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The Wolf Man

The Wolf Man

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Even a Man Who Is Pure in Heart....
Review: There is no doubt that Universal's THE WOLF MAN is first and foremost a classic monster movie from the famed studio's golden age of horror, but if you look beyond the hairy make-up and the obvious chills and thrills, it is easy to see that the film is much more than standard horror fare. Beyond its scary but decorative facade, THE WOLF MAN is also an excellent psychological character study of a man who is struggling with his inner demons and of the loved ones around him who fail to recognize the depth and significance of his suffering.

It is both the presence and the performance of Lon Chaney, Jr., that creates such a great degree of psychological depth in this film. Though a tall and solidly built man, Chaney is able to instill a genuine vulnerability into his character of Lawrence Talbot, and this stark contrast of raw physical power against frail emotional sensitivity serves as a constant reminder to the audience of the perpetual struggle between the moral human side and bestial wolf side that exists in Talbot's--and, indeed, our own--psyche. This, in turn, generates an ambivalent mixture of pathos and horror that ultimately makes Lawrence Talbot a character with which the audience can both identify and sympathize.

The other players in the film are also quite adequate. The famous Claude Rains excellently portrays the aristocratic father (though it is sometimes hard to accept the small and compact Rains as the progenitor of the tall and husky Chaney). The beautiful Evelyn Ankers does a fine job playing the love interest, and no one can forget Maria Ouspenskaya's over-the-top performance as the old gypsy woman who tries to aid the doomed Talbot. Bela Lugosi, of DRACULA fame, also has a small but memorable part as the lycanthropic gypsy who initially infects Talbot with werewolfism.

As for the decorative aspects of the film, Jack Pierce's Wolf Man make-up is outstanding--Chaney doesn't look like a wolf per se, but he nonetheless appears frighteningly canine and bestial--and it set the standard for werewolf make-up for many years following. Also, the foggy outdoor sets and the beautiful black-and-white photography all add to the eerie ambiance and the sense of classic Greek tragedy.

It may have been panned by critics in its day, but THE WOLF MAN is definitely a classic in the horror genre. In fact, its well-written script, brilliant acting, and high production values make it stand out against most of the films of its time irrespective of the genre. A must-see for any film buff.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: My personal favourite of Universal's monster flicks
Review: This film is brilliant for its combination of everyday events with eerie and uncontrollable malignity. The contrast between Lord Talbot's scientific, sympathetic mind and the inexplicable evil that haunts those who seek to do no harm is powerful and compelling.

Much of the plot's cleverness and plausibility stems from having scenes with a wise gypsy woman inserted within normal, even banal, daily happenings. The gypsy's words, "The way you walked was thorny, through no fault of your own...", uttered with an invocation of peace over both "wolf men," is highly effective, as is the light-hearted but all too true, "Even a man who is pure in heart and says his prayers at night..."

Larry Talbot is by far the most sympathetic of Universal's monsters - basically a good man, with no evil inclinations or intentions, and a werewolf only because he was bitten while trying to save another from danger. One wishes his father had not insisted that he face the horror alone... the rational explanation of the werewolf as the product of schizophrenia was regrettably too convincing.

This is one of the best of the monster genre, intelligent and appealing to the mind rather than being gruesome. It is a treat for those who enjoy the classic monster flicks, particularly those of us who find present day horror films to be far too graphic and terrifying. It takes an adult mind to catch the deeper references, but even a child could view this (or the rest of Universal's "lot"), with no nightmares ahead.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Give it up for Shaggy!!!
Review: Wow the original Wolfman, give it up. Good flick, not too much terror, so the whole family can watch it. Lon Chaney will ALWAYS be the Wolfman, and will ALWAYS be remembered as the Wolfman. Check out his dad in this flick too, it's the corrupt French official from 'Casablanca'.

If you ever want to flirt with a woman that you've spying on with a telescope, don't do it this way. Chaney is given lines that wouldn't even work on a drunken two bit dame in a nameless bar. Lame dialogue even for a innocent 1940's movie.

You never see Chaney actually transform into the WOlfman, the first time he does it you just see him change from the shins down. You only see his face transform to human after his father kills him.

The blonde in this flick is indeed hot. Too bad she didn't show up again in the sequel 'Frankenstein meets the Wolfman'.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: The Wolf Man
Review: This was a good movie, but it wasn't the best I've seen. It's classic, natural horror. It's mostly romantic, some action, but still it's not really exciting. I think it might be that this movie was very slow, but maybe not. I can just say that it was good, but still it's just not good.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Classic.
Review: What can I say .My favorite Universal horror movie.I don't know how many times I've watched this film but it does not loose any of it's magic.One of the few old Universal movies that does not degenerate as the years pass.The DVD copy is excellent and unlike some of the old black and white films that everyone seems to be ruhing out on DVD to make a quick buck.There is also a good documentery on all of the movies that the Wolfman appeared in. Aphoto gallery and lots more .It's nice to see that some studios take the time and effort to make an excellent product all round.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: "Woof" Man deserves to sleep in doghouse
Review: Wow, what a disappointment this was for me! I had such high hopes going into this one because of some of the fine supporting actors, namely Claude Rains and Warren William. But no amount of debonair Englishmen or American smooth operators could counteract the terrible Lon Chaney Jr as the eponymous Wolf Man. Alright, so he's not much to look at (being turned into a WolfMan did him no disservice, actually), but what I really objected to was that Chaney's character was, well, a creep before he ever met up with those darned gypsies. Look at how he meets the girl: he gets a hold of a telescope and starts peering in bedroom windows. That's not the most romantic hero I ever saw, you know? And just why was he alienated from dad Claude Rains anyway? Was it for this kind of nasty voyeurism? And how could such a lumbering fellow ever have sprung from the loins of elegant Claude Rains either? Bad, bad dog!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: LonChaney.werewolf.com
Review: This is really a good movie for you people who like older movies like this one it is really what got award winning werewolf movies like "THE HOWLING" and "AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON" started this is a movie where Lon Chaney did his best throughout the whole movie and it shows so I highly recommend this classic marking the beginning of werewolf movies.....

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Atmospheric and Terrifying - A Howl of a Good Movie!
Review: Released approximately 10 years after the success of DRACULA and FRANKENSTEIN. THE WOLF MAN released in 1941 was the film responsible for catapulting Lon Chaney, Jr. to stardom. "THE LEGEND OF THE DAMNED: In many a distant village there exists the Legend of the Werewolf or Wolf Man...A legend of a strange mortal man with the hair and fangs of an unearthly beast...his hideous howl a dirge of death!", as quoted from the opening titles in the films' original trailer, THE WOLF MAN is a true classic of the horror genre, blessed with creepy, foggy atmospheres, beautiful London set pieces, and a superb supporting cast including Claude Rains, Warren William, Ralph Bellamy, Patric Knowles, Evelyn Ankers, Bela Lugosi, and Maria Ouspenskaya unforgettable as the Gypsy Woman. Highly original despite the WOLFMAN and FRANKENSTEIN sequels that would soon follow, and the score by Charles Previn, Frank Skinner, and Hans Salter makes the film all that more suspenseful. Documentary "Monster by Moonlight" hosted by none other than AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON director John Landis is as fascinating as the film commentary by Tom Weaver. You will not be disappointed with this one horror fans!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The full moon rises and you can here the howl of a wolf...
Review: Although not as famous as "Dracula" or "Frankenstein," Universal's 1941 movie "The Wolf Man" is arguably the best horror film of the bunch. After his brother dies, Larry Talbot (Lon Chaney, Jr.) returns from America to his ancestral home in Wales. While visiting a gypsy camp with Jenny Williams (Fay Helm) from the local village to have his fortune told, the young girl is attacked by Bela (Bela Lugosi), a gypsy who has been turned into a werewolf. Talbot manages to kill the werewolf, but during the fight he is bitten. Maleva (Maria Ouspenskaya), Bela's mother, tells Talbot his tragic fortune: when the full moon rises, he too will become the Wolf Man. The doomed Talbot tries to explain his horrible plight to his father, Sir John (Claude Rains), but the old man refuses to believe. This means a final tragic encounter when the old man joins in the hunt for the werewolf, which also involves the woman Talbot loves, Gwen Conliffe (Evelyn Ankers).

"The Wolf Man" remains the most tragic figure in the Universal pantheon of monsters and this film directed by George Waggner holds up better than most of its contemporaries. Poor Larry Talbot is painfully aware of his curse and it is that pathos that overwhelms the wooden acting by most of the cast. The transformation sequences are first rate for the time and there are more believable scary moments in this film than any of the other classics.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: It will make you cry.
Review: Tragic story of Larry Talbot (Lon Channey) who after being bitten by a werewolf, becomes a wolf himself when the full moon blooms and kills people. Begs his father (Claude Reins) to kill him with something made from silver...But the Wolfman would return to battle Frankenstein in Frankenstein meets the Wolfman.


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