The Curse of Frankenstein, release in May of 1957 in the UK, and shortly thereafter in The Colonies, was a WB / Hammer film, and hence filmed in the ubiquitous WarnerColor process, which can be quite good at time, with the exception of dupes, or extremely problematic.
Fortunately, Curse falls into “better.”
The new master for Warner Archive’s Blu-ray is based upon new scans of the separation masters, and the resultant data files seem to accurately reflect the appearance of the original, with just a touch of softness from the generation loss.
It’s the best that I’ve seen the film look since its original release.
As everyone knows there are decisions to be made in releasing a Blu-ray, and occasionally aspects ratios raise their ugly heads. Which to use? Where was it screened under what conditions? Are we losing anything important in the crop from 1.37?
Warner Archive has taken the coward’s way out. Not wishing to rile the populace into taking torches to the streets, the film is offered in a two-disc set.
The first contains the feature selectively in both 1.85, as well as 1.66 aspect ratio, while the second allows viewing in (the also fully restored) 1.37 open matte version.
One top of that, disc two is filled with extras befitting those who might bring a creature to life.
I believe a few folks may have been waiting for this one.
Horror of Dracula, to the dismay of UK censors, arrived two years hence.
Image – 4.25
Audio – 5
Pass / Fail – Pass
Upgrade from DVD – Yes
Highly Recommended
RAH
Robert has been known in the film industry for his unmatched skill and passion in film preservation. Growing up around photography, his first home theater experience began at age ten with 16mm. Years later he was running 35 and 70mm at home.
His restoration projects have breathed new life into classic films like Lawrence of Arabia, Vertigo, My Fair Lady, Spartacus, and The Godfather series. Beyond his restoration work, he has also shared his expertise through publications, contributing to the academic discourse on film restoration. The Academy Film Archive houses the Robert A. Harris Collection, a testament to his significant contributions to film preservation.
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