Frankenstein - The True Story
by Jack Smight
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: David McCallum, James Mason, Jane Seymour, Leonard Whiting, Nicola PagettDirector: Jack Smight
Brand: Universal Studios
Cinematographer: Arthur Ibbetson
Editor: Richard Marden
Producer: Hunt Stromberg Jr.
Producer: Ian Lewis
Writer: Christopher Isherwood
Writer: Don Bachardy
Writer: Mary Shelley
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Format: Color, Dolby, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 185 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-09-26
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Universal Studios
Movie Reviews of Frankenstein - The True Story
Movie Review: Why was I born?
Summary: 5 Stars
Victor Frankenstein may very well be literature's most famous (or notorious) negligent parent. The tale of a man who creates a living being from corpses and then, horrified by what he has done, abandons it and lives to regret it, is one of the great tragic stories in English literature. The creature, seeking understanding and love, is reviled by society, becomes bitter and vengeful towards its creator, and then punishes him, "big time", again and again, for giving him life.
To readers weaned on the likes of Stephen King, Dean Koontz, or Clive Barker, Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus", is a bit of a letdown. It isn't really a "horror" novel at all, but more a very moral tale in which some horrific and fantastic things occur.
"Frankenstein", in its innumerable cinematic incarnations, had pretty much left Mary Shelley far behind, the moral lesson of the tale eradicated, and the horrific elements of emphasized and often overemphasized, rendering it merely a grisly "shocker."
In 1973, openly gay writer Christopher Isherwood and his longtime companion Don Bachardy scripted a literate, disturbing, and more-than-slightly homoerotic adaptation of Mary Shelley's novel for a made-for-TV movie entitled "Frankenstein: The True Story". The original screenplay even had a prologue featuring Mary Shelley, Percy Shelley. Lord Byron, and Byron's personal physician Dr. Polidori, each character having an internal conversation about themselves but alas, did not make into the final film. "Frankenstein: The True Story" is certainly not the letter of Mary Shelley's novel, as some characters were eliminated, some changed or combined, and even some new ones created, but, in this viewer's opinion, comes very, very close to the spirit of the novel, and touches on some pretty disturbing subjects, not the kind of stuff that was seen on prime-time television in the early 1970s. Implied homosexuality, misogyny, necrophilia, along with a generous knock at religion, were some of the topics in this handsome production. The film does borrow from the Universal "Frankenstein" films, most notably "Bride of Frankenstein", and from some of the Hammer "Frankenstein" films, most notably "Revenge of Frankenstein". Incidentally, the film's makeup artist, Roy Ashton, had been Hammer Films' primary makeup artist.
Leonard Whiting, who had starred in Zeffirelli's "Romeo and Juliet" plays medical student Victor Frankenstein, whose chance meeting with fellow surgeon Henry Clerval (David McCallum) leads to a collaboration that, in Regency-era England, was the ultimate blasphemy: the creation of a living man from corpses. Clerval and Victor's fiancée Elizabeth (Nicola Pagett), (who Clerval finds pious and meddlesome and an obvious threat for Victor's affections), dislike each other intensely. Clerval suffers a fatal heart attack, and Victor transplants his brain into the head of the creature. The creature (Michael Sarrazin) is brought to life and is stunningly handsome, but the very process which brought it to life (solar energy is introduced into the tale), begins to reverse itself, and the creature begins to become ugly. Victor begins to treat it with disgust and contempt, and the creature, realizing that its beauty is gone, tries to kill itself...but fails.
A longtime rival of Clerval's, the sinister and effete Dr. Polidori (James Mason) enters the picture, and plans to create his own creature....a woman. Using the head of a dead peasant girl (a very young and luscious Jane Seymour) provided by the creature, the newly created woman, christened Prima, is breathtakingly beautiful...and as cold and calculating as a serpent. Polidori tries to destroy the male creature, but the creature escapes and exacts his terrible revenge, culminating in the deaths of Prima, Polidori, and the increasingly hostile Elizabeth. Both creator and creation end up at the North Pole (as in the novel), and Victor begs forgiveness from the creature, then an avalanche buries them both, putting an end to their misery.
As I stated earlier, liberties were taken with the novel, but the basic story of a creature that is rejected by its creator and society, its subsequent bitterness, and the tragedy that befalls all concerned, was brought to this production which, I'm sure, touched (and surprised) many who may never have even read the original book, or understood Mary Shelley's intentions. This was no mere "shocker", but a whole other kettle of flesh.
The supporting cast boasts cameos by several legendary performers, such as Margaret Leighton, Agnes Moorehead, Sir John Gielgud, Sir Ralph Richardson, Michael Wilding, Tom Baker (TV's Dr Who), and Clarissa Kaye (Mrs James Mason), handsome Regency costumes and sets, and particularly memorable performances from Michael Sarrazin and Jane Seymour, who really make one reexamine the nature and definition of beauty, which in many cases, may be only "skin deep."
The picture and sound quality are merely OK (this really could have benefitted from remastering and restoration, as some scenes are downright grainy), but it's certainly better than the prints that had been shown on TV in previous years. On the plus side, the film has been restored to its original running length (it had been edited down to 2 hours for theatrical release in the UK, and that version was the only one commercially available on VHS), and much of Jane Seymour's role ended up on the cutting room floor. And there are no extras on the DVD (I would have loved to have seen a "making of" featurette or a commentary), but at least this viewer is happy to see this long-awaited release finally become available on DVD.
Summary of Frankenstein - The True Story
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