Werewolf Of London
Though the Wolfman is the most famous, and most recognizable Universal Pictures werewolf, in 1935, six years before the release of The Wolfman, was released Werewolf Of London, the first mainstream film werewolf film. Released in 1935, Werewolf of London was directed by Stuart Walker, and produced by Stanley Bergerman. The film was written by John Colton, Harvey Gates, Edmund Pearson, James Mulhauser, and Aben Kandel; and is based on a story by Robert Harris. The film was distributed by Universal Pictures, and though the Wilfred Glenden the primary werewolf in Werewolf of London was the first Universal Pictures werewolf, he wasn't included as one of the Universal Monsters, that distinction would instead go to Lon Chaney Jr as Larry Talbot in the Wolfman in 1941.
Werewolf of London stars Henry Hull as Dr. Wilfred Glendon, Warner Orland as Dr. Yogami, Valerie Hobson as Lisa Glendon, Lester Matthews as Paul Ames, Lawrence Grant as Sir Thomas Forsythe, and Spring Byington as Miss Ettie Coombes. For fans of Universal Monster films, you might recognize Valerie Hobson from Bride Of Frankenstein (also released in 1935), where she played Baroness Elizabeth Frankenstein. Warner Orland was famous for his role in the Charlie Chan series of films, also the Dr Fu Manchu films, as he was often cast in roles of Chinese characters, even though he is Swedish-American, though he does claim that he has some Mongolian ancestry, though there was never any proof of it, but in the 1930s it was common to cast a white person with vaguely Asian features in roles of Asian characters, a practice that today would be heavily criticized. Overall the film had a great cast, my favourite character though by far was that of Lisa Glendon, who is the wife of Dr. Glendon, I respect her as a character because she is a spirited woman, who is in a marriage that has extinguished her fiery nature, but then when being acquainted with a past lover/close friend, she not only finds that inner fire, but she is strong. This is a woman that in 1935 stands up to her husband, and tells him that she will do what she wants, and that he and no man will control her, and she is also firm with her ex-lover/close friend Paul Ames, turning down his advances of rekindling their love affair, and "friendzoning" him, and it is beautiful to see such a powerful woman character in a film in the 1930s, in a time where women were so often portrayed as the weaker sex. In this film we see Dr. Glendon as the weaker more vulnerable character, and his wife as the strong dominant character. Overall the cast of the film is great, and everyone puts in a top notch performance.
Werewolf of London features a lighter werewolf makeup work than the famous Jack Pierce creation that would become the famous monster from The Wolfman. The more toned down werewolf look, sometimes jokingly referred to as the Elvis Werewolf, might have been part of the contributing reasons to why this film wasn't more successful. Another reason, being that many critics have stated that the film was too closely resembling to the 1931 version of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde that also was a box office disappointment. Though to be fair, this really is a great film, and as the years have passed the critics have strongly warmed to this film, with it now holding a high score on sites like Rotten Tomatoes. Werewolf of London has a great story, and is a great looking film, and honestly the more subdued werewolf makeup design works for this film, and that similar style of werewolf makeup would go on to be used in later films, in fact Eddie Munster's look from the television show The Munsters was heavily influenced by Werewolf of London, as all of the characters in that show are based on Universal Monsters. Werewolf of London also was the inspiration for Warren Zevon's 1978 hit song Werewolves of London, as well as inspiring the 1981 film An American Werewolf in London, and the 1997 sequel An American Werewolf in Paris. So, though it is shadowed by The Wolfman, Werewolf Of London is still a well-loved classic horror film.
Though I am a huge of Lon Chaney Jr, and I feel like he is the Wolfman, there was a classic that came six years earlier that is equally great, and worthy of its place in history. I would wholeheartedly say that Werewolf of London is a must-see film, it is great on so many levels, beautiful looking, great characters, great acting, and also a great story. Definitely don't overlook this classic film, I highly recommend adding a copy to your film collection, you can find it as part of the Wolfman Legacy Collection from Universal Pictures.
Werewolf of London stars Henry Hull as Dr. Wilfred Glendon, Warner Orland as Dr. Yogami, Valerie Hobson as Lisa Glendon, Lester Matthews as Paul Ames, Lawrence Grant as Sir Thomas Forsythe, and Spring Byington as Miss Ettie Coombes. For fans of Universal Monster films, you might recognize Valerie Hobson from Bride Of Frankenstein (also released in 1935), where she played Baroness Elizabeth Frankenstein. Warner Orland was famous for his role in the Charlie Chan series of films, also the Dr Fu Manchu films, as he was often cast in roles of Chinese characters, even though he is Swedish-American, though he does claim that he has some Mongolian ancestry, though there was never any proof of it, but in the 1930s it was common to cast a white person with vaguely Asian features in roles of Asian characters, a practice that today would be heavily criticized. Overall the film had a great cast, my favourite character though by far was that of Lisa Glendon, who is the wife of Dr. Glendon, I respect her as a character because she is a spirited woman, who is in a marriage that has extinguished her fiery nature, but then when being acquainted with a past lover/close friend, she not only finds that inner fire, but she is strong. This is a woman that in 1935 stands up to her husband, and tells him that she will do what she wants, and that he and no man will control her, and she is also firm with her ex-lover/close friend Paul Ames, turning down his advances of rekindling their love affair, and "friendzoning" him, and it is beautiful to see such a powerful woman character in a film in the 1930s, in a time where women were so often portrayed as the weaker sex. In this film we see Dr. Glendon as the weaker more vulnerable character, and his wife as the strong dominant character. Overall the cast of the film is great, and everyone puts in a top notch performance.
Werewolf of London features a lighter werewolf makeup work than the famous Jack Pierce creation that would become the famous monster from The Wolfman. The more toned down werewolf look, sometimes jokingly referred to as the Elvis Werewolf, might have been part of the contributing reasons to why this film wasn't more successful. Another reason, being that many critics have stated that the film was too closely resembling to the 1931 version of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde that also was a box office disappointment. Though to be fair, this really is a great film, and as the years have passed the critics have strongly warmed to this film, with it now holding a high score on sites like Rotten Tomatoes. Werewolf of London has a great story, and is a great looking film, and honestly the more subdued werewolf makeup design works for this film, and that similar style of werewolf makeup would go on to be used in later films, in fact Eddie Munster's look from the television show The Munsters was heavily influenced by Werewolf of London, as all of the characters in that show are based on Universal Monsters. Werewolf of London also was the inspiration for Warren Zevon's 1978 hit song Werewolves of London, as well as inspiring the 1981 film An American Werewolf in London, and the 1997 sequel An American Werewolf in Paris. So, though it is shadowed by The Wolfman, Werewolf Of London is still a well-loved classic horror film.
Though I am a huge of Lon Chaney Jr, and I feel like he is the Wolfman, there was a classic that came six years earlier that is equally great, and worthy of its place in history. I would wholeheartedly say that Werewolf of London is a must-see film, it is great on so many levels, beautiful looking, great characters, great acting, and also a great story. Definitely don't overlook this classic film, I highly recommend adding a copy to your film collection, you can find it as part of the Wolfman Legacy Collection from Universal Pictures.
Comments
Post a Comment