Buy Frankenstein: The True Story from Amazon UKFrankenstein: The True Story was a Universal NBC co-production, which was shot in England and featured a mainly British cast, (Sarazzin and Moorehead were American, and James Mason’s wife, Clarissa Kaye, was Australian).It aired on NBC in the US on two consecutive nights starting on Friday, 30 November 1973. The following September 1974, the film opened in London at the Paramount cinema on Lower Regent Street where it played for a month in an edited 123 minute version.I vividly remember when the full three-hour version was first shown on British TV. I had been allowed to stay up (I was almost eight years old) to watch the program and enthusiastically looked forward to this new version of Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel.The programme aired at 8:20 p.m. On Saturday, 27th December 1975 and I settled down for an evening of horrific entertainment.I lasted about 11 minutes.When the severed arm was revealed in the Gladstone bag of Dr. Frankenstein: The True Story original US newspaper adAlthough Frankenstein: The True Story has been available on DVD in the U.S. Since 2006, this release by Second Sight is the first time the TV movie has been released in the UK in any format. The DVD presents the series in its original two-part format.
Most of Frankenstein: The True Story rattles along as enjoyable badness, but every so often an image flares up that's genuinely creepy-when Frankenstein's fiancee Elizabeth is menaced by an undead butterfly, the scene is laughable and eerie at the same time-and though Whiting is stiff, Mason and a parade of cameo stars (including John Gielgud.
While the picture quality may be a little soft, and dirt is evident at places throughout the film, the picture is certainly watchable.The film is in its original aspect ratio of 4:3 with a running time of 175:50. There is an English Dolby Digital 2.0 Dual Mono track, and English subtitles.The only extra is a curious 5:30 long introduction from James Mason. Most of this intro comprises of clips (and many spoilers) from the forthcoming feature, however, a portion of it was Mason standing by, what purported to be, Mary Shelley’s gravestone in the disused cemetery at St. John’s Wood Church Grounds. This is odd as Mary Shelley was never buried there. She was originally interred in the graveyard of St. Pancras Old Church but later moved to St.
Peter’s Church in.While Frankenstein: The True Story may not be the literal adaptation of Shelley’s novel that it claims to be it is, nevertheless, a worthy addition to the collection of any fan of the Frankenstein myth or, indeed, a good (if somewhat gruesome) drama. It has a literate script (by Christopher Isherwood and Don Bachardy and is, for me at a least, one of the two defining TV horror movies– the other being Salem’s Lot (1979) which, co-incidentally, also featured James Mason and his wife, Clarissa Kaye.
Now, what a double bill that would make!
Release Date:DVD Release Date:Not Yet Rated 3 hr 5 min Plot SummaryIn this re-imagining of the classic tale, Dr. Victor Frankenstein (Leonard Whiting) meets Dr. Henry Clerval (David McCallum), who is experimenting with reanimating bodies. Together they create the Creature (Michael Sarrazin), and after Clerval dies Dr. Frankenstein gives their creation his brain. At first the Creature functions like an ordinary human, but, as its body deteriorates and it comes under the control of the mad Dr.
Polidori (James Mason), it begins to lash out and wreak havoc.Cast:, Clarissa Kaye-MasonDirector:Genres:,Keywords:,.