Tales of Frankenstein (1958)

Very best movie i ever watch

Bad Acting and worse Bad Screenplay

As Good As It Gets

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

Coming in at just under half an hour, this is the pilot for a '50s horror television series that was never picked up by a network. It's the result of a collaboration between two studios, Universal and Hammer, and it's worth a look for fans who were wondering what a cross between the two styles of films would look like. The director is Curt Siodmak, a chap who made a living writing and directing creature flicks, and he brings an enthusiasm to the project that enlivens it a whole lot.Of course, as the running time is so short, things are incredibly fast paced. Within the first five minutes, Frankenstein has already brought his creation to life, as well as having a fight with it and electrocuting it! The story, which was written by famed sci-fi husband-and-wife writing team Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore, involves a dying man whose wife wishes Frankenstein to sustain him. The baron does, but not in the way they imagined; after some grave-robbing shenanigans later, the monster's back, although this time it inevitably goes after the woman. The climax is action-packed and involves a nice set-piece in a graveyard.The short running time is also this film's curse. There just isn't enough time to flesh out any of the characters, so they're all as two-dimensional as the creature. I loved the look of the flick, with its spooky props and moonlit settings, but there's a conspicuous absence of gore or surgery – instead the focus is very much on Universal-style creature frolics, with a particular emphasis on the Baron grappling with his creation. As Frankenstein, Anton Diffring is an inspired choice; being German, he's probably the only actor in the role who actually SOUNDS authentic. Diffring had already had quite a career by the time he starred in this, and he makes a good fist of it. If the inspiration behind Diffring's character is clearly Peter Cushing – the two are made up to look the same – then the inspiration for the monster is definitely Boris Karloff. Sadly, the make-up job here is fairly rubbish, as bad as that in THE EVIL OF FRANKENSTEIN, and Don Megowan is never more than a cheap imitator, worse than Glenn Strange! Still, Helen Westcott adds a pretty face and the atmospheric black-and-white cinematography outstrips its television origins, adding a layer of professionalism to the short. There's nothing to hate about TALES OF FRANKENSTEIN, and indeed I was left wanting more. As a one-off oddity, it's worth a look to see what happened when the Universal and Hammer styles collided.

Yes, this pilot failed to sell a show to American TV. Nevermind; it is the first in the series of Hammer Frankenstein films that ran well into the '70s. Everything is here - the homage to universal, the darker characterization of Doctor Frankenstein, the decision to place the series in a 19th century setting.... The ending of this short film would be rewritten as the end of "The Curse of Frankenstein." Okay, it's not really much more than a neat little B-movie short; but what else would one want from a Hammer horror film? And the hiring of Universal horror films writer Curt Siodmak to write the script is a nice touch of linking with the 'grand tradition' of Frankenstein films. Besides, it must be noted that the budget here is really far beyond any American TV programming of the day; nice sets, nice photography, excellent acting.(What probably killed off this series was the follow up - there was actually a second episode produced - I've seen it, but can't remember the title - but it was pretty typical generic suspense fair for the time - well produced but unnecessary.) This wins high marks as a point of historical origin and thus very important. And a well done B-movie horror short in any event.

Tales of Frankenstein (1958) *** (out of 4) Hammer originally produced this as a TV pilot but when it didn't sell they just threw it into theaters as a short and it turned out to be a pretty good one. Dr. Frankenstein creates a monster but accidentally uses a criminal's brain. He gets a chance to correct the mistake when a man dies after his wife begged the doctor to keep him alive. The doctor decides to put the dead man's brain into the body of the monster. I can understand this thing not selling as a TV pilot because there's really no place to go but as a short the thing is quite the success and in the end turns out to be a rather effective version of the classic tale. What I enjoyed most was the actual monster who had a pretty good look and he's given quite a bit to do. I really enjoyed the first creation scene when the monster attacks Frankenstein only to have some electrical equipment to go crazy and give him a real shock. The stuff at the end, when the dead man remembers who he is, was also very effective. The make up was clearly trying to look like the Karloff version but the large actor and the puffy cheeks makes him look more like Chaney from THE GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN. The performances were good as is the direction so fans of the monster will certainly want to check this out.

This is an unsold TV-pilot for a TV-series based on the Frankenstein franchise and is a collaboration between the Hammer Studios and Universal (through Revue Studios). It sounds like the most perfect combination; The Universal Frankstein creature and movies are of course among the best and most famous out of movie history and the Hammer Studios were of course at their prime and at the top of the horror genre in the '50's. They also had already made a couple of Frankenstein movies, starring Peter Cushing in the role of the good old baron. In that regard "Tales of Frankenstein" is a disappointing collaboration.For its time, the pilot looks terribly old fashioned and also is directed in that way. Guess it was done on purpose, to try to recapture the mood and atmosphere of the '30's Frankenstein movies and horror in general. But to me the main problem with "Tales of Frankenstein" was its incredibly simple and also formulaic story. It's of course mostly set up so it can introduces the characters and set out the main outline for the potential series. The events and dialog feel rather bland and make a weak impression, which is also really due to the very simplistic and weak directing. Director Curt Siodmak had more success and also talent as a writer.Anton Diffring really wasn't the most perfect choice for the role of the baron. Now maybe if only Peter Cushing had played the role...Don Megowan however makes a good impression as the monster, though his make-up effects are certainly lacking.Still of course I wouldn't had mind seeing this pilot expanding into a TV-series. It showed some interesting potential, though I can also understand why this pilot was never picked up by any TV station. It's worth a look for the '30's- and/or Hammer Studio horror fans.5/10http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/