The Wolf Man (1941)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

George Waggner

Writer:

Curt Siodmak (writer)

Release Date:

12 December 1941 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Fantasy | Horror

Tagline:

"His hideous howl a dirge of death!"

Plot:

A practical man returns to his homeland, is attacked by a creature of folklore, and imbued with a malady his disciplined mind tells him can not possibly exist.

Plot Keywords:

Werewolf | Full Moon | Wolf | Gypsy | Legend

Cast

Claude Rains	...	Sir John Talbot
Warren William	...	Dr. Lloyd
Ralph Bellamy	...	Col. Montford
Patric Knowles	...	Frank Andrews
Bela Lugosi	...	Bela
Maria Ouspenskaya	...	Maleva
Evelyn Ankers	...	Gwen Conliffe
J.M. Kerrigan	...	Charles Conliffe
Fay Helm	...	Jenny Williams
Forrester Harvey	...	Twiddle
Lon Chaney Jr.	...	The Wolf Man / Larry Talbot (as Lon Chaney)

Also Known As:

Destiny (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

70 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Mirrophonic Recording)

Certification:

Finland:K-15 (2004) | Spain:13 | Australia:PG | Germany:12 | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:Approved (PCA #7874) | Canada:PG

Filming Locations:

Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

"Even a man who is pure at heart, and says his prayers by night, may become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms and the autumn moon is bright." This quote has been listed in some sources as an authentic Gypsy or Eastern European folk saying. Writer Curt Siodmak admits that he simply made it up. Nonetheless, the rhyme would be recited in every future Universal film appearance of the Wolf Man, and would also be quoted in Van Helsing (2004). (Albeit, slightly modified, "The moon is shining bright." rather than "The autumn moon is bright.")

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Larry Talbot sits on the chair of his room and first changes into the Wolf Man, you see only his feet change. However, when the Wolf Man stands up, the pant legs ride up from his furry Wolf Man feet and you can see bare skin on his legs above the top of the "Wolf Man feet" boots he is wearing.

Quotes:

Sir John Talbot: You policemen are always in such a hurry. As if dead men didn't have all eternity.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Great Piggy Bank Robbery (1946)

Wooden actors and hairy monsters

Errie shadows follow the second Talbot son(the broad shouldered giant of a seemingly much younger and smaller Father) as he strides through the woods with the beautiful Gwen to the gypsy camp to have his fortune told. The obviously constant fog swirls around everybody's ankles in the darkness. Lon's two standard expressions, his stiff smile while with Gwen and his wide eyed look of anxiety as he transforms into the hairy beast alternate throughout the film. There is an unforgettable moment as the hairs sprout and Lon's expression clearly says -Oh no, I'm a werewolf ! ! The plot is barely plausible but the strength of this film lies not in the characters but in the portrayal of them by the wooden actors of which Lon is the best. The cream of B-movie actors, Bela Lugosi as - Bela - treats us to a flash of his abundant eyebrows in a brief appearance while the monotonous drone of the gypsy woman as she endlessly repeats sayings about the werewolf is only equalled by her bang on time arrival with horse and carriage as the wolf attacks his victim. Even the beautiful Gwen doesn't bat an eyelid at the news of her best friends murder. A classic to be watched as many times as possible - it only gets better !