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Greetings, and welcome to VIEWING THE CLASSICS. Here you'll find capsule reviews of vintage movies from the early days of cinema through the 1970s, with a special emphasis on sci-fi, horror, and mystery movies. Be sure to check out the Pages links, where you can find a Film Index of all my reviews, links to the reviews organized by cast members, directors, and other contributors, and links to my reviews of the films of talented young director Joshua Kennedy.

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Friday, December 16, 2016

The Curse Of Frankenstein (1957)

Starring Peter Cushing, Hazel Court, Robert Urquhart, Christopher Lee, Melvyn Hayes
Directed by Terence Fisher
(actor & director credits courtesy IMDB.com)

The brilliant Victor Frankenstein is consumed by an obsession to create a living human being, and lets no laws or moral codes stand in his way.

We have here the film that put Peter Cushing on the map as a horror star, casting his driven Baron Frankenstein as the true "monster" of the movie, despite a memorable performance and makeup for Christopher Lee as his creation.  Adapted only loosely from Mary Shelley's novel by screenwriter Jimmy Sangster, and keeping none of the pathos for the monster's plight, it is nevertheless an efficient  thriller with Cushing a marvelous villain beyond redemption, although his behavior in this film pales to that of his character in the sequels to follow.  The picture's importance in launching the Hammer studio's vast library of horror titles cannot be understated, as can the standard the craftsmen on this film set for those to follow.    

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