Movies - The Curse of Frankenstein

Home > Listing Index > Movies > The Curse of Frankenstein

	Movies - The Curse of Frankenstein

The Curse of Frankenstein is a 1957 British horror film by Hammer Film Productions. It was Hammer's first colour film, and the first of their Frankenstein series. Its worldwide success lead to several sequels, and the studio's new versions of Dracula
(1958) and The Mummy (1959). The film was directed by Terence Fisher and starred Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. Lee and Cushing would both go on to enjoy long film careers, usually as the protagonists in other films of the same genre.

Production

Production of The Curse of Frankenstein began, from an investment of £65,000, on 19 November, 1956 at Bray Studios with a scene showing Baron Frankenstein cutting down a highwayman from a wayside gibbet.

The monster

Universal fought hard to prevent Hammer from duplicating aspects of their 1931 film, and so it was down to make-up artist Phil Leakey to design a new-look creature bearing no resemblance to the Boris Karloff original created by Jack Pierce.

Significance

The Curse of Frankstein is important for a number of reasons. The film began Hammer's tradition of horror film-making. It also marked the beginning of a Gothic horror revival in the cinema on both sides of the Atlantic, paralleling the rise to fame of Universal's Dracula and Frankenstein series in the 1930s. The level of gore and violence was pioneering, and much condemned at the time — although this film, and Fisher/Hammer's subsequent Gothic horrors, can be seen as the forebear of the modern horror film.

Plot (possible spoilers)

In this version of the famous Mary Shelley tale, Baron Victor Frankenstein succeeds to his father's estate at a young age and is mentored by Paul Krempe (Urquart). As Victor grows up, the two become great friends, and they eventually collaborate on the Baron's scientific experiments. Krempe withdraws when the nature of the endeavour becomes clear, but Victor remains intent on creating life. Krempe stays at the castle in order to protect Victor's fiancee, Elizabeth. Victor murders the esteemed Professor Bernstein in order to use his brain for his creature; unfortunately, a struggle between Krempe and Victor damages the brain, and the resultant creature is both dumb and violent.

Cast

Peter Cushing
(Baron Victor Frankenstein)
Christopher Lee
(The Creature)
Hazel Court
(Elizabeth)
Robert Urquhart (Paul Krempe)
Valerie Gaunt (Justine)
Noel Hood (Aunt Sophia)
Melvyn Hayes
(Young Victor)

Additional crew

Cinematographer Jack Asher
Music James Bernard
Production Designer Bernard Robinson
Editor James Needs

Quotes

"In some ways I see Frankenstein as rather like Dr Robert Knox, the anatomist, not as villain, but as someone trying to make people understand that this envelope that we live in for three score years and ten is not important... had to close his one good eye to the way Burke and Hare supplied him with cadavers so that he could show how the human body ticks for the good of all mankind... I have always based my playing of Frankenstein on Robert Knox, though with variations based on the demands of the script and differing degrees of ruthlessness because no one will ever leave him alone to work." (Peter Cushing)

Sequels

The Revenge of Frankenstein (1958)
The Evil of Frankenstein
(1964)
Frankenstein Created Woman
(1967)
Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed
(1969)
The Horror of Frankenstein
(1970)
Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell (1973)

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for The Curse of Frankenstein ]

This page is based on the copyrighted Wikipedia article The Curse of Frankenstein; it is used under the GNU Free Documentation License. You may redistribute it, verbatim or modified, providing that you comply with the terms of the GFDL.

Searches on eBay