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   537 votes
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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
Plot Keywords:
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Awards:
1 nomination more
NewsDesk:
Blu-Ray Review: ‘Fall of Fear’ HD Titles Including ‘Army of Darkness,’ ‘Shaun of the Dead,’ More
 (From HollywoodChicago.com. 16 September 2009, 1:03 PM, PDT)
User Comments:
If you thought you'd seen it all... more (32 total)

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

Parents Guide:
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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
Goofs:
Continuity: When Victor is talking to Elizabeth outside the church at his brother's funeral, he is holding his right hand on her shoulder. The shot switches to Elizabeth's face, and his hand is still on her shoulder. In the next wide shot, Victor's hand is down by his side. The following closeup of Elizabeth shows Victor's hand back on her shoulder. more
Quotes:
Dr. John Polidori: And what different futures, your and mine. But each will have what each desires. Only fools like Henry Clerval want vulgar fame. I shall have the power that works unseen, that moves the world. You alone, Frankenstein, when you read in your newspaper that a monarch has been deposed or that two nations are at war with each other, will say to yourself - that's the hand of Polidori. That's the man who once called me colleague.
Dr. Victor Frankenstein: Long live Polidori the invisible. May his plots thicken.
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Movie Connections:
Featured in Chris & Don. A Love Story (2007) more

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User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
16 out of 17 people found the following comment useful.
If you thought you'd seen it all..., 6 August 2003
Author: Christopher T. Chase (cchase@onebox.com) from Arlington, VA.

I remember seeing the original broadcast of this two-part miniseries back in '73, and how impressed I was by the cast and the writing. Witty, literate, touching and horrifying by turns, it definitely set a pretty high standard for itself just by the title alone, yet then proceeded to exceed that standard, which is something that few movies ever do, let alone those made for television.

The all-star British/American cast and the production design gave it the old-time feel of early films from both the Universal and Hammer Studios genres, yet the sharp writing by Don Bachardy and Christopher Isherwood lent an almost Merchant-Ivory sense of credibility that most films of this kind can't even hope to pull off.

Even more surprising that the director, Jack Smight, was better known for his work on television series and disaster films than on something as well-crafted as this.

And the performances...In a cast of well-seasoned veterans, it's almost impossible to cite stand-out favorites, but if I had to, Michael Sarrazin's Creature is one of the most outstanding to be introduced out of the many versions, and definitely the most multi-layered and sympathetic, (which would not be equalled until twenty-years on, by Clancy Brown in the less-superior THE BRIDE.) Worth equal praise is the rivalry between David McCallum, Leonard Whiting and the always-dependable James Mason as the brilliantly twisted Dr. Polidori (affectionately known now and forever as "Polly-dolly.")

And what review would be complete without mentioning Jane Seymour as Prima. I won't spoil the shock and surprise involved with her character and Sarrazin's, but needless to say that was ONE scene that made quite an impression on my young mind, (and for those who remember, you know EXACTLY which part I'm referring to!) It was quite an introduction to a lovely young ingenue, who would become even more memorable to American audiences less than a year later with her big screen debut, as Bond girl Solitaire in Roger Moore's initial 007 outing, LIVE AND LET DIE.

It may not exist in its original form, as previous reviewers have pointed out, but one can only hope for a newly restored and uncut DVD version of this classic TV gem. In an age of bloated, overproduced blockbusters like TITANIC and PEARL HARBOR, the 240-minute version of this outstanding drama would be more than worth your time. Now here's hoping we'll get the opportunity to see it again, as it was intended.

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