This film was made in 1941 and since then we've seen many 'wolf men'/'werewolfs' on screen and some of them are somewhat frightening but some rather laughable as it's hard to create a credible character of this kind. This film was written and produced by a man who was born in Germany but became a 'naturalized' American citizen (like so many other directors and actors before and during the Nazi era in Germany): Curt Siodmak.
This film is also written by Siodmak.
There are some very good and interesting actors participating in the film: Lon Chaney Jr (as 'the Wolf Man', Larry Talbot), Claude Rains (as his father, John Talbot), Bela Lugosi and Ralph Bellamy.
This film - being the second screen version of this story, the first one 'Werewolf of London', not being commercially succesful - has been very influential on how later versions or adaptations of this theme was made.
It starts with Larry Talbot (Chaney Jr) returning to his ancestral home in Llanwelly in Wales where he will try to reconcile himself with his father, John Talbot (Rains). This after the death of Larry's brother, the favourite of his father. The question is perhaps: How did he die?
Larry falls in love with a young woman called Gwen Conliffe (Evely Ankers), who runs an anitque shop. Just to come close to her, he goes there and buys a silver-headed walking stick decorated with a wolf. Gwen tells him it represents a werewolf.
When the subject of werewolfs surface, villagers often recite a poem sounding like this:
This film is also written by Siodmak.
There are some very good and interesting actors participating in the film: Lon Chaney Jr (as 'the Wolf Man', Larry Talbot), Claude Rains (as his father, John Talbot), Bela Lugosi and Ralph Bellamy.
This film - being the second screen version of this story, the first one 'Werewolf of London', not being commercially succesful - has been very influential on how later versions or adaptations of this theme was made.
It starts with Larry Talbot (Chaney Jr) returning to his ancestral home in Llanwelly in Wales where he will try to reconcile himself with his father, John Talbot (Rains). This after the death of Larry's brother, the favourite of his father. The question is perhaps: How did he die?
Larry falls in love with a young woman called Gwen Conliffe (Evely Ankers), who runs an anitque shop. Just to come close to her, he goes there and buys a silver-headed walking stick decorated with a wolf. Gwen tells him it represents a werewolf.
When the subject of werewolfs surface, villagers often recite a poem sounding like this:
"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."
One night Larry rescues Gwen's friend Jenny from an attack by a wolf, or what they think is a wolf. He kills it with his walking stick but is on the same time bitten by the animal.
A gypsy (romani) fortune teller explains to Larry that this was not a wolf but a werewolf and also her son, Bela (Bela Lugosi) who once was transformed into this creature when being bitten himself.
Now Larry's purgatory begins, finally leading to his death by his own walking stick, held by his father. But is his father actually only a human father?
I think George Waggner succeed in not creating a too ridiculous figure and the story is built up in a rather meticulous way, not revealing everything at once.
The 'beast' being a combination between man and wolf, has to be portrayed not to overtly at once to retain the suspension but once we've seen him, he doesn't scare us.
One of the more interesting scenes is when Larry is being locked up in a cellar by his father. That night the werewolf commits an assault anyway but the question is: Who escaped from the cellar, Larry or...?
In later versions the werewolf is perhaps depicted in a more frightening way (not in all of them) thanks to better techniqual resources but I think this film is very charming and the characters around the werewolf is not just props, like in many other versions.
A gypsy (romani) fortune teller explains to Larry that this was not a wolf but a werewolf and also her son, Bela (Bela Lugosi) who once was transformed into this creature when being bitten himself.
Now Larry's purgatory begins, finally leading to his death by his own walking stick, held by his father. But is his father actually only a human father?
I think George Waggner succeed in not creating a too ridiculous figure and the story is built up in a rather meticulous way, not revealing everything at once.
The 'beast' being a combination between man and wolf, has to be portrayed not to overtly at once to retain the suspension but once we've seen him, he doesn't scare us.
One of the more interesting scenes is when Larry is being locked up in a cellar by his father. That night the werewolf commits an assault anyway but the question is: Who escaped from the cellar, Larry or...?
In later versions the werewolf is perhaps depicted in a more frightening way (not in all of them) thanks to better techniqual resources but I think this film is very charming and the characters around the werewolf is not just props, like in many other versions.
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