Lady Frankenstein (1971)

UK Nucleus Films 2018 Blu-ray edition



Yeah, somewhat trashy maybe but still a great looking and atmospheric take on the Frankenstein and his monster saga. An Italian gothic
horror from the early 1970's and with Rosalba Neri in the main role as a strong-willed surgeon, guaranteeing some nudity, what can go wrong?
Answer: Nothing, and this is probably my favourite Frankenstein movie.

Screen legend Joseph Cotten as her father, Rosalba as Dr. Frankenstein, Jr. in the nude and using an interesting wet battery to create the
necessary electric current to give the monster life (i don't think i've seen that in a horror movie before and this is scientifically plausible as the
film takes place sometime during the first half of the 1800's and the wet battery was invented in the 1830's), a very bizarre looking monster with
a swollen head loitering around the village in search for his victims and shot atmospherically in a medieval Umbrian castle, makes this a great
viewing. Some fun too, as when Tanya hails her father's creature/monster the assistant Charles complains: " But all it does is killing ? ".

SPOILERS BELOW - Warning!

..............................................................................................

..............................................................................................

The Baron, Dr. Frankenstein (Joseph Cotten) and his assistant Dr. Charles Marshall (Paul Mueller) buy fresh corpses from gravediggers, for use
in their experiments with making the dead live again. A huge break-through in scientific medicine and something that finally would give the Dr.
fame and acceptance. His daughter, a fresh out of university educated female surgeon, Tanya (Rosalba Neri) arrives to assist her father in his
experiments. Her father uses a damaged brain from a hanged man to transplant into his creature, and when the monster gets life and rises from
the operating table the first thing he does is to kill the doctor. The monster then walks out of the castle and start killing every villager he sees.

Now, Lady Frankenstein has a plan on her own, to create another creature to kill the first creature and to having sex with. She's attracted to the
young handsome stable boy Thomas body but also to the brilliant mind of Dr. Charles, with wich she has married, so what to do?
She will transplant Charles brain into the stable boy's body, and Charles will the be able to have sex with her as a young man. Happy end?
Nope, the villagers are furious about monster no.1's killings and the police inspector (Mickey Hargitay) and his men are coming for them.

Rosalba Neri (born 1939) - For any cult movie fan she's the stuff that dreams are made of (to paraphrase Dashiell Hammet's Sam Spade in The
Maltese Falcon). A beauty pageant winner and then actress in a mix of Italian film genres, as historical adventures, peplum (sword and sandal),
spaghetti western, spy flicks, WIP, giallo, horror and eurocrime.

The film is presented in widescreen (ratio not stated on sleeve, see pic above) and english or italian audio LPCM stereo with english subtitles.
Complete and restored director's cut - 99 minutes. Region B Blu-ray edition. Extras:

The Truth about Lady Frankenstein: interviews with Mel Welles, Rosalba Neri and Herbert Fux (44 minutes)

Audio commentary
by Alan Jones and Kim Newman - 2 british bores that disses the great monster guy in the film, some jugoslavian giant that
really gives a powerful impression and looks believable when he smother people to death with his arms. But even worse, much worse ....
they do NOT like Rosalba Neri .... yeah, the right fuckers to do a commentary on this flick - NOT, and through the whole film they mock the
movie and drones on endlessly about their fucking, stuffy, shitty Hammer films. 2 Prime British assholes.

Kim Newman, author of the boring Nightmare Movies, where he calls well endowed actresses in Russ Meyer films for "freaks" as he's disgusted
by their breasts (!) .... and he dismisses Joseph Larraz erotic masterpiece Vampyres, yes, there are 2 gorgeous women in this, that may explain it.
The Creep seems to be disgusted by females as Tura Satana, Lori Williams, Erica Gavin, Anulka and Marianne Morris?
I don't want to know what type of films he finds erotic or sensual, but they probably has a lot of xxxx-xxxxx in it ?

Restored New World Pictures American theatrical cut (84 minutes)
Piecing together Lady Frankenstein documentary (35 minutes, 2017) - the monster was created by Carlo Rambaldi
The Lady and the Orgy (8 minutes, about Mel Welles 1924-2005 strange 1970's theatrical project Down Under, 1971 photo novel, BBFC UK cuts,
Alternate clothed scenes, promotional gallery, Home Video gallery, English, Italian and German trailers, US trailers and radio spots

Back to Horror Films Page 1