Frankenstein Created Woman

Infobox Film
name = Frankenstein Created Woman


director = Terence Fisher
producer = Anthony Nelson Keys
writer = John Elder
starring = Peter Cushing
Susan Denberg
Thorley Walters
music = James Bernard
cinematography = Arthur Grant
editing = Spencer Reeve
distributor = 20th Century-Fox
released = March 15, 1967 (USA)
runtime = 86 min. / USA: 92 min.
country = UK
language = English
preceded_by = "The Evil of Frankenstein"
followed_by = "Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed"
amg_id = 1:92292
imdb_id = 0061683

"Frankenstein Created Woman" is a 1967 British Hammer Horror film directed by Terence Fisher. It stars Peter Cushing as Baron Frankenstein and Susan Denberg as his new creation. Also in the cast is Thorley Walters. It was followed, three years later, by "Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed". The film was marketed with the tagline "Now Frankenstein has created a beautiful woman with the soul of the Devil!"

Where Hammer's previous Frankenstein films had concerned the physical aspects of the Baron's work, the interest here is in the metaphysical dimensions of life, such as the question of the soul, and its relationship to the body.

Production

"Frankenstein Created Woman" was originally mooted as a follow-up to "The Revenge of Frankenstein" during its production in 1958, at a time when Roger Vadim's "Et Dieu créa la femme" ("And God Created Woman") was successful. The film finally went into production at Bray Studios on 4 July, 1966. It was Hammer's penultimate production there.

Plot synopsis

Baron Frankenstein (Peter Cushing) revives the dead body of a disfigured girl, Christina (Susan Denberg), who has committed suicide following the wrongful execution of her lover, Hans (Robert Morris), for murder. The Baron's further experiments succeed in transplanting Hans's soul into Christine, who then takes revenge on the young dandies who framed Hans for their own crime.

Critical Reaction

"Frankenstein Created Woman" is one of the most critically acclaimed Hammer films, with some commentators appreciating its fairytale atmosphere and twisted revenge plot. Martin Scorsese picked the movie as part of a 1987 National Film Theatre season of his favourite films, saying 'If I single this one out it's because here they actually isolate the soul... The implied metaphysics are close to something sublime.' [Cited in M. Hearn & A. Barnes, "The Hammer Story", Titan Books, 1997, ISBN 1-85286-876-7, p.111]

Cast

*Peter Cushing (Baron Victor Frankenstein)
*Susan Denberg (Christina)
*Thorley Walters (Doctor Hertz)
*Robert Morris (Hans)
*Peter Blythe (Anton)
*Derek Fowlds (Johann)
*Duncan Lamont (The Prisoner)
*Barry Warren (Karl)
*Alan MacNaughtan (Kleve)
*Peter Madden (Chief of Police)
*Philip Ray (Mayor)
*Ivan Beavis (Landlord)
*Colin Jeavons (Priest)
*Bartlett Mullins (Bystander)
*Alec Mango (Spokesman)

Credits

*Directed by Terence Fisher
*Screenplay by John Elder (Anthony Hinds)
*Produced by Anthony Nelson Keys
*Director of photography: Arthur Grant, B.S.C.
*Music by James Bernard
*Musical supervisor: Philip Martell
*Edited by Spencer Reeve
*Supervising editor: James Needs
*Art direction by Don Mingaye
*Production design by Bernard Robinson
*Make-up by George Partleton
*Special effects by Les Bowie

elected Reading

*cite book|author=Rigby, Jonathan,|title=English Gothic: A Century of Horror Cinema|publisher=Reynolds & Hearn Ltd|year=2000|id=ISBN 1-903111-01-3

References

External links

*imdb title|id=0061683|title=Frankenstein Created Woman
*amg title|id=1:92292|title=Frankenstein Created Woman
* [http://www.eeweems.com/cinemagraphe/frank_woman.html Frankenstein Created Woman] A review and analysis of the Hammer Studios film