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The Son of Frankenstein- I recently purchased this on a double bill with The Ghost of Frankenstein. I hadn't seen this since I was 6 or 7 on a horror host show in Mn. called Count Dracula presents. I always remembered Lionel Atwill getting his wooden arm ripped off by the monster, but little else. Over time I grew to think only Whale made truly great Frankenstein movies. Turns out Rowland Lee created an entry IMO better than the first film and nearly Bride's equal.
The sets are nothing short of unreal. The ruined laboratory with its open roof and the cavernous mansion with its gloomy dining room, huge, blank walls for shadows to be cast upon and hidden pasageways are all stunning and perfectly shot and lit. The script is clever, fast paced and exceedingly literary.
The big draw though, are the performances. There are no less than 4 legends in this film all at the top of their game. Karloff turns in a rather subdued version of the monster, dramatically scaling back the relatibility by eschewing speech. This serves to make the monster both more terrifying and more pitiable. Lugosi gives IMO the greatest performance of his career. He's hilarious, grotesque, scary, sympathetic and likable all at the same time. In a film loaded with great acting, Lugosi far and away steals the show. Basil Rathbone is a hoot as the shrill, histrionic young Frankenstein who lets his good intentions get out of control and spends the last half of the film trying to lie his way out of trouble. Lionel Atwill is all hammy brilliance with his gimmicky wooden arm schtick and clipped delivery. Everyone plays off each other beautifully and is a pure joy to watch.
This film was easily better than any horror film I've seen in the theater in the last 5 years and I can not recommend seeing it or revisitin it highly enough!
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