The Wolf Man

     THE WOLF MAN (1941): Starring- Lon Chaney, Jr., Claude Rains, Evelyn Ankers, Ralph Bellamy, Maria Ouspenskaya, Patrick Knowles, and Bela Lugosi.

                                                    Directed by- George Waggner

     Well, here we are, once again. Let me tell you something, folks. I'm not a fan of remakes at all. That's probably the understatement of the year. I fucking HATE remakes. It doesn't even matter what remake it is.

     It can be a really good remake.....

     ..... Or a really bad remake.

     I'm sorry to all you remake fans out there, but I just don't approve of remakes. I think we need some more originality in Hollywood these days. And I don't think that every movie ever made needs a remake, but that's what studio executives seem to think.

     Seriously, since 1999, everything from WILLY WONKA & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY to GODZILLA to PROM NIGHT has been given a remake. I suppose I get the attraction to most of these remakes, but fucking PROM NIGHT?! There isn't much of an audience for a bloodless, PG-13 rated remake of a third-rate 8O's slasher movie. 

     Hey, while they're at it, why don't they give us a remake of BLOOD CULT? I bet everybody wants to be reminded of that cinematic suppository.

     But what really pisses me off is when a remake overshadows the original, and people forget that the movie was even a remake in the first place. That is a great insult to everyone that worked on the original!

     So, you can imagine how far and fast my heart sank when I saw this travesty hanging in my local movie theater:

     No. You know what, no! I won't stand for this! They can remake anything else they want, but not this. They can remake CASABLANCA, but not this. I grew up with the original THE WOLF MAN, and I won't let those remaking Hollywood hacks mess around with one of my most cherished childhood memories!

     Well, it seems like I don't have much say in the matter, as the movie will be coming out. So, instead of protesting theaters, I decided to remind everyone that the original still exists with my review of it.

     The film starts out when Lawrence Talbot (Chaney) returns to his ancient family mansion in England to live with his father, Sir John (Raines). Lawrence spends some time getting reacquainted with his home town, and meets Gwen Conliffe (Ankers), whom he instantly falls for. He also purchases a silver-tipped cane from her and is told the legend of the werewolf: "Even a man who is pure in heart, and says his prayers by night, may become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms, and the Autumn moon is bright." 

     After several attempts, Larry manages to land a date with Gwen, who brings along her friend, Jenny. The three of them go to a visiting gypsy carnival, where Jenny decides to get her palm read by creepy fortune-teller, Bela (Lugosi). And, yes, that really is the character's name. They got Bela Lugosi to play a character named Bela.

     Anyway, Bela looks into Jenny's palm and sees the image of the pentagram. Bela freaks out and warns Jenny to run for her life. While looking for Larry and Gwen, Jenny is attacked and killed by a large wolf.

     Larry hears her screams and attacks the beast. He is bitten on the chest, but manages to beat the wolf to death with his cane. He is brought home by Gwen and Bela's mother, Maleva(Ouspenskaya). Just as soon as they arrive, Maleva has disappeared.

     The police do not find the carcass of a wolf at the scene, but instead find the body of Bela. And, the next morning, the wound on Larry's chest has disappeared, leaving only a scar in the shape of the pentagram.

     This is the point where Larry's life will become nothing short of a living hell. Everyone in the town now sees him as a murderer, and he can go nowhere without someone looking at him suspiciously. 

     Larry visits the carnival again and meets Maleva. He is told by the old woman that Bela was a werewolf, and that he is now a werewolf, having been bitten. Larry rushes home as the full moon rises, and he transforms into a beast that will haunt the citizens of this small village....

     Like I said before, I grew up loving this movie, and I still love it with all my heart. But, seeing it more recently, I picked up on so many things that went straight over my head when I was a kid. I never noticed how great the musical score was, or how haunting the photography looked, or how tragic the character of Lawrence Talbot is.

     Really, he might be my favorite of the universal monsters, beating out Frankenstein, Dracula, Kharis the Mummy, and the Invisible Man, among others. This character really isn't a monster at all, just a sad man who was caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. I always end up feeling so sorry for him every time I watch this movie.

     Also, the movie is much more psychological than you would expect. It's never directly stated that Larry is a werewolf until about halfway through the movie.

      Also, all of the performances are fantastic. Larry Talbot is the greatest character that Lon Chaney, Jr., ever played. That's not really saying much, honestly, but it's still a great performance. And the relationship between Chaney and Claude Rains is amazing. I actually believe that they're father and son, which only goes to show what great actors both of them are. Evelyn Ankers is also good as the love interest. I honestly feel sorry for her character at times, as well. Finally, we have the great Maria Ouspenskaya as Maleva, the single greatest old gypsy woman in any movie ever.

     And the movie is shot beautifully. The fog shrouded forests, the bright, sunny, village streets, they all look so wonderful. This isn't just a classic horror movie, this is a classic movie.

     So, next month, when the inevitable remake comes out, go see it if you want to. It actually doesn't look all that bad. But I won't be seeing it. Ever. 

     Just promise me that you won't forget the original.

     My Rating: * * * *  out of  * * * *