From a visual presentation, "Son of Frankenstein" is fantastic. It features some of the best sets of the series. All the buildings in the village have weird sloping roofs. The boxes of the judge's house loom high over the floor. Grotesque stone gargoyles framed either side of the Frankenstein dining room, glaring down on the family as they eat. The cave leading into the laboratory has a hallucinatory rocky ceiling. A giant circular opening leads up into the lab, the bubbling sulfur pit casting an eerie glow over all the electronics. The architecture casts odd shadows on the wall. While the film mostly builds atmosphere with these elements, it has at least one scene of good old fashion foggy nights, a moment of the Monster wandering through the countryside. The film is well-shot. I love the Monster's reveal, which involves a slow pull back, the body on a slab before Basil Rathbone and Ygor. In another scene, the Monster is raised up on the surgical table, the soles of his boots right in the viewer's face.
Often regarded as the last "good" Frankenstein movie, there are aspect of "Son" that are utterly fascinating. Ygor watching over the sleeping child, peering in through a secret window in the wall, is frankly nightmarish. The son of Colin Clive's Henry Frankenstein (Here called Heinrich, first of many continuity gaffs), Wolf returns with his family to the ancestral home. He too is a man of science and is determined to reclaim his father's legacy as one of good. In a particularly effective scene, Wolf discovers a vandal has written on his father's tomb "Maker of Monsters." Once he has decided to resurrect the creature, he carves "Maker of MEN" over the graffiti.
Wolf is under constant security from the villagers and his attempts to hide his obvious guilt leads to him being highly nervous throughout. In a montage, the Monster is studied from every scientific angle and we realize just how truly inhuman he is. Basil Rathbone supposedly didn't want to do the film but I actually like his performance quite a bit. His constant anxiety could be seen as a little over the top but I think it works. It adds a certainly energy to the film.
This was the last time Karloff played the Monster, fearing the character had been reduced to a mindless killing machine. His concerns were valid. As far as emotional depth goes, the creature isn't given much to work with. Mostly he lumbers about, rather stiffly, doing Ygor's work. The Monster kills without remorse and doesn't seem much interested in anything else. Even then, Karloff manages to sneak in a moment or two. He slowly sneaks up on Wolf, places a hand on his shoulder. The doctor faces the Monster, horrified, as the creature's hands slowly work around his throat. However, Karloff steps back, rubs his head, confused. The Monster is still disgusted with his reflection and the late scenes with the little boy recall the flower girl sequence from the original. Still, as a hardcore nerd committed to fan-wankery, you can justify this behavior. He's been blown up and struck by lightening. His mind is bound to be scrambled.
Even from a character development angle, it can work. In the forty-some years of his existence, the Monster has had to live with almost total rejection and fear. Reacting to any other life with murderous rage shouldn't be unexpected. His anguished wails over Ygor's death are probably the closest Karloff is allowed to get to the earlier film's diversity. I can't blame Boris for dropping out after this one. And, for the record, I like the shag jacket.
Ygor is an odd character. He's the primary villain in the film. Up until the very end, the Monster is a moving plot device, manipulated by the madman. I love the idea of a man who survived a hanging, a permanent knot in his neck. Lugosi, growling his lines in broken English, certainly gives a very different performance then his Dracula.
Lionel Atwill's Inspector Krogh is another famous contribution to the Frankenstein legacy. Atwill's monologue about how he lost his arm is deeply effective. He doesn't overact with the wooden arm. Honestly, it's cool and sets up an awesome moment at the end. I personally love that the Monster has become something of a (pre)urban legend, something whispered about, more myth then actuality at this point.
I honestly like "Son of Frankenstein" a lot. It pales helplessly compared to the first two films but, as a sequel, it follows up the themes in logical ways while providing a few cool addition of its own. "Young Frankenstein" owes way more to this movie then most realize.
Often regarded as the last "good" Frankenstein movie, there are aspect of "Son" that are utterly fascinating. Ygor watching over the sleeping child, peering in through a secret window in the wall, is frankly nightmarish. The son of Colin Clive's Henry Frankenstein (Here called Heinrich, first of many continuity gaffs), Wolf returns with his family to the ancestral home. He too is a man of science and is determined to reclaim his father's legacy as one of good. In a particularly effective scene, Wolf discovers a vandal has written on his father's tomb "Maker of Monsters." Once he has decided to resurrect the creature, he carves "Maker of MEN" over the graffiti.
Wolf is under constant security from the villagers and his attempts to hide his obvious guilt leads to him being highly nervous throughout. In a montage, the Monster is studied from every scientific angle and we realize just how truly inhuman he is. Basil Rathbone supposedly didn't want to do the film but I actually like his performance quite a bit. His constant anxiety could be seen as a little over the top but I think it works. It adds a certainly energy to the film.
This was the last time Karloff played the Monster, fearing the character had been reduced to a mindless killing machine. His concerns were valid. As far as emotional depth goes, the creature isn't given much to work with. Mostly he lumbers about, rather stiffly, doing Ygor's work. The Monster kills without remorse and doesn't seem much interested in anything else. Even then, Karloff manages to sneak in a moment or two. He slowly sneaks up on Wolf, places a hand on his shoulder. The doctor faces the Monster, horrified, as the creature's hands slowly work around his throat. However, Karloff steps back, rubs his head, confused. The Monster is still disgusted with his reflection and the late scenes with the little boy recall the flower girl sequence from the original. Still, as a hardcore nerd committed to fan-wankery, you can justify this behavior. He's been blown up and struck by lightening. His mind is bound to be scrambled.
Even from a character development angle, it can work. In the forty-some years of his existence, the Monster has had to live with almost total rejection and fear. Reacting to any other life with murderous rage shouldn't be unexpected. His anguished wails over Ygor's death are probably the closest Karloff is allowed to get to the earlier film's diversity. I can't blame Boris for dropping out after this one. And, for the record, I like the shag jacket.
Ygor is an odd character. He's the primary villain in the film. Up until the very end, the Monster is a moving plot device, manipulated by the madman. I love the idea of a man who survived a hanging, a permanent knot in his neck. Lugosi, growling his lines in broken English, certainly gives a very different performance then his Dracula.
Lionel Atwill's Inspector Krogh is another famous contribution to the Frankenstein legacy. Atwill's monologue about how he lost his arm is deeply effective. He doesn't overact with the wooden arm. Honestly, it's cool and sets up an awesome moment at the end. I personally love that the Monster has become something of a (pre)urban legend, something whispered about, more myth then actuality at this point.
I honestly like "Son of Frankenstein" a lot. It pales helplessly compared to the first two films but, as a sequel, it follows up the themes in logical ways while providing a few cool addition of its own. "Young Frankenstein" owes way more to this movie then most realize.