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IMDb > Frankenstein: The True Story (1973) (TV)

Frankenstein: The True Story (1973) (TV) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
7.5/10   510 votes
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Down 6% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Jack Smight
Writers:
Don Bachardy (writer)
Christopher Isherwood (writer)
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Contact:
View company contact information for Frankenstein: The True Story on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
30 November 1973 (USA) more
Genre:
Horror | Sci-Fi more
Plot:
A more psychological telling of the Mary Shelley story has a different kind of monster... | add synopsis
Awards:
1 nomination more
User Comments:
Frankenstein: The True Story (1973) *** more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

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
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Additional Details

Runtime:
182 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.33 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono
Company:
Universal TV more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
The last film of Michael Wilding. more
Quotes:
The Creature: Do you still assume the authority of the almighty, Miss Fanschawe? more
Movie Connections:
Featured in Chris & Don. A Love Story (2007) more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
4 out of 4 people found the following comment useful:-
Frankenstein: The True Story (1973) ***, 1 October 2006
8/10
Author: JoeKarlosi from U.S.A.

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.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Frankenstein: The True Story (1973) (TV)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Left a lasting impression. silas10961
A couple of things that should have been explained Brighidsgirl
It's too bad the story took place before the days of therapy Brighidsgirl
Question about the run time kinetic_kid
Just a little comment about Leonard Whiting's hair Brighidsgirl
Jane Seymour's death playwriter928
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