Frankenstein Created Woman (Blu-ray) (1967)

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General		Extras
Category	Horror	Audio Commentary-Jonathan Rigby, cast Robert Morris, Derek Fowlds Featurette-Hammer Glamour (42:30) Gallery More…-DVD of the film
Rating
Year Of Production	1967
Running Time	92:02 (Case: 85)
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	Terence Fisher
Studio Distributor	Shock Entertainment	Starring	Peter Cushing Susan Denberg Thorley Walters Robert Morris Peter Blythe Barry Warren Derek Fowlds Alan McNaughton
Case	Standard Blu-ray
RPI	?	Music	James Bernard

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Linear PCM 48/24 2.0 mono (1536Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.78:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	1080p
Original Aspect Ratio	1.66:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	None	Smoking	Yes
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

     As a boy Hans saw his drunken father guillotined for murder. About two decades later Hans (Robert Morris) works as the assistant of Dr. Hertz (Thorley Walters), and witnesses Hertz unfreeze and bring back to life the corpse of Baron Frankenstein (Peter Cushing) who had frozen himself as part of an experiment to prove that when a physical body dies the soul lives on for an hour and can be captured and transplanted into another body, thus defeating death itself. Now all he needs is a fresh corpse, and a body.

     Hans is in love with Christina (Susan Denberg), the disfigured and lame daughter of the village innkeeper Kleve (Alan McNaughton). He is present when three wealthy and obnoxious fops, Anton (Peter Blythe), Karl (Barry Warren) and Johann (Derek Fowlds), enter the inn and make fun of Christina’s deformities. Hans fights the men, cutting Anton in the process, but the police arrive and take him away. After he is released, he climbs into Christina’s bedroom, declares his love and the two sleep together. Later that evening, however, Anton, Karl and Johann break into the inn and when they are discovered by Kleve they attack and kill him. The Police discover Hans’ coat at the scene and he is arrested. Charged with murder, he will not disgrace Christina by telling the police where he spent the night. He is tried, condemned and executed on the same guillotine as his father; Christina witnesses his death and, mad with grief, drowns herself.

     Dr. Hertz acquires Hans’ headless corpse less than 60 minutes after his execution and Frankenstein quickly sets up his apparatus to capture his soul. Then, when Christina’s body is brought in, Hans’ soul is transferred into her body and surgery is undertaken to repair her deformities. Approximately six months later a new, beautiful Christina awakes, without memories, asking “please, who am I?”, a question the Baron is disinclined to answer. But gradually Hans’ soul takes possession of Christina, and what he wants is revenge upon Anton, Karl and Johann, a revenge the newly beautiful Christina can deliver.

     In the late 1950’s and early 1960s Hammer was at its peak with franchises based around Frankenstein, Dracula and the Mummy, many directed by the accomplished Terence Fisher who had helmed, among others, the successful Dracula (1958) and Dracula: Prince of Darkness (1966) as well as The Mummy (1959). He also kicked off the studio’s Frankenstein franchise with The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) and The Revenge of Frankenstein (1958), both starring Peter Cushing, and although he did not direct Hammer’s third Frankenstein film The Evil of Frankenstein (1964), he was back on board for this fourth film Frankenstein Created Woman and his expertise shows as he delivers a well-crafted yet different and intriguing type of Hammer horror film.

     This is because Frankenstein Created Woman delivers a story that is more a macabre psychological horror story than straight out horror and one without bare breasts, despite starring Playboy Playmate of the month for August 1966 Susan Denberg. The film also has a sense of humour, with the priest running late for the execution at the beginning or the bumbling of Dr Hertz, an interesting script which asks the question which is often associated with the monster canon “who am I?”, Peter Cushing in fine form as the Baron, great production values and sets which are detailed and elaborate. Denberg, born in what is now Poland, also does an good job in her two very different incarnations of Cristina, although it is not her voice we hear, her dialogue provided by Nikki Van der Zyl (the voice actress who also dubbed Ursula Andress in Dr No). It is also interesting to see a baby faced Derek Fowlds, who later appeared in the Yes, Minister and Yes, Prime Minister series; he looked so sweet I found it hard to take him as a fop and a cad!!

     Frankenstein Created Woman does have its macabre elements, such as Cristina talking to the severed head of her lover, a couple of beheadings and murders with a cleaver and a knife, plus sequences such as the capture of Hans’ soul in the Baron’s laboratory that is colourful and has an excellent sound design for a mono track. While not an out and out horror film, and with little tension and no real scares, Frankenstein Created Woman is still fascinating to watch due to an intelligent script, Peter Cushing and great sets. In 1956 Roger Vadim may have decided And God Created Woman, but Hammer, and Baron Frankenstein knew better!

Video

     Frankenstein Created Woman is presented in the 1.77:1 aspect ratio, in 1080p using the MPEG-4 AVC code. The original theatrical ratio was 1.66:1, although some sites give it as 1.85:1, which may be the US release version.

     In any case, the film looks great in this HD print. Colours are beautiful, deep and natural. Detail is very good showing off the sets, especially Frankenstein’s laboratory where the lamps are a brilliant red, while faces, costumes, and the green branches in the forest are finely detailed. Blacks are solid and shadow detail very good. Grain is evident, especially in the opening exterior scene, but is elsewhere nicely controlled, brightness and contrast consistent, skin tones natural.

     There are some tiny marks on the print and minor motion blur against mottled surfaces such lace curtains or branches, but generally the print looks lovely.

     There are no subtitles.

Video Ratings Summary

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Audio

     The audio is an English LPCM 2.0 mono at 1536 Kbps; the film was shown theatrically with mono sound.

     Dialogue is always clear and easy to understand, Cushing’s distinctive voice coming across nicely. While this is a mono audio the effects such as carriage wheels, the thud of the guillotine, or the sequence where Hans’ soul is captured have some depth. The score by Hammer stalwart James Bernard is not overstated and adds nicely to the visuals.

     There is obviously no surround or subwoofer use.

     I did not notice any hiss or distortion.

     Lip synchronisation was occasionally off, not only Susan Denberg’s overdubbed dialogue.

Audio Ratings Summary

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Audio Commentary

     Recorded in 2013, Hammer expert Jonathan Rigby moderates an entertaining and light-hearted conversation with actors Robert Morris and Derek Fowlds who laugh and chat about their memories and anecdotes of the filming, including identifying other cast members, locations, the censor, working at Hammer and biographical details of Susan Denberg. Well worth a listen.

Hammer Glamour (42:30)

    Made in 2013 this is a fun extra looking at some of the women who appeared, dressed or barely dressed, in Hammer productions. The featurette starts with some of the women who appeared in early Hammer films before Hammer was producing horror, such as Diana Dors, Raquel Welch and Ursula Andress, before visiting the heyday of Hammer Horror in the late 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. The featurette uses film footage, stills and recent interviews with some of the women who starred for Hammer, including Valerie Leon, Caroline Munro, Martine Beswicke, Madeline Smith, Vera Day and Jenny Hanley who talk freely and humorously about their roles, other Hammer stars, being typecast and taking their clothes off for the cameras. Very entertaining!

Gallery 6:48)

     Promotional materials and posters from around the world, film stills and on set stills advance automatically while snatches of the film’s dialogue and score play. Some of the materials show Susan Denberg with far less clothing on than she wears in the film.

DVD

    A DVD of the film.

     In the US the Region A Blu-ray of Frankenstein Created Woman has Dolby Digital 2.0 audio and the same extras as ours, although it adds two World of Hammer featurettes from the 1990s, one on the Curse of Frankenstein (25:56) and one on Peter Cushing (24:54). These would give that release the edge I suppose, although our release is still pretty good as we get the recently made extras.

     Frankenstein Created Woman is Hammer director Terence Fisher and star Peter Cushing in fine form. Fifty years on, Frankenstein Created Woman is possibly better regarded now than it was in 1967 as it is not really an out and out horror film as much as a metaphysical and intellectual drama with macabre and horror elements. It is intriguing and entertaining and Cushing is always worth watching.

     The film looks great on Blu-ray, the audio is the original mono. The extras are good and worthwhile, although we do not get everything available in the US.

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