Dan, just to make it clear, the R1 is cut (but has a terrific fun commentary); it is the re-issue of the R2 that appears to have had at least most of the cuts reinstated.
The American cuts add up to mere seconds. If one didn't know of the censoring beforehand, they wouldn't even be noticable. Paramount did a great job with the transfer and I'll be giving the commentary a full listen shortly.
Surprised at how well-made and entertaining this was, considering Hammer's other output during this period. Terence Fisher was a consumate director even on a shoestring.
Still waiting for Captain Kronos to arrive...4 days after Halloween >:frowning:
Agreed about the cuts amounting to nothing. I had the Japanese uncut Laserdisc and I don't miss a thing in the new disc. What is missing is 2 one second scenes and 2 four second scenes for a grand total of 10 missing seconds. As previously mentioned this footage was never in the American version. Its a great transfer of an underrated Hammer film. This film has never looked better and should not be passed up for 10 seconds of unimportant footage. The scenes are not that graphic and do nothing for the movie.
Nice to see this underrated gem getting another chance on DVD. Despite the minimal cuts on the R1 release it is still a very good transfer with excellent sound. The commentary backs this up..... but it is good to see Hammer returning to their roots and not selling the film on sex, instead concentrating on the gothic horror they knew so well. Cushing is a consummate as ever and Shane Briant comes across as a little more than the usual wooden sidekick! Now when are we going to get Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed? A far superior film in my opinion and the only one missing from the series worth having.
No one should pass up the FRANKENSTEIN AND THE MONSTER FROM HELL disc. I believe that FRANKENSTEIN MUST BE DESTROYED is one of the Hammer titles that Warner is working on for next year.
I still like the "Curse oF Frankenstein" best. Christopher Lee is superb in this one and the final scene with Peter Cushing going to the guillotine is classic. The expression on his face is as the blade goes up is one of horror cinema's best moments.
This is an entertaining outing, but I have to confess I like the Hammers that upped the sex quotient too: Lust for a Vampire & The Vampire Lovers in particular are a guilty pleasure.
I went ahead and got it. It's hard to turn down $5.88 for a classic Peter Cushing Frankenstein flick with a quality presentation(it does look quite pleasing).
I still have to contend an incomplete film is still an incomplete film, even if it's a few seconds. I'm just anal about these things. It's not like that stuff is so graphic it would get an NC-17 by today's standards. Why not just put it back in? MGM does it all the time. There's a reason that footage is in the UK version--because that's what the filmmakers intended. But I digress - just my .02.