Frankenstein: Complete Legacy Collection coming 9/13/16 (1 Viewer)

[LeeBob]

Was Son Of Frankenstein really considered for colour production? Looking at those marvellous expressionistic sets, it all looks like it was designed for b/w to me.

I have read a couple of versions of the story; I have no way of confirming the truth of either. The first is that the "color" tests of the Frankenstein make-up were less than successful and led to the change back to B&W. The other story (which I saw in one online review) was that all the studios color equipment was in use on Gone With The Wind, leaving the Son production with B&W equipment....

 

[Paul Penna]

Was Son Of Frankenstein really considered for colour production? Looking at those marvellous expressionistic sets, it all looks like it was designed for b/w to me.

This 2013 thread on the Classic Horror Film Board goes into that, including where the "designed for color" rumor started. The bottom line is that there was a color test made at some unknown time and for some unknown reason of Karloff in the monster makeup, but zero evidence for the sets or anything else being designed for color photography.

http://monsterkidclassichorrorforum...s-set-designed-for-Colour?page=5#.V-MK6nBHarU

 

[Will Krupp]

The other story (which I saw in one online review) was that all the studios color equipment was in use on Gone With The Wind, leaving the Son production with B&W equipment....

Well the GWTW rumor can't be right. Rowland Lee shot SON in the fall of 1938 and closed on the production well before the Christmas holiday. The first shots on GWTW (the burning of Atlanta) weren't taken until December 10th and, while it's true that every Technicolor camera in existence was in use that night, it was just for that night as they only had once chance to get it right. They didn't begin principal photography until after Christmas and didn't continue to use ALL available Technicolor equipment.

To be honest, I never really bought the idea that Universal ever intended to film SON in color. It just doesn't jibe with what I know about the studio in the fall of 1938. President Nate Blumberg (installed in January 1938) and Production Chief Cliff Work (installed in May 1938) were determined to streamline Universal City after the the abject failure of the "New Universal" of 1936-1938 (industry wags called it the New New Universal) and I can't fathom that they would have spent the money when they knew they didn't have to. The re-release of DRACULA & FRANKENSTEIN in the summer of 1938 proved there was still a HUGE market for horror movies and a sequel was a complete no-brainer. It's possible they floated the idea for publicity purposes, but I also think it's possible that a film historian somewhere saw the Kodachrome home movies of Karloff goofing on the set in full monster makeup and mistakenly thought they were color tests and THAT'S been the source of the rumor over the years.

 

[Race Bannon]

I saw this at Costco today for 26.99. Also Wolfman.

 

[Doug Otte]

A few thoughts on the sets so far:
1) I like the cover design on the original Legacy Collection DVD sets better, but that's a minor complaint for me.
2) Son of Frankenstein - looks and sounds fantastic! I noticed a few frames missing at one point when Ygor is leading the Monster along, which I didn't notice before. It may have always been there. I'll edit this post with the timestamp later.
3) Werewolf of London - it's a shame they couldn't restore this one. The audio especially needs attention, with the frequent pops and volume fluctation. However, it looks much better than the DVD.
That's all I've seen so far. I'm parcelling it out between now and Halloween.
Thanks, Universal!

 

[B-ROLL]

A few thoughts on the sets so far:
when Ygor is leading the Monster along, ...
Thanks, Universal!

 

[John Morgan]

A few thoughts on the sets so far:
1) I like the cover design on the original Legacy Collection DVD sets better, but that's a minor complaint for me.
2) Son of Frankenstein - looks and sounds fantastic! I noticed a few frames missing at one point when Ygor is leading the Monster along, which I didn't notice before. It may have always been there. I'll edit this post with the timestamp later.
3) Werewolf of London - it's a shame they couldn't restore this one. The audio especially needs attention, with the frequent pops and volume fluctation. However, it looks much better than the DVD.
That's all I've seen so far. I'm parcelling it out between now and Halloween.
Thanks, Universal!

I noticed the missing frames, but that section is new to me. I don't think it was in the longer print either. It was never in a domestic print - either 16mm, 35mm or video I have ever seen.

 

[Dick]

Agree 100%. Son of Frankenstein is absolutely wonderful. So glad to finally have it in such great quality. Makes a great double feature with Young Frankenstein, for obvious reasons.

Mel Brooks took bits from the first three FRANKENSTEIN films and made great jokes with them. I think he concentrated more on BRIDE and SON than he did of the original. The Lionel-Atwill-turned-to-Kenneth-Mars character is brilliant and hilarious.

 

[Tony Bensley]

Mel Brooks took bits from the first three FRANKENSTEIN films and made great jokes with them. I think he concentrated more on BRIDE and SON than he did of the original. The Lionel-Atwill-turned-to-Kenneth-Mars character is brilliant and hilarious.

My first SON OF FRANKENSTEIN (1939) viewing wasn't until close to 2 decades after YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN (1974). The dartboard scene in the former did strike me as inherently comical, and represents the one instance that Mel Brooks didn't really have to embellish anything for laughs, as the template was already there for the taking!

CHEERS!

 

[Joe Karlosi]

I only just discovered by accident that there were new shots included in this version of SON OF FRANKENSTEIN. I was completely amazed and elated about it. These are golden goodies I have never, ever seen before - and in such clarity! (I am referring first to a sequence where Josephine Hutchinson is combing her hair and runs into her son's bedroom to check in on him during the thunderstorm, and then a latter "new" shot of Ygor motioning to the Monster to come forward and the Monster bounds forward down the corridor). Amazing.

I have always really wished the "talking Ygorstein Monster" footage of FRANKENSTEIN MEETS THE WOLF MAN could be discovered and restored to that film, but I have long resigned myself to the likelihood that these scenes were long destroyed. BUT it is still quite hopeful to see that Universal actually gave us a "restored" SON OF FRANKENSTEIN at least, even though it was probably a complete and happy accident that they used a camera negative that was more lengthy than the old traditional version we've all been watching for something like 70 years.

 

[Cranston37+]

$19.99 on Amazon...

 

[TravisR]

$19.99 on Amazon...

Thanks for the heads up. The Wolfman set is on sale for the same price.

 

[Alan Tully]

Crazy price, the Frankenstein set would be great value for double that.

 

[Mark-P]

Well I had intended to wait for the individual discs to be released to avoid all the needless duplication (I already own the Universal Monsters Box), but at 19.99 for the Frankenstein set I'm only paying $3.33 per movie for the 6 that I didn't yet have. Can't beat that. Then I'll only be missing the Werewolf of London/She-Wolf of London disc and I can wait for that to get released on its own.

 

[Race Bannon]

Well I had intended to wait for the individual discs to be released to avoid all the needless duplication (I already own the Universal Monsters Box), but at 19.99 for the Frankenstein set I'm only paying $3.33 per movie for the 6 that I didn't yet have. Can't beat that. Then I'll only be missing the Werewolf of London/She-Wolf of London disc and I can wait for that to get released on its own.

Same here. But I have four of these on Blu-ray, and all the rest on DVD. Still could not pass up.

 

[Craig Beam]

Then I'll only be missing the Werewolf of London/She-Wolf of London disc and I can wait for that to get released on its own.

Why would you assume those will get released outside of the set? Universal hasn't done that since the very first DVD releases. I'd be surprised to see any more singles outside of the core eight.

 

[Tony Bensley]

Well I had intended to wait for the individual discs to be released to avoid all the needless duplication (I already own the Universal Monsters Box), but at 19.99 for the Frankenstein set I'm only paying $3.33 per movie for the 6 that I didn't yet have. Can't beat that. Then I'll only be missing the Werewolf of London/She-Wolf of London disc and I can wait for that to get released on its own.

Why would you assume those will get released outside of the set? Universal hasn't done that since the very first DVD releases. I'd be surprised to see any more singles outside of the core eight.

I'm thinking at best, WEREWOLF OF LONDON (1935) and SHE-WOLF OF LONDON (1946) could get released as a Blu-ray combo, and even then, what are the chances of it being marked down very much below $19.99?

One aspect of these new Legacy sets that I really love is that they are so compact. They actually take up less space than the old '04 Legacy DVD sets, which only housed 2 DVDs (1 single sided, and 1 flipper!) each!

CHEERS!

 

[Mark-P]

I'm thinking at best, WEREWOLF OF LONDON (1935) and SHE-WOLF OF LONDON (1946) could get released as a Blu-ray combo, and even then, what are the chances of it being marked down very much below $19.99?

One aspect of these new Legacy sets that I really love is that they are so compact. They actually take up less space than the old '04 Legacy DVD sets, which only housed 2 DVDs (1 single sided, and 1 flipper!) each!

CHEERS!

If the Wolf Man box should drop to $14.99 I'll bite just to get the missing two titles. If they do release the discs separately (and I think there is a chance they will do it as they did with the Monsters box and the Hitchcock box), Werewolf an She-wolf are already on the same disc and it will most likely retail for $15-20 and be discounted to $7.50-10.

 

[aPhil]

Why would you assume those will get released outside of the set? Universal hasn't done that since the very first DVD releases. I'd be surprised to see any more singles outside of the core eight.

I can see why someone would think that they could eventually get this outside the box set,
as I believe that all 8 discs from the Essential Monsters Blu-ray Collection have been available individually for some time.

Still, I purchased The Wolf Man Blu-ray Legacy Set when Best Buy had it on sale for $14.99.

I am thrilled with the value that we are getting from Universal --
Now if they would just correct that aspect ratio nonsense on the Hammer Horror 8 Films Blu-ray Set.

 

[BobO'Link]

Currently $19.99 at BB as well.