SON OF FRANKENSTEIN marks the last appearance of Boris Karloff as the Frankenstein monster and it's easy to see why he started to feel unhappy with the character . Where as in BRIDE he gave a memorable performance bathed in pathos here he merely becomes an instrument for Ygor . It's also at this point you notice how clumsy the studio are to continuity . Where as in the previous film the monster has the power of speech here his vocal communication begins and ends with grunts and groans . This clumsy - dare one say ignorant - lack of continuity would dog Universal through the rest of their FRANKENSTEIN franchise
SON is a very mixed bag . One thing noticeable is that war with Germany is on the horizon and America was far less neutral than she was during the last one hence the need for Frankenstein's son to be Anglinised . It's interesting to see the native German characters being both Teutonic and suspicious of outsiders . There's also a noticeable scene where a spy can be easily bought . You can't trust these Germans , especially if they're poised to invade the rest of Europe
Director Rowland V Lee isn't really in the same class as James Whale but does bring a directorial touch to the film . The sets are expansive and impressive and he makes good use of shadow lighting which gives the movie a bleak mood . Unlike the previous two films there does seem to be a large lack of studio exteriors which might make the film more claustrophobic but also makes it appear more static too
He does have an erratic time with the cast though . Bela Lugosi is best remembered as Dracula but as Ygor he probably gives a lifetime best performance and he's the standout character of the film . Karloff is less good because the screenplay by Wyllis Cooper makes him an archetypal monster , ( Though it's interesting to see a reference that erroneously confuses the monster with the creator , a mistake that lasts to this day ) while Donnie Dunnigan as Peter is like most child actors from the period bloody irritating whilst Basil Rathbone as Baron Frankenstein over acts every time he's supposed to nervous
All in all this is a rather uneven film , more so if you've seen either of the first two films very recently . It continues the standard by the earlier FRANKENSTEIN films by blending chills and off beat humour ( " You spat on me " - " No I didn't I was clearing my throat " ) but shows flaws that become more and more apparent in later films of the franchise of poor continuity and having the monster as literally a monster . You can see why Karloff went off to pastures new
SON is a very mixed bag . One thing noticeable is that war with Germany is on the horizon and America was far less neutral than she was during the last one hence the need for Frankenstein's son to be Anglinised . It's interesting to see the native German characters being both Teutonic and suspicious of outsiders . There's also a noticeable scene where a spy can be easily bought . You can't trust these Germans , especially if they're poised to invade the rest of Europe
Director Rowland V Lee isn't really in the same class as James Whale but does bring a directorial touch to the film . The sets are expansive and impressive and he makes good use of shadow lighting which gives the movie a bleak mood . Unlike the previous two films there does seem to be a large lack of studio exteriors which might make the film more claustrophobic but also makes it appear more static too
He does have an erratic time with the cast though . Bela Lugosi is best remembered as Dracula but as Ygor he probably gives a lifetime best performance and he's the standout character of the film . Karloff is less good because the screenplay by Wyllis Cooper makes him an archetypal monster , ( Though it's interesting to see a reference that erroneously confuses the monster with the creator , a mistake that lasts to this day ) while Donnie Dunnigan as Peter is like most child actors from the period bloody irritating whilst Basil Rathbone as Baron Frankenstein over acts every time he's supposed to nervous
All in all this is a rather uneven film , more so if you've seen either of the first two films very recently . It continues the standard by the earlier FRANKENSTEIN films by blending chills and off beat humour ( " You spat on me " - " No I didn't I was clearing my throat " ) but shows flaws that become more and more apparent in later films of the franchise of poor continuity and having the monster as literally a monster . You can see why Karloff went off to pastures new