Frankenstein - The Legacy Collection (Frankenstein / Bride of / Son of / Ghost of / House of)

Description

Feature titles include: The Bride of Frankenstein, Frankenstein, The Ghost of Frankenstein, House of Frankenstein, Son of Frankenstein

Customer Reviews:

Now I know what it feels like to be god.......2007-09-03

On the heels of the great success of Todd Browning's Dracula, star Bela Lugosi was offered the role of Frankenstein's Monster in the screen adaptation of Mary Shelley's infamous novel. Lugosi turned the role down, and Boris Karloff took it. The rest is history. Karloff created one of the most memorable screen monsters of all time, and inspired a million nightmares.

Dr. Frankenstein (Colin Clive in an inspired performance) along with his assistant Fritz (Dwight Frye: Dracula's Renfield) digs up corpses and assembles them into a gangling creature, which is then brought to life in the lab. Everyone remembers the famous line: "It's alive. It's alive!... IT'S ALIVE!"

The monster, of course, gets free and terrorizes the village. The monster causes mayhem, and the good Dr. is chastened for playing god. Those are the bare bones of the story. But underneath is something much greater.

Karloff manages to bring a human quality to the monster. He imbues it with innocence, a child-like nature that makes the tale nearly heartbreaking. Yes, the monster kills. But it doesn't want to. In the most famous scene Karloff drowns a little girl by throwing her into a lake. It is not his aim to murder the child. She was teaching him to throw pretty flowers into the water, and watch as they float. He tries to emulate her action with another pretty object ( the little girl). It goes horribly wrong, and we can see the Monster's despair at his mistake.

The point of Frankenstein is empathy. Anyone who cannot summon at least a little empathy (and sympathy) for the creature is inhumane.

The film has an eerie texture, and is perfect in nearly every shot. Director James Whale (who would also helm Bride of Frankenstein found the perfect tone for the film. The performances by Karloff, Clive, Frye, and Mae Clark (as Frankenstein's fiance) are superb.

The lack of soundtrack music seems odd to modern ears. Yet, it was standard at the time for movies to only have music over the credits, and not in the main body of the work.

This film is beautiful, and creepy. It will remain a classic forever. It was followed by several sequels. They Are:

Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
Son of Frankenstein (1939)
Ghost of Frankenstein, The (1942)
Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943)
House of Frankenstein (1944)
House of Dracula (1945)
Bud Abbott Lou Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)

There have also been many re-makes (or re-imaginings) of Frankenstein. Among them:

Flesh for Frankenstein
Frankenstein Unbound
Frankenhooker
Frankenweenie
Young Frankenstein
Mary Shelley's Frankenstein

And many more.

Frankenstein is one of the greatest horror movies ever made. No true film lover should miss it.

Any fan of Frankenstein must have........2007-08-23

My son collects these movies. He really enjoys watching them and follows the trivia too.

Frankenstein - The Legacy Collection.......2007-07-07

Very good value. I bought this collection to be playing throughout my house for my annual Hallowe'en party. It definitely sets the right kind of mood and creates an appropriate atmosphere plus these are some of the films I saw as a child. Brings back lots of warm family memories.

Frankenstein - The LEgacy Collection.......2007-07-05

The DVD was great to view; almost like it was produced recently instead of many years ago. Very enjoyable movies.

Excellent Collection of Hollywood's Best of the Early Monster Movies!.......2007-05-19

Fans of the original Frankenstein monster are in for a real treat here as this low-priced collection of no less than 5 movies featuring the monster that everyone loves has had both the picture and sound quality restored admirably well given the undoubtedly poor condition of the old deteriorated master tapes.

To me, "Frankenstein" is the best of the lot for so many reasons including the great direction of James Whale and the excellent acting of Colin Clive and especially of Boris Karloff. Karloff's work in making an audience feel so much pity for what was supposed to be a monster has only been bettered by Merian C. Cooper making us feel sorry for essentially a mechanical puppet in King Kong. The movie with its brilliant acting and strong moral theme of the repercussions whenever man decides to play God make this a movie to transcend the years and rightfully stake its claim as one of the best movies ever made.

I know a lot of people like "Bride of Frankenstein" better but to me, "Frankenstein" is still the better movie overall. It's interesting to note that James Whale wasn't in favour of doing this sequel but faced with the prospect of someone else doing it anyway, he decided to take a stab and despite his attempts to spoof the original movie with comic relief in the form of the old housekeeper for example, the movie is still a very good one with some very touching scenes. I personally enjoy the heart wrenching scene with the poor old blind man in the wooden cabin which clearly shows that the truly blind are those that cannot look beyond the grotesque appearance of the monster to see his tender side but instead attack and seek to destroy what they don't understand. I didn't like the Dr. Praetorius character and overall, Colin Clive and the others don't quite pull off as great an acting job as they had done in the first movie. Still, "Bride of Frankenstein" makes a worthy sequel to the classic movie. Unfortunately, it all starts to go downhill from here and hence provides fodder for countless parodies over the years culminating in perhaps the best parody in Gene Wilder's "Young Frankenstein". From "Son of Frankenstein" down to "House of Frankenstein" it was clear that everything that made the first two films classics had been lost and it had become a case of milking the franchise for all that they could get.

What's also good about this Legacy Collection is the special features which includes an extremely humorous short film called "Boo!" and the insightful documentaries: "She's Alive!" and "The Frankenstein Files". In conclusion, this is indeed a great value for money dvd collection and is a must have for students of early cinema and monster lovers as well.

Highly recommended!

The Wolf Man - The Legacy Collection (The Wolf Man / Werewolf of London / Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man / She-Wolf of London)

Average customer rating:

Not the best Universal classic horror
Multi-disc set a Disaster!
My Favorite Horror Movies
Or as I like to call it: Larry Talbot's Hairy Mess
The original "The Wolf Man"

The Wolf Man - The Legacy Collection (The Wolf Man / Werewolf of London / Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man / She-Wolf of London)
Starring: Claude Rains , Warren William , Ralph Bellamy , Patric Knowles , and Bela Lugosi
Director: George Waggner , Stuart Walker , and Roy William Neill
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0001CNRNE
Release Date: 2004-04-27

Description

Feature titles include: Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man, She-Wolf of London, Werewolf of London, The Wolf Man

Customer Reviews:

Not the best Universal classic horror.......2007-09-11

The Wolf Man, in my own personal opinion, is not as good as many of the other classic Universal horror films. It's not for lack of trying. The cast is exemplary, including horror greats Lon Chaney Jr., Bela Lugosi and Claude Rains. The story, music, ambiance and mood are all excellent. The problems lie in a few inconsistencies as well as the Wolf Man himself. First, yes, Jack Pierce's makeup is good for 1941, but the design of the Wolf Man is not. Lon Chaney, changed, looks more like a "werepoodle" than a werewolf. Or, if you rather, the werewolf looks much more like the "bear man" from Island of Dr. Moreau than anything even remotely resembling a wolf. Other problems with the film include the oddity that the police captain, looking at a footprint more than twice the size of a full-grown man's, concludes that it's a wolf print. A wolf that leaves a print that big would be the size of a horse, though no one notices anything odd about it. Another inconsistency lies in the fact that when the Gypsy, played by Lugosi, changes into the werewolf, he actually becomes a wolf and not an extra-furry man; however when Chaney changes into the werewolf he does not become a wolf but the aforementioned bear-werepoodle-man thing. Why didn't he just turn into a wolf too? The movie would have been much more effective (and creepier) had this been the case. Yet another (and this is the only other one I'll mention--I promise) was the horrendous decision to have Claude Rains play Lon Chaney's father! Rains looks YOUNGER than Chaney!! The flow of the film is also impeded by a far too abrupt conclusion. Also problematic is that the main character, played by Chaney, is pretty hard to sympathize with. He's portrayed as a smarmy twerp who immediately upon entering the castle he'll inherit sets his sights on breaking up a couple to be married!

Multi-disc set a Disaster!.......2007-08-16

I received the first shipment of this set and both discs were loose and rattling around inside the case. Upon inspection, the play side of each disc was marred by scratches and abrasions. After informing customer service of this problem, I was sent a replacement set which had the same issues as the first set. I sent both sets back and requested a refund, not wanting to pay "retail" price for scratchy DVDs. Whomever packages these Universal multiple disc sets needs to be more careful in making sure the DVDs are secure inside their cases. I was quite disappointed by this poor quality.

My Favorite Horror Movies.......2007-08-09

I am just a kid but still I was a fan of Universal Studios Monster movies ever since I was in Preschool. I went to a Hollywood video one day, and found Dracula, The Wolfman, Frankenstien and almost all the rest! Over the years, I found I had a liking for The Wolfman and the Creature of the Black Lagoon. Then on my 7th or 8th birthday, I unwrapped my on copy of the Wolfman Legacy Collection. The first thing I would like to say is that I liked Frankenstien meets The Wolfman and the interview with the director of Van Helsing. What I did not like was "The She-Wolf in London" because it was about a lady that thought she was a werewolf but really wasn't. Well, thats about it. If anyones interested, If I get any other Legacy Collection I will probaly write a review on that one. Anyways, Bon Voyage!!! :)

Or as I like to call it: Larry Talbot's Hairy Mess.......2007-07-22

The Wolf Man is a horror classic and it gets the Legacy treatment by including three other horror oldies, one of which interestingly predates the Wolf Man.
I can see that I am not the only reviewer that recieved a scratched disc so perhaps this is a good place to recommend the buyer beware a bit for shipping of this product. I wasn't that concerned because in my case it was disc 2 that was scratched and the main feature, The Wolf Man was fine. (I can live without watching the mom from Lassie and Lost in Space in She-Wolf of London I guess).
These Legacy Collections include the sequels, but honestly most of the sequels to the classic monster movies aren't that great. The Wolf Man is the main attraction and it is a very good classic monster movie, inspiring many imitators (of which Cat People is very notable and a classic in its own right. It is not a Universal film and hence not in this package).
Now let me take a moment to explain my opinion on these old horror movies. The ones made in the thirties (the original Dracula and Frankenstein) are regarded as classics as well but I always found them a bit disappointing. They were made in that awkward phase when "talkies" were still being perfected and their audio and staging are pretty lame in my opinion. Plus you have people in 1930s fashions and 1930s character types in what ought to be victorian era gothic tales, not to mention hokey touches like rubber bats on strings and cobwebs everywhere. German expressionism mixed with the unmistakable 1930s atmosphere just didn't work for me.
The Wolf Man, happily, was made in 1941. And 40s cinema has a polish and skill that I admire compared to the 30s (no rubber bats on strings in The Wolf Man). Plus the Wolf Man doesn't even pretend to be based on a classic of gothic literature, so I'm okay with it. Such is my prejudice against Dracula and Frankenstein.
I like the way Lon Cheney Jr. starts out as a very confident man who is good mechanically and not very shy when it comes to hitting on the girl. As he has to contend with things beyond his understanding (or control) it makes him even more sympathetic to see him break down and appeal to his father (the always excellent Claude Rains) for help.
The music, acting, and staging are all very good.
I would have to say that next to Creature from the Black Lagoon, it is my favorite of the Universal Horror films I have seen so far.

The original "The Wolf Man".......2007-06-25

George Waggner's hirsute chiller mounts a tragic tale of fate, obsession, and man's baser instincts--and features one of the most startling transformations ever concocted for film. The younger Chaney had avoided monster roles for years, but created his most memorable screen persona when he finally donned a snout and yak hair. With makeup genius Jack Pierce and a cast of top-notch talent on hand--including Bela Lugosi, Evelyn Ankers, and Ralph Bellamy--the Universal team created an iconic picture that has inspired countless re-visionings. But avoid the sequels: the original "Wolf Man" is the only version worth feasting on.

The Monster Legacy Collection (Frankenstein / Dracula / The Wolf Man)

Average customer rating:

Superb Collection
Monstrously good
GREAT COLLECTION
Hooray for Monsters!
Damn You, Universal!!!

The Monster Legacy Collection (Frankenstein / Dracula / The Wolf Man)
Starring: Claude Rains , and Bela Lugosi
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Horror | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

( M ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Sci-Fi & Fantasy | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B0001CNRNO
Release Date: 2004-04-27

Customer Reviews:

Superb Collection.......2007-06-07

This is a great set to get which contains most of Universal studios greatest horror films. The best of which are: Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein. The DVDs are very well packaged and the films are split into four areas:

DRACULA
Dracula (1931)
Dracula (1931 - Spanish Language version)
Dracula's Daughter (1936)
Son of Dracula (1943)
House of Dracula (1945)

FRANKENSTEIN
Frankenstein (1931)
Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
Son of Frankenstein (1939)
Ghost of Frankenstein (1939)
House of Frankenstein (1945)

THE WOLF MAN
The Wolf Man (1941)
Frankenstein meets the Wolf Man (1943)
She Wolf of London ((1946)
Werewolf of London (1935)

CLASSIC MONSTERS COLLECTION
Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954)
The Invisible Man (1933)
The Phantom of the Opera (1943)
The Mummy (1932)

There are a few of these films that are really terrible.
Noteably She Wolf of London and Werewolf of London. These two are exceptionally bad! However the vast majority are very entertaining and in quite a few cases they are essential classics for any film collection. The quality of the films was fine in my set, but my review is for the British version of the set which also has the extra films mentioned by a previous reviewer.

There are many many extras including documentaries and audio commentaries that make this set worth getting. The busts of Dracula, Frankenstein and The Wolf Man are very well made and the whole set looks excellent on the mantlepiece.

I have watched every film in the set now and can't recommend this strongly enough.

Monstrously good.......2005-12-18

I am a big fan of the classic monsters and monster movies. Interestingly, I am so without having seen any of them, practically! I mainly know them from later movies, from comic books, and from books. (I read Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, for instance.)

So I jumped at the chance when I found out of a great opportunity to get a whole bunch of the most classic monster movies at once on DVD, and even at a excellent price. It has three or four Frankenstein movies, and the same for Dracula and Wolf Man. It also has small busts of those three gentlemen, in surprisingly fine quality. This is the MONSTER LEGACY COLLECTION.

If you can get it, I recommend the UK edition, which has four extra films, The Mummy, Creature from the Black Lagoon, Phantom of the Opera, and The Invisible Man. It is not quite as easy to find, but I found it at Blah DVD.

I don't know why I, like many people, have such an affinity for monsters. They just be weally weally cool.

What is a monster? Is it an evil creature or person? Is it a deformed creature/person? Is it something inhuman? I am not sure what the basic of it is. But at least this collection is a good start to any research. :)

GREAT COLLECTION.......2005-08-26

I bought this collection when it came out and found no problem with the discs. It was shipped by Amazon and came rapped and boxed in perfect condition. None of the DVDs were loose. For the quality of the transfer, I find it very good. All in all I find it a great collection (I wish Universal could have done the same thing with The Creature, Mummy and Invisible Man collections).

Hooray for Monsters! .......2005-05-14

If you grew up any time between the 50s and 70s, chances are you've seen each and every one of these movies on TV. If you were lucky, one of your local TV stations even had a weekly horror movie show - complete with a wacky host to introduce the films.

Well, those days are gone. Monsters have been replaced by hatchet-wielding maniacs in hockey masks, and your wacky horror movie host has been replaced by cable, infomercials and whatever else has prompted TV stations to give up on creating any sort of interesting local programming. It's a shame that you rarely see the classic Universal horror movies on TV any more...but it's also what makes The Monster Legacy Collection such a Godsend.

This set is, very simply, a must for anyone who grew up loving old black & white horror flicks. Over the course of six discs, The Monster Legacy Collection gives you very nearly all the films featuring Universal's 'Big Three' Monsters: Dracula, Frankenstein and the Wolf Man. (The one omission being "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein," but this set is about the monsters - not A&C - so no quibbles from me.)

Of course, in this set you get all the original films in which the monsters appeared. With the likely exception of "Bride of Frankenstein" - a rare case of a sequel besting an original - critics would consider these the highwater marks of the lot. For my money, though, including all the films in the series is what makes The Monster Legacy Collection so worthwhile. So what if "Dracula" is actually a better film than, say, "House of Frankenstein?" Film historians may turn up their noses a bit at the latter, but it's actually more fun to watch because, well, it has more monsters! Through the six discs included in this collection, we see how Universal turned its monsters - the main characters in its great, classic films of the 30s - into fodder for kiddie matinees in the 40s. More importantly, we see just how well the later films have held up. They may lack the subtlety and art of the earlier films, but damn if they aren't great popcorn entertainment! As big studio exploitation flicks, they stand as classics in their own right. Hats off to Universal for including every one of them in this set.

And, just in case all the films for the three Top Monsters wasn't enough, this collection also includes a couple of flicks that are related by studio and theme even if they weren't part of these series. Both "Werewolf of London" and "She Wolf of London" are included in the 'Wolf Man' set. Add various documentaries, previews, commentaries and other extras, and you have a box set that's sure to please the Classic Horror fan or introduce the unfamiliar to these films in grand style. Buy this thing now while it's still in print!

Damn You, Universal!!!.......2004-11-07

I ordered this dvd on Oct. 22nd and it came on Nov. 1st. All of the dvds work with the exception of the Dracula disc two, it only plays on 1 of the 3 dvd players that I have. I hope Universal doesn't want to get into a lawsuit. I might return it here i might just go to target. I think the dvd was loose is because it was packaged in newspapers, not packing beans. I wish the Laemmles hadn't sold the studio in 1936, things would have been much different.

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