The Wolfman (1941)

The Wolfman

"Even a man who is pure of heart,
And says his prayers at night;
Will turn into a wolf when the wolfbane blooms,
And the autumn moon is bright"

In 1931 Universal Pictures began bringing the classic monsters to life on the big screen with their new "talkie" pictures, and the world would change forever.  In 1931 they brought us Dracula, and then later Frankenstein, and ten years later in 1941 they brought us another important Universal monster with Lon Chaney Jr as The Wolfman.   The Wolfman was not Universal's first werewolf film, as they did release Werewolf of London in 1935, it was The Wolfman that really became the werewolf that would shape all future werewolf films.   Many people think that the legends and rules about werewolves in The Wolfman came from ancient mythology, but in fact many of the facts that we know werewolves actually came from The Wolfman.  For example the turning into a werewolf from being bit by a werewolf, a werewolf can only be killed by silver, and in the first sequel of the franchise it introduced the idea that werewolves would turn into wolves by the light of the full moon.   The Wolfman is unique in the fact that in every sequel in the original Universal Monsters franchises Lon Chaney Jr played the Wolfman in every film, all of the other monsters were played by various actors.   The Wolfman was Lon Chaney Jr.'s baby.

Lon Chaney Jr. is one of my favourite actors in the history of film, he has this wonderful gentleness to him, he played the "everyman" character so well.  However sadly he also struggled with debilitating alcoholism, that led to his attempted suicide that came very close to ending his life, to the point that an obituary for him was written at the time.   He was the son of the silent film legend Lon Chaney who was known as the man of one thousand faces, because of his ability to take on the role and look of so many characters.   Lon Chaney Jr. would go to follow in his father's footsteps, he is the only actor to play every one of Universal's Monster characters.  However he was never as well known or loved as Boris Karloff or Bela Lugosi, always living in their shadows.  Sadly however he ended up being cast mostly in B-Horror films, and was never given the star power that Boris Karloff received.  He was however loved by the fans, and by those who worked with him, and is now remembered and loved by film historians, critics, and fans.   His first breakthrough was in Of Mice And Men in 1939, his portrayal of Lenny, would end up typecasting him as a big hulking character, which made him ideal for playing a Universal Monster, which led to his being cast as The Wolfman.   Sadly Lon Chaney Jr. was only ever a minor star, but he shined so brightly for the short career that he had.   That gentleness was a big part of his role as Larry Talbot in The Wolfman, and in the character every time that he would reprise the role in the films that followed.  Larry Talbot is a man who is cursed, and the character is tragic, and it is hard not to be sympathetic with him, and that is due to the amazing presence of Lon Chaney Jr. 

One of the real stars of The Wolfman however was not an onscreen actor, but was instead Jack Pierce, the man who single handedly created the Universal Monsters.  Jack Pierce is a makeup artist who started in the era of silent films, most notably The Man Who Laughs in 1928, and then when Universal started making "talkie" horror films with 1931's Dracula with Bela Lugosi, Jack Pierce was asked by Universal Pictures' head Carl Laemmle to do the Makeup work for the new Universal Monster films, starting with Dracula, and then Frankenstein, The Mummy, The Bride Of Frankenstein, and of course The Wolfman.   Pierce created the make-up effects by hand, and never went for shortcuts of using masks and prosthetics that could just be reapplied, he fabricated the looks each day.   Sadly though he didn't adapt well to the changes in the industry, and the man who created the most famous monsters in history would be phased out, and sadly for many years he was forgotten by most, though the legacy that he created, would make him one of the most important makeup effects artists of all time.

The Wolfman was released in 1941, directed by George Waggner, and written by Curt Siodmak, with effect makeup by Jack Pierce.   The film was distributed by Universal Pictures, and was filmed entirely on the Universal backlot on a budget of $180,000.   The Wolfman would go on to be one of the most loved of the Universal Monsters, and would appear in four sequels.

The Wolfman stars Lon Chaney Jr as Lawrence "Larry" Talbot/The Wolfman, Claude Rains as Larry's father Sir John Talbot, Evelyn Ankers as Gwen Conliffe, Bela Lugosi as Bela the Gypsy, Maria Ouspenskaya as Maleva (Bela's mother), Warren William as Dr. Lloyd, Ralph Bellamy as Colonel Paul Montford, Patric Knowles as Frank Andrews (Gwen's fiance), J.M Kerrigan as Charles Conliffe (Gwen's father), and Fay Helm as Jenny Williams (Gwen's friend).  The casting of the film is great, especially with Lon Chaney Jr as the Larry Talbot/The Wolfman, probably the most sympathetic of the Universal Monsters.   Evelyn Ankers was also wonderful as the beautiful Gwen who catches the eye of Larry Talbot, and gets into this love triangle with Larry and her fiance Frank Andrews, he character is complex and is emotionally torn.   Overall the characters in the film are really well done, and they actors were perfectly cast for their roles, it is just too bad that at this point in his career Bela Lugosi was never getting leading roles anymore, and was often cast as just minor bit roles, or in low budget b-films.  I could write a whole essay about Bela Lugosi and why his career was relegated to only starring in b-film roles, even though he was the original Dracula, and the best and most recognizable Dracula to ever play the part, and part of this could be because of his pro-union activities, which is never appreciated by those in charge, also his turning down the role of Frankenstein's Monster as being below him, really hurt his career.   

Though The Wolfman wasn't a huge hit in the box office, it was very much loved by the critics, and has lived on to have a long legacy as one of the best monster films of all time, and has given birth to four sequels, and countless remakes and imitations.   I love this film it is one of my favourite horror films from the 1940's, and there reason is because of Lon Chaney Jr's presence, and because of Jack Peirce's effects work.   This film is beautiful, dark and haunting.   This is a horror film that touches the heart, and it is hard to not be sympathetic for the cursed Larry Talbot, who is a kind gentleman who never wants to be the fierce monster that murders people by night.   This sympathetic nature helps him to become one of the greatest movie monsters.   I almost cry when I watch this film, because of Chaney's amazing performance, and also the heartbreaking confliction of Gwen who is powerless to fall for the handsome young Larry Talbot, even though she is already engaged to be married, and to watch her develop a doomed love that could never be, is powerful to me.   There is something sweet and tender about these characters, but then on the flipside there is the cold cruelness of the smalltown minds, who are quick to blame an outsider for anything that goes wrong, and quickly jump to superstitions, these are the mindsets of those who burn witches, of those who tormented and hunted Frankenstein's monster, these are the people who become lynch mobs and vigilantes.   This is a common thing in these classic monster films, and I think that maybe it speaks to the fact that within us there lies a monster, and that the common person is just as much a monster as the actual monsters are.   

If you have not yet seen this classic film, I highly recommend it, this has always been one of my favourite films, and it has always made a huge impact on me.  This film is what made me fall in love with Lon Chaney Jr.'s acting.   Such an amazing film!  If I gave ranking this film would receive the highest ranks, it is a true must-see film, and should be a part of every film collection.  I highly recommend finding a copy of the Wolfman Legacy Collection, that also includes all four of the sequels.