7.1 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Baron Frankenstein travels to a new town to meet Dr. Brandt, with whom he had hoped to collaborate. When he learns that Brandt is in a mental asylum he takes a room in a boarding house run by Anna, whose fiance, Karl, is a doctor who works at the asylum. Blackmailing Anna and Karl into helping him, Frankenstein kidnaps Brandt to learn his secrets.
Starring: Peter Cushing, Veronica Carlson, Freddie Jones, Simon Ward, Thorley WaltersHorror | 100% |
Sci-Fi | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
French: Dolby Digital Mono
Spanish: Dolby Digital Mono
Spanish: Dolby Digital Mono (Spain)
English SDH, French, Japanese, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
From Hammer Horror's Frankenstein series, the first of its three major horror franchises, Warner Home Video's first volume of the British studio's classics includes 1969's Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed (or "FMBD"). The fifth film in a franchise that began with The Curse of Frankenstein in 1957, FMBD differs from the other three films in the volume by lacking a traditional monster. The Curse of Frankenstein was adapted directly from Mary Shelley's original novel, with Victor Frankenstein played by Peter Cushing and his creation played by Christopher Lee. Lee vanished from the series thereafter, and so did the monster in many of the sequels, as Hammer's creative forces made Frankenstein himself the primary wrongdoer. Especially in FMBD, Baron Frankenstein becomes the archetypal mad scientist, for whom human beings are so much raw material to be sacrificed and consumed in his quest for knowledge and the betterment of the species. Unlike most of Hammer's horror films during this period, FMBD was not written by either Anthony Hinds (under the name "John Elder") or Jimmy Sangster. Instead, in a rare foray outside their usual roles, producer Anthony Nelson Keys and assistant director Bert Batt created the story and Batt penned the screenplay. Both were obviously familiar with the Frankenstein mythology, which they varied inventively to give star Peter Cushing new opportunities to display his considerable talents at playing a villain. Cushing tore into the role with gusto (except for one instance discussed in the "Feature" section), and it is his whole-hearted embrace of the Baron's villainy that makes FMBD particularly memorable.
Cinematographer Arthur Grant brought his customary dark lighting to Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed, and it was well suited to Baron Frankenstein's various laboratories. The aboveground floors of Anna's boarding house and the wards at the asylum are more brightly lit, as are the town streets and yards. The film's finale, which involves extensive pyrotechnics, features sharp contrast between light and dark. Warner's MPI facility has newly scanned FMBD at 2k from a recently created IP, and the results on this 1080p, AVC-encoded Blu-ray are very good indeed. Detail is superior for a film of this style and vintage, and colors are rich and vibrant. Except for the lab in the prologue, which is quickly abandoned, the lighting avoids the exaggerated washes of bright light from an unspecified source, but Veronica Carlson's wardrobe and various items of Victorian-era decor provide ample opportunity to display bright colors, almost as a reminder of the hopeful life that is quickly receding from Anna and Karl as they sink further into Frankenstein's grasp. Of course, the red of blood is always intense. A fine grain pattern is visible throughout. Warner has mastered FMBD with an average bitrate of 31.93 Mbps, which is remarkable for a catalog title from WHV. The compression has been carefully done, and the results speak for themselves.
FMBD's original mono track has been encoded as lossless DTS-HD MA 1.0, with somewhat mixed results. Dialogue and effects are certainly clear, and the dynamic range is quite good. Hammer composer James Bernard has turned in another workmanlike horror score that is particularly effective in the film's grand finale. However, portions of the soundtrack have noticeable background hiss. This appears to be source-based, and it's likely that this cannot be removed without risking even more serious damage to other components of the recording. The rapid spread of Dolby noise reduction technology in the Seventies would soon eliminate these kinds of artifacts from original recordings, but apparently too late for FMBD.
Other than a trailer (480i; 1.78:1, enhanced; 2:39), the disc has no extras. Warner's 2004 DVD was similarly featureless.
Peter Cushing is always worth watching, but his performance in FMBD is a highlight of his Hammer career. Veronica Carlson, who was poorly utilized in Dracula Has Risen from the Grave, has a far more interesting role here as what amounts to the victim of a sophisticated home invasion, and Simon Ward, who has typically played such heroic roles as Winston Churchill (Young Winston) had the chance to play the sort of handsome but feckless young man who looks like someone with character but has no substance under the skin. It's the characters who make FMBD worth noting, and Warner's Blu-ray is a fine viewing experience. Highly recommended.
1970
1968
1959
Collector's Edition
1964
Collector's Edition
1967
1933
1958
1939
1994
1940
Dracula / Warner Archive Collection
1958
1974
Warner Archive Collection
1957
1959
1965
1941
1931
1935
1956
1955