.jpg "THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1957)") |
| THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1957) |
Who?
Director: Terence Fisher
Producer: Anthony Hinds
Screenplay: Jimmy Sangster
Cast: Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Hazel Court, Robert Urquhart, Valerie Gaunt, Melvyn Hayes, Paul Hardmuth, Fred Johnson, Noel Hood, Michael Mulcaster, Alex Gallier, Claude Kingston, Andrew Leigh, Ann Blake, Sally Walsh, Middleton Woods, Raymond Ray
How?
In 1956 Americans Milton Subotsky and Max Rosenberg, the team behind the future Hammer rivals Amicus, approached Eliot Hyman of Associated Artists Pictures with a screenplay for a film version of Frankenstein which Subtosky had written. Hyman, in turn, took it to Hammer, with whom he had just entered into partnership. Ultimately, Anthony Hinds liked the concept but disliked the screenplay and so another by Hammer's Jimmy Sangster was accepted - only Sangster's second such attempt after X the Unknown. Originally intended as a black and white 'quickie' Sangster's script instead inspired a larger colour project. Terence Fisher was contracted to direct one more picture for Hammer and so got the job almost by default - although Hinds would later insist that he specifically asked for him. Hinds also assembled a fine production crew, the accomplished television actor Peter Cushing was hired to play Frankenstein, and the tall but relatively unknown Christopher Lee his monster. After a battle with the censors over the screenplay, and with the constant spectre of Universal Pictures' copyright lawyers hanging over them, shooting took place in the cramped confines of Bray Studios. Few knew the impact this production would have on the future of Hammer.
What?
While in prison awaiting execution for murder. Baron Victor Frankenstein (Cushing) desperately pleads his innocence to a visiting priest, recounting the story of how he had arrived there... Following the death of his parents, the young Frankenstein advertises for the post of a tutor. The successful candidate is Paul Krempe (Urquhart), and over the following years the two study science together, eventually becoming colleagues rather than teacher and pupil. Frankenstein is fascinated with the mystery of life and following successful experiments in reviving animals, he is intent on accomplishing the same with a human being. Initially unsure, Paul reluctantly helps Frankenstein to steal the body of a hanged man and thus the experiment begins. But growing uneasy with what they are doing, Paul eventually refuses to help Frankenstein any longer, and so he carries on alone - murdering, scheming, cheating and lying to see his creation live and his place in history secured. Meanwhile, Frankenstein's cousin Elizabeth (Court) has arrived to live in the house, their marriage long arranged. Paul, however, fears for her safety and desperately tries to convince her to leave.With his creation alive and murderous, his maid threatening blackmail, Paul seeking to stop him, and Elizabeth growing ever more curious Frankenstein has indeed created a monster, one that even he is powerless to stop...
So?
Any attempt to write on The Curse of Frankenstein does so under the weight of history. The film is a seminal picture both in terms of the history of Hammer and that of the genre in general. It marked a turning point for Hammer, a turn toward Gothic horror that would forever identify the company. For that reason alone Curse is an important film. But thankfully Curse is also a fine film in its own right, mainly due to the masterful crew assembled. Figures such as Terence Fisher (director), Anthony Hinds (producer), Jimmy Sangster (screenplay), Jack Asher (cinematography), Bernard Robinson (production design), and James Bernard (music) were to figure prominently in Hammer's future Gothic horrors, and Curse set the tone in each of these areas for what was to follow. Fisher has often be noted for his 'safe' direction, but in Curse that only plays to its advantage - it tells a story simply and it tells it well, allowing it to slowly unfold and the characters to develop. Through Fisher's direction Curse becomes a human story rather than a mere 'monster movie'. His direction never intrudes, but always gives the impression of an audience 'looking in' on the drama unfolding, which in Curse works perfectly, human drama that it is. And Fisher's love of detail and colour is given full reign here, creating some striking imagery such as the laboratory scenes, Frankenstein's graverobbing, and the creature's appearances in the autumnal woods.
And what a story the film tells. Sangsters script is sparkling, focusing not on Frankenstein's creation, but the on the creator himself, and the moral and philosophical questions his experiments raise, while at the same time ensuring the story is a damn good romp. There is no rush to introduce the creation, and so the creature, while central, does not dominate and overwhelm the film. And while there are holes in the plot, one is so carried along by the story as to not notice or not care. Jack Asher's cinematography here set the tone for future Hammer gothics - lush, vibrant and done with great skill and care (which ultimately lost Asher his place at Hammer as they sought a more time and cost conscious alternative). His concern with colour, and with a sense of the surreal, compliments Robinson's set designs perfectly, as they too revel in colour, lushness and vibrancy, not to mention the similar care and detail given to wardrobe by Molly Arbuthnot. The film, despite being shot on a relatively small budget, never looks cheap, a feature which Hammer became noted for and which others attempted, but too often failed to replicate. Nor does it sound so - after sterling work on the Quatermass films and X the Unknown James Bernard's score for Curse, created with very few musicians but sounding like twice as many, was to define the sound of 'Hammer horror' from then on. Rich, lush and capturing the mood and pace of the picture perfectly.
But what really raises Curse above the norm are the performances of its lead actors, in particular Peter Cushing. The film truly belongs to him, for the utter seriousness with which he takes his role. Cushing laid the foundation for his portrayal of Baron Frankenstein in this picture - all the elements are there that would be developed in various ways in later films. His single-mindedness to the point of obsession; his utter, ruthless disregard for human life while at the same time trying to unravel its mysteries; his incredible energy; and above all his unique charm, allowing him to manipulate and cajole those around him to do his will. Cushing's portrayal of Frankenstein was fresh and innovative and has become iconic - a masterful study in character development. Cushing is ably supported by Urquhart, Court and Gaunt, and Lee's portrayal of the monster manages to be both frightening and pitiful, mainly through the use of his eyes and bodily movement. Phil Leakey's makeup necessitated this, and Leakey must be commended for creating a whole new 'look' for the creature, one which owed nothing to Universal's block-headed creation. While publicity posters took some of the 'shock' of the unveiling away slightly, Fisher's direction and Asher's camerawork ensure it still packs a punch even now.
While Curse may not be the best in the series (that honour may arguably go to Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed) it did set the bar for what was to follow. Being the first British horror film, and the first treatment of Frankenstein, in colour, audiences loved it, having never seen anything quite like it before. The censors hated it and it marked the beginning of Hammer's constant battle with them. Rivals immediately rushed in to try and replicate its look and feel, never quite successfully. Most importantly for Hammer, it made money - ensuring that it would be but the first in a long line of gothic horrors, some more successful than others but all helping to create what Hammer became synonymous for, despite their rich productions in other areas. As such, The Curse of Frankenstein is a must-see Hammer production, but one which is also hugely enjoyable. And whether enjoyed as a study in human obsession, a meditation on the dangers of uncontrolled scientific experimentation, or just as a fun all-out monster romp, The Curse of Frankenstein, while patchy in places, will ultimately not disappoint.
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