Wolf Man (1941)
by George Waggner
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Product details
Actor: Bela Lugosi, Claude Rains, Patric Knowles, Ralph Bellamy, Warren WilliamDirector: George Waggner
Edition: VHS Tape
Audio: English (Original Language), Analog
Format: Black & White, HiFi Sound, NTSC, Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
Running Time: 70 minutes
Release Date: 1992-03-01
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Publisher: Universal Studios
Studio: Universal Studios
VHS Movie Reviews of Wolf Man (1941)
Movie Review: More Complex Than We Might Think
Summary: 5 Stars
I would like to dedicate this review to my friend Patricia who often enjoyed these horror movies with werewolves. I often like to follow Claude Rains's "Invisible Man" with this movie. Lon Chaney Jr. has just returned to England from America. His older brother has died tragically, and he goes to be with his father Claude Rains. (Somehow we get the impression that Claude Rains is a widower.) We do see that there was some tension between Rains and Chaney, but they seem to make their peace. Lon Chaney Jr then meets Gwen. (Through chance, he gets a story about werewolves out of her.) He finds her attractive, and even though she tries to brush him off, he sees it as a challenge that could be fun: "No!" "Fine. I'll see you at 8." Deciding it wouldn't hurt much, Gwen and her friend Jenny go with Chaney to a fair with gypsies. And anyone who knows the movie knows what happens. Jenny is killed by a wolf, and Chaney gets bitten as he tries to save her. From here Chaney finds himself under investigation for killing a man, when he thinks he just killed a wolf. (Things are obvious to us, the audience what happened.) We know he will eventually turn into a wolf, but there are some interesting transitional moments. For one thing, he starts growing shorter and more angry. One example is when he threatens a group of women. (The werewolf is probably a literary symbol for the sudden loss of control of feelings we try to repress.) Another interesting thing is that Chaney is confronted with what he will become by the Gypsy. This is an interesting element of fear in that he is allowed to be frightened of himself, or what he will become. From here, he turns into the title character and kills a man. We are permitted generous amounts of sympathy in knowing that Chaney is NOT doing this of his own free will. He wants help, but is too frightened to tell anyone the truth. (Another great element of horror.) He grabs even more of our sympathy as he tries to go to Gwen for help, but realizes he may kill her next. Despite his current status as a werewolf, he still has a conscience. GREAT! In one of the most poignant moments of this film, Chaney (knowing a silver cane can kill him) asks his father to keep it with him for protection. From here, there is a memorable climax with a tragic irony. This truly is a masterpiece of horror. If you like Lon Chaney Jr. as Larry Talbot (later the Werewolf), be sure to see him as the Devil in "The Devil's Messenger." Movie Review: The Original Wolf Man...
Summary: 4 Stars
1941's "The Wolf Man" introduced the classic werewolf to the big screen. Lon Chaney Jr. plays the monster of the title, in what would be his signature role.
As the movie begins, Lawrence Talbot (Chaney) returns to his father's (Claude Rains) ancestral estate in Wales, a damp, misty pile of stones with gypsy neighbors. One night, Talbot escorts two lady friends to see a gypsy fortune-teller. On the way back, Talbot is attacked by a strange wolf-like figure (Bela Lugosi in a cameo). Talbot survives the attack but is bitten.
In the days that follow, Talbot suffers from strange black-outs and periods of time he cannot account for, while a strange wolf-like creature terrorizes the area. To Talbot's dawning horror, the gypsy fortune-teller informs him of his connection with the killings. As the movie plays out to its tragic conclusion, Talbot will try desperately to avoid his fate.
"The Wolf Man" featured then state-of-the-art makeup and special effects for Talbot's transformation from man to wolf man and back. Chaney is especially effective portraying the pathos of a man trapped in a nightmare he could not have imagined and cannot escape except through death. A chilling musical score and lots of dark, mist-filled woods add to the atmospherics. This movie is highly recommended as a classic horror movie.
Movie Review: "A man who is pure of heart...."
Summary: 4 Stars
"The Wolf Man" is my favorite of the Universal BIG 4 (Frankenstein, Dracula, The Mummy, The Wolf Man). Made ten years after the other three, The Wolf Man exhibits a higher production value. Like The Bride of Frankenstein, the Wolf Man has a splendid score. Dracula and Frankenstein suffer, in my opinion, by comparison from a minimalist score. Watch the new DVD release of the 1931 Dracula with the new score by Phillip Glass (played by the Kronos Quartet) and hear the difference.
Mood, Mood, Mood - The Wolf Man has it. Also the acting in The Wolf Man is in general quite good in comparison to other Universal Horror films of the time. Sure, the Wolf Man, isn't particularly scary to viewers in the 21st Century, but taken for what it was in 1941, it's a COOL movie!
This DVD version (and the Legacy Collection) has some cool extras: Documentary (really good), theatrical trailer, theatre posters and original art, and feature commentary.
Solid 4.5 stars, buy it or rent, but watch it over and over!
Movie Review: ONE OF THE FINEST HORROR MOVIES EVER MADE!
Summary: 5 Stars
This was a classic during the 60's late night horror host programs. I can hear the howl of the Wolfman as he creeps through those wonderful foggy sets looking for his next victim! Hans J. Salter was responsible for most of the music in Universal's horror films and what incredible scores he gave us! The thing that I love about this movie is like the original Frankenstein there is a generous amount of pathos with the monsters in these films. You can't help but feel sorry for these creatures and the cruel hands of fate bestrode upon them. The make-up for the Wolfman is unsurpassed to this day. This is the best and coolest looking wolfman I've ever seen! Jack Pierce really out did himself with this creation. The DVD transfer looks really good even better in the legacy collection.Movie Review: A Classic Horror Film
Summary: 5 Stars
Made during the horror movie heyday of the late 1930s and early 1940s, this classic suspenseful thriller introduced audiences to one of the most well-known movie monsters; Lon Chaney Jr.'s "Wolf Man".
Chaney plays Larry Talbot, who is returning to his home in Wales after spending eighteen years in the United States. Larry's brother was recently killed in a hunting accident. Claude Rains stars as Larry's father, Sir John Talbot. Upon returning home, Larry helps his father install a new lens in his telescope. While peering through the lens, Larry discovers a beautiful girl in the window across the street. Her name is Gwen Conliffe (Evelyn Ankers). Larry goes over and introduces himself, and the two agree to go for a walk together that evening.
Gwen invites her friend Jenny Williams to come along. The three decide to go to have their fortunes told by a group of gypsies who have set up camp in town. Jenny goes first. Gypsy Bela (Bela Lugosi) reads Jenny's fortune. He is immediately disturbed when he sees the shape of a pentagram appear in Jenny's palm. He immediately tells Jenny to leave. Meanwhile, Gwen and Larry have walked off on their own. Minutes later, they hear a blood-curdling scream. Larry runs to investigate and finds a large wolf attacking Jenny. Larry manages to kill the wolf with his silver-handled cane, but he is bitten in the process.
Gypsy Maleva (Maria Ouspenskaya) tells Larry about the legend of the werewolf, and if a person is bitten by a werewolf and survives, they too will become a werewolf. Maleva gives Larry a charm to wear around his neck to protect himself, but he gives the charm to Gwen. On the night of the full moon, Maleva's predictions come true, as Larry Talbot is transformed into a werewolf. Will the charm protect Gwen, or will she suffer the same fate as her friend Jenny?
This movie has remained a classic for over sixty years, and it takes the viewer back to a time before the blood-and-guts horror films were popular, and movie producers relied on psychological terror to scare audiences. There is no blood in this movie, but the viewer is still scared by the unique movie sets, the fog rolling through the trees, and the haunting musical score. Lon Chaney Jr. made his role as the wolf man famous, and he's the only actor to have ever played the wolf man. Although the character was originally designed for Boris Karloff, Chaney made this his signature role. He will always be remembered as the wolf man. The other actors, especially Maria Ouspenskaya and Claude Rains, give good performances as well.
I give this movie my highest recommendation. This film takes me back to when I was a young child, and I used to stay up late on weekends watching the scary movies on television. Remember, "Even a man who is pure in heart and says his prayers by night, may become a wolf when the wolf bane blooms, and the autumn moon is bright".
Summary of Wolf Man (1941)
Even a man who is pure in heart,And says his prayers by night,
May become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms
And the autumn moon is bright.
If you haven't heard this piece of horror-movie doggerel before, you'll never forget it after seeing The Wolf Man for two reasons: it's a spooky piece of rhyme and nearly everybody in the picture recites it at one time or another. Set in a fog-bound studio-built Wales, The Wolf Man tells the doom-laden tale of Lawrence Talbot (Lon Chaney Jr.), who returns to the estate of his wealthy father (Claude Rains). (Yes, Chaney's American, but the movie explains this, awkwardly.) Bitten by a werewolf, Talbot suffers the classic fate of the victims of lycanthropy: at the full moon, he turns into a werewolf, a transformation ingeniously devised by makeup maestro Jack Pierce. Pierce was the man who turned Boris Karloff into the Frankenstein monster, and his werewolf makeup became equally famous, with its canine snout and bushy hairdo--and, of course, seriously sharp dental work. The Wolf Man was a smash hit, giving Universal Pictures a new monster for their already crowded stable, and Chaney found himself following in the footsteps (or paw prints) of his father, who had essayed a monster or two in the silent era. This is a classy horror outing, with strong atmosphere and a thoughtful script by Curt Siodmak--well, except for the stiff romantic bits between Chaney and Evelyn Ankers. It's also got Bela Lugosi (briefly) and Maria Ouspenskaya, the prunelike Russian actress who foretells doom like nobody's business. --Robert Horton
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