The Ghost of Frankenstein (or "Three Brains and a Monster")

Sir Cedric Hardwicke plays Ludwig Frankenstein without the flair that Colin Clive or Basil Rathbone brought to the role, and it is a relief when we discover that the creepier Dr. Brohmer (Lionel Atwill), will be the madder mad doctor of this story. Dr. Frankenstein wants to put the brain of a murdered colleague into the body of The Monster, thus making The Monster good, and redeeming the family name of Frankenstein. Dr. Brohmer wants to do something for his own family name too – redeem it, make it worse, whatever – and secretly works at odds against Dr. Frankenstein.

Meanwhile Ygor wants his own brain to be put into The Monster, and The Monster himself wants the brain of a little village girl whom he adores. Never before has medical science been so flush with eager brain donors.

Typical of the disarming illogic of the proceedings is the brain transplant sequence. Dr. Frankenstein is going to prepare The Monster’s skull for the new brain, while Dr. Brohmer is in charge of removing the brain of their murdered colleague. After discussing how important it is that the two operations must be timed precisely in synch with each other, the two doctors begin their operations – in two separate rooms!

Darling’s screenplay contains lots of silliness like that, but it is good, healthy silliness that wisely avoids the major flaw of many other Frankenstein movies, which bring The Monster to life only near the end of the film. THE GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN has a revived Monster within minutes of the opening credits and keeps the focus on him throughout. Even when he is unconscious on the laboratory table, it is only for a few minutes. They even revive him before the operation to explain to him the whole “brain transplant” business.

Chaney is a respectable Monster, and brings a sense of childlike wonder to the role, but unlike Karloff, Chaney never grunts or growls, remaining awkwardly silent until the film’s bizarre climax. Chaney’s face is a touch too common to bring much character to the role underneath the makeup, and his performance is not the masterwork Karloff’s was in the earlier films. But to be fair, the film never requires Chaney to do much more than knock people over and do the Frankenstein walk. Any personality The Monster has in the film is due to Chaney.

Bela Lugosi revives

Go To Page: 1 2 3

Articles in this Topic    Discussions in this Topic