Date Posted:19:34:46 12/11/07 Tue Author: Rick Subject: Re: The Wolf Man Was Brilliant! In reply to:
Alan, Webmaster of www.horrorwriters.net
's message, "The Wolf Man Was Brilliant!" on 19:04:44 12/11/07 Tue
Hi Alan,
Now we have 2 of them??!! Lon was great and in the Inner Sanctum films as well.
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Re: The Wolf Man Was Brilliant! -- Alan, 21:35:07 12/12/07 Wed [1]
Greeting to my Online Doppleganger!
"The Wolf Man" WAS brilliant; finely produced, written, directed, performed, and scored. Curt Siodmak crafted a smart screenplay that developes into an almost Grecian tragedy, and producer/director George Waggner guides a very capable cast through what turned out to be the best Universal Horror film of the 1940's.
Some have made a great deal out of how dissimilar Claude Rains and Lon Chaney Jr. were, considering they were supposed to be father and son. I remember one friend I showed the movie to remarked on this and chimed "Momma's Baby, Papa's Maybe!" I've always tried to explain, as patiently as possible, that the younger Talbot had endured a very long self-imposed exile from his family home. And really, Rains is so fine as Sir John that it seems unbecoming to quibble. As for Chaney, he wasn't in the same league as Claude Rains as an actor, IMO, but he captured the pathos of Larry Talbot well, developing from a carefree would-be playboy to an anguished, unwilling killer. Chaney's career arc was unfortunate and undeserved, even given the stories about his drinking and erratic behavior. His biggest problem was being underestimated as an actor because of unfair comparisons to his famous, long-dead father.
As I alluded previously, "The Wolf Man" also boasts a great supporting cast: Bela Lugosi, Maria Ouspenskaya, Warren Williams, Patric Knowles, Ralph Bellamy, and even the reluctant Evelyn Ankers, an attractive and talented actress who made a remarkable impression playing in several of the best horror films of the 40's...and hating every minute of it. The art direction, set design, special effects and music also contribute to making this 1941 classic a stand-out film.
Re: The Wolf Man Was Brilliant!