EDGE OF SANITY (Blu Ray from Arrow Video) -original release 1989 . color. 85 minutes. Arrow U.S.Blu Ray release June 21,2022 . NTSC Widescreen 1.85:1 Region A s.r.p. $ 39.95
During the 1970s and 1980s, Anthony Perkins gave amazing performances on film (FFOLKES,Universal,1980 ), television (LES MISERABLES, CBS,1979 ; THE GLORY BOYS ,Yorkshire TV,1984) and on stage ( magnificent on Broadway as Dr Dysart in EQUUS,1975).
Yet, even with his wide body of work , he was still stalked by his own creation, that of the cinematic ideal of Norman Bates in Hitchcock’s masterpiece PSYCHO (Paramount) . So powerful and indelible was his portrayal that he could not escape it.
He accepted that was to be how people would see him and so he did two theatrical and one tv sequels, as was as spoofing himself on tv on Saturday Night Live to promote one of them. Thus, the remaining ten years of his life were mostly variants of his twitchy Norman Bates persona.
One of the better ones was in Ken Russell’s CRIMES OF PASSION (New World ,1984, , available on Blu Ray from Arrow ). Five years later, he added Norman to EDGE OF SANITY, adding it to a retelling of The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll & M Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson(1886) and a Jack The Ripper variant. In some territories, the film was known as DR. JEKYLL & MR. HYDE.
In EDGE OF SANITY , sex & cocaine are mixed into the formula of this 1880s set thriller. A young boy witnesses a couple having sex but is soon discovered & beaten for his voyeurism. During the beating , the young boy imagines the woman laughing at him is covered in blood . This is shown to be a dream memory , as an adult Dr Jekyll awakes in a sweat. His wife asks him if anything is wrong ,but he shrugs her away and, grabbing his cane, walks down to his laboratory.
Dr Jekyll (Perkins) has been working on an experiment to explore the human personality. To that end , he mixes unknown chemicals with cocaine and ether . The experiment seems to work, as he becomes a twisted , stringy haired paler faced version of himself who calls himself Edward Hyde. This new persona is also stronger, & no longer needs his walking stick ,though he makes other uses for it during the film.
Freed of his inhibitions, he goes down to the Whitechapel area of London. Hyde enjoys the pleasures of the bars & brothels ,too much so . His encounter with a prostitute result in him killing the woman. From then on, it is a sleazy mix of sex & violence.
Director Gerard Kikoine was better known for his soft porn & hardcore output . His work must have been stylish ( he did work with Radley Metzger, the auteur of soft & hardcore cinema ) since it caught the attention of Harry Alan Towers. Towers was a master of putting together international deals and getting recognizable names to appear in them. He collaborated again with the director & composer for the film BURIED ALIVE (21st Century, 1989), a film notable as the last film that John Carradine directly worked upon.
Mixing Jekyll & Hyde with Jack the Ripper is not new. During the actual Ripper Murder spree ( April to November 1888). actor Richard Mansfield was portraying the dual role of Dr Jekyll & Mr. Hyde . He began the role in 1887 in his own adaptation of the story just 1 year after the story was published.
Mansfield in his adaptation made many of the changes still carried over into most adaptations since his play, including adding women to the piece, Dr Jekyll being a sympathetic character , and increasing the presence and importance of the law in the character of Inspector Newcomen. The show was a huge hit in its initial Boston & New York performances . Mansfield took his production to the Lyceum Théâtre in London. It too was well received ,at first. Then the Ripper killings began. Mansfield’s onstage transformation into the murderous Mr. Hyde had several of the more gullible convinced that he could not be able to portray such a character unless he himself was a dual personality, and possibly the Ripper himself! The terrible comments affected the box office & Mansfield closed the production. He did continue to play the roles on & off for almost two decades , including several Broadway revivals. He died on August 30,1907 at age 50.
Hammer Films mixed the two stories of Jack with Jekyll & Hyde while throwing in some Burke & Hare in their gender swapping Dr Jekyll & Sister Hyde (Hammer/AIP ,1971). This could have been a disaster or poor sex farce but the clever script by Brian (tv’s Avengers series)Clemens, skillful direction by Roy Ward Baker, beautiful top notch production design and cinematography, and the wonderful performers make this a sadly neglected Hammer gem.
EDGE OF SANITY was not as well crafted. It received mixed to negative reviews. It really did not find its audience until its release to home media , first by Virgin Video then in ep speed by Video Treasures. Both were cropped & foggy looking, the latter with increased grain.
MGM released a much better print on DVD , which was cropped on one side of the disc, & widescreen on the other (did anyone ever watch the cropped copy on these DVDS willingly?).
Now , Arrow continues finding and restoring obscure films for rediscovery and reappraisal.
First , they went to the original 35mm (remember 35mm ?) camera negative , cleaned it up and gave it a brand new Hi Def 1080p restoration. The difference is quite evident when watched in comparison to the MGM DVD. There seems to be more screen image on the side of the frames (1.85:1) , and the clarity, sharpness and colors really are superior to the older release.
The sound is also superior to the older prints. Perkins at times whispers his lines when not taking the crazy to eleven, and you ended up adjusting the levels throughout. Now, even his lower spoken lines are clear and audible. LPCM 2.0 stereo.
Just in case, there are easy to read SDH English subtitles .
There is an informative running commentary by filmmakers David Flint & Seth Hogan .
Other extras on this disc include :
Over The Edge – new interview for this release with Stephen Thrower, author of NIGHTMARE USA (FAB PRESS,2007).
Jack, Jekyll, & Other Screen Psychos – a new interview for this release with Dr Clare Smith, who wrote JACK THE RIPPER IN FILM & CULTURE ( Palgrave/MacMillan,2016)
Both interviews compliment each other, one covering the film , the other the fascination we have with Jack The Ripper.
Not included with the review copy is the magnificent Graham Humphreys slipcover with reversible artwork.
Also not included with the review copy is film critic & film historian (Candyman (Auteur, 2018)) Jon Towlson’s illustrated collective booklet(included with first pressings only!)
I must admit watching this new release has given me a better appreciation of the film. For example, the score by Frederic Talgorn (it seems to have been his first) is lush and orchestral in a time when cheap synth scores were more the norm. Ditto too the cinematography by Tony Spratling is sharp and makes effective use of color in a style which hints at Argento. The costumes are good , though one character who plays a pimp looks like he just stepped out of a Culture Club music video . The Bucharest locations make the film look like a much bigger production than it really was .
Perkins sadly would pass away September 12, 1992, at age 60 . Perkins himself led a dual existence, having to hide his real personality ,and undergoing psychoanalysis to “cure” himself. He married actress Berry Berenson, had two sons , & were happy , though he could not deny who he was.
In 1990 , the sleazy National Enquirer gained access to a blood sample that Perkins had given in an unrelated test , and they sprayed the news ‘Psycho Star Has AIDS’. This is how the actor himself found out that he was infected. Before he passed , he issued this public statement :
“There are many who believe this disease is God’s vengeance. But I believe it was sent to teach people how to love and understand and have compassion for each other. I have learned more about love, selflessness and human understanding from people I have met in this great adventure in the world of AIDS, than I ever did in the cutthroat, competitive world in which I spent my life.”
Worth getting for fans of Anthony Perkins or / and the works of producer of Harry Alan Towers and those interested in Jack the Ripper, Jekyll & Hyde , and eighties horror.
Richard E. Cunha, the man who brought us GIANT FROM THE UNKNOWN (see review ),MISSLE TO THE MOON, SHE-DEMONS , all Astor horror/sci fi films , tried his hand with adding a new family (dis)member to the Frankenstein line.
The year prior, Hammer /WB and AIP both experienced boffo box office by reviving the creation from the mind of Mary Shelley. Both had small budgets (£ 65,000, or approximately $270,000 for CURSE OFFRANKENSTEIN, with I WAS A TEENAGE FRANKENSTEIN costing about half of that amount).
Astor wanted in , and with a budget of around $60 grand & a tight six- day shoot, FRANKENSTEIN’S DAUGHTER was born. This was Cunha’s longest film(his other clock in usually at 77-78 minutes) but the gonzo goings-on make it seem one of his fastest paced films.
Boris would like a word
Oliver Frank (Donald Murphy ,who played Virgil Earp in the William Castle directed MASTERSON OF KANSAS, Columbia, 1954) works for elderly Dr Morton (Swiss born Felix Locher, who was the real-life father of Jon Hall, but who himself didn’t start acting himself until he was 73 in HELL SHIP MUTINY, Republic, 1957). Oliver Frank, it is revealed is the grandson of the original Dr Frankenstein (oddly, REVENGE OF FRANKENSTEIN ,Columbia ,1958, ends with the doctor using the alias of Dr Frank). However, the title Grandson of Frankenstein is a bit clunky, so it is his creation the film’s title refers.
Oliver has been experimenting on Trudy Morton (Sandra Knight, who later married & divorced her later costar Jack Nicholson whom she met on THE TERROR, AIP,1963, before she switched to being a painter https://www.sandraknight.com/# ), slipping her experimental drugs that make her change into hideous creature (that resembles Frida Kahlo with a nasty overbite )to roam the streets at night . She of course , thinks that she only is having nightmares .
Oliver’s big wish , however, is to create life from scratch, or stiches, just like grandpa did . Trudy’s friend (Sally Todd, the Feb 1957 Playmate of the Month)has the misfortune to be run over by Oliver , who truly only wants her for her brains.
Frank was truly mad….
“We’re aware the female mind is conditioned to a man’s world. It therefore takes orders, where the other ones didn’t.”
Mad & misogynist Olivier Frank places the brain into his creation, & with the assist of Elsu the gardener (Wolfe Barzell ,who mostly appeared in small roles on TV) ,he creates …what is supposed to have been a female creation.
Oddly , no one seemed to have told casting or makeup artist Harry Thomas ,for the monster was portrayed by Harry Wilson. Besides playing character parts in films like ONE MILLION B.C.(Roach, 1940),the British born Wilson ,who ,like Rondo Hatton, was afflicted with acromegaly , also had a career as Wallace Beery’s stand in & double . Here, the ex-wrestler has work that resembles the half-melted face TorJohnson had in Ed Wood’s NIGHT OF THE GHOULS (Atomic ,1959),which also had makeup by HarryThomas. When they discovered the gender of the creature, a bit of lipstick was added. Still , the makeup is effective, especially with work created from only the contents of a make-up case.
Throw in a rather bland John Ashley as Johnny ,who’s acting grew MORE bored as the decades went on , Page Cavanaughand His Trio performed the song “Special Date” with Harold Lloyd Jr. singing , & 2 rather ineffectual police officers and you have most of the people in this flick. Poor Harold Lloyd Jr lived in the shadow of his famous father, and he was alcoholic from an early age. Plus, he was a homosexual when it was socially unacceptable. He did have a singing career, which was interupted when he had a stroke in 1965, from which he never fully recovered, dying just 3 months after his father in 1971.
The film continues on its gonzo way, with Trudy transforming & getting bug eyes for a while, Elsu massaged on the shoulders to death, John Ashley fighting the monster, throwing Acid ,missing the creature but hitting Oliver(oops), giving him a melted face (the make up here is very effective , and better served by only showing it for a moment) ,then the poor creature ignites itself ,resulting in self-immolation(Oops!).
The film ends on a return to “normalcy,” with Johnny & Trudy swimming ,Johnny telling Trudy the wedding vows, emphasizing “OBEY!” Has Trudy avoided one man controlling her (albeit in a stitched together body) for another man expecting her servitude? We don’t get much time to think on this , as Johnny pushes Harold Lloyd Jr into the pool, and everyone laughs. THE END.
The funny thing is, I rather enjoyed this film because of its craziness . Trudy feels that she is dreaming, & perhaps she is ,bringing us along. It is like it is a cinematic haunted house ride , twisting & turning with various things happening as it clatters along . A guilty pleasure ,perhaps, but still a pleasure, hopelessly misogynistic as it is.
This film & indeed many of the Astor Studio releases have passed into public domain. The quality ,or lack thereof ,on late night tv or cheap vhs tapes made these films look less competently made then they were .
The print that they use is from an original camera negative and given the 4K restoration treatment. The resulting image is sharp with nice gray scales and deep black tones. I do not recall any film damage or speckling upon the image.
The DTS-HD dual mono sound is crisp and clear.
Optional Easy to read subtitles are available in English & Spanish.
Extras include: –a running commentary track .
–RICHARD E CUNHA: FILMMAKER OF THE UNKNOWN –Ballyhoo Motion Pictures creates another wonderful mini documentary , which includes footage of director Richard Cunha ( March 4, 1922 – September 18, 2005) himself commenting upon his work and career.
–JOHN ASHLEY : MAN FROM THE B’s – Film historian and writer /director C. Courtney Joyner (LURKING FEAR , Full Moon, 1994) comments upon the career of actor/singer/producer John Ashley (December 25, 1934 – October 3, 1997). A chance encounter with John Wayne led to his acting career starting in 1957, to becoming a producer in 1971, leading to him becoming one of the producers of the major tv hit ,THE A TEAM (Universal, 1983-87).
Is FRANKENSTEIN’S DAUGHTER a classic ? Heck no. Is it a fun film you will go back to again & again ? I would think so !
THE HOUSE ON SORORITY ROW (1983) (MVD Rewind Blu-ray S.E.) – Color. 91 mins. R. Regions A, B, C. $29.95 s.r.p.
THE HOUSE ON SORORITY ROW (Film Ventures) came out during the height of the slasher films of the 1980s. First time writer director Mark Rosman was partially inspired by the French Classic LES DIABOLIQUES (Cinedis,1955), though the killer was obviously inspired by the one in the successful FRIDAY THE 13th (Paramount ,1980). Originally titled Seven Sisters, it was shot in Pikesville Maryland in the summer of 1980, with additional photography taking place in Los Angeles.
Given a limited release at first in late 1982, the distributor expanded it in January ,1983, where it reached Number One at the box office, earning $10.6 million at the box office, not to mention various video releases and cable showings. Not bad for a film that cost less than half a million to make.
The 2009 remake (Summit, the people who gave us the TWILIGHT films, need I say more?) was one of those films that was almost instantly forgettable WHILE you watched it. The original, though not perfect, is worth revisiting over and over.
The plot has 7 sorority sisters who, while celebrating their graduation, accidentally kill their house mother DorothySlater (Lois Marie Kelso, making her screen debut at age 53) when a prank goes wrong and she ends up dead in their pool.
While they decide what to do next, someone else is going around killing people. Can the women hide the crime, and uncover who is going around killing people, including whittling down the members of their society?
As stated, THE HOUSE ON SORORITY ROW has been available on Home Video in the U.S. from Vestron (VHS), DVD from Elite, then a 2- disc set from Scorpion, who then released the title on Blu Ray in 2018.
This new MVD REWINDBlu Ray release is markedly superior to the old Elite DVD (I do not have the Scorpion release for comparison). The picture is infinitely sharper with brighter colors. Flesh tones are superior in the new release, and the sound is ultra-sharp, with the dialogue, sound effects, and score by Richard Band coming through cleanly & hiss free.
The print used was given a good cleaning and a hi-def (1080p) release, in 1.78:1 aspect ratio. The film’s sound is available in LPCM 2.0 stereo, and an alternate version of the film presented in mono audio, with a new director approved pre credit sequence that was more to Roseman’s original vision.
Other extras are :
Audio Commentary with director Mark Rosman (still active, working on various tv productions), who gives an informative and honest history of the film.
A second commentary track with the director joined with two of the stars, Eileen Davidson (now a mainstay on the daytime soap opera THE YOUNG AND THE RESTLESS, CBS, since 1984) and Kathryn McNeil (recently seen in the powerful mini-series THEM, Amazon,2021).
Get the Pool skimmer.
Short interviews with Roseman, Davidson, McNeil ,and fellow actress Jane Kozak ( recently on THE SHOW MUST GOONLINE ,where actors from around the world did readings of Shakespeare’s plays in the order they are believed to have been written ),composer Band(still composing ,with DON’T LET HER IN just having been released by Full Moon in 2021) and producer Igo Kantor (who passed away in October ,2019 , having produced such films as MUTANT, Film Ventures,1984 where he replaced original director Rosman with John “Bud” Cardos , and KINGDOM OF THE SPIDERS, Dimension ,1977 ) .
Also available are storyboards with an alternate ending
The original theatrical trailer and tv spots.
Optional English subtitles.
Reversible cover art .
If you do not have this thriller in your collection, I suggest you may wish to add this Special Edition to your horror blu- ray library.
Recommended .
-Kevin G Shinnick
If you would like to contribute to SCARLET THE FILM MAGAZINE,
FLIGHT TO MARS (1951) was one of the first science fiction films to deal with interplanetary travel that was not a serial. That said, with its alien civilization where they speak perfect English subplot, it is not too far removed from the Flash Gordon episodes that had gone before.
It was an expensive production for Monogram Pictures, better known for Bowery Boys and inexpensive programmers. Luckily, the year prior, ROCKETSHIP X-M (Lippert,1950) and DESTINATION MOON (Paramount,1950) proved that there was an audience for these kinds of adventures.
Monogram was beginning to try and transition into more expensive pictures and began to use color in their films. Cinecolor was a two-color process, rather than the pricier three strip Technicolor or the Ansco Color favored by MGM on several films before LUST FOR LIFE (MGM,1956) became the last in that process.
Even though it was an expensive project for the studio, a lot of material from other studios was repurposed or rented for the production, including sets and props from ROCKETSHIP-XM, as well as leftover military surplus, like the leather flight jackets and helmets.
Still, there are a lot of original costumes, sets, and props, as well as the several special effects shots, making this film more impressive when you learn that, according to the late star Cameron Mitchell, the actors completed their work in only five days!
Though the effects are attributed to Jack Cosgrove, who had worked on GONE WITH THE WIND (MGM,1939), it seems most of the work was done by the uncredited effects team of Jack Rabin, Louis DeWitt, and Irving Block. Some of the work they did on this film was echoed on the later FORBIDDEN PLANET (MGM,1956).
FLIGHT TO MARSFORBIDDEN PLANET
The film was directed by Lesley Selander, an odd choice, as he had directed mostly westerns, though he had directed with great style one of Republic’s few horror features, THE VAMPIRE’S GHOST (1945). The short shooting schedule of this film would allow little in the way of directorial flourishes, but he kept the story going in a clear manner.
Screenwriter Arthur Strawn had written the 1944 Broadway farce SLEEP NO MORE (that played all of seven performances!) but had been writing screenplays since the 1930s, including the classic Karloff thriller THE BLACK ROOM (Columbia, 1935).
The first earth expedition to Mars is made up of reporter Steve Abbott (Cameron Mitchell, who was coming off a Theatre World Award winning performance as Biff in the original production of DEATH OF A SALESMAN on Broadway as well as recreating his role in the 1951 Columbia film),who is their to record the historic event ,the expedition leader Dr. Lane (John Litel, who in real life had enlisted in the French Army during WWI because he didn’t want to wait for the U.S. to enter the fray, and he was twice decorated for bravery!) ,Professor Jackson(Richard Gaines, who appeared that same year in Billy Wilder‘s ACE IN THE HOLE , Paramount), engineer Jim Barker (Arthur Franz ,BUD ABBOTT & LOU COSTELLO MEET THE INVISIBLE MAN ,Universal, 1951) and Carol , his assistant (Virginia Huston, FLAMINGO ROAD,W.B.,1949).
There is talk about the dangers of the voyage, knowing that any number of things could happen that would result in their deaths (someone must have seen ROCKETSHIP -XM). Sure enough, they encounter a meteor that damages some of their equipment, including their radio and landing gear. The Professor crash lands the ship, still hoping to collect data that they can send back, even though they themselves may never return to earth.
Donning outfits better suited for a B-25 than an extraterrestrial expedition, they discover that there are intricate structures created by an advanced civilization. Sure enough, they are met by a group of Martians in colorful space suits and helmets. Ikron (Morris Ankrum, who switched sides, as he had been Dr Fleming in ROCKETSHIP X-M!) informs the earthlings that they have been monitoring Earth transmissions and thus have learned their languages, keeping the film moving rather than a long time figuring out how to communicate. Kiron is the current President of the Martian PlanetaryCouncil, and he invites the visitors to see their vast underground city.
The Martian civilization is advanced in many ways, though it seems all the women are incredibly young and wear miniskirts (well, STAR TREK,Paramount TV, 1966-69 did the same) while most of the men seem middle aged or older. Seeing the scientific advances, the earth crew asks for help with repairing their spaceship, to which the Martians eagerly agree. We find out that the Martians an atmosphere by use of a material called Corium . We soon learn that their supply of the mineral is depleted.
Ikron and the council plan to fix the ship, copying it and using this new fleet to make a mass exodus to earth. Alita (Marguerite Chapman, later in Hammer’s THE LAST PAGE /MAN BAIT ,1952 directed by Terence Fisher), one of the Martian scientists, helps with the repairs, unaware of the plans of the council. Also helping is Terris (Lucille Barkley, who appeared in the 1951 Universal surprise hit, BEDTIME FOR BONZO). Terris is spying upon the visitors and the progress of the repairs, reporting back to Ikron.
Jim begins to suspect what the Martians are up to and fakes an explosion. He then informs the other crew members that the ship is really ready and will take off the next day , with the addition of Alita and Tillamar (Robert Barrat, who had been acting on Broadway as far back as 1918,and who in 1950 played the Judge in the Sam Fuller picture BARON OF ARIZONA, Lippert ,1950),a former Council President who is sympathetic to the humans.
There is a desperate getaway attempt after Terris reports her suspicions to the council, but the ship takes off, bound back for earth.
The film is a fun pulpy science fiction film that exhibits the mindset of the times in which it was made (when asked what she would like to see in the Martian Civilization, Carol first wants to see- a kitchen!!).
Long available in blurry prints, FILM DETECTIVE has sourced their new 4K restoration copy from an original 35MM Cinecolor Separation Negative, giving us a much clearer idea of how great the film must have looked when it was first released. The copy is superbly clean, and the mono sound is reproduced cleanly.
There are also optional subtitles in either English or Spanish.
Other extras include :
A running commentary by film historian Justin Humphreys (co -author with William Goldstein of THE DR PHIBES COMPANION, Bear Manor ,2020). Justin is not afraid to point out the flaws of the film but is also quick to defend its entertainment value as well, and the difficulty of doing a color science fiction film back in the early 1950s with a low budget.
WALTER MIRISCH: FROM BOMBA TO BODY SNATCHERS– a new documentary about the producer who helped Monogram evolve into Allied Artists, while attracting bigger names and better productions to the studio, before he left and formed his own production company, producing some of the biggest hits in the 1960s like WEST SIDE STORY (UA,1960). Being a Ballyhoo documentary, you know that it is informative and very well done, hosted by filmmaker C. Courtney Joyner (screenwriter of PRISON, Empire,1987).
Interstellar Travelogues: Cinema’s First Space Race – a celebration of sci fi space race films hosted by Hugo winning artist historian Vincent Di Fate. It examines the importance of the earlier German film Frau im Mond (DEFA,1929) and moves forward to cover a few other films that dealt with interplanetary flight that followed. Oddly, it ignores Himmelskibet (Denmark ,Nordisk Films,1918) ,which was probably the first film to have a space exploration of Mars.
Himmelskibet
The documentary was an interesting idea, and I wish it had been expanded to go into greater depth of that film and those that followed, like PROJECT MOONBASE (Lippert 1953) and CONQUEST OF SPACE (Paramount ,1955). The recording of Di Fate sounds like it was from an older tape recording or a phone call, being a bit echoey. Still the information is fascinating to hear.
Inside the slipcover is a small booklet that has an essay by Don Stradley that covers the production of FLIGHT TO MARS as well as other films that visited the Red Planet.
If you are a fan of pulpy science fiction films, I can recommend that you pick up The Film Detective’s release of FLIGHTTO MARS.
-Kevin G Shinnick
FLIGHT TO MARS on Blu Ray and DVD is available on Amazon and other fine DVD/Blu Ray dealers.
If you would like to contribute to SCARLET THE FILM MAGAZINE,
We are pleased to present another chapter from the now just released new book covering the classic Universal monster films, going from THE INVISIBLE MAN RETURNS ,1940 ( see our preview : https://tinyurl.com/udjxvcw )to 1948’s ABBOTT & COSTELLO MEETS FRANKENSTEIN.
One point that I would like to make. There are certain toxic members of fandom who feel that they PERSONALLY own the classic films and make snarky comments about others who dare to cover the genre . These people need to realize that others love these films and have the right to write about the movies . The “toxics” can of course voice an opinion , but they need to review the work itself and not make lame childish swipes to make themselves feel superior . Fan was derived from “fanatic” , and the toxics bring negativity to what is supposed to be an enjoyable exchange of ideas on a subject that we all enjoy .
Now , with that out of the way , SCARLET is glad to share another chapter of this new book . This chapter : THE GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN:
The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942)
Synopsis: We open in the village of Frankenstein, as the villagers receive the mayor’s permission to blow up the remains of Castle Frankenstein, which they see as the cause of all the misfortune that has befallen them. This proves to be harder than anticipated, for Ygor – the broken-necked, vengeful blacksmith from Son of Frankenstein – is not above tossing a few rocks at them from a parapet. Fleeing to the castle’s nether-regions for safety, Ygor espies a hand sticking out of the now-hardened sulfur pit. Digging in, he is astonished to see that the hand belongs to the arm of the Frankenstein Monster who – albeit somewhat the worse for wear – is still alive. Freeing his “friend,” Ygor leads the Monster off into the nearby woods.
A thunderstorm rises suddenly, and the Monster is struck by lightning; remarkably, rather than destroying him, the lightning restores his strength. Putting two and two together, Ygor leads his friend off to Vasaria, wherein dwells Dr. Ludwig Frankenstein, younger son of the mad scientist who first cried out, “It’s alive!” Somehow, despite his bearing one of the most unique and infamous surnames in all of Germania, Ludwig has avoided being associated with his father’s woeful experiments by everyone in the vicinity – and that includes his daughter, Elsa. While Ygor is putting the arm on Ludwig, the Monster has killed one of the locals and is now in police custody. Only after Ygor threatens to spill the beans about Ludwig’s patronymic does the good doctor head down to the courthouse to see about the Monster. The Monster, possibly seeing a family resemblance and sensing an ally, is nonetheless enraged when Ludwig denies knowing anything about him, and bursting his chains, runs off to the hills again, accompanied by Ygor.
Come nightfall, the pair make for the castle Frankenstein, where the Monster tears through the doctor’s laboratory in an effort to carry off Elsa, killing assistant Dr. Kettering in the process. Both Monster and Ygor are overcome by gas pumped in through the air ducts, and Ludwig – determined to disassemble the Monster piece by piece – asks Dr. Bohmer for advice and assistance. Bohmer talks Ludwig out of the dissection and suggests that the placement of a normal brain inside the Monster’s body might result in a creature who is an actual boon to mankind. Seeing as he has Kettering’s brain on hand, Ludwig agrees and prepares for the operation. Bohmer, looking to regain his professional reputation (tarnished by past experiments-gone-wrong), conspires with Ygor to place the blacksmith’s brain in the Monster’s skull instead of Kettering’s. In the meanwhile, the Monster has kidnapped young Cloestine – a child who has acted in a friendly fashion toward him – and brings her to the laboratory, insisting that her brain go into his head. Ludwig straightens things out (in the course of which Ygor is crushed behind a sturdy door by his erstwhile “friend”), preps the Monster for the transplant, and then – unbeknownst to him – connects Ygor’s brain to the Monster’s circuitry, thanks to Bohmer.
Back at the village, everyone is frantic about the Monster having vanished and the sudden disappearance of Cloestine. As they prepare to storm the castle, Elsa’s boyfriend, Erik Ernst, confers with Ludwig, who informs him that – the operation having been quite successful – the Monster’s personality is now that of the gentle Dr. Kettering. All – except for Dr. Bohmer – are shocked when the Monster, now speaking with Ygor’s voice, boasts that with his newly recovered strength he will rule the world! Moments later, though, the Monster is apparently going blind, due to incompatibility of blood types. While the angry mob breaks into the castle, the Monster, raging about the laboratory sends Bohmer crashing to his death into an electric panel. Thrashing about wildly, he knocks chemicals onto the floor, where they combine to set the place afire. Erik and Elsa escape with their lives, but Ludwig and the Monster perish in the flames .
Much of the fun one has with Universal’s Frankenstein series, of course, is to be found in marveling over nomenclature and inconsistencies. The 1931 Frankenstein originally keyed in on the epic missteps taken by Colin Clive’s Henry Frankenstein in an abandoned watchtower high in the hills above the village of Goldstadt. “Missteps” is a moral evaluation of Henry’s purposeful experiments, which suffered also from muck-ups, like the breaking of the neck of the cadaver cut down from the gibbet, and the deceitful substitution by Fritz of an abnormal brain for the good one he dropped, having been startled by the dramatically inexplicable sounding of a gong at Goldstadt Medical College. (Said college is doubtless part of the larger Goldstadt University from which Dr. Pretorius will admit to having been “booted” in Bride.) Lying somewhere between missteps and muck-ups are also mysteries, such as why Henry is disturbed when Dr. Waldman informs him that the brain Fritz – Dwight Frye, enacting his second straight tormented sidekick for Universal – had filched had belonged to a criminal, when the first place Frankenstein had ventured in search of a brain was the body of someone publicly hanged by the neck (and presumably not for acts of charity). Or what was the logic behind issuing the new creation a pair of black platform shoes? Were these – like what would become the Monster’s trademark black suit – found in a cupboard someplace? Despite all this, we had our iconic “Frankenstein Monster.”
With Frankenstein a hit, Junior Laemmle’s production team had begun readying the world for The Return of Frankenstein – the sequel to the earlier sensation and the film that marked the reunion of James Whale and MaryShelley’s legacy – in 1933. Soon enough, the project was retitled Bride of Frankenstein, and it was bandied about by the publicity department that a “search” was underway for just the right actress to portray the titular bride. Although Colin Clive had reportedly been disappointed that his much-anticipated death scene at the end of the 1931 classic had been supplanted by Frederick Kerr’s toast to an heir for the “House of Frankenstein” and the need for his character to survive to experiment another day, he was happy to be involved in the sequel, which would open with his Henry and the Elizabeth of
… ummm… Mae Clarke? making good on the old baron’s toast. Okay. While Clarke would soon appear again at Universal with the increasingly popular Boris Karloff (Night World, 1932), she was either unavailable, unwilling, or unasked to come to the signing of contracts a couple of years later. For all the good-natured folderol of the supposed search for one bride or the other, there was little mystery as to with whom said “bride” would be paired. Only had Elizabeth’s heart been used to power up the female creature the Monster would briefly woo – as plotted in the original script – would anyone have paid a brass farthing to witness the goings-on of Valerie Hobson.
Although little flower-tossing Maria had ended up in the drink as she was bonding with the Monster in the 1931 original, the next time the Monster was a total emotional mess had to be when O.P. Heggie’s blind hermit sawed away at the “Ave Maria” in his cottage (a musical hommage to the Monster’s first, inadvertent victim?). In fact, following the clever opening badinage between Byron and the Shelleys, Bride gets underway as Maria’s dad, Hans (Reginald Barlow), spews righteous anger over his daughter’s death, a moment that allows the audience to recall the scene in which Maria’s dad, Ludwig (Michael Mark), had carried her lifeless body through the streets of Goldstadt in the earlier film. Hey, if Elizabeth can undergo such an amazing transformation (for the better, many argue), why not old Hans… errr… Ludwig?
And why can’t the torch- and whip-wielding Fritz metamorphose into the near-imbecilic Karl, in what would be DwightFrye’s third straight take on a half-wit at Universal? (Please recall that Frye’s appearance as a cogent, articulate reporter in Whale’s The Invisible Man [1933] was uncredited.) In his seminal It’s Alive: The Classic Cinema Saga of Frankenstein, film historian Gregory William Mank explains the hemi-demi-semi-nature of Frankenstein’s latest assistant:
To showcase Frye’s talents at lunacy and comedy, Whale combined two separate roles of the original script: Karl, ‘a bit of a village idiot,’ quoth the script, and Fritz, the ‘first ghoul’ who assists Pretorius, into simply Karl, who became both a village idiot and a ghoul and one of Frye’s most memorable performances .
Frankenstein’s Monster also became simply “Frankenstein” a lot sooner than it took the studio to acknowledge the maneuver via Basil Rathbone at the town railway station (please note: town also now apparently yclept “Frankenstein”) four years later. No one (that I’ve ever met, at any rate) ever raised an eyebrow over Henry Frankenstein’s having miraculously survived the climactic laboratory detonation that was set off by the jilted Monster (please ignore the long-shot to the contrary that somehow survived the final edit), or his subsequently making an honest woman of Elizabeth, or her bearing him a couple of sons, or his ending up a baron (the original script for the 1931 film had called for Frederick Kerr’s character to die of shock, thus passing the title down to Henry), or even that the “Henry” of the first two features turned out to be the “Heinrich” of the third .
Come that third – the Whale-less Son of Frankenstein of 1939 – and we learn that Heinrich und Elizabeth had a son, Wolf, who at some point married a redhead named Elsa, moved to the USA to teach at an American college, and had his own son, Peter. (The order in which these events occurred is of no importance.) Unlike his dad and grandfather (called plain old “Baron Frankenstein” in the 1931 film), Wolf goes by von Frankenstein, which can be translated of or from Frankenstein. Per our colleague, AllMovies.com reviewer Hans Wollstein, there’s a method to this morass:
If dear old Frederick Kerr’s character was a baron, then his son’s name should have been Heinrich, Baron von Frankenstein all along. Heinrich/Henry would have had his father’s family surname – which might well have been Müller or Schmidt – when he was CREATED Baron Frankenstein, at which point the “von” would then have been applied when spelled out. The title would have been awarded by the emperor, Wilhelm I, or his chancellor, Prince von Bismarck, and it would be in evidence from the costumes and setting.
Thus, God only knows what the family name of the baron and his progeny and their issue was “in reality.” If the men insisted on bearing the title that was evidently handed down from one generation to the next, they could wander about known only by it and their Christian name (Guten Tag!Ich bin Heinrich, Baron von Frankenstein!) Wolf either took a pass on the title (his brother, Ludwig – who gets embroiled in this mess in Ghost – didn’t toss his being a baron in anyone’s face, either) or adopted this short-cut en route to assimilating into the USA. A tempest in a teapot? Yessiree!, but we learn from that conductor’s timely interruption of Wolf’s diatribe that the eponymous terrain on which stand the family castle and old watch tower is a village large enough to be worthy of its own train station, grumbling populace, and hair-splitting Burgomeister: “We come to meet you, not to greet you!”
Again, there’s that bit of nonsense about just who is being touted in the picture’s title. Wolf is, of course, the son of Heinrich, “Maker of Monsters” (per the torch-inscribed snarl that someone managed to sneak in and scrawl onto his tomb); little Peter is the son of Wolf, and it is Peter’s precarious position (under the platform-shoe’d foot of the Monster) that leads his father to finally do something more action-oriented than playing darts. As for the Monster… well, Ygor’s intriguing insistence to Wolf that “Your father made him, and Heinrich Frankenstein was your father, too!” does little more than once again poke those viewers who had chuckled their way through the “Bride” kerfuffle some years earlier. (One of the kids with whom I formed a monster club a lifetime ago argued at the time – seriously, and not a little persuasively – that Karloff’s Monster in Son was the offspring of Karloff’s Monster from Bride, as the 1939 iteration was “not dressed” up in his trademark black suit, but instead “wore a sweatshirt.” So how, my old friend continued, could that Monster – the one kicked into the sulfur pit whilst accoutered in something akin to what we would now call a “fleece”-be the same Monster who was resurrected from the pit in The Ghost of Frankenstein ? We weren’t familiar with technical terms like “continuity in those days …)
Anyhow, with The Ghost of Frankenstein (why the “The” and why now?), we’re back at it; the ambiguity has returned with this, the first ‘40s execution of a radically ‘30s concept. Ghost-wise, one might opt for the ethereal Sir Cedric Hardwicke (transparent of figure and naked of scalp as Henry/Heinrich) as he lays a guilt trip on the corporeal Sir Cedric Hardwicke (who is weighted down with hair appliances) as Ludwig (no “von”) Frankenstein. Or one might take the low road and claim that Chaney’s initial appearance onscreen as the Monster – covered with “dried sulfur” and as white as any flour-dredged apparition in a Mantan Moreland comedy – gave him dibs on the meaning behind the title. Discussions like this one are always fun, even if they seldom matter; as neat a shot as the erstwhile House That Carl Built took in 1942, it was the very “Frankenstein” franchise that was but a shade of its former self .
James Whale had bailed after the first sequel – and he hadn’t much wanted to do that one until he was given assurance that his stylistic approach to the rest of Mary Shelley’s screed would be welcomed – and fama erat it was he who had contrived to have the Monster blown to atoms to save himself (and others) the trouble of yet another follow-up. Karloff had jumped ship after the second sequel; in his opinion, his beloved Monster was rapidly becoming a stooge, a henchman. Although only three films – quality outings, all – had been made, Boris felt that the integrity of the original concept was being sacrificed to Mammon. The gentle Briton was enough of a realist to understand that the undying Monster’s immortality was due to profitability, rather than to electricity or lightning, but enough of an idealist to quit while he – and his immortal alter-ego – was ahead of the game.
For a while, the actor had gone AWOL from the industry itself. While the boys at Universal’s publicity department were stirring up enough pap on the impending production to keep the trades and the dailies happy, the Great White Way had taken Boris Karloff and all his boogeyman baggage to its heart. Arsenic and Old Lace proved to be everything for the ‘40s-vintage actor that Frankenstein had been for his younger self. Boris found that his reputation had preceded him, and that he could bring down the house night after night by chalking up his latest murder to the victim’s unfortunate choice of words: “He said that I looked like Boris Karloff!” The word was out that the actor did not mind guying himself and was not at all upset about publicity pieces highlighting Jack Pierce’s famed makeup, those asphalt-spreaders boots, and/or even the unseen five-pound steel “spine” that the first film’s publicity campaign claimed was “the rod which conveys the current up to the Monster’s brain.”
Back at the studio, of course, the bullshit was flying fast and furious. A glance at the stuff that Universal’s PR staff cranked out for The Ghost of Frankenstein makes one doubt – if not outright disbelieve – anything he/she has ever heard about any of these films. The baloney stretched from the news of the “search” (Zounds! Déjà vu, all over again!) for a successor to Karloff to Greg Mank’s revelation of a “studio policy” that dictated which actors would always be seen in Frankenstein movies: uncredited, perhaps, but still Lawrence Grant’s Burgomeister was back, as were Michael Mark and Lionel Belmore as town councillors [sic] (despite their having been killed by the Monster in Son), Dwight Frye as a villager, and even Colin Clive, via stock footage – he had died of a combination of tuberculosis and alcoholism some five years earlier – as Henry/Heinrich Frankenstein’s younger/handsomer self. In on the never-ending stream of absurdity came prefab and ludicrously headlined pressbook articles like “Lon Chaney Appears as Monster in Horror Film” (as opposed to his appearing as a monster in a comedy of manners or a Civil War drama). With the nonstop peddling of blarney such as this, one might readily have come to the conclusion that Universal not only thought ten or so to be the age of the average horror moviegoer, but also that ten might be on the high side of that movie fan’s I.Q.
There’s probably more truth to that than any of us would care to admit. How old were my colleagues and I – and I’d venture to ask the same of many of the readership – when we first fell under the spell cast by Frankenstein, Dracula, The Mummy, or any of the old horror movies we still embrace so passionately? The TV fodder introduced by “Shock Theater” or “Son of Shock” at the end of the ‘50s had, in the ‘30s, been pitched to grownups; they offered offbeat takes on adult themes – life after death, medical ethics, forbidden love, etc., etc., – and served them up in the company of grotesques perfectly capable of scaring the drawers off the patrons. Come the ‘40s, and half the population was either overseas fighting the war, or involved in the home front outfitting the war. No one needed “adult” themes shoved down his or her throat, even if they were couched in greasepaint and putty; wartime anxiety, death, and deprivation provided enough unwelcome fodder without any help from Hollywood. Moviegoers were looking for escapism, and the grownups and the kids sought a breather from Hitler and Hirohito in the company of Kharis and Frankenstein.
And The Ghost of Frankenstein didn’t just fill the bill back in April of ’42, it was – critics be damned – a hit. Wartime ticket-buyers were a different breed than the seat-warming populace looking for a bit of relief from the Great Depression. The formula for most “B”-movies (please, let’s not get unrealistic about Ghost) seemed to be that mood was fine and the plot important, but pacing was everything. Especially in cases like this one – where most regular moviegoers knew the ongoing details of the story backwards, forwards, and inside out – the picture could forego footage usually devoted to exposition and cut right to the chase. (Would that the Son of Dracula crew had shared a beer with Ghost of Frankenstein’s.)
Many fans regard this picture as being the last “solo” appearance of the Monster. Heck, I maintain that that pitiable giant figure was never able to get by without his support system of mad scientists, deformed/demented assistants, and the like – all of whom would be in on the official count of monsters come the publicity campaigns for the House(s) ofFrankenstein and Dracula a couple of years down the road. The box office receipts in 1931 had assured that Henry Frankenstein’s problem child would become far too profitable for him to handle only once and far too risky for him to handle alone. Still, as the Monster returned for each successive misadventure, he became encumbered with extra weight that may have added dimension to the ongoing saga, but also robbed it of its innocence and purity.
Ghost was hardly a solo venture. Beginning with Son of Frankenstein, the Monster had been terrorizing the countryside, so to speak, under the influence of an evil genius – Ygor. In the first two films, Whale and Karloff crafted a Monster who was adept enough to tell right from wrong, to rescue an innocent from drowning after having inadvertently drowned another, to relish the moments of friendship and camaraderie with a person unable to judge a book by its cover, and so on and so forth. In Son, the Monster came to rely, almost blindly, on his broken-necked friend and to lash out at the most innocent of the assemblage (Peter) following Ygor’s death. Here, Chaney’s Monster – whose capacity for recognition (Ludwig at first, Cloestine later) is the most human of his virtues and for whom loyalty and friendship ultimately play no part – ignores, betrays, and finally kills his broken-necked comrade. With Lon under the makeup, no spark that might temper the supercharged Monster can be seen; none of the sensitivity of his predecessor – the originator of the role – survived the transition. While Ghost’s Monster latched onto a child, there was none of the childlike spark that permeated his predecessor’s take on the role. Karloff, by far the more cerebral of the two actors, gave us presence; Chaney, by far the more physical of the two, gave us volume.
Universal Horrors does a grand job of summing up the early aberrations of the script which the eponymous MagicImage Film Book volume includes in toto, so there’s little point into going into that here. Yet for all the effort at innovation – its new Monster, the new Frankensteins, and (save for the Messrs. Grant,Mark,Belmore,et al) the new villagers- Ghost is mired in a lot of same old same old.
Take the “fly in the ointment” wrinkle: from its inception, the cinematic Frankenstein success story included an element of surprise, both logical and unpredictable, which had led to a cocking up of the initial game plan. In 1931, the fly had been Fritz’s sneaky-ass substitution of the abnormal brain for the good one; this, (we were told) led to the Monster’s propensity to lash out violently whenever he was being whipped or seared with a torch. Bride’s fly was the woman; if the rallying cry of most men is “You can’t live with them, and you can’t live without them,” just who did the Monster think he was? More importantly, why would Henry Frankenstein imagine even for a moment that an old queen like Pretorius could concoct a female who would soothe the Monster’s troubled breast? In Son, Wolf (like the Monster) falls victim to Ygor’s mind-games and the loopy grandeur of the family residence; the resultant misguided drive to restore his father’s good name leads to his firing up the furnaces once again. (By comparison, the incredible 180 Frank Mannering pulls in 1943’s Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man is a total misfire. Even though his veins are completely free of Frankenstein blood, and he’s strengthened by the resolve of yet another [and curvier] Elsa [who’s standing close by his side], Mannering opts for the dark side only because, if someone doesn’t do something fast, the bell will ring and the audience will have to go home.)
Here, we have more wrinkles than Ayesha after that second fire. The Monster’s all for the transplant, but wants the brain of Cloestine (where do they get these names?) to sleep over forever. Ygor, the sly devil, plots to have his own noodle plopped into that square skull, as he can see where this would ease his way into prestige, power, and some real money. Dr. Bohmer, who at first doesn’t seem to do much other than hang around in his smock and suffer Ludwig Frankenstein’s thoughtless and insensitive comments, is lulled as much by a desire to marry his fist to Ludwig’s stiff upper lip as he is by Ygor’s silver tongue. Even with all this slumgullion boiling on the fire, one knows that the chances of Dr. Kettering’s brain making it into the Monster’s rigging start at zero and go down from there.
<The Monster wonders how someone else got Wolf Frankenstein’s jacket >
Another leftover from earlier installments has already been brought up for consideration: the Monster’s best suit. This – the absence of which in Son had sent Boris Karloff into rounds of kvetching (about “furs and muck”) that were not at all like him – was accepted with not so much as the blink of an eye upon its reappearance. Karloff had been right; the Monster’s Sunday best was part of the larger picture, as closely interwoven in the Frankenstein mythos as the Wolf Man’s work clothes and Dracula’s ever-crisp soup and fish were essential to their respective personas. The restoration of the basic black ensemble and its presence throughout the rest of the Universal canon only made the furry miscalculation in Son seem more of a head-scratcher than it had been originally.
Bela’s Ygor is a sight for sore eyes. Happily as resistant to small-arms fire as had been George Zucco’s Andoheb, the remarkably resilient high priest in the Kharis series, Ygor is hale, hearty, and – if an apparent good scrubbing and the periodontal work is any indication – in better shape than he was in the earlier feature. Along with his appearance, Ygor’s goals have been ratcheted up; ridding the village of old nuisances is no longer a pastime worthy of his attention. The crafty old blacksmith’s master plan now encompasses taking over the entire country! While this might be biting off more than any one man (or Monster) can chew, Ygor’s yodeling away that he now possesses “the strength of a hundred men” is a picture of megalomania unrivaled since Boris Karloff’s less exuberant but equally daft claims in Mask of Fu Manchu.
(And yet you have to wonder if, indeed, the Monster did grow stronger with each successive picture. In the first, Heinrich and the elderly Dr. Waldman [along with a hypodermic needle and a bludgeon] managed to wrestle him to the floor. Bride witnessed him being tied down and carried off – semi-crucified – by a mere dozen or so yokels, while in Son, a bit of momentum behind a well-placed kick was all it took to topple the Monster from his pins. Still, this sudden blossoming of superhuman power in the Monster’s mighty arms may exist only in Ygor’s feverish [and transplanted] mind; the only other times we hear of such outlandish claims are in the excised scenes between a gabby Ygor-cum-Monster and Larry Talbot in Ghost’s own son, Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man.)
Ghost marks the first time since Frankenstein that brains are bandied about like wholesale commodities, but the idea here seems particularly apt. You could watch any of Karloff’s three performances and see his Monster turning over thoughts and ideas in his mind. Even in Son (wherein Ygor does most of the mental heavy-lifting for the pair), his acceding to his partner’s decisions is visible. With the vintage-1942 Monster bearing inscrutable and near-frozen features, there is very little indication as to whether the lights are on upstairs and if, indeed, anyone is home. A new brain is clearly called for, but the plethora of available raw materials not only skirts the edge of risibility, but also foreshadows the “monster rally” sequels wherein frenetic brain-swapping would prove a plague on both houses.
So long as you don’t require much humanity amid the horrors and can get past his perpetual squint and scowl, Lon Chaney is not too bad as the Monster. His attachment to Cloestine is obviously meant to reflect the Karloffian viewpoint where children were concerned, but no more perfect image of the depths to which this concept had sunk can be had than the still whereon a stiff-limbed Eddie Parker (doubling for Chaney), clutching a wooden stand-in for Janet Ann Gallow, has just sent a buttocks-grabbing stuntman plunging to his out-of-frame mats. The childlike confusion on the Monster’s part that resulted in little Maria’s being tossed into the river had given way to slick contrivance. And again, as Chaney’s Monster offers no other sign of fidelity and is evidently capable of turning his rage toward anyone who stands in his way (including his old goombah, Ygor), no assurance is had that the brute might not dropkick the little girl 100 yards or so down the road if someone else were to become the apple of his eye. After all, Dr. Kettering is killed without so much as a second – or any – thought (although the impulsive action does free up a brain for future use); killing is what monsters do best, and Chaney’s giant is – first, last, and always – a monster.
The rest of the dramatis personae are fine – they almost always are in the Frankenstein series. Sir Cedric Hardwicke’s cool and imperturbable Ludwig is an interesting sibling to Basil Rathbone’s near-frantic Wolf, albeit the latter’s fairly constant state of near-hysteria makes him much more a chip off the old Heinrich than his younger brother. Ralph Bellamy does better by Erik Ernst than he did by Captain Montford in The Wolf Man, but this may be due to W. Scott Darling and Eric Taylor’s screenplay providing him with a more well-delineated part; said screenplay also gives the delectable Evelyn Ankers to him this time ‘round. Miss Ankers, in a role that’s essentially interchangeable with that of Gwen Conliffe in The Wolf Man, takes another step toward her accession of the title of ’40s Scream Queen. And Lionel Atwill is as enjoyable in his quieter moments (as when he’s glaring daggers while Ludwig runs off at the mouth at Bohmer’s expense) as he is in his premature snarl of triumph in the last reel.
Having all but snatched Son of Frankenstein away from Boris and Basil a couple of years earlier, Bela’s copping the honors in Ghost must have been a walk in the park for him. With Chaney portraying an unpredictable automaton, Bela runs the show, not realizing – until it’s too late – that although the Monster can recognize Ludwig Frankenstein (whom he has never met), he will fail to consider Ygor’s place in his heart while crushing the old boy behind the laboratory door. More so here than in Son, Lugosi’s blacksmith has to shift gears constantly; here, he goes from being the guy in the driver’s seat to the victim of his erstwhile friend’s petulance before being back (albeit quite briefly) on top of the world. Performance-wise, Bela is in command every step of the way, and had Chaney happened to glance sideways even once through those slits he used for eyes, he’d have learned more in a moment from Lugosi than he’d cadged from Erle C. Kenton during the entire 25-day shoot.
dir Earle C Kenton
Not up to the snuff introduced back in the ‘30s, The Ghost of Frankenstein was just fine, thank you, for the tastes of the next decade. Hans J. Salter’s pulsating score keyed the film’s more ominous moments, and both Woody Bredell and Milton Krasner performed the kind of visual magic in which Universal’s cinematographers were known to excel. (If the puffs in their respective press-books were meant to be taken – ahem! – at face value, the 1931 Monster stood seven feet tall, while Chaney’s goblin was merely six foot, nine. Nonetheless, this very minor discrepancy might explain why James Whale had Arthur Edeson’s camera capture the Monster head-on, while Erle C. Kenton had Krasner and Bredell constantly aim the lens up at the shorter of the giants. The following year, George Robinson – tasked with making Lugosi’s Monster as threatening as Eddie Parker’s [or even Gil Perkins’] in Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man, had to contend with changes in perspective in almost every scene.)
The New York Times’s Bosley Crowther – who never seemed to like much very much – ended his rather tepid review with an act of prognostication that was hardly a foregone conclusion in 1942: To be sure, the replenished monster is being consumed by fire when we see him last, but the thought that he may yet return for further adventures with his body and Lugosi’s sconce fills us with mortal terror. That is the most fearful prospect which the picture manages to convey. -4 April, 1942
Richard L. Coe, assigned the picture as part of his responsibilities at The Washington Post, took a somewhat unusual approach to informing his readership of the film’s story line: This morning we will discuss the love life of your old friend ‘Frankenstein,’ the monster who’s assumed, in the course of years, the name of his creator. This titivating subject has been raised on the Pix screen of ‘The Ghost of Frankenstein,’ a yarn employing, uh, should we say, talents of Sir Cedric Hardwicke, Lon Chaney, Jr., Lionel Atwill, and Bela Lugosi. But, of course, by now you’re palpitating for further details of this beguiling passion – what’s she like, is she pretty, how big is she?
The “beguiling passion” mentioned in this 1 May 1942 appreciation of the picture turns out to be Janet Ann Gallow’s Cloestine, and Coe – after averring that “Bela Lugosi becomes the town’s philosopher, a sort of perverted Frank Craven” – concludes with “… there are other things you can read in this morning’s paper, so we’ll let you go now.” Earlier that year, on the 25 March, the Los Angeles Times’ Philip K. Scheuer tersely opined that “It’s a spooky movie, all right, in the best Universal manner and fairly ingenious. At the close the monster goes down in flames again – but that doesn’t fool us for a minute. He’ll be back, girls; he’ll be back. Grr.” Yet another prediction, but one that was ultimately less impressive than Bosley Crowther’s.
A fast paced, atmospheric romp through familiar countryside, The Ghost of Frankenstein might well be the next logical step to Boris Karloff’s well-stated fear: the Monster as henchman. Pretty much a callow bully here, he had moved from a date that went tragically wrong to finding a homey with whom to hang to palling around with little kids, all the while being manipulated by those who claimed to act in his – and science’s – best interests. No offense is intended in calling the picture an excellent journeyman effort, albeit the lack of a master’s touch is obvious and lamentable. The Monster and the franchise could – and would – do worse.
The Ghost of Frankenstein – 13 March 1942 – 67 minutes (SoS) CAST: Sir Cedric Hardwicke as Dr. Ludwig Frankenstein; Lon Chaney as The Monster; Ralph Bellamy as Erik Ernst; Lionel Atwill as Dr. Theodor Bohmer; Bela Lugosi as Ygor; Evelyn Ankers as Elsa Frankenstein; Janet Ann Gallow as Cloestine Hussman; Barton Yarborough as Dr. Kettering; Olaf Hytten as Hussman; Doris Lloyd as Martha; Leyland Hodgson as Chief Constable; Holmes Herbert as Magistrate; Lawrence Grant as Mayor; Brandon Hurst as Hans; Otto Hoffman & Dwight Frye as Villagers; Julius Tannen as Sektal; Lionel Belmore & Michael Mark as Councillors; Harry Cording as Frone; Dick Alexander as Vision; Ernie Stanton & George Eldredge as Constables; Jimmy Phillips as Indian; Eddie Parker – stunts
CREDITS: Producer: George Waggner; Director: Erle C. Kenton; Screenplay: W. Scott Darling; Original Story by Eric Taylor; Directors of Photography: Milton Krasner and Elwood Bredell; Art Director: Jack Otterson; Associate Art Director: Harold H. MacArthur; Film Editor: Ted Kent; Musical Director: Hans J. Salter; Set Decoration: Russell A. Gausman; Sound Director: Bernard B. Brown; Technician: Charles Carroll; Assistant Director: Charles S. Gould; Makeup: Jack P. Pierce; Gowns: Vera West
Omnibus horror films are very tricky. The film is made up of several short stories and oft times the tales can feel truncated or a bad tale in the bunch can affect the overall effect.
When they work, they are cinema classics (DEAD OF NIGHT, Eagle Lion, 1945/Universal 1946). When they do not, you end up with DR TERROR’S GALLERY OF HORRORS (American General Pictures ,1967).
In the classic category is WAXWORKS / Das Wachsfigurenkabinett. The last German film directed by Paul Leni (co-directed with Leo Birinski) before he went to America to create such works as THE CAT & THECANARY (Universal, 1927), it continues the Germanic fantasy horror films begun with films like THE STUDENT OF PRAGUE (Deutsche Bioscop ,1913) and is a superb example of the German Expressionism movement.
German expressionism had its start in Munich with avant-garde artists using bold exaggerated shapes and colors. It soon spread to both theatres, and even architecture. In theatre, it was a rejection of realism to use it archetypes as well as strong use of lines and exaggerated shadows to emphasize the mood of the scenes and characters.
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Potsdamer Platz, 1914
In 1920 (101 years ago as I type this), Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari (Decla-Bioscop) introduced cinema audiences to German Cinema expressionism. With the end of WW1, German films were once again being shown around the world.
The German cinema of the 1920s was some of the most creative at that time, with films like THE LAST LAUGH (UFA,1924) enthralling world wide audiences . WAXWORKS was another masterwork from the time.
The original screenplay by Henrik Galeen who wrote, directed and acted in THE GOLEM (Deutsche Bioscop, 1915) and the screenplay for NOSFERATU (Prana,1922) was reworked by director Leni, dropping a planned fourth story. The wax figure for the dropped tale still can be seen in the film, the character of Rinaldo Rinaldini from the Penny Dreadful story Rinaldo Rinaldini, the Robber Captain (1797) by Christian AugustVulpius. Director Leni also designed the look of the film.
Cinematographer Helmar Lerski was quite busy in the teens and twenties, working upon Leni Riefensthal ‘s THE HOLY MOUNTAIN (Der heilige Berg, UFA, 1926), but in the 1930s became a documentary filmmaker covering the Zionist movement, leading up to the formation of Israel in 1948.
A young man (played by Wilhelm Dieterle, later famous as director WILLIAM Dieterle of such magnificent works as PORTRAIT OF JENNIE, Selznick, 1948) is hired by the owner of the Panoptikums (played by JohnGottowt, who had played Professor Bulwer in NOSFERATU) to write background stories about his exhibits. Meeting the daughter of the exhibit’s owner (Olga Belajeff ) the author decides he will stay and write about the various wax pieces. However, as he writes, he and the young woman become characters in each tale.
The first tale is about Caliph Haroun-al-Raschid (Emil Jannings, a star of the Max Reinhardt Theatre Company, star of THE LAST LAUGH and later THE BLUE ANGEL(UFA,1930) a sound film shot in both English and German that introduced Marlene Dietrich to the cinema. Jannings sadly later worked on several pro-Nazi productions.). The author notices the statue is missing an arm, and his tale involves how the character lost his appendage.
This segment is the longest of the three (about 40 minutes) and is more a fantasy tale than horror story. It perhaps was inspired by the Douglas FairbanksTHIEF OF BAGHDAD (U.A.,1924) that opened in the U.S. in March, with WAXWORKS opening in Germany in November. Oddly, Conrad Veidt who appears in this film’s second tale, appeared in the 1940 remake of THIEF OF BAGHDAD (Korda/London Films/UA).
The second tale about Ivan The Terrible (Conrad Veidt) is a story of madness, cruelty, torture, and poisoning. Veidt is quite terrifying in the role, having made a name in film history as the somnambulist Cesare in THE CABINET OF DR CALIGARI and later in such roles as Major Heinrich Strasser in CASABLANCA (WB,1942). This story is about 37 minutes.
After writing the two-prior tales, the poet and Eva find themselves stalked by Jack the Ripper (Werner Krauss, Dr Caligari himself from that film) who chases them through the museum, ending with the writer waking up and realizing that it was all a dream, certainly one of the earliest uses of that device. This is not really a fully fleshed out segment but merely a good scary tag to the film.
The original German cut of the film, supposedly about 25 minutes longer sadly, does not survive. The version that is used here is an incredible collection of various prints (English, French, Czech) based upon a safety print in the B.F.I., that give us the best and most complete version currently available, running 81 minutes. The restoration was a joint effort by the Deutsche Kinemathek and Cineteca di Bologna, L’Immagine Ritrovata (with funding from the German Commission for Culture and the Media). The nearly 100-year-old film looks amazing, considering all this. The occasional scratch does not detract from the often remarkably sharp images throughout the film. The film elements were scanned in 4K resolution and restored in 2K. This Blu-Ray /DVD release is presented Flicker Alley and Eureka Entertainment.
This version has TWO new musical scores to choose from, both recorded in DTS-HD in either 2.0 Stereo or 5.1 surround. The first is a piano score while the second a fuller orchestral score. While both are quite good, I rather leaned into the second more (personal choice). There is also an informative audio commentary by Australian Art and Film Critic Adrian Martin (THE MAD MAX MOVIES, Currency Press Pty Ltd ,2003). Not bad for a “silent” film.
As for subtitles, you get a choice of German, French Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Arabic and Chinese subtitles for this Region Free release.
Other extras include.
Paul Leni’s Rebus-Films Nr. 1 (1925) – these were crossword puzzles that were shown before and after main features, representing a clue and then the answer. (This featurette was provided courtesy of Kino Lorber).
In search of the original version of Paul Leni’s Das Wachsfigurenkabinett (2020)– An interview Julia Wallmüller from Deutsche Kinemathek about the Homeric efforts to restore this film.
A Conversation with Kim Newman (2020) – the film historian puts the film ‘s importance into perspective and discusses other wax museum horror movies.
A DVD copy of the film.
Collector’s Edition Souvenir Booklet – A photo illustrated booklet with new essays by Phillip Kemp and Richard Combs on the film’s history and significance; notes on the restoration process by Julia Wallmüller.
Silent films are sometimes hard for today’s ADHD audiences. They demand your complete attention without distractions. That said, if you make this slight effort, the rewards are well worth it.
Warning -review illustrated with gruesome effects shots. No animals and we suspect few actors were harmed
When TWO EVIL EYES came out, George Romero had just worked with a major studio on MONKEY SHINES (Orion,1988) but had a bad experience wherein his work was edited without his permission. *
Argento ‘s last feature OPERA (aka TERROR AT THE OPERA) was a huge success in his native Italy but was denied a theatrical release in the U.S. by Orion, instead letting the small video company Southgate release the film in an R and Unrated version.
The two filmmakers decided to go independent again to retain control of the final product and picked two different Edgar Allan Poe tales to adapt.
Romero chose “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar” (published simultaneously in The American Review and Broadway Journal ,December 1845) . The story had been adapted previously in an Italian short film (Il caso Valdemar,Italy,1936 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3qGwCPKhdI ) as well as segments in the portmanteau films MASTERWORKS OF TERROR (Argentina ,1959, redubbed and released by Jack H Harris as MASTERS OFHORROR ,1965) ,Roger Corman’s TALES OF TERROR (AIP,1962) and on the Spanish horror series Historias para nodormir (Stories to Keep You Awake, Televisión Española 1966). It also is one of the stories in the recent EXTRAORDINARY TALES (Mélusine Productions 2015 ).
a 1969 Japanese Illustration, inspired by TALES OF TERROR
The Black Cat by Alphonse Legros 1860
Argento chose “The Black Cat” (first published August 19, 1843 in The Saturday Evening Post). The story has been adapted with varying degrees of faithfulness, starting in 1934 with both Universal’s THE BLACK CAT as well as MANIAC (Roadshow), Universal again in 1941, AIP’s TALES OF TERROR again, the 1966 THE BLACK CAT (Falcon) ,Lucio Fulci’s 1981 version(Italian Int.) and recently a marvelous independent short in 2012 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKN_I6ouswg .
The film :
Warning -turn your sound down for the opening credits of Pino Donaggio’s dissonant title theme.
The film opens with a succession of quick shots of Edgar Allan Poe’s statue, one of the great author’s home and burial plot, as a narrator intones: “To Edgar Allan Poe, whose stories have inspired this motion picture.”
We then immediately go to
THE FACTS IN THE CASE OF M. VALDEMAR (screenplay by Romero ; Dir of Photography Peter Reniers, who has worked on such television series as LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT, Dick Wolf /Universal ,1999- ).
Jessica Valdemar (Adrienne Barbeau, returning to work with Romero again after CREEPSHOW, Laurel/WB ,1982) is hoping to inherit the money from her mortally ill husband Ernest (the wonderfully named Bingo O’Malley ,who also appeared in CREEPSHOW, and sadly in real life passed away June 2 ,2019).
To that extent, she gets Dr Robert Hoffman (Ramy Zada, tv’s DARK JUSTICE, Lorrimar,1991) to hypnotize the sickly Ernest to better control him. Dr Hoffman is most willing to do so, partly from a past relationship with Jessica, and partly from the desire to share in the millions that she will inherit. The problem is that Jessica has been taking money from Ernest’s account, so much so that if anything were to happen to her husband over the next three weeks, the police will surely investigate the wife.
E.G. Marshall as a lawyer warning Barbeau
Of course, Ernest dies, and the pair dump his body into a basement freezer. During the night she hears moaning and discovers that due to the hypnosis, the spirit of her dead husband is trapped between worlds, and that other entities wish to use his corpse to enter our sphere!
THE BLACK CAT (Screenplay by Argento & Franco Ferrini, who worked together on OPERA ; director of Photography Beppe Maccari, who was the camera operator on the Visconti classic THE LEOPARD, Titanus 1963)- Argento’s take on the famous tale is a delirious and trippy over the top gorefest that references several other Poe tales.
Keitel in a Corman-like dream sequence with an Argento touch
Rod Usher (Harvey Keitel, TAXI DRIVER, Columbia,1976) is a police crime scene photographer who we first meet when he is taking pictures at a murder scene. This killing was a bit extraordinary, since it is a scene of a nude women bifurcated by a huge pendulum blade. To Usher, it is just work as usual, and he tries to frame the scenes with a sense of aesthetics that belie the horror of the scene.
At home, his girlfriend Annabel (Madeline Potter ,THE SUICIDE CLUB, Angelika Films ,1988) has brought in a black cat that Rod takes an instant dislike to. This mutual hatred comes to its zenith when Rod viciously and cruelly strangles the animal during a photo shoot. Rod, however, in a sort of A BUCKET OF BLOOD (AIP,1959) moment, decides that the murder deserves to be the over of his newest photo collection.
Sally Kirkland has a new kitty for Rod .
When Annabel sees the cover some time later in a store window, she realizes what has happened, and rushes home to confront Rod. Rod , in the interim , has been given a cat that is identical to the one he killed ).He takes the animal home to destroy it once and for all, but Annabel comes home ,saves the creature but she herself is killed gruesomely.
Rod conceals the body behind the wall, but suspicion continues to grow against him, resulting in more murders and gore before Rod receives poetic justice.
John Amos as a detective who grows suspicious of Usher
A huge title assures us that none of the animals were harmed in the making of the film as the picture’s end credits roll.
The film, which reportedly cost over $ 9 million to make, opened in only 150 theatres throughout the U.S. for just one week, taking in only $349,000.
It was released on VHS through various companies (Anchor Bay, budget label Video Treasures) as well as DVD and Blu Ray previously by Blue Underground.
Now , Blue Underground has gone back to the original camera negatives and given it a 4K 1080p restoration. The colors, especially in the Argento segment, really seem to jump out.
Martin Balsam & Kim Hunter,Spanish Lobby Card
The audio is available in either English: 7.1 DTS-HD, or to duplicate the theatrical release sound, English: 2.0 DTS-HD (or in French: Dolby Digital Mono). Again, watch that opening bit of music in the beginning!
Optional subtitles are English SDH, French or Spanish.
Where this becomes the must have edition of TWO EVIL EYES is the immense number of extras, some ported over from BLUE UNDERGROUND’s previous release of the title, but many brands new and exclusive to this limited edition.
Extras include
Disc One Blu Ray- a brand new audio commentary by Troy Howarth (author of the upcoming book “Murder ByDesign: The Unsane Cinema of Dario Argento “). Troy has done audio commentaries on other Blu ray releases, and his love and well researched talks always have the feel of a well-informed fan joyfully sharing his thoughts and insights throughout the running time of a film, and this one is no different.
Theatrical Trailer
Poster & Still Gallery
Disc 2 Blu Ray
• Two Masters’ Eyes – Interviews with Directors Dario Argento & George Romero, Special Make-Up Effects Supervisor Tom Savini, Executive Producer Claudio Argento, and Asia Argento. These are ported over from the 2003 Blue Underground 2-disc Blu Ray release.
Savini as a Poe like character who digs up corpses to steal teeth.Or is it just his character from THE RIPPER (United Ent.,1985 ) reprised?
• Savini’s EFX – A Behind-the-Scenes look at the film’s Special Make-Up Effects. Also, from the 2003 release, Savini takes us on a behind the scene tour of how some of the effects work was done.
• At Home With Tom Savini – A personal tour of Tom Savini’s home. From 2003, this segment is not only a master of his craft but also a fan sharing with fellow fans.
• Adrienne Barbeau on George Romero.- From 2003. The still lovely and charming actress shares her thoughts about working with the director.
Tom Atkins makes a horrific discovery
NEW! Before I Wake – Interview with Star Ramy Zada. The actor talks about his career and working with Romero.
NEW! Behind The Wall – Interview with Star Madeleine Potter. The very busy actress, who shuttles back and forth from the U.S. and London to perform, talks about Harvey, Dario and cats.
NEW! One Maestro And Two Masters – Interview with Composer Pino Donaggio. Subtitled. The composer talks about his career
NEW! Rewriting Poe – Interview with Co-Writer Franco Ferrini, who has often worked with director Argento, as well as upon the screenplay ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA (W.B.,1984) .
NEW! The Cat Who Wouldn’t Die – Interview with Assistant Director Luigi Cozzi (who also directed the cult hit STAR CRASH, New World, 1978).
NEW! Two Evil Brothers – Interview with Special Make-Up Assistant Everett Burrell (who has worked with Savini several times, as well as Greg Cannom, and Kevin Yagher.).
NEW! Working With George – Interview with Costume Designer Barbara Anderson who worked with Romero from KNIGHTRIDERS (Laurel/UFD, 1981) up to THE DARK HALF .
Finally,
Disc 3-A CD of Pino Dinaggio’s score. This alone might be enough for some to wish to buy this collection, as this soundtrack it seems has never been issued legitimately before. It is a sharp moody score, which fits the film perfectly, but many pieces can be listened to and enjoyed on their own.
Adding to the welcome extras is an informative booklet by Michael Gingold, who was one of the guiding forces of Fangoria magazine from 1990 (when the film came out) until 2015.
Fango #95 ,which covered the film
Once again, BLUE UNDERGROUND has put to shame many major studios Blu Ray releases, due to the care and multiple goodies adding entertainment, value and collectability for horror film lovers.
RECOMMENDED
For fans of ROMERO ARGENTO EDGAR ALLAN POE BLU RAY EXTRAS!
-Kevin G Shinnick
*-right after filming TWO EVIL EYES, he worked upon THE DARK HALF for Orion, which sat on a shelf for two years.
Many years ago, I recall a book on the newsstand called HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN PORNOGRAPHIC MOVIE. It was a how to do it yourself instruction book about editing, sound, camerawork- a basic how to make film book, only about x rated filmmaking.
Watching BAT PUSSY, I felt that the nameless creators of this film had the book on hand, but were missing several pages. This may have been the first porn parody of Batman, though it is far from a good one.
Anyone who tells you that Ed Wood was the world’s worst filmmaker needs to apologize after they see this film.
That is not to say the film is without interest. Quite the contrary. You stare but cannot look away. It is perhaps the most unsexy sex film ever made, and certainly one of the weirdest.
It is as if two characters from a local production of WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF decided to carry on their haranguing from the stage to the bedroom. Only here, they are not George and Martha, but Buddy (who looks like an out of shape Bo Hopkins) and Sam (a freckled redhead with a bouffant that would make the B -52’s envious).
(reading? Nahh,just lookin’ at the pictures! )
Buddy is reading SCREW (the issue is from 1970, so that is a possible date for when this film was shot over the course of an afternoon.) as Sam lays upon their bed. Buddy decides that they should try some of the stuff he sees in the paper, and so they go at it. Poorly. Buddy is someone for whom Viagra would come in handy some twenty odd years later. No matter what, his Little Buddy refuses to awaken.
(The Burton & Taylor of BAT PUSSY )
The un-erotic oral and fingering sex session leads to a lot of swearing and insults to and about each other. You wonder for whom was this film meant to appeal? Just when we feel that we are trapped in a cell of Hell forever with these two, we cut to another location (it’s almost a shock that we escape, however briefly.).
A nightie clad woman lays in a dingy cellar that a scrawled BAT PUSSY HEADQUARTERS on ruled line paper identifies as -well, Bat Pussy’s headquarters! The bored woman senses sex is happening elsewhere and decides she must get there. Every expense is spared on this one take wonder, and on the table in front of her is a paper cup, a can of soda, and some furniture polish spray left upon the table. That’s as far as they go with set dressing.
She gets up and whips off her nightie (getting it caught around her head while trying to pull it up) and finds a makeshift costume, transforming herself into BAT PUSSY!
Quick, to the Hopper Ball!
What?
Yep, she climbs aboard one of those big rubber bouncy balls with a handle and bounces her way across the screen, along a highway, into a field by a creek (stopping to pee. All that bouncing you know) and into a park where she stops long enough to sock a guy harassing a woman. Then back to her original sojourn. The two in the park are never identified but must have been just friends of whomever shot this flick. Most of this journey is shot in long shot so we feel and experience how slow it is to bounce to an event rather than running or even walking.
Finally, Bat Pussy shows up at Buddy and Sam’s , where she is quickly grabbed, undressed, and becomes part of a most unerotic ménage à trois. Finally, it seems Bat Pussy gets bored (or angry at Buddy getting her name wrong, calling her Bat WOMAN), grabs her clothes and leaves. The end. That’s it.
Did they run out of film? Did they just get tired of each other’s company? Did they have to get the Hopper Ball back to the kids? Who knows? All you will know is that you have experienced something quite weird. Tommy Wiseau all that this film is missing.
It is fitting then that SOMETHING WEIRD is the company that “saved” this film from disappearing. Back in the 1990s, Mike Vraney bought a bunch of 16mm films that were abandoned and rediscovered in a Memphis Tennessee theatre, among them was the film that Mike himself christened “Bat Pussy”. There were no title cards, no way to identify who the performers or “filmmakers” were.
“Let us punish the guilty. Let us reward the innocent” to quote Ed Wood. That at present is not possible, though the good people at Something Weird certainly tried, along with many others. No one has stepped forward to acknowledge of their involvement in BAT PUSSY.
It is thought that this was made for an indie porn theater for local consumption. Seeing how much the distributors made on these films, the local theater owner must have decided that he wanted 100% of the profits.
So, what if the boom mike drops into the shot? No one is coming to see these films for their technical quality. It’s for the trench coat crowd. Look it’s in color and has sound. Yes, the colors were ugly and yes, the sound is dialogue that sounds like Angry trolls possessed by Don Rickles with Tourette’s are talking. It was cheap and ran long enough to live up to the claim it was a feature.
It is thought to have been made in Arkansas, due to the accents as well as an Arkansas Razorback tattoo on Buddy’s unattractive posterior. We are told (via the commentary track, more on that later) that this was just a blur in the old prints but thanks (?) to hi-def, we can see this and other little details that once viewed cannot be erased from your mind.
Back to the restoration (sorry, this film plays tricks with your sense of continuity). The film was from a 16mm print, which may] and almost certainly the only copy still in existence. Like most 16mm films shown constantly, it had wear and tear upon it as well as faded color.
Enter American Genre Film Archives (and hopefully not riding in on their own hopper balls). Along with Lisa Petrucci and Tim Lewis of Something Weird, the film was scanned to a 2K 1080p transfer in 1.33:1 ratio. The images are more likely the sharpest that they have been in 40 plus years.
That of course is not saying much. No one would confuse the camera work here with that of Geoffrey Unsworth and the “director” is no Kubrick. Set the camera and let it run, and the locked off camera makes me wonder if Buddy, Sam, or Bat Pussy herself were the person who pushed the button and let the camera run, and dashed into the scene, letting the machine run until the film ran out.
AGFA has sharpened the image, but left a lot of the blemishes and scratches to retain its grindhouse feel. The DTS-HD MA English 2.0 mono track does nothing to make the dialogue any clearer and indeed subtitles would have been helpful, though it is interesting to try and understand some of what is mumbled. Does Buddy say he is going to “fuck someone in the nose “?
Like most SOMETHING WEIRD releases, this disc has a collection of interesting and eclectic extras:
A theater intro about a minute long warns that the film about to be presented is sexual in nature and if you cannot deal with such things to leave the building. Was that made for legal reasons at the time? Or had someone possibly wandered into the theater thinking this was legitimate Batman tie in feature? I kept waiting for William Castle to warn of Emergo, which would be of a completely different nature in a film like this.
A running audio commentary by is supplied by Something Weird’s Lisa Petrucci and Tim Lewis, Bleeding Skull’s (http://bleedingskull.com) Annie Choi, and AGFA’s Joe Ziemba (also from Bleeding Skull) and Sebastian del Castillo. The team are enthusiastic and laugh along at the nonsense on screen, which would probably be the reaction if you popped it on for other like-minded fans of schlock to view at a party. They also supply as much info as they can on the project, especially on its discovery and rebirth into video and now Blu Ray.
THE SHOPLIFTER (Highway Safety Foundation,1964,20 minutes, color) is supposed to be a warning to store workers, but is a how to as well to become a shoplifter!
DATING DO’s & DON’T’s (Coronet,1949,13 minutes, color) is one of those sincere but laughably date films that were brought out for high schoolers when teacher needed to rest.
A TRIP TO THE STOREFRONT THEATER (no info ,1970s,2 minutes) has a happy couple go the said theatre and see a guy in a werewolf mask have sex with some bored woman, the couple leaving after viewing this, smiling! Is there a lycanthropic fetish?
CRIME SMUT TRAILERS: a collection of Black & White and color “cumming attractions “from such wonders as THE BLACK ALLEY CATS (1973) and 7 others. A lot of unattractive men ogle and sometimes grind upon some women who probably thought that this was a good career move when they did these flicks.
Speaking of unattractive men pawing prettier young women, we are given another full-length feature, ROBOT LOVE SLAVES (also known as TOO MUCH LOVING, no releasing company info ,1971 ,54 minutes). A soft-core film that at one point had hard core inserts (some of which only remain in its trailer, not on this disc), it is another film where attractive women are once again paired with gangly and just plain ugly guys. I am sure that they looked like the trench coated crowd who went to these films but if these guys were the only choices for the females in real life, the race would quickly go into extinction.
Clark (uncredited) is a geeky, glasses wearing looking nerd (though that could also describe yours truly!) who’s wife (also uncredited) nags her husband for attention (a theme for the two features- Nagging Sex Flicks!).
Clark has been busy in the basement creating naked robot female love slaves, beating WESTWORLD (HBO,2016) by a few years. These robots exist for one purpose, pleasure, be it with Clark, his neighbor Harry, Harry’s wife (Candy Samples, who probably is best known as Chief Nellie in FLESH GORDON, Mammoth Films,1974. This may have been one of if not her first film, having begun nude modeling at age 40 sometime in 1968-69), and finally Clark’s wife.
I assume that the filmmakers felt that no one would admit to seeing this film, as they seem to use some famous songs in instrumental versions.I mean,who would admit they went to such a film in the theater ?
The print of this is from a well worn 16 mm copy, with scratches and splices, but it does add to the grind-house feel.
(Something Weird’s DVD-1 )
The final cool extra is a booklet by Mike McCarthy called “I Saved Bat Pussy”.
Having worked in a film storage house, I saw first hand how easily films could be mislabeled and lost ,so I have great respect for Lisa Petrucci and team continuing the work of Mike Vraney .
Lately, SOMETHING WEIRD has been experiencing an odd sort of censorship. Credit card companies for months were refusing to deal with the company, due to S.W. carrying pornographic films! This, from credit card companies that make fortunes due to letting people download porn in hotel rooms, buy in adult stores, etc. It seems that they were targeting an independent company for no good reason, as their argument does survive even a cursory scrutiny.
By removing one or two titles from their site, Credit Card companies are grateful to once again make money on both purchasers and Something Weird.
Amazon has decided that the title BAT PUSSY is too pornographic for their consumers (while carrying kindle porn like “After The Ball Game: Annie Plays With Coaches Bat”-look it up) so it is great that companies like DIABOLIK have stepped up to carry the film.
Show your support of these indie companies that support films beyond the mainstream.
BLINDMAN (Il Cieco ,Italy, November 15,1971 /U.S. release by 20th Century Fox Jan.15,1972)-color -105 minutes-release by ABKCO -$12.99-release date November 4,2016
The Spaghetti Western reigned from about 1964 until sometimes into the mid-1970s. While there had been, westerns filmed in Europe before and after that time, Sergio Leone’s Per un pugno di dollari/Por un puñado de dólares/Für eine Handvoll Dollar, best known as A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS (released in Italy in September 12,1964, released in the U.S by United Artists) was the first international success of the Euro Western. Many of these films were produced multi-nationally via German, Yugoslavian, Spain, the U.S., even Israel, along with Italian producers.
Usually in the Spaghetti Western, the definition of bad guys and the good guys, unlike the classic American films, became blurred. The level of violence also escalated. As the westerns went along, they also developed interesting eccentricities and characterizations. Also, a dark sense of humor permeated a lot of them. DJANGO (1966 Euro International) and the coffin exemplified these.
However, by the 1970s, Kung Fu films became the rage, and the westerns slowly rode off into the cinematic sunset. Before they did, they left us with BLINDMAN (ABKCO FILMS, released in 1971 in Italy,1972 U.S. via 20th Century Fox).
BLINDMAN was a bit more violent than many of the westerns and had a great deal more nudity. The original American release was pared down to 84 minutes in some areas. I saw it upon its original release, due to the casting of Ringo Star as a Mexican Bandito(!)and seeing this new release from ABKCO, I do not recall the film being as explicit .
Many of the Spaghetti Westerns had inspirations in other films, and BLINDMAN seems inspired by WESTWARD THE WOMEN(MGM,1951). In WESTWARD, Robert Taylor (WATERLOO BRIDGE, MGM 1940) is consigned to deliver 140 (not 200 as the poster declares) mail order brides to California. Indian attacks, renegades, even natural disasters, dwindle the numbers. The film was a huge hit when it came out, though it is not well remembered today.
Tony Anthony an American born actor who had a good career in Italian Westerns, and later help bring about the 3D revival with his film COMIN’ AT YA (U.S. release Filmways ,1981), stars as the title character and who also wrote the screenplay for BLINDMAN, however, seemed to have been at least partially inspired by it. For good measure, he mixed into the blend a bit of the legend of the blind masseuse/ swordsman, Zatoichi. First filmed in 1962 as THE TALE OF ZATOICHI ( Dalei Studios ),the long running series had already had 22 entries by the time BLINDMAN was into production.
The Blindman (he seems to have no other name), it seems, was contracted to bring fifty women to some miners in Texas. However, his partners double cross him and bring the women to Mexico. Blindman thus needs to hunt down his associates, who often end up dead, as he tries to regain his female consignment and honor his contract.
Blindman sets up the film by establishing that he is indeed blind ,but no less deadly, when he blows up a character named Skunk(an unbilled Renato Romano, DEATH LAID AN EGG / La morteha fatto l’uovo,Italy 1968) and an unnamed compatriot and woman companion after Skunk lets Blindman know his cargo is now in Mexico with Domingo(American born Lloyd Batista,who had appeared in Tony Anthony ‘s THE STRANGER/Lo straniero di silenzio,Italy 1968 ),his brother Candy(Ringo Starr* )and their sister called Sweet Mama(MagdaKonopka,WHEN DINOSAURS RULED THE EARTH,WB 1970) and their gang.
The bandits shower down the kidnapped women while Sweet Mama and Dominic discuss if Candy might want one of the captives. However, Candy is sweet (sorry about pun) on Pilar (Agneta Eckemyr, later to appear in ISLAND AT THE TOP OF THE WORLD (Disney, Dec 20,1974)). The women are being offered to a General (Raf Baldassare, who appeared in Mario Bava’s ERIK THE CONQUEROR/Gli Invasari, Italy 1961) and his drunken battalion.
However, even more double crosses happen and El General is captured for ransom. More betrayals occur and more characters end up dead (including Ringo!), and The Blindman is at times caught and tortured.
The actors seem to be having a good time in their various roles. The women, however, to be blunt, are for the most part, sex objects, and spend a great deal of time being naked and pawed by the various cast members. Konopka, hints at a sick sadistic pleasure of watching this, and that she is closer to her brother Dominic that would be considered acceptable.
The at times surreal western was directed by Ferdinando Baldi was a very busy in the 1960s through 1980s, jumping genres but most comfortable in the oater genre. He later would direct the two 3-D films that Anthony would write and star in. The film was lensed in Almeria, Spain, a desert like stretch that was used in numerous westerns as well as films like LAWRENCE OF ARABIA (Columbia ,1962) and HOW I WON THE WAR (U.A. ,1967). In fact, Ringo had visited John Lennon on location there while Lennon was filming HOW I WON…
Music by Stelvio Cipriati, who had scored THE STRANGER RETURNS (Italy,1967) and is still scoring films today, does a Ennio Morricone -like score with a lot of jangly sounds and odd vocals. Ringo did not contribute to the soundtrack, though on the flipside of his song single “Back Off Boogaloo”, he wrote and performs a song called ‘Blindman” that sounds inspired by Cipriati’s score https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5EXfCMyibw
Allen Klein, the head of ABKCO Films, was the former manager whom Paul McCartney blames for his exit from The Beatles. Ringo obviously had no ill will to Klein, and took the supporting role. Being the most famous name in the film, his prominence in ads and trailers was expanded. Ringo acquits himself quite well in the atypical bad guy role. (See trailer : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5454Qe6uoaM )
Ringo & Klein(holding gun) clowning on set.
The DVD transfer shows off cinematographer Riccardo Pallottini (CASTLE OF BLOOD/ Danza macabra, Italy,1964) sharp images, thanks to a HD transfer from an original 35mm negative. The film is also available as a digital download, though no word of any planned BLU RAY release (if they do ,perhaps a commentary by Anthony, or even Ringo?). Sound quality is a 5.1 transfer with no noticeable pops or hiss. The only extra on the DVD is a trailer.
BLINDMAN was one of those films that had been available on the gray market in variable quality prints. In fact, SCARLET reader John Crummett informed us when BLINDMAN was first announced for DVD that some time ago he had attended a screening of GET MEAN**(Italy ,1975, U.S. release through Cinemation) at the Silent Movie Theatre in Hollywood and director Tony Anthony himself doubted there would ever be an ever be an official release due to all the bootlegs. ( You can see how bad a typical bootleg looked here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l95IUUNnpjg )
I am glad that Tony Anthony was wrong about that, and that the film is finally available in a good quality print. One small note about the ABKCO website- they really don’t sell their DVDs very well, concentrating more on their musical releases. The most important thing, though, is you can finally get BLINDMAN in a high-quality release.
Recommended for Italian Western Fans, as well as Beatles completists.
–Kevin G Shinnick
*-Was Ringo’s name CANDY a reference to his first non-Beatles film, CANDY (A.B.C/Cinerama ,1968)?
**-GET MEAN, also directed by Baldi with performances from Baldassare and Battista, is available on BLU RAY from BLUE UNDERGROUND.
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MACBETH (1948/1950 Republic)-Olive Films Blu Ray release date November 15,2016- $39.95
Runtime: 107 (1948), 85 (1950) minutes B&W. First screening Venice Film Festival September 3,1948. USA release October 1,1948. December 27,1950 (re-edited version release NYC).
Orson Welles’ Shakespearean films were labors of love that were often created against time constraints, budget problems, and often, negative press and indifference audience responses. They were often forgotten, or, at best, footnotes when people referenced his other studio masterpieces.
(art by J.S. Rossbach )
After his passing in 1985, his lesser known films began to get rediscovered and restored. His daughter Beatrice helped restore and release his troubled production, OTHELLO (November 29,1951, United Artists). Critics now hailed his brilliant choices (often necessity bringing his creativity to the fore) and how his chiaroscuro lighting and quick editing was a precursor to the directorial styles of creators like Ridley Scott.
His live televersion of KING LEAR (Omnibus/CBS, October 18,1953), starring Welles and directed by Andrew McCullough is a wonder (watch as he drags Cordelia (Natasha Parry) in by her hair during ‘Howl! Howl! Howl!”) and we are lucky that Sony has released it on DVD in 2010.
Earlier this year, Criterion released his CHIMES AT MIDNIGHT (aka FALSTAFF, December 22,1965) and people once again were in awe of how he used his 1939 play FIVE KINGS, a combination of HENRY VI Pt 1 & Pt 2 and HENRY V, and within the film, with its spectacular battle scenes, he drew out the intimacy of the lives of the characters.
Now OLIVE FILMS have released his MACBETH, making all his completed cinematic works of Shakespeare available. * To be exact, they have released BOTH versions of this bold telling of the macabre tale on two Blu Ray discs. Two versions?
When first released, critics and audiences had difficulty with the actors speaking with Scottish burrs in the speech, and so, the film, under Welles’ supervision was re dubbed into what would be considered standard speech, an opening monologue by Welles added and the film shortened from 107 minutes to 89 .
Welles had a long-time love of the works of The Bard. At age 19, he worked on several performing editions of Shakespeare. He leaps to national fame with his WPA Federal Theatre production of what became known as “Voodoo” Macbeth (premiered April 13,1936, Lafayette Theatre, Harlem, NYC)
(the only known footage of this production is an extra on one of the discs).
Welles tried interesting producers for a long time in putting Shakespeare on screen, but during the first decade of the sound era, the few adaptations were prestigious but not money makers so producers were hesitant.
Finally, Lawrence Olivier released HENRY V (Two Cities/Eagle Lion, November 1944) and the film was both a marvelous war rally cry for the beleaguered Allies of WWII, but also a profitable film.
Welles, however, had gone from Wunderkind to pariah. His RKO directorial projects had almost bankrupted that studio. Welles own self-created radio shows ended in 1946 due to his liberal political commentary (he was an ardent F.D.R. supporter) such as his comments on the racial bias attack of returning U.S. Soldier Isaac Woodward (attacked and blinded hours after his honorable release from service). He was still popular as an actor and worked for all the major studios, but he longed for total control of his projects again.
He got a chance with THE STRANGER (International Pictures/RKO May 25,1946) a thriller he starred in and directed. He proved he could make a film under budget and make a great profit.
However, his musical adaptation of AROUND THE WORLD for Broadway (Adelphi Theatre, NYC May 31,1946) had Welles take over producing as well as creating/directing forcing Welles had to borrow money from Columbia Studios exec Harry Cohen to get it on. Sadly, it flopped after only 75 performances,though it did lead to Welles having to make THE LADY FROM SHANGHAI (Columbia, December 24,1947 in France).
Olivier meanwhile prepared and shot his brilliant adaptation of HAMLET (Two Cities/Rank/Universal, May 4,1948) and it again won critical acclaim as well as box office. Word of this production must have spurred Welles on, and he went to various studios to try and interest them in bankrolling a new American produced Shakespeare movie.
All balked, except Herbert J Yates of Republic Pictures. Republic was best known for grinding out their now classic serials like THE CRIMSON GHOST (Republic, October 26,1946) as well as westerns and second features. Yates was a crude near caricature of a cigar chomping business man who got into producing when several indie filmmakers stiffed his film laboratories. He wanted films done cheap and profitable. Every once and a while, though, he took a chance and made a movie to try and get himself some respect from the industry.
In 1948 Yates agreed to bankroll Welles production of Macbeth if the director could keep the budget under a certain amount, and complete it within three weeks. To keep the film within budget, Welles pre-recorded all the dialogue (with one exception) so that he might avoid the use of microphones, and free up the fluidity of his camerawork. Costumes were rented from Western Costumes (except for the two leads), and were a source of criticism by many.
Welles did not try to avoid artifice and indeed the production at times resembles a filmed stage play. He also made some big cuts and changes (the Porter’s “Knock Knock” sequence was cut to nothing due to censorship, a character of a priest was added, lines were altered and some placed in different scenes and said by other characters) but nothing to the detriment of the story. As always, he respected the actors, and his long takes not only helped characterization but also kept his film within the allotted shooting schedule.
The film had the misfortune to be shown at the Venice Film Festival in 1948 and was compared negatively against Olivier’s HAMLET. This is a shame as when watched back to back they share many similarities (striking black and white cinematography, very theatrical look and mood, and indeed, when Welles edited MACBETH, he added an opening narration that harkens to the one Olivier opened his movie with).
(even the two film posters echoed each other)
Yates praised Welles for making such a quality film on time and within budget, and again when it was reviewed negatively and received so so box office, Welles reedited the film, and had the cast redub their dialogue. The new version was better received (or in its shorten state, easier to show more often and thus potentially sell more tickets) and eventually made a small profit. At least Welles could control this re-edit, unlike other films which had been taken out of his control.
OLIVE FILMS release of both versions will let you decide which version that you prefer.
The image and sound quality of each is superb, and comes from the best elements available with new High Definition digital restoration. The superb cinematography by John L. Russell (later to work on Hitchcock’sPSYCHO(Paramount,1960) really shines in this transfer. The blacks are rich and dark, with the fog and various gray scales allowing characters to drift in and out as if in some nightmare.
Stately Xanadu from CITIZEN KANE in Scotland?
The sound is clear, and Jacques Ibert’s score captures the discordant and uneasy feel that Welles brings to the production (Ibert was mostly a composer of French orchestrations, though he did score a few French movies as well as the Circus Ballet for Gene Kelly’s INVITATION TO THE DANCE (MGM, May 22,1956).
On disc one, there is an informative running commentary by Welles biographer (three books ORSON WELLES (Martin Secker & Warburg Ltd, April 24, 1972), ORSON WELLES ACTOR & DIRECTOR (Harvest/HBJ Books, 1977) and WHATEVER HAPPENED TO ORSON WELLES (University Press of Kentucky, 2006) Joseph McBride.
Disc Two has an abundance of extras.
Besides the already mentioned clip from VOODOO MACBETH (itself a clip from WE WORK AGAIN (Federal Work Agency ,1937), a short documentary on the WPA and its efforts to find work for African-Americans during the Great Depression, we have
FREE REPUBLIC-continuing the story of Herbert J Yates that was touched upon in OLIVE FILMS release of THE QUIET MAN(Republic,1952).THE QUIET MAN review can be read at https://scarletthefilmmagazine.wordpress.com/2016/10/25/the-quiet-man-olive-films-signature-blu-ray/ . This time, they concentrate on the making of the Welles’ film as well as the final years of the studio. Once again, Marc Wanamaker (EARLY POVERTY ROW STUDIOS (Arcadia Publishing,2014) is our guide.
The set from his 1936 Voodoo Macbeth resembles this production design sketch for the 1948 film .
THAT WAS ORSON WELLES -a new interview with director and film historian Peter Bogdanovich (TARGETS, Paramount, August 15,1968) was also a friend of the late director, and his insights are, as always, delightful.
RESTORING MACBETH with Robert Gitt (former Preservation Officer, UCLA Film & TV Archive) talks about how all prints and negatives from Republic were donated in the 1970s. Gitt found a protection positive of the film that was only the edited version, but some nitrate positives he found clued him in that the original version had survived. Gitt tracked down a nitrate complete version overseas in Europe and from that we have the prints preserved and available to us. Having worked in a film storage lab, I know how easily films decay and can get lost, so we are lucky to have the film in existence thanks to Gitt’s perseverance.
WELLES & SHAKESPEARE -an interview with Professor Michael Anderegg (Cinematic Shakespeare, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, November 2003) discusses the near lifelong obsession of Welles with the works of the Bard.
ADAPTING SHAKESPEARE ON FILM -two contemporary directors discuss how the works of Shakespeare influenced their careers and adaptations. Both admit a love from an early age for the works, though oddly director Billy Morrissette, director of SCOTLAND, PA (Sundance ,2001), a modern adaptation of MACBETH, admits to originally hating that play! Director Carlo Carlei directed a beautiful looking if controversial adaptation of ROMEO & JULIET(Relativity,2013) which took major liberties with the Immortal prose. Both speak of their adaptations and why they made some of their choices.
ORSON WELLES’S MACBETHS – a nine-page critical study of the two versions by film critic Jonathan Rosenbaum. Rosenbaum’s essay is also enclosed as a small well illustrated booklet stored within the Blu Ray case.
The outer cover is reversible, featuring a beautiful shot of both Welles and his Lady Macbeth (Jeanette Nolan, in her film debut).
This is a must have highly recommended release for fans of Welles, classic cinema and Shakespeare. Kudos once again to OLIVE FILMS in another outstanding release from their Signature Collection.
If you would like to know more about Orson Welles, go to
*-His MERCHANT OF VENICE, a short, was finished but footage was lost shortly after its completion in 1969. A restoration of sorts was released in 2015 at Venice Int. Film Festival. Here is a clip, which also has actor Charles Gray (THE DEVIL RIDES OUT, Hammer/Fox, July 20,1968, U.K.) as Antonio: https://youtu.be/x6xBumLVBLY).
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