Revisiting THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN in 4K

THE CURSE OF FRANKENSTEIN (4K UHD)

1957 / 83 min

Warner Archive Collection

Available at www.MovieZyng.com

Review by Josey, the Sudden Cat🙀

Over the years, Warner Archive has done a fine job resurrecting and restoring classic & obscure WB and MGM titles on Blu-ray. Lately, they’ve been throwing their hat in the 4K ring, with impressive results. Both The Searchers and Get Carter recently got great video/audio facelifts. However, they were really only of interest for videophiles seeking technical upgrades, since neither included any new bonus material.

1957’s The Curse of Frankenstein is different matter altogether. The classic that put Hammer Films on the map has been beautifully restored for 4K in all its gothic glory, and has never looked or sounded better. But the icing on the cake is the sheer abundance of new and archival bonus material. Additionally, three versions of the film are offered, each presented in a different aspect ratio. Warner Archive, working closely with recently-resurrected Hammer Films, really pulled out all the stops for this one. For fans, this release is well-worth the upgrade, no matter what previous version you own.

As for the movie itself, The Curse of Frankenstein remains wonderfully entertaining all these years later. A loose adaptation of Mary Shelley’s perennial classic, this may not be the greatest Frankenstein film, but it’s still a lot of ghoulish fun (and pretty gruesome for its time). And at the center is Peter Cushing’s star-making performance as the titular character. Stopping just short of camp, he effortlessly conveys the mad doctor’s cold-blooded obsession that eventually drives him to murder in order to bring his creation to life.

"How 'bout we get a few fish for this thing?"

Elsewhere, Christopher Lee is (unintentionally?) amusing as ‘The Creature,’ which was one of his first prominent roles and paved the way for him to become one of Hammer’s go-to horror stars. Speaking of which, The Curse of Frankenstein isn’t the first Hammer film, but unquestionably the one that introduced the aesthetic template that served the studio well for the next 20-or-so years. In that respect, the film has considerable historic importance, which every self-respecting horror fan should experience at least once.

And the history lesson doesn’t stop with the movie. The numerous bonus features cover most of the movie’s production and cultural impact, as well as people on both sides of the camera whose best known work would be with Hammer. My only quip - and it’s a minor one - is that these are needlessly spread out across all three discs. For the sake of convenience, it might have been preferable to stick all of them on one disc, with all the cuts of the film on the other two. But that’s probably nitpicking, because other than that, this is an essential pick-up for classic horror lovers.

EXTRA KIBBLES

3 VERSIONS OF THE FILM - UK 1.66:1 theatrical aspect ratio version; 1.37:1 open matte aspect ratio version; US 1.85:1 theatrical aspect ratio version.

FEATURETTES (spread out over over all three discs) - Beside the Seaside is an affectionate look at the life of Peter Cushing, as told to actress Madeline Smith by author Wayne Kinsey (this is my favorite of the bonus features); Reviving The Curse of Frankenstein is a look at the restoration process; Recreating the Creature shows a few modern make-up artists recreating Christopher Lee’s monster make-up; A Fitting Vocation focuses on costume designer Molly Arbuthnot; Topped and Tailed is an interview with actor Melvyn Hayes (young Victor); Good or Tuesday? is about screenwriter Jimmy Sangster; Painting with Fine Brushes is a feature about cinematographer Jack Asher; A Gothic Tribute to Frankenstein is a look at Mary Shelley’s novel and its screen history; Frankenstein Reborn is a retrospective making-of featurette; Life with Sir is a tribute to Peter Cushing; The Resurrection Men has horror publisher discussing the movie’s impact on the genre; Hideous Progeny features historian Christopher Frayling discussing the history of gothic horror; Torrents of Light is another tribute to cinematographer Jack Asher; Diabolus in Musica is an appreciation of composer James Bernard.

4 AUDIO COMMENTARIES - 1) By Kim Newman, Barry Forshaw & Stephen Jones; 2) By Marcus Hearn & Jonathan Rigby; 3) By Heidi Honeycutt & Toby Roan; 4) Dr. Steve Haberman & Constantine Nasr. These commentaries are available on specific versions of the film.

ALTERNATIVE EYEBALL SCENE 

8MM CUT DOWN - Back in the day, fans could buy truncated versions of movie an 8mm film, to be shown with home projectors. Here’s one for The Curse of Frankenstein, trimmed down to 10 minutes.

IMAGE GALLERY - Posters, lobby cards, stills, etc.

TRAILER

UK CENSOR CARD - Originally appeared on-screen before the movie.