The Curse of Frankenstein

Summary

“What you are saying is nonsense – a revolt against nature!”

Hammer Studios has been given a lot of attention on Blu-ray over the last few years. Warner Archive has numerous Hammer titles including Dracula A.D. 1972, The Satanic Rites of Dracula, and The Horror of Dracula. Shout!Factory has released Dracula: Prince of Darkness, Frankenstein Created Woman, and many others recently. Now Warner Archive has released the film that essentially started the Hammer Horror genre as we know it – the 1957 film The Curse of Frankenstein starring Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Hazel Court, and Robert Urquhart. Directed by Terence Fisher, this was the first horror film by Hammer Studios to be offered in full color and specialize in the gothic and sometimes bloody imagery that set these films apart. Warner Archive has undergone a full 4K restoration of the film and provided the film in three aspect ratios over the span of two discs. This film has also received a generous helping of new supplemental materials, so fans of this film and Hammer Horror should definitely take note of this release.

As the film begins, in Switzerland, Baron Victor Frankenstein (Peter Cushing) sits in a cell. A barrister comes to the prison and is warned that Victor is raving mad. Victor convinces the man to listen to his tale. Years earlier – when Victor’s mother passes away, he is left with a sizable fortune as a young man. He enlists the help of scientist Paul Kremp (Robert Urquhart) as his tutor. Victor also supports the less wealthy family of Elisabeth, and her mother plans to have her marry him one day. Under the tutelage of Paul, Victor becomes an ingenious scientist. Their life’s work revolves around the resuscitation of life. They actually reach a point where their inventions are able to resuscitate small animals. Paul is satisfied at this point and wants them to go public with their work, but Victor is not content. Victor wants to give life to a human being. Against the advice of Paul, Victor begins to cobble together a body as a vessel for life. He starts by grabbing the cadaver of a hung man, but does not want to resuscitate the man as he stands. He dreams of putting the best scientific brain into the able body. Paul warns him that his ideas are dangerous and go against nature. At the same time, Victor’s promised bride Elisabeth (Hazel Court) arrives and they are wed. Fearing the change that has come over his pupil, and for the safety of Elisabeth, Paul stays on while Victor turns towards darker means to create his monster (Christopher Lee.)

When this film was released it was a game changer for the horror film world. Horror films had become fairly stale at the time. All of the best years of the Universal Horror films were past. When Terence Fisher decided to craft a Frankenstein film that would not borrow from the tropes created in the Universal Pictures films (partially to avoid any type of legal battle for the small studio,) he turned towards ideas that stood in sharp contrast to those films. Employing Jimmy Sangster to develop a screenplay that loosely borrowed from the novel by Mary Shelley, they crafted something totally new. In this film, and the numerous Frankenstein films to follow, the primary focus was not on the creature itself, but on mad scientist Victor. Instead of making Victor a likable protagonist, he is a philandering murderous sociopathic megalomaniac that is bent on wielding God-like power. It is a lot of fun to cast Victor as an Iago type villain. The writing is certainly a little theatrical and melodramatic, but it is a formula that works. 

After producing a memorable script, Terence Fisher worked with cinematographer Jack Asher to work in color but borrow liberally from the lighting techniques found in film noir.  With a production design focused on the Gothic elements, the Hammer aesthetic was born. To play Victor Frankenstein, trained theatrical actor Peter Cushing was cast. Cushing sank his teeth into the role and gave the character life. To play the creature, thespian Christopher Lee was cast. The design of the creature had to be strikingly different from the Universal Pictures version of Frankenstein’s monster. The design that was settled on for the creature is one of the most well-thought to be captured on celluloid. Christopher Lee, while not exactly given much in the way of dialogue, imbued the creature with a sense of sadness and anguish that comes across. This is no easy feat and I don’t know that it would be easily accomplished by a lesser actor. Both Hazel Court and Robert Urquhart round out the cast well.

One thing that I believe is worth mentioning is that I have seen this film described as “bloody” on numerous sites. While there are a couple instances where some blood is shown (including one instance in particular that stands out,) this film can easily be shown to an eight year old without any worry that they would have nightmares. While even the minor amount of bloodletting shown in this film was revolutionary for its time, the blood would flow much more often in later Hammer productions.

There is a lot to enjoy in The Curse of Frankenstein. We can all thank this film for providing a template that set the stage for one of the great runs in horror cinema. It is still a very entertaining film. Recommended.

Video

Warner Archive has done everything that they can possibly do to provide a good looking transfer in 1080p of The Curse of Frankenstein. From a new 4K scan, they have provided the film in two available aspect ratios – 1.67:1 and 1.85:1. They have also provided the film in open matte format of 1.33:1 as a bonus. I should start by saying that this is certainly the best that the film has looked, and probably is the best that the film will look. That said, the picture quality is still shows its age and budgetary limitations. It has the same drained color look that was common in Hammer pictures so the flesh tones are not extremely convincing. Fine detail is pretty darn good. While the film is not exactly a triumph on the Blu-ray format despite all the work that has gone into the restorations, it is likely the best that the film will ever look.

Audio

Warner Archive has provided a DTS-HD MA 2.0 track. The sound quality is pretty excellent. I had no trouble understanding the dialogue in the film. The score by James Bernard accentuates the film well and comes across well on the track. I did not notice any hiss or dropouts while watching the film.

Supplements:

• Two available aspect ratios from a 4K scan – 1.67:1 and 1.85:1.
• Audio Commentary – this brand new commentary by film historians Steve Haberman and Constantine Nasr is an enjoyable exploration into the production of the film, the cinematography by Jack Asher, and Hammer Horror in general. 
• Newly remastered 1.37:1 Open Matte version of feature – this is how many people experienced the film on television growing up. Really cool to see this included.
• The Resurrection Men: Hammer, Frankenstein and the Rebirth of the Horror Film – a well done piece on the evolution of Hammer Horror and its place in history.
• Hideous Progeny: The Curse of Frankenstein and the English Gothic Tradition – an enjoyable discussion of the Gothic motifs in the Hammer films.
• Torrents of Light: The Art of Jack Asher – this is my favorite piece out of the bunch. Jack Asher’s contribution to Hammer films can not be overstated and this is a great piece.
• Diabolus in Musica: James Bernard and the Sound of Hammer Horror
• Original Theatrical Trailer

Overall Scores:

Video – 4/5

Audio – 4.5/5

Supplements – 4.5/5

Overall – 4.5/5

Warner Archive’s Two-Disc Blu-ray release of The Curse of Frankenstein is an essential purchase for fans of Hammer Horror. The team at Warner obviously care about this title a tremendous amount for them to have crafted some great supplemental features and provide three different viewing experiences of the film. Director Terence Fisher cemented the Hammer aesthetic with his film and actors Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee gave iconic performances as Frankenstein and his creature. The video transfer of the film comes from a 4K scan, but expectations should be kept realistic. Overall, this is a great release by Warner Archive.