The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) d. Terence Fisher (UK)
Victor Frankenstein (Peter Cushing), imprisoned and awaiting judgment, recounts to the local priest the dark path that led him to his fate. A brilliant, driven, amoral young scientist, Victor is obsessed with mastering life and death. With the reluctant assistance of his former mentor Paul (Robert Urquhart), he assembles a living creature from stolen body parts, convinced he is on the verge of a world-changing breakthrough. As Victor’s quest comes closer to fruition, his fiancée Elizabeth (Hazel Court) senses a disturbing shift in him, while the duplicitous maid Justine (Valerie Gaunt) grows increasingly frustrated with Victor’s waning attentions. Paul desperately tries to pull Victor back from the brink, but the reanimated being (Christopher Lee) proves far more dangerous and unpredictable than anyone could have expected.
It’s nearly impossible to overstate the significance of this relatively low-budget British horror offering. Its release not only launched nascent Hammer studios onto the international radar, its success would pave the way for a second golden age of Gothic horror cinema, this time with a distinctly English accent and in full, vibrant color (sharply dividing camps into Universal and Hammer factions for decades). Additionally, two new screen/scream icons emerged, their names to be forever entwined: Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee.
As the titular Baron von F. (who would become the focus – and the “monster” – of the series as opposed to his creation), Cushing displays a fanaticism and wit as sharp as his oft-used scalpels, fiercely pursuing his ghoulish goal of creating life from dead tissue. While Lee is given less opportunity to imbue his creature with the same intricate (and sympathetic) shadings as Karloff, his portrayal proved memorable enough to land him the title role in Hammer’s resurrection of Dracula the following year.
Terence Fisher, also to become a mainstay at the “studio that dripped blood,” directs with skill and style (if without, perhaps, true inspiration). Jimmy Sangster’s screenplay, which by law could not bear any resemblance to the 1931 Universal classic, steers clear of Mary Shelley’s source novel entirely as well, balancing an economy of setting and characterization within its melodramatic confines.
An enormous financial success both at home and abroad,
Curse would spawn five sequels (which occasionally would surpass the original film in quality and depth), as well as a blackly comic, non-Cushing prequel (
Horror of Frankenstein), and inspire countless European and American efforts for years, changing the face of horror for nearly two decades.
While there have been multiple home video releases of this powerfully influential and significant genre offering, this latest 4K UHD restoration comes directly under the Hammer banner, under the auspices of the aptly named reigning CEO, John Gore. And what a feast it is! With three separate discs and an equal number of aspect ratios under which one can view the film, this is truly the defining version that any Hammer fan could possibly wish for.
Disc 1 has the 1.66.1 UK Theatrical Release and the 1.37.1 Open Matte versions, with an accompanying audio commentary track for each, the former featuring authors Kim Newman, Stephen Jones, and Barry Forshow, newly recorded in 2025, and the latter serving up Hammer scholars Jonathan Rigby and Marcus Hearn’s track from 2012. There are also a number of featurettes, including a 50 min. conversation (“Beside the Seaside”) between genre enthusiast Wayne Kinsey and the insufferable chatterings of actress Madeleine Smith (
Vampire Lovers, Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell), who seems to have been brought in merely for marquee value and to break up Kinsey’s informative monologuing with a cringe-worthy parade of “Ooooh!” and “I had no idea!” exclamations. It’s an unfortunate misstep in what is otherwise a loving tribute to Peter Cushing’s life and work.
The other supplements include “Reviving The Curse of Frankenstein” (8 min) which details the painstaking process of bringing the nearly lifeless prints back to vivid EastmanColor life. There is also the “Alternate Eyeball Scene,” where we see the sequence in its trimmed version that was the norm in the days before uncut releases.
Disc 2 sees the 1.85.1 US Theatrical Release version, with another pair of tracks, one from 2025 featuring Heidi Honeycutt and Toby Roan, and the other with genre mainstays Steve Haberman and Constanine Nasr from 2020. (I confess, I could only make it through about 10 minutes of the Honeycutt/Roan track because the audio is so inferior to all the others. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that it was recorded via Zoom using laptop microphones. I’m sure I’ll get back to it at some point, since I am a fan of Honeycutt’s writing.) As expected, Haberman and Nasr deliver a tight, informed discourse on all the main players, overlapping some of the main talking points from the previous tracks, but still managing to provide new insights and trivia.
One quibble about this release’s set-up with regard to the commentary tracks: Usually, when listening to an audio track, viewers are able to turn on the subtitles so that we can follow the screen action and dialogue. For some unknown reason, Gore and his cohorts have made the unfortunate decision to disable the subtitles while the commentary tracks are playing, so that we cannot read what the characters are saying at any given moment. I have never encountered this before (except on releases where no subtitles are available), and it’s a colossal goof as we’re left guessing what is happening in terms of screen action. Longtime fans of
Curse who have seen it countless times might not notice, but for folks who are discovering it for the first time and may have only watched it one time prior to listening to the commentary are sure to have a lesser experience. Here’s hoping that Hammer rectifies this for future releases. (To be clear, when watching the film in normal mode, subtitles are available in a wide variety of languages.)
Disc 2 also provides a wide assortment of featurettes, including f/x man Dave Elsey attempting to recreate Phil Leakey’s makeup on actor James Swinton in “Recreating the Creature” (35 min) a fascinating experiment using a combination of old and new techniques. The results are interesting in that we see how much an actor’s individual features can alter the look of a makeup. “A Fitting Vocation” (10 min) shines a much-needed spotlight on oft-neglected key Hammer player Molly Artbuthnot, who designed the elaborate costumes for many of the color Gothics… often without her name showing up in the credits!!
The tribute continues with “Topped and Tailed” (16 min), discussing how the costumes fit within the production design, with Arbuthnot finally given her due alongside set designer Bernard Robinson (who always gets the praise). Melvyn Hayes (who played the young Victor in the early scenes) and designers Josephine Botting and Melanie Bell serve as hosts for both segments.
“Good or Tuesday?” (39 min) celebrates the contributions and career of Curse screenwriter Jimmy Sangster, who rose through the ranks and became a key player for Hammer.
Little Shoppe of Horrors editor Richard Klemensen leads an array of talking heads discussing Sangster’s efforts as assistant director, screenwriter, producer, and director, and it’s amazing to consider how much influence a single individual had in shaping the studio’s direction. (The title of the segment comes from Sangster’s autobiography, referencing an encounter he had with the studio brass pressing him for a completed script, whereupon he replied, “Do you want to good or do you want it Tuesday?”)
Speaking of influential players, cinematographer Jack Asher, who worked with Hammer during their early successes from 1956-64, is definitely a main contributor to the “Hammer look” and the segment “Painting with Fine Brushes” (12 min) features Klemensen sharing his stories of relentlessly pursuing Asher for an interview over the years since NO ONE HAD EVER TALKED TO HIM about his work with Hammer. Asher finally relented and the results are published in
LSoH issue #9. Hats off to both gentlemen for their contributions to the genre.
Stephen Volk, screenwriter for the 1987 Ken Russell film
Gothic, a fanciful reimagining of the weekend where Mary Shelley first wrote the story of
Frankenstein, sits down for “A Gothic History of Frankenstein” (24 min), discussing the various adaptations, Universal’s “monster” vs. Hammer’s “creature,” and his own fascination with the source material.
Disc 3 rounds out the set with a wealth of supplemental features, kicking off with “Frankenstein Reborn” (35 min), a general overview of how this version of Frankenstein came to be, with executive producer Michael Carreras, Sangster, Hayes, and scholars David Miller and David Huckvale providing the background. “Life with Sir” (12 min) sits us down with Joyce Broughton, Peter Cushing’s personal secretary and confidante, who shares a more personal side of the beloved actor, especially in his waning years of life. Her recollections are wistful, touching, and humorous, especially when recounting how Cushing bristled at Broughton demeaning herself in a subservient way, with the two agreeing that she could refer to him as “Sir Boss” and his wife Helen as “Lady Boss.”
“Resurrection Man” (22 min) has Klemensen back in the chair, talking about Hammer’s particular lens with regard to the Shelley tale, while “Hideous Progeny” (23 min) allows scholar Christopher Fraylin to explain the etymology of the term “Gothic,” literally meaning literature that originated with “the Goths,” those of eastern Germanic origin, as well as highlighting how Hammer’s decision to place its stories in the past (as opposed to Universal’s more or less present-day settings) gave them an evergreen quality.
“Torrents of Light” (15 min) allows David J. Miller the opportunity to praise Asher’s camerawork once more, and “Diabollis in Musica” has musician Christopher Drake (Hellboy, Batman: Year One, Creepshow) explaining why composer James Bernard’s thundering approach to scoring the Hammer films struck an indelible (wait for it) chord with audiences that continues to resonate today.
If you’ve made it this far, you must surely realize that this is an essential purchase for all Hammer and/or Frankenstein fans, one which you can buy at
Movie Zyng Warehouse (because seriously, f*ck Amazon). Enjoy!!
Special Thanks to AV Entertainment as the sponsor of the review copy.
.
No comments:
Post a Comment