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When his mother dies, leaving him as sole heir to the Frankenstein
fortune, young Victor hires a gifted tutor. Within a few short
years he has learned everything Paul can teach him, but he
keeps the man on and they work together for years in Victor's
laboratory. After a successful experiment wherein they return
a deceased dog to life, Frankenstein decides that the next
logical step is to create their own human being and make it
live and breathe. Paul is against this; he simply wants to
publish a paper in the medical journal and potentially save
a lot of lives. Paul stops helping his friend, but continues
to live in the house because of his concerns for the welfare
of Elizabeth who is betrothed to Frankenstein and has no inkling
of his activities. However, the horrors mount up when the
baron returns periodically with body parts, and even arranges
an "accident" for an elderly professor so he can use a brain
with a lifetime of knowledge. Then the creature begins to
walk...
This
1957 offering from the studios of Hammer follows the approximate
basic premise for the character. Peter Cushing is charming
and persuasive throughout, and the creature, played by Christopher
Lee (who else?!) is portrayed as a mentally retarded and somewhat
pathetic soul, rather than the normal high-foreheaded, lumbering
monster sporting bolts in its neck. There's a very small cast
in this one; a maid makes the mistake of blackmailing Frankenstein
out of jealousy, and Elizabeth seems to be present simply
so that she can scream and be attacked at the appropriate
moment. For all of you trivia fans out there: the young Victor
is played by none other than Melvyn Hayes.
The
majority of the film is set inside the house of Frankenstein,
so there's very little open location work. That works positively
in the film's favour, creating a feeling of claustrophobia,
especially within the cluttered laboratory, which spills out
on to a balcony for the finale. A solid and enjoyable rendition
of the fable, but with few if any surprises.
Ty
Power
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