- Format: PAL
- Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
- Number of discs: 1
- Classification: 12
- Studio: Warner
- DVD Release Date: 11 Oct 2004
- Run Time: 79 minutes
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
- ASIN: B0002VF5KM
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 76,725 in Film & TV (See Top 100 in Film & TV)
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Amazon.co.uk Review
Britain's Hammer Studios had been making films for decades before they suddenly redefined themselves with this lurid remake of the Universal Studios horror classic. Prohibited by Universal from copying their blocky make-up (and their script, for that matter), Hammer returned to Mary Shelley's novel for inspiration and then went in its own direction. Peter Cushing plays Dr. Frankenstein as the rational scientist turned cold-blooded criminal in his campaign to discover the secret of life, committing murder to further his ends or to remove an inconvenient mistress. Christopher Lee is the pitiable creature, a terrified behemoth more innocent new-born than malevolent monster. His pale, pallid, grotesquely scarred face was so thickly applied that he emotes almost exclusively with his eyes and his awkward, stumbling gestures. The not-so-good Dr. Frankenstein is the true monster, a ruthless scientist whose rejection of superstition extends to all moral considerations. Shot in blood-red colour by Hammer stalwart Terence Fisher, the stylish, often salacious film became Hammer's biggest success to date, made horror stars out of the classically trained Cushing and Lee, and transformed the B studio into the Hammer we know and love today: the house that dripped blood. The Horror of Dracula immediately followed, reuniting the winning team of Cushing and Lee, and Cushing returned in four of six Frankenstein sequels. --Sean Axmaker
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The perfect introduction to the house of Hammer...,
By Matthew Mercy (Wigan, England) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Curse of Frankenstein [DVD] (DVD)
Hammer's initial gothic horror film, and though by no means the best movie the company produced, it is a perfect introduction to the work of director Terence Fisher and actors Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, here working together on the first of their six collaborations. After several years as one of the top actors in the BBC, Cushing's performance as the effete, super-intelligent sociopath Baron Victor Frankenstein was his first leading role in a movie, and it tied him to the horror genre, virtually for the rest of his career. In his one and only appearance as the Creature, Lee is also effective, portraying a brain-damaged abomination full of frustration and hatred with skill. Though not as assured as in some of his later films, Fisher's direction is suitably bold, and the talent that would later become known as the Hammer `house team' (Asher, Robinson, Bernard) all contribute impressive work.
Like the other Warner releases of Hammer films, this edition of The Curse of Frankenstein does not boast a particularly juicy selection of extras, which is both odd and frustrating since it is a well-known and important film that ushered an entirely new breed of horror movie into the cinema. One can't imagine, for example, movies with similar legacies, such as The Exorcist, or Halloween, being released on this kind of vanilla edition; nor do I expect their fans would put up with it. Like the Warner release of the superior Horror of Dracula, this DVD does contain a restored trailer, and a very limited cast and crew rundown, but that's about it. Of course, there is a ton of information on this movie available in a dozen different books should anyone require it, but surely it wouldn't have been too much to ask for Lee, in particular, to do a commentary for this DVD; if DD Video can get the star to record one for something far less important, like the mediocre sci-fi flick Night of the Big Heat, I'm sure Warner Bros. can do the same for a classic like this.
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Hammer's original and best,
By A Customer
This review is from: Curse of Frankenstein [VHS] [1957] (VHS Tape)
The first hammer horror in colour - what a film! The acting is sublime (Cushing's obsessional lust for body parts making him the greatest screen villian ever), the set design and photography first class, and the story played out with a real sense of pathos and suspense. The body parts themselves are tame by today's standards, but the real horror comes in watching the professor lose all kind of perspective in the interest of "science". This is a far scarier vision of the future than Schwarzenegger's "Sixth Day".
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Curse Of Frankenstein, 1957. 2004 WB release. The beginning of a legend,
By
This review is from: The Curse of Frankenstein [DVD] (DVD)
This is a film that will go down in history. The first on screen pairing of Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing, script by Jimmy Sangster and direction by Terence Fisher, this is the film that put Hammer productions on the map. It pretty much singlehandedly defined the genre of technicolour Gothic Horror.
This really is a great film, the first in a whole series of Frankenstein features starring Cushing as the mad scientist. And on the basis of this it's easy to see why the series, like the various monsters, had so much life. Intelligently scripted (even if it does take very little from Mary Shelley's book), we are given a nice character study as scientific curiosity becomes an obsession for Frankestein, and his final descent into madness as he tries to realise his goals. In addition there are lots of shocks and plenty of tension. Finally there is the great ending, where, in a wonderful twist, the Baron is forced to face the consequences of the monster's crimes. As well as a cracking script, there is superb direction from Terence Fisher, who manages to realise all the possibilities for shock and suspense. There is some wonderful set design, with a brilliant laboratory set, full of weird and wonderful gizmos. Finally, there are the central performances of Cushing and Lee as the Baron and monster respectively. Cushing gets lots to do, and carries the film with his depiction of a man driven by the best of motives into the darkest regions of science and to brutal acts to reach his aims. His performance is totally believable, and thoroughly chilling. Like Karloff before him, Lee is restricted by the monster's muteness, yet still manages to convey a strange pathos so you feel almost sorry for the poor brute. Classic performances from the Masters of Horror. This release is pretty basic, the film is presented in the original 1.85:1 widescreen format. The sound is mono. There appears to have been little or no remastering, but the picture looks pretty good for its age, with the all important bright colours still shining through. The only extra is the theatrical trailer. A decent budget release. A classic film that should be in the collection of any serious movie lover!
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