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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers:
Mary Shelley (suggested by the story written in 1816)
Wyllis Cooper (screenplay)
Release Date:
13 January 1939 (USA) more
Tagline:
The black shadows of the past bred this half-man . . . half-demon ! . . . creating a new and terrible juggernaut of destruction !
Plot:
Wolf Frankenstein, son of Henry Frankenstein, returns with his wife, to his fathers estate to claim his inheritance... more | add synopsis
NewsDesk:
(2 articles)
Monsterpalooza Set to Invade Burbank Again Next April
(From Dread Central. 30 September 2009, 2:34 PM, PDT)
Portland’s Rooftop Cinema Summer Schedule
(From Scorecard Review. 9 July 2009, 12:17 PM, PDT)
User Comments:
Surprisingly Good Sequel more (81 total)
Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Basil Rathbone | ... | Baron Wolf von Frankenstein | |
| Boris Karloff | ... | The Monster | |
| Bela Lugosi | ... | Ygor | |
| Lionel Atwill | ... | Krogh | |
| Josephine Hutchinson | ... | Elsa von Frankenstein | |
| Donnie Dunagan | ... | Peter von Frankenstein | |
| Emma Dunn | ... | Amelia | |
| Edgar Norton | ... | Benson | |
| Perry Ivins | ... | Fritz | |
| Lawrence Grant | ... | Burgomaster | |
| Lionel Belmore | ... | Lang | |
| Michael Mark | ... | Ewald Neumüller | |
| Caroline Frances Cooke | ... | Mrs. Neumüller (as Caroline Cooke) | |
| Gustav von Seyffertitz | ... | Burgher | |
| Lorimer Johnston | ... | Burgher (as Lorimer Johnson) |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
99 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)
Certification:
Finland:K-15 (2004) | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Finland:(Banned) (1955) | Spain:13 | South Korea:12 | Norway:16 (1955) | Norway:16 (cut) | Finland:(Banned) (1939) | USA:Approved (PCA #4987) | Sweden:7
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Makeup artist Jack P. Pierce estimated it took four hours to transform Boris Karloff into the monster. more
Goofs:
Continuity: In the climactic fight with the monster, after his artificial arm is torn off the inspector draws his gun, a revolver. He then proceeds to fire ten shots in quick succession, without the chance or ability to reload. more
Quotes:
Baron Wolf von Frankenstein:
I should turn you over to Inspector Krogh!
Ygor:
No! Krogh no want dead man, Ygor is dead!
Baron Wolf von Frankenstein:
What are you talking about?
Ygor:
They hanged me once, Frankenstein... they broke my neck.
Baron Wolf von Frankenstein:
Hanged you... well, why did they hang you?
Ygor:
Because I stole bodies... they said...
more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in La orgía de los muertos (1973) more
Soundtrack:
Sailing, Sailing, Over the Bounding Main more
FAQ
Why wasn't the monster able to speak in this movie?Is "Son of Frankenstein" based on a novel?
What has the Frankenstein monster been doing all those years?
more
more (81 total)
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Usually the third film in a series shows signs of decline either in quality or inventiveness. Even the third 'Godfather' was significantly less than its predecessors. Universal's 'Frankenstein' series that began in the early 1930's was no exception and showed some wear by the end of the decade when 'Son of Frankenstein' was released. Under the sensitive direction of James Whale, the original 'Frankenstein' was a classic, and, in the first sequel, 'Bride of Frankenstein,' Whale even managed to better it. However, while Whale was not involved with 'Son,' the third installment turned out to be a surprisingly good movie even if it failed to match the two preceding films. Perhaps the major reason for the success of 'Son' was the casting of Basil Rathbone as Wolf Frankenstein, the original Baron's son. Rathbone is a fine strong actor, and his characterization certainly exceeds Colin Clive's somewhat colorless portrayal of his father in the preceding films. Rathbone holds the viewer's attention throughout as he becomes immersed in the legacy of his father and fails to comprehend the consequences of what he is doing. Boris Karloff returns for a third time as the monster. Although he does a fine job, there is less opportunity for the actor to show the range of emotion in this film that he displayed in 'Bride.' Another aspect of 'Son' that raises it above the ordinary is the set and lighting design, which owes a debt to German expressionism. The sets have bold diagonals in their construction, and the cameraman has lit them to cast equally bold shadows against bare walls and create abstract patterns that often recall 'The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari.' The lighting and design of one particular section of a cave under the Frankenstein laboratory could have been blown up and framed as an expressionist photograph. Although it does not reach the heights of the Whale films, 'Son of Frankenstein' is a worthy successor and an engrossing film in its own right.