score was totally and brilliantly original, from the pastoral wagon journey, and the tenderly somber funeral march for the dead girl, to the eerily beautiful moonlit transformation, and evocative tone poem settings for the opening graveyard and the subterranean ice cavern. To say nothing of "Faro-La, Faro-Li," the big gypsy production number which so gets under the skin of Lawrence Talbot.
The opening graveyard sequence is, I would say, probably the most genuinely scary scene in Universal's 40's monster pictures. Primarily this is because it is the scene which eschewed their standard approach and instead embraced the Val Lewton philosophy of keeping your horrors as unseen as possible.
Incidentally, my interview with Hans is back in print, I'm glad to say, in Tom Weaver's anthology, "I Talked With a Zombie," but if you can find a copy of its initial appearance in a 1978 Cinefantastique magazine you can see a wonderful wraparound cover painting by the late Roger Stine (who also painted the cover for my STAR TREK book) and, inside, some of Hans's written-out themes including the aforementioned funeral music from FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLF MAN in its entirety.
Thanks for the info. Of course, that's what made Salter so great -- his ability to take old material and intermix it with new material and create a totally distinctive score. Suffice to say, you just make me want to go back to the film and watch (and listen). I wish someone would release on CD the GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN album (from Salter's own library of discs) that Tony Thomas did way back when. Yes, I know that they're in crummy old mono, and there are some fine re-recordings that have been done over the years, but for me, nothing can touch the wonderful original Salter interpretations. Such great memories.
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Posted: |
Sep 15, 2016 - 8:19 AM
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RoryR
(Member)
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I hope they finally fixed the damned splice in the main titles for the blu-ray!
Anyway, this is my go-to feelgood movie. Whenever I'm down or need a smile, I pull out my MCA print of FMTWM and just enjoy. From Hans' superb musical direction (the Wolf chase is thrilling, much more so than in its original incarnation) to Chaney's exceptional performance to the great photography and special effects, this is a good, good film. And thank HEAVEN cranky Curt did not get his way about having the Monster talk. It was a GREAT moment in GHOST OF FRANKY but the scene as written for FMTWM was ridiculous and we are all better off without it.
By the way - when Chaney throws aside the Frankenstein lock box, does anybody else hear his dog Moose barking off-stage? It's driven me crazy since I was a kid.
Yes! That damn splice (and audio pop) is finally gone, and the entire film has been made immaculately clean. It's really something to see if you love this movie and have been watching it repeatedly over the years. Now it looks as fresh as if you were attending the first studio preview.
Of course the scenes with the Monster speaking are still missing, but I, too, am glad they are. My feeling is that a huge mistake was made with the gimmick ending of GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN. Replacing the brain of the Monster essentially killed the Monster off better than any fire, explosion, or burning sulfer pit. Also, Curt Siodmak wasn't at his creative best if you've ever read FMTWM's screenplay. His characterization of a nearly blind Monster with a Hitler complex is ridiculous and pathetically comical. How they actually went through with it and filmed those scenes with the Monster talking is the true mystery.
I just checked that scene with Talbot and the lock box and yes, you do hear a dog barking. I've never noticed it before and that reminds me of something I noticed for the first time watching the just as well restored transfer of SON OF FRANKENSTEIN, which I should mention is now as complete as it's ever been on home video. There's little bits of scenes I've never seen before, and something that I only just noticed is when Wolf Frankenstein first looks down into the sulfer pit early in the movie, the dummy of the Monster is already floating in it.
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R is for Ray and for Rory, bless you both! I never heard the dog, either -- and I, too, have always felt exactly the same way about the climax of GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN, and couldn't have expressed it better.
While we're praising Hans's mix-and-match music, I'll add a few more details. The main title is, of course, made up of THE WOLF MAN'S main title and the main title from THE GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN. And The Festival of the New Wine, up until the song, is scored from one of Hans's Deanna Durbin musicals, SPRING PARADE if memory serves. (The Durbin operettas were personally closer to Hans's Viennese heart than the pictures which earned him the studio's affectionate sobriquet as "the master of terror and suspense.")
I wish Tony's LP had honestly been what its misleading album cover had proclaimed it to be, "The Complete Score," but sadly that was not the case. I'm all for releasing the original soundtracks, and I believe they do exist in their totality. Incidentally, a few years ago, GHOST made the cut of the AFI's nominations for the all-time Greatest Film Scores.
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Alright, already! You all convinced me. Just ordered the Frankenstein Legacy collection blu ray.
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Excellent point. I didn't mean to disparage the whole enterprise, and I was certainly glad to have it when it first came out, (even while being annoyed by the erroneous hype), but nowadays I still would love to see a genuine edition of "The Complete Score" in its original performance/recording.
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Oh, Jefferson, you red-headed tombstone!
MUST you be such a snob?
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First off, I would agree that it's correct to start a related thread on 'the other side' since it's about the music and this one isn't. I'm sure if it was the other way 'round someone would grumble about stuff being off-topic.
But I've always been a massive fan since my pre-teens (I made an audio recording of House of Frankenstein during this period so was always SO well acquainted with the dialogue and music), of the Universal horrors, and FMTWM is such pleasure with no guilt attached. I too would love to see a cut with the talking Monster scenes in, as it would make sense of what is in the climax to the previous picture.
I got all the Legacy collections when they were on dvd, and it was the first time I'd seen FMTWM for years, and had totally forgotten the musical number. I was gobsmacked ( a popular reaction discription here in the UK)! Delighted as well because it's a great little moment, but my what a shock.
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