Frankenstein: The True Story (1973) (TV)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Jack Smight

Writers:

Don Bachardy (writer)
Christopher Isherwood (writer)

Release Date:

30 November 1973 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Sci-Fi

Plot:

A more psychological telling of the Mary Shelley story has a different kind of monster... |

Plot Keywords:

Monster | Gothic | Frankenstein's Monster | Doctor Frankenstein | Based On Novel

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

James Mason	...	Dr. John Polidori
Leonard Whiting	...	Dr. Victor Frankenstein
David McCallum	...	Dr. Henry Clerval
Jane Seymour	...	Agatha / Prima
Nicola Pagett	...	Elizabeth Fanschawe
Michael Sarrazin	...	The Creature
Michael Wilding	...	Sir Richard Fanshawe
Clarissa Kaye-Mason	...	Lady Fanschawe (as Clarissa Kaye)
Agnes Moorehead	...	Mrs. Blair
Margaret Leighton	...	Francoise DuVal
Ralph Richardson	...	Mr. Lacey
John Gielgud	...	Chief Constable (Police)
Tom Baker	...	Sea Captain
Dallas Adams	...	Felix
Julian Barnes	...	Young Man

Runtime:

182 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Universal TV

Trivia:

The last film of Michael Wilding.

Quotes:

The Creature: Do you still assume the authority of the almighty, Miss Fanschawe?

Movie Connections:

Featured in Chris & Don. A Love Story (2007)

Frankenstein: The True Story (1973) ***

A two part television movie which claimed to tell, for the first time anywhere, the genuinely faithful tale of the man who made a creature, exactly as its writer, teenaged Mary Shelley, first concocted it. Well, it may be helpful going in to be forewarned that this isn't really the "true story," but it comes close and what matters most is that it's a good film, albeit one that's three hours long.

In this version, young Victor Frankenstein (Leonard Whiting) is a medical student thirsting for knowledge, which he gets from the wildly eccentric Dr. Henry Clerval (David McCallum). Clerval has devised a method of restoring dead insects back to life, and his greatest achievement comes when he reanimates a man's severed arm. Frankenstein teams up with Clerval and they are just about to proceed with the ultimate experiment of assembling a complete man from dead bodies and making it live, when Henry dies and Victor is forced to work alone (I'll bet you never knew it wasn't all Frankenstein's idea). The final product is a perfectly attractive male creation (Michael Sarrazin) who has been given Clerval's brain and instantly bonds with Victor, his creator. Frankenstein begins to neglect his fiancé Elizabeth (Nicola Pagett) while taking the time to refine his new Adam. Unbeknownst to Victor, before Clerval died he tried to warn Frankenstein that the animation process performed on the first severed arm was actually reversing itself and the flesh was deteriorating. In a short period of time, the once-handsome creature begins to show signs of his skin rotting and upon witnessing this, Frankenstein suddenly loses all interest in his creation and abandons him. The rest of the film carries on with the scorned monster's journey to punish his master. He meets up with a nasty and cunning former associate of Clerval, the elder Dr. Polidori (James Mason), who blackmails Frankenstein into constructing a female named Prima (played by Jane Seymour).

This is a lush and well-crafted Victorian period piece, and the story of unrequited love between the creature and his creator is at the core of it. For those who up till now have only been familiar with the classic Boris Karloff image of the flat-headed monster with big boots and bolts in his neck, this is something else entirely. It's touching but also horrifying at times, with a good cast. In addition to Michael Sarrazin's sympathetic work as the creature, David McCallum's obsessive Clerval and James Mason's unscrupulous Polidori (presumably the Ernest Thesiger character in this one) are the best performances.