#186: Son of Frankeinsten, Movies recommended or seen lately... les films a voir

Genre: Horror/Horreur

Annee/Year: 1939

Format: DVD

Son of Frankeinstein. This is the third movie in the Universal classic series. This one is directed by Roland V Lee (The counto f Monte Cristo, Captain Kid, the mysterious Dr Fu Manchu...) and is his first in this franchise. Lee casted Boris Karloff as the monster and Bela Lugosi as Ygor the infamous assistant. Basil Rathbone was cast as the son of Henry Frankeinstein: Wolf who returns from abroad to take back his father's estate with his wife and son. Obviously the good doctor is easily persuaded to try to complete his father's goals and he thus revives the monster from his coma. He drops the matter having thought he failed but Ygor takes advantage of the sitatuation and uses the monster to eliminate some of his town enemies. The doctor is accused and the town Burgmaster starts and investigation around the Frankeinstein estate as the town mounts against the Frankeinstein's again.
The movie ends as Ygor is shot and the monster turns crazy that his only friend was killed and is dropped in a fire pit.

The casting and shooting is quite well done on this movie but some of the magic from the original is missing. The good doctor is a bit too likeable a character and a family man to boot. The story falls a bit short after all. For fans of the genre or the franchise mainly. Black and white with mono sound.

Son of Frankeinstein. La troisième partie de cette populaire franchise. Ce film a été réalisé par Roland V Lee (The count of Monte Cristo, Captain Kid, the mysterious Dr Fu Manchu...) et il sàgit de son 1er Frankeinstein. Lee a utilisé une distribution solide pour ce film: Boris karlof dans le rôle du monstre, Bela Lugosi dans le rôle de l`infâme assistant Ygor et Basil Rathbone dans le rôle du descendant de Frankeinstein qui revient de l`étranger pour prendre possession des ruines du château familial. Ygor réussit à convaincre le bon docteur de reprendre les travaux de son père en faisant revivre le monstre. Ceci ne fut pas difficile et Ygor qui est le bon ami du monstre l;utilise rapidement à ses fins pour éliminer des membres du village qu`il n`aime pas. Tout cela finit mal quand le stratagème de Ygor est découvert et qu`il est tué par balle. Le monstre pogne les nerfs et décide de tout peter encore une fois. Le docteur élimine le monstre pour protéger sa famille en faisant tomber le monstre dans une fosse en flamme.

Bien que clairement un des classiques Universel, ce film est solide par ces acteurs et sa bonne réalisation. Cependant il lui manque la magie de la foile Frankeinstein des premiers films. Le bon docteur est trop un bon gars et un bon père de famille pour son compte. À voir par les vrais amateurs des classiques Universel ou du genre surtout. Ne pas oublier que ce film est noir et blanc avec trame sonore mono.

Great quotes:

Elsa von Frankenstein: What a dreadful storm and awful lightening.
Baron Wolf von Frankenstein: It's magnificent. Nothing in nature is terrifying when one understands it. Darling, my father drew that very lightening from heaven and forced it for his own will to bring life to a being he created with his own hands. Why should we fear anything?
...
Inspector Krogh: One doesn't easily forget, Herr Baron, an arm torn out by the roots.
...
Baron Wolf von Frankenstein: My son, herein lies my faiths, my beliefs and my unfoldments. A complete diary of my experiments, charts and secret formulas. In short, the sum total of my knowledge, such as it is. Perhaps you will regard my work with ridicule or even with a distaste. If so, destroy these records. But if you like me burn with the irresistable desire to penetrate the unknown, carry on. The path is cruel and torturous, carry on. I put secret after truth, you will be hated, blasphemed and condemned. You have inherited the fortune of the Frankensteins, I trust you will not inherit their fate.

Link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0031951/maindetails

Rating perso: 6.5/10