Runtime: 99 minutes
Directed by: Rowland V. Lee
Starring: Basil Rathbone, Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Lionel Atwill, Josephine Hutchinson
From: Universal
Suddenly, Young Frankenstein makes more sense to me...
As it's been far too long since viewing anything from the 30's or 40's-and during this time of year I see a few films of that vintage-about darn time I see the third film in a franchise where I find the first two to be classics. Getting to see Karloff as the monster one last time was something I should have done ages ago, but there certainly are other reasons to check this out. Lionel Atwill's performance as the town's inspector w/ a prosthetic arm was so peculiar, it was a natural for that character to be spoofed in Young Frankenstein.
Then again, you shouldn't think of this as the main source for what Young Frankenstein parodied. After all, Baron Wolf von Frankenstein (Basil Rathone) never proclaims that his surname is actually pronounced “Fronkensteen”... although, the villagers aren't happy when he and his family relocate to his dad's castle. Wolf locates The Monster and revives it. What misfortune then that it only listens to the conniving Ygor, unforgettably portrayed by Bela Lugosi. As the town's haunted by the past, so is the son haunted by the actions of his father... and Ygor was a criminal hanged for his crimes and somehow survived so he's haunted by those that sent him to the gallows.
What a Gothic delight the film is: the score, the odd Expressionistic sets, the rural villagers, the rainy nights. The story was more gripping than I expected, with the son becoming dangerously obsessed with his father's work, Ygor being the most memorable character & Lugosi delivering perhaps the best performance of his career. There is a young boy who many may at least be mildly irritated by (and for having parents that don't speak this way at all, as an amazing Southern drawl) but please don't let that dissuade you from checking out a motion picture better than expected. If you love Whale's original and Bride, then this is a must.
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