Wolf Man, The (1941)
 | Directed By: George Waggner |
| Written By: Curt Siodmak | |
| Starring: Lon Chaney Jr., Claude Rains, Ralph Bellamy, Evelyn Ankers, Maria Ouspenskaya ... | |
| Running Time: 70 min | |
| Release Date: 12/12/1941 | |
Availability:  | |
Internet Movie Database:  |
Upon the death of his older brother, Larry Talbot returns to his father's estate in Wales. He falls in love with a girl in the village named Gwen, and he goes with her and her friend Jenny Williams to get their fortunes told at a nearby gypsy camp. However, after talking to mysterious gypsy Bela, Jenny is attacked by a wolf and Larry tries to save her. He kills the wolf but is bitten in the fight, and Jenny is killed. Soon after, an old gypsy woman then tells him that he was bitten by Bela, a werewolf, and now he too will become a werewolf. At first he thinks this is all nonsense, but as more murders are commited, he comes to believe that she may be right about him ...
So here it is, the movie that sparked Hollywood's interest werewolves throughout the 1940's -- an interest that has been revived again and again throughout the decades. But has it stood the test of time, compared to other classics of it's genre?
Well, the first impression you get is that it's not exactly subtle ... Talbot arrives back in Wales and has hardly begun to explore the town before the locals are bombarding him with werewolf folklore and selling him a silver walking stick with a wolf's head and a pentagram on it. This was, of course, necessary though as the cinema audience may not be aware of the myth surrounding the idea of a man who can transform into a wolf. He is then bitten by a wolf and begins to transform, of course at first he doesn't believe it's happening, but slowly he becomes convinced. And exactly the same thing has been happening in werewolf movies ever since -- "No, I can't be ... it's not possible ... alright, maybe it is ... okay, so I'm a werewolf."
All around the performances are great -- Claude Rains as Talbot's father is excellent, the supporting cast are convincing, Bela Lugosi shines in his brief cameo, and above all Chaney himself has some memorably, emotionally-loaded scenes. The set pieces look fantastic, especially those misty forest scenes which have gone down in horror history. The thing that makes this a superior werewolf to anything that came before, and much of what came after for the next forty years, is not the makeup but Chaney's own animalistic performance.
In my opinion, this movie is at least on the same level as Universal's previous adaptations of Dracula and Frankenstein, and this is especially impressive considering this is the only one not based on a previous work of literature. We have Curt Siodmak to thank for the story, who wrote a brilliant original screenplay with good dialogue and sympathetic characters.
This is a movie that fans of the genre will come back to time and time again, regardless of it's age. The original and definitely among the best, "The Wolf Man" still stands proud.
I just bought this DVD after not seeing the movie for 20 years and man, does this stand up. Excellent sets, acting was incredible and the wolf was a good as I remember. There was a smile on my face the whole way through this movie as nostalgia took hold. Was there ever an actor who portrayed the hell that lycanthropy would be better than Lon Chaney Jr? Every time "the poem" was recited I got chills. I have yet to see a better looking biped than this and that is saying a lot! Great movie!
The one and only werewolf movie of all time. Sure there are lots more out there and I'm sure when you compare the editing and special effects of other modern werewolf movies the wolfman doesnt stand much chance, but this is a classic, and dont forget my dears this was filmed a time when moviegoers and movie makers and movies were way different. Back before the age of computers and blackberries, before ipods and Youtube and all the modern crap were used to.
As a movie it lacks a bit more story and the plot is just a bit thin, but given the circumstances its an okay film with an extremely talented cast. Although the movie itself doesnt dissapoint me the "woods" sort of do. Even though Universal was still young I think they could have done better for the scenery. The wolf...hmm they title is The Wolfman so please dont frown if you dont see a full fledge werewolf standing there like oh so many movies. Like I noted earlier this was a different time so the special effects are both amazing and sub-par yet still believeable and awe-inspiring (and yes I know I sort of contradicted myself).
The movie does not disappoint, as it delivers what it promises and eventhough everyone has seen it or heard the story, for someone who has yet to see it or experience it, it is a good classic film to watch. Not very scary when put next to such films as Dog Soldiers or The Company of wolves but still entertaining and chilling.
I am looking forward to the remake although I doubt Benicio del Toro does justice to Lon Chaney Jr (r.i.p)
The Wolf Prayer! That should say it all.
Bela Lugosi changes into a fully-fledged black wolf. Bad ass.
All of the acting here was top notch at the time as was the story-telling. Even the old special effects such as: the pentagram shadow, all the old school wipes and fades, and the transformation scenes are great. This film may not hold up to special effects and creature costumes of this day and age but definitely holds it's own and is an original. Alot is to be respected for originators.
If your a werewolf addict and lover as I am, you must have this in your collection.
Wolfsbane ... the pentagram ... both now accepted as part of werewolf mythology, were in fact invented here by screenwriter Curt Siodmak. Also the poem, "Even a man who is pure in heart and says his prayers by night, May become a wolf when the wolfsbane blooms and the Autumn moon is bright", was for a long time it was believed to be a traditional poem, until he admitted that he made it up himself. It's unlikely that he realised just how many future films he would be influencing with his screenplay. In fact, there are very few references to actual werewolf mythology here at all. Some have said he also made up the idea of silver killing a werewolf -- but there are in fact references to that in various pieces of folklore. Lon Chaney Jr. of course gives a wonderful performance here as Larry Talbot, and his beastly qualities shine through in the scenes where he plays the wolf, while he appears completely civilised and gentle in the scenes where he plays the cursed nobleman. His increasingly frantic performance as he realises what he has become truly make us sympathise with our hero. The first werewolf we see here Bela Lugosi, who for some reason changes into a fully-fledged black wolf, with no sign of his humanity left. It never explains why Talbot doesn't do the same ... but never mind. There's a great scene where Lon Chaney Jr. wrestles with the wolf and is bitten. When he himself changes, we see the work of makeup artist Jack Pierce, who has basically altered his Werewolf of London design so that it suits Chaney's appearance. Again, the wolf remains fully-dressed in his scenes (in one scene he conspicuously wears a black shirt, even though Talbot was wearing just a white vest when he transformed) but at least this time we lose the shoes. The fact that the werewolf is bare-foot is of course important to the transformation sequence, where we concentrate entirely on his feet, in one of the most memorable shots of 1940s cinema. Personally I still prefer the transformations in Werewolf of London, but never mind ... the other transformation shot is when he turns back into his human form at the end, which apparently features 17 face shots in a continuous dissolve. |
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