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
