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                      <p><font size="1" face="Helvetica, Arial" color="#000000"><font color="#CC3300"><b><font color="#FFFFFF">MONSTERS 
                        FOR SALE</font></b><br>
                        <br>
                        </font></font><font size="1" face="Helvetica, Arial" color="#FFFFFF">DRACULA:</font><font size="1" face="Helvetica, Arial" color="#000000"> 
                        <a href="sale_dracula.html"><font color="#003333">Vincent 
                        Di Fate reviews the Dracula &quot;Legacy Collection&quot;</font></a><br>
                        <br>
                        <font color="#FFFFFF">FRANKENSTE</font></font><font size="1" face="Helvetica, Arial" color="#FFFFFF">IN:</font><font size="1" face="Helvetica, Arial" color="#000000"> 
                        <a href="sale_frankenstein.html"><font color="#003333">Bob 
                        Madison addresses the Frankenstein set</font><br>
                        </a><br>
                        <font color="#FFFFFF">THE WOLF MAN:</font> <a href="sale_wolfman.html"><font color="#003333">Robert 
                        Tinnell's take on the Wolf Man &quot;Legacy&quot;</font></a><br>
                        <font color="#FFFFFF"><br>
                        THE LEGACY:</font> <a href="sale_legacy.html"><font color="#003333">The 
                        B Monster delineates your &quot;Horror Heritage&quot;</font></a> 
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                  <td width="430"> <b><br>
                    By ROBERT TINNELL</b><br>
                    <hr>
                    Rather than raid their vaults to bring to light previously 
                    unreleased horror pictures, Universal has opted instead to 
                    repackage several of their classic horror titles as <b>The 
                    Legacy Collection</b>. With the exception of<b> House of Dracula</b> 
                    (it is included in the <b>Dracula Legacy</b> set), all of 
                    these titles -- and most of the extras -- were already made 
                    available some years back. 
                    <p> For <b>The Wolf Man Legacy Collection</b>, the studio 
                      included the namesake 1941 release starring Lon Chaney Jr., 
                      as well as <b>Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man</b> (1943), 
                      <b>Werewolf of London</b> (Universal's first attempt at 
                      a werewolf story) and 1948's <b>She-Wolf of London</b>. 
                      Knowledgeable fans realize, of course, that Lon Chaney Jr. 
                      played the Wolf Man in three more films -- <b>House of Frankenstein</b>, 
                      <b>House of Dracula</b>, and <b>Abbott &amp; Costello Meet 
                      Frankenstein</b>. However, I think Universal probably made 
                      a wise choice in packaging the collection as they have. 
                      But more on packaging later ... </p>
                    <p> Okay, we've covered the de rigueur boilerplate. Chances 
                      are if you read the B Monster regularly, you're more than 
                      a little familiar with these films and their history and 
                      the circumstances of their release. So forgive me if I don't 
                      waste precious minutes of your life with dry synopses and 
                      endless cast lists. Let's pretend we're sitting in the hotel 
                      bar at a horror movie convention and I'm holding forth most 
                      passionately on the subject. </p>
                    <p> The keystone of this collection is, of course, <b>The 
                      Wolf Man</b> (1941). This was Universal's last successful 
                      shot at creating an iconic monster until The Creature in 
                      the '50s (don't wave your arms about your head shouting 
                      something about the Creeper, please). They had tried once 
                      before with a lycanthrope some six years earlier and failed. 
                      But this time they got it right. </p>
                    <p> I often like to ask fellow fans which of the Universal 
                      classic horrors actually delivered. And by that, I mean 
                      as a total package, really and truly gave you what was promised. 
                      For me personally, I always throw out films like <b>The 
                      Black Cat</b> and <b>Dracula's Daughter</b>. Well, <b>The 
                      Wolf Man</b> delivers. And the big reason it delivers -- 
                      the main virtue among a host of virtues -- is the story. 
                      Curt Siodmak could write. <b>The Wolf Man</b> is tight, 
                      action-packed and thrilling. The characters are likeable 
                      and sympathetic. What's more, Siodmak manages to create 
                      a mythology practically from whole cloth. In fact, do yourself 
                      a favor: watch <b>The Wolf Man</b> back-to-back with <b>Werewolf 
                      of London</b>; you'll be amazed at the innovation in the 
                      newer film. </p>
                    <p> A big reason the script is so well regarded is the fabulous 
                      cast the studio lined up for the film. Chaney Jr. played 
                      all the classic monsters, save for the Invisible Man, but 
                      Lawrence Talbot, The Wolf Man, would be his signature role. 
                      And while Karloff and Lugosi both saw their famous creations 
                      interpreted by others (including Chaney Jr.), The Wolf Man 
                      was only portrayed by Lon. </p>
                    <p> And as for the rest of the cast? I'm still amazed at the 
                      caliber of actors they were able to attract. I mean, for 
                      me, even though the role is small, I think Lugosi is doing 
                      some really great work. He plays Bela, the cursed Gypsy 
                      man who ends up responsible for Larry Talbot's condition. 
                      There's a shot where you can see the pain in his eyes -- 
                      and that medium close-up alone is unforgettable. </p>
                    <p> Claude Rains turns in a great performance -- but then, 
                      didn't he always? Evelyn Ankers is the perfect leading lady. 
                      And Maria Ouspenskaya? I'd venture to say she, too, launched 
                      an iconic figure with her performance as the old Gypsy woman. 
                    </p>
                    <p> Director George Waggner does a wonderful job of storytelling. 
                      Whenever I watch the film I am reminded of a fairy tale. 
                      The art department created a magical fog-shrouded world 
                      for tragic Larry Talbot to inhabit. And the music is dead-on. 
                      Like I said before, <b>The Wolf Man</b> delivers, and delivers 
                      big. </p>
                    <p> <b>Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man</b> was sequel to both 
                      <b>The Wolf Man</b> and <b>Ghost of Frankenstein</b>. It 
                      also marked the beginning of the so-called "monster rally" 
                      films. It starts out quite promising, with two men attempting 
                      to rob Larry Talbot's tomb. The production design is splendid, 
                      and the direction, editing and music are most effective. 
                      To my mind, it is one of the scariest/creepiest scenes in 
                      the whole Universal horror run. </p>
                    <p><img src="sale_wolfman2.gif" width="220" height="420" align="right" vspace="8" hspace="8">As 
                      is sometimes the case when breaking new ground, mistakes 
                      are made, even with the formidable Curt Siodmak writing 
                      the screenplay, and the film develops in an episodic fashion. 
                      What's more, changes were made after the film was shot that 
                      seriously dilute Bela Lugosi's performance of the Monster. 
                      The original script and production, for instance, required 
                      that the Monster was blind and could speak. Removal of both 
                      those conditions in post-production resulted in a Monster 
                      whose behavior could be described as confusing at best. 
                    </p>
                    <p> Overall, though, I find myself returning on occasion to 
                      <b>Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man</b>. I think it's fun, 
                      I like the cast (including the great Dwight Frye, Lionel 
                      Atwill and Madame Ouspenskaya), I like the sets, and what's 
                      more, I think it's a great little film to get young kids 
                      interested in the classic monsters. </p>
                    <p> And then there's <b>She-Wolf of London</b> (1946). Long 
                      before <b>Lost In Space</b>, June Lockhart headlined this 
                      short film that has nothing to do with the previous Wolf 
                      Man films. She plays a young London heiress who is apparently 
                      inheriting more than just money. Seems there's some sort 
                      of family curse that leads her to believe she's a werewolf. 
                    </p>
                    <p> The plain truth here is that this is a bad film all the 
                      way around. Who knew you could fit so little in an hour? 
                      Director Jean Yarbrough directs with indifference. The staging 
                      of the action scenes is dreadful. The cast is not particularly 
                      attractive or engaging. There are a couple of nice bits 
                      of set dressing and design but all in all, worth a look 
                      only to say you've seen 'em all. If it hadn't been included 
                      on this disc (or on the earlier double-feature releases 
                      of Universal horrors the studio released), I wouldn't even 
                      bother to own it. </p>
                    <p> Which brings me to the fourth and final film in the collection: 
                      <b>Werewolf of London</b> (1935). Henry Hull has the title 
                      role of botanist Wilfred Glendon. While on an expedition 
                      to find a rare flower in Tibet, Glendon is attacked by a 
                      werewolf. He returns to London and it is there that he himself 
                      begins to change -- and as a result starts hunting the thing 
                      he loves most. </p>
                    <p> <b>Werewolf of London</b> did not catch on like <b>The 
                      Wolf Man</b>. There are a number of reasons for this. Henry 
                      Hull is just not very sympathetic. He doesn't convey the 
                      tragedy in the way Lon Chaney Jr. would years later in <b>The 
                      Wolf Man</b>. Part of this is due to the script. And part 
                      of it is due, I suppose, to Hull's rather fussy demeanor. 
                      Larry Talbot is a guy we can sit and have a beer with. Wilfred 
                      Glendon would most likely refuse our company! </p>
                    <p> Again, the script is to blame for much of the film's problems. 
                      For one thing, the werewolf is a bit of a wimp. Mere bullets 
                      can kill him, and he is on occasion bested in a fight. More 
                      significant to the film's detriment, however, are the characterizations. 
                      There's only one truly sympathetic character among the leads 
                      -- Warner Oland as Dr. Yogami -- and even then there are 
                      inconsistencies in his character that are troubling. Wilfred 
                      Glendon is an arrogant, cold fellow with a superiority complex. 
                      His wife, Lisa, is spoiled and openly flirts with an old 
                      flame. She sends conflicting signals to her husband and 
                      the other man, and is, in general, terribly unreasonable. 
                      Her "aunt," played by veteran Spring Byington, is thoroughly 
                      unlikable -- a poor attempt at comic relief. </p>
                    <p> A few of the scenes, characters and decisions in the film 
                      suggest the writers and director Stuart Walker were trying 
                      to replicate some of what James Whale had done so effortlessly 
                      in his groundbreaking horrors. Hence, a sequence with two 
                      old lady alcoholics is meant to capture Whale's quirky but 
                      organic use of humor -- think Una O'Connor. Alas, the attempt 
                      fails miserably. </p>
                    <p> All the above notwithstanding, I have to say that I still 
                      enjoy <b>Werewolf of London</b>. Hull's make-up is crude 
                      and yet effective. The opening sequence, photographed at 
                      the venerable Los Angeles County film location Vasquez Rocks, 
                      is fun. And the historian within me enjoys watching the 
                      evolution of the werewolf character from <b>Werewolf of 
                      London</b> to <b>The Wolf Man</b>. </p>
                    <p> The overall packaging and presentation of <b>The Legacy 
                      Collection</b> is very nice. The various menus are lovingly 
                      rendered. In fact, you could actually let the menu run on 
                      Halloween night as a mood-setter -- the crickets and wolf 
                      howls are wonderful. I could not detect any loss in quality 
                      in any of the transfers between now and their original DVD 
                      releases. There are extras, the most notable being the very 
                      good <b>Monster By Moonlight</b> documentary that was first 
                      released as an extra on the original DVD release of <b>The 
                      Wolf Man</b>. Tom Weaver's audio commentary on <b>The Wolf 
                      Man</b> itself, again recycled, is of great value. And the 
                      few trailers present are always welcome. </p>
                    <p> Finally, Universal has included another "documentary" 
                      with the package in an effort to promote their recent "monster 
                      rally," <b>Van Helsing</b>. A number of fans have complained 
                      about this, but I would counsel caution in their criticisms. 
                      If not for <b>Van Helsing</b>, I'm not certain the <b>Legacy 
                      Collection</b> would exist. And I want the <b>Legacy Collection</b> 
                      to succeed, as I am, quite frankly, desperate to see the 
                      studio dig deeper into the vaults and release <b>The Black 
                      Cat, The Raven</b> and so on. Despite their best efforts 
                      on these releases, Universal is a business. If they aren't 
                      making money in a certain direction, you can be sure they 
                      will not venture any further. As for the quality of the 
                      "documentary" on how <b>The Wolf Man</b> inspired director 
                      Stephen Sommers on <b>Van Helsing</b> -- well, at best it's 
                      a glorified electronic press kit and not a very good one. 
                      But a thought occurred to me as I was watching it -- wouldn't 
                      it have been wonderful if Universal had done something so 
                      crass during the shooting of the original pictures? Can 
                      you imagine how we would savor those precious moments of 
                      recorded history? For good or ill, something of a "behind-the 
                      -scenes" record of <b>Van Helsing</b> exists. I can't fault 
                      the studio for that. </p>
                    <p> Bottom line, if you already own these films in a previous 
                      release, I cannot find a reason for you to purchase them, 
                      short of the collectible busts or you being a <b>Van Helsing</b> 
                      completist. If you missed out on the opportunity to purchase 
                      them during their original DVD release, then run out and 
                      get this. For myself, as much as I want Universal to succeed 
                      and do the aforementioned digging in their vaults, I can't 
                      imagine paying twice for films I already own with no new 
                      extras short of the busts.</p>
                    <hr>
                    <i>Robert Tinnell is the writer/director of Monster Kid favorite 
                    <b>Frankenstein and Me</b> along with several other films. 
                    His latest projects include the horror screenplay <b>The Voice</b> 
                    and the monster rally graphic novel <b>The Black Forest </b>-- 
                    and you can learn more about all of this at:<br>
                    <a href="http://www.theblackforest.net" target="_blank">http://www.theblackforest.net</a></i><br>
                    <br>
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                <p>&quot;Beware the stalking being -- half -- human -- half -- beast!&quot;<br>
                  <font color="#FF0000">Werewolf of London</font></p>
                    
                <p> "A man transformed to a beast before your very eyes" <br>
                  <font color="#FF0000">Werewolf of London</font></p>
                    
                <p>"Diabolical murder monsters lusting for a death-duel!" <br>
                  <font color="#FF0000">Frankensetien Meets the Wolf Man</font></p>
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