ALL SCI-FI

[Bud Brewster]

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Number two in the Hammer Frankenstein revival series, a sequel to "The Curse of Frankenstein", directed by Terence Fisher from a script by Jimmy Sangster.

The story follows the famous doctor as he is rescued from death at the guillotine by his hunchbacked servant, after which he goes into hiding as "Dr. Stein", working at a charity hospital.

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Medical student Francis Matthews recognizes the infamous doctor and becomes his assistant. Frankenstien's pauper patients become spare parts for more body-building experiments, and he puts together a reasonably healthy one to house the grateful brain of his loyal hunchback servant.

Michael Gwynn plays the created body with the hunchback's brain. When Gwynn receives a head injury it lessens his intelligence and causes the body to deteriorate. The brain-damaged creature unwittingly reveals Frankenstein's true identity to the shocked populace.

The victimized patients of the charity clinic attack the demented doctor.

Badly injured, Frankenstein whispers hasty instructions to assistant Matthews. Later, the townspeople exhume the body of Frankenstein to confirm his death. But death doesn't come so easily for a man who can build new bodies from old parts . . .
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Bud Brewster]

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Though horror ain't my gig, the Hammer revival movies were certainly hits with the folks who craved well-done films in this popular genre.

The trailer for this one certainly makes it look lively!

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___ The Revenge of Frankenstein - Original Trailer (1958)


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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[MetroPolly]

I've seen it a few times, and although you sort of figure out the ending early, it's still awesome to watch.

[Custer]

Francis Matthews certainly had an interesting and successful career, including starring as Francis Durbridge's heroic private detective, Paul Temple - and supplying the voice of Captain Scarlet for Gerry and Sylvia Anderson's Supermarionation TV series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons!

Remember, Captain Scarlet may be indestructible, but you are not... so let's be careful out there, right?

[Bogmeister]

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This second Hammer Frankenstein film, a sequel to The Curse of Frankenstein (1957), has Baron Frankenstein (Peter Cushing) escaping the guillotine with the help of a confederate, a hunchback (referred to as "the Dwarf" in the credits) who also has paralysis on his right side.

Frankenstein has promised him a new body. Normally, such a promise would be ridiculous, but this is Frankenstein — he determines that the way to improve on his previous efforts is to transplant a living brain into a newly-prepared body (Michael Gwynne), as opposed to inserting the brain of someone deceased.

Frankenstein also acquires a new assistant, Hans (Francis Matthews), a young doctor who wants to learn from the master.

Frankenstein has transplanted himself to a new locale and uses the name Dr. Stein. There is a local medical council which regards the new doctor with some hostility, but overall things are going well for the doc.

The problems begin soon after the key brain transplant surgery. The surgery itself went fine — but then, enter the female character (Eunice Gayson), a young woman from a rich family who donates her time as a nurse. She unfastens the new man's restraints and, for whatever reason, he decides to go off the deep end. His body also starts to deteriorate into a version of his old body.

Evidently, Frankenstein's techniques still need to be perfected.



This film, as would all subsequent films in the series, plays up Dr. Frankenstein's arrogance, building on the character template established by both the writers and the actor, Cushing in the first film.

He obviously feels that he is the smartest man in the room in any situation, even when it involves other professionals. This ultimately proves to be his undoing in the coda: he considers himself invulnerable to a large extent and ignores the possibility that others are capable of doing him harm.

However, since he is Frankenstein, the ending reveals that he is capable of bouncing back from an otherwise fatal situation. The film also presented the supposed creature of the story as more of an ideal man, an Adam — which then degenerates. This premise was also used in the TV Frankenstein: The True Story in 1973.

BoG's Score: 7 out of 10


BoG
Galaxy Overlord Galactus

[Bud Brewster]

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Nobody around here will be surprised to hear that I started the first version of All Sci-Fi back in 2006 was because the Classic Horror Film Board was 90% Horror fans and 10% science fiction fans, most of whom only liked science fiction movies when they were scary.

That's not why I love science fiction.

For that reason, have little interest in the Hammer Horror movies. However . . . I LOVE Andrew Bogdan's reviews of these movies!

Andrew describes the interesting aspects of the stories from the point of view of a fellow writer. He analyzes the complex characters and how they interact. In other words, Andrew Bogdan Thought Like a Writer!

I really wish Andrew had told me about his secret message board, The Galactic Base of Science Fiction, which he worked hard to promote from 2010 until 2015 (the year he passed away) by adding 3,265 posts!

During that time he was the co-site administrator of the version of All Sci-Fi which lasted from 2007 until 2014!

When Andrew died in July 2015, his board only had twelve members — only five of whom actually posted anything . . . for a total of just seven posts!

I'd have joined Andrew's board in a heartbeat and done all I could make his efforts to have his own board like All Sci-Fi become successful.

Now I'm trying to preserve the great posts he created for both the old All Sci-Fi and The Galactic Base of Science Fiction — the board that's dead because it's creator is gone and no one can even join it, since Andrew had to activate every new members!

It's the same set up we have here on All Sci-Fi!

I hope the members of All Sci-Fi won't let this board become as neglected as Andrew's "Lost Message Board". I'm doing all I can to preserve Bogmeister's work on this board, which he served for almost seven years.

But I need your help, guys.

Please share your own ideas, your individual memories, and your personal knowledge of the genre we all love. Don't let All Sci-Fi become a "Lost Message Board" like Andrew's!

I know I'm not the only one who enjoys thinking of new and interesting things to add to this board. I'm just asking that you guys do it a bit more often.
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[The Spike]

The Revenge of Frankenstein is directed by Terence Fisher and written by Jimmy Sangster. it stars Peter Cushing, Francis Matthews, Eunice Grayson, Oscar Quitak, Michael Gwynn, John Welsh and Lionel Jeffries. Music is by Leonard Salzedo and cinematography by Jack Asher.

Baron Victor Frankenstein (Cushing), sentenced to death, escapes execution by the guillotine and moves to the town of Carlsbruck. Under the alias of Dr. Stein, Frankenstein sets himself up as a successful physician, but still stung by his treatment from his so called peers, he has plans to still create medical history...

The Curse of Frankenstein didn't need a sequel, it stands on its own as a wonderful reinvention of the Frankenstein legend and it was a big hit for Hammer Film Productions. But a sequel did come and how delightful it is to find that it not only pulses with everything that was great about Hammer when they were on form, but that it also didn't go for the easy cop out route and follow the same formula of its predecessor.

The returning presence of Fisher, Sangster, Asher and Cushing is very reassuring, and there is nothing samey here, because Sangster comes up with a story that puts the man Frankenstein as the focus, his medical dalliance this time is to put the brain of a deformed man into a perfect body. This gives the Frankenstein legend a unique twist whilst offering up ponderings about vanity and scientific advancements, while there's also a deft observation of the class divide, with the good/bad doctor perched Jekyll and Hyde like on either side of the social structure. From the natural flow of the beginning that follows on from "Curse", to a quite brilliant twist at its end, it's a screenplay that pulses with care and intelligence and avoids all the pitfalls of many other Frankenstein movies.

Filmed back-to-back with Dracula (1958), Hammer use many of the same sets but dress them accordingly, and they are sights for sore eyes. This really is a tip top production, the costuming to Salzedo's luscious musical score, and from Asher's piercingly beautiful Technicolor photography (some quarters have it incorrectly listed as Eastman Color) to the raft of great performances (Cushing and Matthews make for a very impressive thespian coupling), this showcases Hammer in their pomp. It's not all ideal for sure, there's a lack of scares since it's a very "human" sort of horror picture, the revenge hinted at in the title and Dr. Stein's attitude is a bit of a curved ball, while the set up for the creation to go "bad" is a bit weak, but small complaints and The Revenge of Frankenstein is one of the better sequels in the world of horror. 7.5/10
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The quality of mercy is not strnen.

[johnnybear]

Maybe the monster did survive, unknown to Frankenstein, and lived well into the twentieth century where it pretended to be a Lord and started going around the country as a confidence trickster with a brick in it's suitcase!!!
JB

[DonM435]

[Bud Brewster]

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Please expound, Don!

Johnnybear has posted on All Sci-Fi since he first joined us on June 15. 2016, and he's made 442 wonderful ports!

However, his most recent one was on Feb 12, 2022.

We miss his ASF contributes, and we hope he'll return soon.


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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[DonM435]

I picked up on his joke. Michael Gwynn was a guest star on John Cleese's comedy series Fawlty Towers, hence the reference in the post. I figured that if I said "Fawlty reasoning" it would be too obvious.