Frankenstein: The Legacy Collection (DVD)

One of the greatest monster franchises in history owes a great debt to Mary Shelley, Boris Karloff and James Whale. Shelley for her original book which inspired the films, Karloff for his incredible performance as the gentle giant/fearsome monster in three movies, and James Whale's direction, which brought not only the Frankenstein Monster to life, but his Bride, too. Jack Pierce should also be given considerable credit, since he co-created the amazing make-up, with Whale, that resulted in one of the most recognizable and iconic images of the past eight plus decades.

Five Frankenstein films are included in the Frankenstein: The Legacy Collection box set, which also boasts a plethora of special features that pay homage to the unforgettable series. James Whale directed the first two films; Frankenstein and The Bride of Frankenstein, while Karloff appeared in the first three films, including Son of Frankenstein, as the titular character. Karloff also appeared in House of Frankenstein, but not as the monster. In addition to the fantastic make-up, the foreboding atmosphere created by James Whale, and Karloff's sometimes heartbreaking performance, the screenplay, by Francis Edward Faragoh and Garrett Fort, is outstanding and cerebral in the original film. The Bride of Frankenstein and Son of Frankenstein also feature excellent screenplays, courtesy of William Hurlbut & John L. Balderston, and Wyllis Cooper, respectively.

The intelligent writing helped to balance the science of creating life with the more ominous overtones of a creature that possesses the brain of a criminal, instead of a so-called normal brain, which was what Henry Frankenstein (Colin Clive) intended. However, his assistant, Igor (Dwight Frye), made a terrible mistake when startled during a robbery at a medical clinic. Of course, when you go about trying to create life, there are bound to be problems, especially from those individuals who think that God is the only one who should have that job. Indeed, there are social and religious components to the film which separate it from its counterparts in the horror genre. In the original film, Henry Frankenstein was a genius, but was also a bit mad, which is typical. Had he known the brain he was using for his creation was abnormal, he would not have gone ahead with the procedure of bringing the being to life. But once the genie was out of the bottle, Henry wanted to try again by making a mate for the lonely and misunderstood creature. Always remember "Alone....Bad, Friend.....Good."

While there is much to like about the first three films, the last two, Ghost of Frankenstein and House of Frankenstein, are not nearly as good. However, the screenplay for Ghost of Frankenstein, by Scott Darling and Eric Taylor, starts off strong, but loses momentum as the film moves along and completely falls apart during the final scenes. On the other hand, House of Frankenstein is a complete mess and must have only been made to generate money for Universal. While it is always great to see Boris Karloff and Lon Chaney Jr. on screen, there is not much to like about this mishmash that includes appearances by Dracula (John Carradine), Chaney as The Wolf Man, and Karloff as the evil Dr. Niemann, who attempts to revive all of the aforementioned monsters for his own personal gain.

It is difficult to decide whether Frankenstein or Bride of Frankenstein is the better film. I think they are about equal. Both benefit from Whale's outstanding direction, Karloff's emotional multi-layered performances, terrific atmosphere and solid work from Colin Clive. Of course, Bride of Frankenstein features the great, albeit brief work, of Elsa Lanchester, as the Bride. The supporting cast, including Una O'Connor and Dwight Frye are also terrific. While Son of Frankenstein was not as widely acclaimed, I thought the vast majority of the film was well conceived, but I was not impressed with the abrupt conclusion, nor how the monster was revived for future installments.

The special features include the excellent documentary "The Frankenstein Files: How Hollywood Made A Monster", commentary by film historians, a poster and photo gallery, original trailers, the short film, "Boo!," a behind the scenes featurette hosted by director Stephen Sommers, and another documentary, "She Alive!," featuring the Bride of Frankenstein.

I always try to reacquaint myself with one or more of the Universal Monsters every Halloween, when it seems more appropriate to watch these classic films that never seem to lose their appeal. Of course, when supremely talented people are involved, magic can be made and Frankenstein is a perfect example.