Change Your Image
haygraphics
Reviews
Persée (2004)
Lovely Music, Great Art at its Best
There may be a spoiler here but I doubt it. If there is, please accept my apologies.
About five minutes into 'Infortunés, qu'un monstre affreux' mezzo soprano Marie Lenormand sings a line of music that's indescribably beautiful. A moment later Monica Whicher sings the second part of it. Their voices are perfect. The accompaniment is perfect. The next four minutes are rapturous musical bliss. No subtitles are needed. They're meaningless anyway. They don't matter. The sets don't matter. The story doesn't matter. Just the music
only the ravishingly beautiful music
this is the type of thing a person gets lost in, the type of thing only the greatest art is capable of. It's pure perfection, something that's worth any amount of searching. It's priceless. Wow!
This production didn't settle in that easily, not at first anyway. Even with some acquaintance with Lully's music the prominence of lutes over strings (violins etc.) and harpsichords made the style of his music feel unfamiliar. For one used to the more rigid forms of opera seria opera buffa the blurring of lines between recitative and full number created another hurdle. The sets, costumes and lighting all seemed to belong to one family of colors. They aren't really. But the predominant (some would say excessive) use of browns and related colors created that impressionat first glance it was like watching something filmed in sepia. Skipping through chapters in search of a highlight probably didn't help either
But patience is a virtue. On the second evening the film was started at the beginning and watched properly (at least until the sixteenth chapter but I'll get back to that later). It was worth the effort. After a short period of acclimatization everything meshed. The lack of distinction between song and recitative was serving the drama wonderfully. The use of both lutes and harpsichord for the continuo enriched its tonal coloring with each being used to highlight the other. The singing and acting was all of the highest order. The music was a delight. The set was still a little brown but that was a tiny detail. This production is fabulous. The section (chapter sixteen) mentioned at the beginning of this review stopped me in my tracks. It was watched about five times (give or take a few) before moving on.
There's not enough kind or complimentary words in the English language to do justice to this stellar but (largely) not well known cast. Marie Lenormand has one of the silkiest mezzo soprano voices I've heard in a while. Monica Whicher's voice is radiant and her technique is excellent. Cyril Auvity sings in a soft but powerful tenor with no hint of shrillness that powerful tenors often fall into. Oliver Laquerre and Alain Coulombe have commanding bass voices that never sounds harsh. Mezzo soprano Stephanie Novacek sings in creamy tones marginally lower than those of pure sopranos. Colin Ainsworth is one of the few countertenors (I've heard) who uses his tonal qualities without sounding as if he's singing in a falsetto voice. Vilma Vitols has a flexible mezzo voice capable of immense power and enormous subtlety. Lully's vocal writing stressed subtlety over power and all of these singers shade the nuances in his music beautifully often seeming to glide through the work as opposed to just singing it. The combination is exquisite.
Opera Atelier and Tafelmusik are both familiar names in Canada. And that's as it should be. Tafelmusik has been one of the leading period instrument ensembles for ages and their recordings (usually under the baton of Jeanne Lamon) are invariably excellent. Here they're working under the baton of Hervé Niquet and the result is great. He clearly has an affinity toward this repertoire. Opera Atelier is committed to both performance excellence and introducing young people to the medium of opera. Over the years their productions have been consistently phenomenal. Their revival of this piece (which they did for the first time in 2000) was hailed as the operatic event of the year. It was the first time Persée had been performed since the 18th century.
This is a great production. The staging is largely traditional with the exception being the costumes which (appear to) draw their influences from the sixteenth through eighteenth centuries with a touch of modern ballet thrown in. The sets are ornate and reminiscent of the era the music stems from. The sets are spacious and leave plenty of room for the considerable amount of dance used to portray the action sequences. Director Marshall Pynkoski (one of the founders of Opera Atelier) did a great job of pacing the action and keeping the story moving. The orchestral playing is great. The quality of the sound is pristine. And the singing is marvelous. Browns and reds occasionally seem a bit overused but that's a minor complaint about a magnificent production.
It gets the highest rating.
Alcina (2000)
Baroque Opera with a Twist of Erotica
There is a spoiler here but it shouldn't ruin anything for anyone. It may send a few hands to the remote though.
For anyone who's interested (which should be all males in their right mind) Alcina's aria of exposure, 'ma clothé bosom pop outå', begins at the one hour, twenty-five minute and thirty-seven second mark (or to make things easy, chapter thirty nine). After that there's a five minute wait before the first bosom pops. Interested parties might want to skip ahead. I waited of course (because nobody told me when it would happen).
The aria is actually called 'Ah, mio cor! Schernito sei!' (Ah! My heart! You are scorned!) and it's a great one. Anyone watching it just to see Catherine Naglestad partially nude should end up mesmerized enough by the music and her performance of it to (almost) forget that her breasts end up exposed. The piece is a dramatic tour de force for her and for Catriona Smith who, though she doesn't sing, serves as a counterpoint for the action. Naglestad captures the character's fury and her emotional vulnerability beautifully. Her physical exposure serves that. Ultimately it helps in showing the imperious, spoiled and wanton Alcina as a multi- faceted human being more deserving of sympathy than scorn.
The cast is brilliant. Michael Ebbecke has the role that's both the least and most pivotal to the opera. His voice is the harshest of the cast members but he uses it to convey an air of authority. Claudia Mahnke brings the uncertainty and passion of youth to the role of Oberto. Her voice is rich and, very powerful. Rolfe Romei has a strong tenor voice that's never harsh. He brings complexity, insecurity and sexual ambiguity to a role that (under many directors) could have been a throwaway. Catriona Smith and Helene Schneiderman are standouts. Catriona Smith is wonderfully vulnerable as Alcina's sister, Morgana. Her pain from the abuse by her lover and her sister is tangible. The love she has for both of them is never less than real as well. She sings in bell like tones that suggest despair or passion with equal aplomb. Helene Schneiderman has that wonderful middle range unique to mezzo sopranos that's as much a caress as delivery of song. And she's an extremely expressive singer. Her use of body language is exceptional as well. It's largely due to her work that this production is so emotionally and erotically charged.
But the production belongs to Alice Coote, Catherine Naglestad, (conductor) Alan Hacker and the Staatorchester Stuttgart. Alice Coote has a rich mezzo soprano voice that's positively silken. Her turn as Ruggerio, the bewitched lover who finally scorns the temptress Alcina, is entirely convincing. And she sings it so well
hers is a voice that every listener will want to hear more of. Catherine Naglestad is mesmerizing as the bewitching Alcina. She is at turns powerful and heartrendingly vulnerable. Her sensuality borders on feral. And her singing is something to marvel at. Nothing defies her range. The ways she has of shading tones are rich and varied and her notes soar over the stage. Alan Hacker does a beautiful job with both the orchestra and the singers. His interpretation is elegant and refined but never lacking in drive. The score, as he presents it, supports the singers and the eroticism implied in the production. The highest compliment I can give to it is that it becomes more of a joy to listen to as it becomes more familiar.
The only problem with the staging lies with the backdrop. The set is laid out well but the wallpaper on it is too busy. It's not a problem when the camera is close to the action. But when the stage is shown in full view it's distracting. There are a couple of technical shortcomings as well. There are no scene selections in the main menu. A few of the subtitles have errors. The divisions between acts aren't marked during the performance. There's only one audio track (PCM Stereo) and there's a moment where most of it seems weighted toward only one channel. It doesn't last long but it is noticeable. And it's distracting. There are a pair of bad edits near the end too. The first appears to have been done to shorten what would have been a pause in the action. The second might have been to bring the lights down on camera before they actually went off on the stage. Whatever the case they make the finale of what was a very good production quite awkward.
But none of these points are worth missing this production over. The staging by Jossi Wieler and Sergio Morabito is (despite the two-for-one wallpaper) imaginative, effective and engaging. The most important characters are fully realized. The singing and acting is great. The PCM audio track is (with the exception of that single weak moment) vibrant and bright. Alice Coote, Catherine Naglestad and the orchestra under Alan Hacker, are magnificent. And of course, the music is glorious!
Baroque opera with a twist of erotica: it can't be beat.
Dresdner Musikfestspiele 2000 - George Frideric Handel: Xerxes (Serse) - Dramma per musica (2000)
Good Reason for Looking at Handel's Italian Operas
I had to "correct" the spelling of the Italian song titles to post this. Oh well
The plot (?) of this piece basically has everybody loving somebody doesn't love them except for one couple who love each other in secret. They fend off advances from another man who loves the secretly loved sister while the jealous and manipulative (but not really bad) sister does her best to split them up; she wants the man her sister is with. There's more but it's even more confusing.
Don't worry about it.
It's impossible to pick the best singer from this ensemble. Isabel Bayrakdarian has a great voice, excellent technique and her performances are always tasteful. She gets to sing "Né men comb l'end re", one of the loveliest arias in the entire opera. Anyone who's not moved by her rendition of this piece is probably already dead. Paula Rasmussen's voice has the lightest tonal shadings of the three mezzo-sopranos in the cast. Her voice is smooth, well controlled and mostly free of vibrato. Anne Hallenberg has a deeper pitch and sings with bell-like tones that resonate through the air. There's a considerable amount of vibrato in her voice but she controls it well. Patricia Bardon has a voice that's powerful and exceptionally deep. And she uses those shadings to convey emotion well. She is one of the standouts of the cast.
The two men in the cast are both bass baritones. Marcello Lippi's voice is deep and commanding but multi-faceted as well. He uses it to convey the thoughtful nature of a philosopher the warmth of a parent and the authority of a commander with equal aplomb. Matteo Peirone has a higher voice and silkier tones but plenty of range and volume. He provides most of the comic relief and he does it well.
Picking the best singer may be impossible but Sandrine Piau is clearly the best actress. It's not because any of the other cast members are weak. They're not. She's just that good. She's physically expressive enough to define her character clearly without dialog or music. Her timing is fabulous and she plays the role with the glee kittens have when they find a new ball of wool. And her singing is as good as her acting. Her technique is breathtaking. She never sounds strained or shrill even in the most difficult passages. The music Handel wrote for the part of "Atalanta" is extremely demanding but Piau navigates the toughest passages with ease. She's a joy to watch and listen to.
There are plenty of highlights. Anne Hallenberg's rendition of "Non so,SE Si la sperm" is fabulous. The duet between her and (Paula) Rasmussen, "Io Le diró Che l'Ami"/ "Tu Le Dari Che l'Ami" is delivered brilliantly. Rasmussen's performance of "Ombra Mai f" is easily on par with the recent version released by Renée Fleming. Patricia Bardon rends the heart strings with her interpretation of "Cagion son Io MI do lore" and Sandrine Piau shows how to handle vocal acrobatics the right way when she sings "Dirá, Che amour per me". The Sinfonia that opens the third act is three and a half minutes of pure enchantment. The list goes on
Christophe Rousset has emerged as a brilliant conductor. It shouldn't be a surprise though. His experience with this repertoire and his credentials as a harpsichordist make him a natural to take this step. His tempo is flexible but nothing ever seems rushed or slow. The balance he maintains between the singers and the orchestra is excellent and he knows when to pull back or add some force. Best of all, he's only going to get better.
The staging is set somewhere between the era of British Imperialism and what looks like a Puccini take on modern day Persia. The sets are extravagant, often bordering on garish but they never overpower the action. Most are glass (probably Plexiglass for safety reasons) or tile in a framework that's meant to look as if it's made of Stainless Steel. The tree set in the midst of most of them sits in a display case of similar design and material. They're colorful and loud but they provide an air of splendor that would be expected in the court of a Monarch. The sound is also good. It's not quite on par with the audio found on many concert DVD releases but it's clear and vibrant. And it's not burdened with the endless line of delay (artificial ambiance that sounds as legitimate as a three dollar bill feels) that's finding its way to host of releases these days either. The menus are easy to navigate, the only quirk being that the subtitles have to be activated manually.
There are a few things that make suspension of belief difficult. Sandrine Piau and Isabel Bayrakdarian are never going to convince anybody they're from the same bloodline let alone the same parents. Patricia Bardon doesn't even begin to look like a man. This may be intentional (given the fact that Paula Rasmussen and Anne Hallenberg are entirely convincing) but she still should have to come across as "masculine enough" to fool the other cast members. She doesn't. She has too many voluptuously sexy curves that stand out like, well, voluptuously sexy curves. Last (but far from least), the "instant resolution" (so typical of Grand Opera once the Librettist and Composer run out of time and music) for the two and a half hours of muddled lust set to song strains credibility as much as the idea of Bayrakdarian and Piau being sisters.
But it opens the door for Isabel Bayrakdarian to sing a great piece of music to close the show with so all is forgiven. And it really is forgiven. The absurdities aside, this is a wonderful production. Yes, the story is silly. But the performances are engaging and the music is beautiful. It's great entertainment.
That's what really counts.
Whom the Gods Love (1936)
Great Music but the Film Escaped from the Dog Pound
I have to give this a five because of the music. The material used for the soundtrack for the soundtrack was conducted by Sir Thomas Beecham, a man who was one of the GREAT conductors of the twentieth century. Almost everything I've heard done under his baton literally sparkled with life and passion. He didn't just make orchestras work, he made them dance. His handling of Mozart's work, particularly the excerpt from the second act from Figaro transcends being just beautiful music and becomes the embodiment of pure heartrending joy.
At times it's almost enough to make this turkey of a film bearable. Almost
Nothing could be good enough to give this gobbler credibility. The film follows the chronology of Wolfie's life (more or less) but beyond the music has little else going for it. The acting is awful and the dialog is worse. The characters (?) are barely one-dimensional and any of the factual information used as source material is rewritten into dribble. Wolfie, Constanze and all the other real people this clunker was meant to depict probably roll around in their graves anytime someone airs it.
The bottom line: ten of ten for the music but a minus five for this bow-wow on celluloid.
Elvira's Haunted Hills (2001)
Much More than it Seems at First
On the surface this is a spoof of the films made by Roger Corman and other directors who worked in the genre during the same period. There are direct references to "The Pit and the Pendulum" and "The House of Usher" as well as less direct references to films such as "The Raven" and "The Comedy of Terrors". The overall "look" of the film resembles those films and the work that came out of Hammer Studios during the same period but does so without looking like an imitation of them. With its rich textures and lush colors its appearance is never less than striking.
The performances from most of the supporting cast are all way over the top. Scott Atkinson is hilarious in the role of the doctor, Bradley Bradley. Everything he comes out with seems as if it's sucked from his chest and thrown at the camera. The way his accent changes as his role in the proceedings becomes more defined is a brilliant touch. Mary Scheer performs her role as the adulteress as if she were a classic comic book villain, the type whose passion burns most brightly when she's manipulating everyone around her to the max. Elvira's character makes an excellent foil for her. Heather Hopper's portrayal as the sickly Roxanna (part whooping cough, part "Night of the Living Dead" stiff and full time punching bag for the rest of the cast) is a howl. The notion of dubbing in the dialog spoken by Gabriel Andronache (who reportedly speaks next to no English) was a brilliant one. The first scene between him and Peterson is one for the books. Richard O' Brien has a role that that demands all the pork from Ham Central, and it's one that he appears to have relished playing. The scenes he shares with Peterson appear to have been a joy for both of them.
The excesses of most of the performances are balanced by the understated work from Peterson and Mary Jo Smith. Smith is absolutely adorable as Zou Zou, Elvira's much-abused maid. She plays the role with a combination of dry wit, self-depreciation and vulnerability that can't help but strike a chord. Peterson plays the "Elvira" character with her usual flair. That mix of impish playfulness and canny intellect combined with sweet innocence, brazen sexuality and doltish buffoonery that made the character a cult classic is wholly intact. Her comic timing remains razor sharp.
There's far more to the film though. It goes past the obvious to address (and skewer) a variety of topics. Richard O' Brien's soliloquies put the most overblown passages of Shakespearean Theatre to shame. The dubbing in foreign action films takes a hit or three. The way the use of accents is often bungled by actors and filmmakers is harpooned in a way that's wonderfully original. The "special effects" used for the cataclysmic moment of the film look as if they were intended to be worse than things Ed Wood would've come up with (though it doesn't quite hit that mark). Aging women who cram killer bodies under thick layers of paint (makeup) and thin layers of tight clothing spend parts of the film taking one hit after another.
There's no doubt the reigning Queen of Vamp Camp is showing her age. But she's using it to great advantage. The character seems older. Her sexuality is more overt. She has less patience for playing at being coy. She works too hard to be the center of attention. She doesn't miss any chances to show her "assets". The camera captures the physical side of things. One of the most revealing of them highlights the ways gravity works on an aging figure regardless of how well it's been taken care of, and it happens early in the film as if to make sure all the viewers take note her of age. Peterson is far too intelligent not to have noticed it but she left it in.
If anyone is the right person to be spoofing the foibles of aging vamps it's Cassandra Peterson. She's old enough to be one of those characters in day-to-day life and she would look great in any of the outfits they pour themselves into. More importantly, she understands any subject matter she touches thoroughly, addresses it without meanness or cynicism and applies a measure of balance to it in the process. She jabs Zou Zou for her looks but makes sure that character is the first to light a fire under somebody's libido. The man with the dubbed-in-lines may look silly because his mouth doesn't match his words but he gets the girl. The aging vamp may fall in holes because she's wearing heels instead of runners the way those vamp wannabees would but the male characters still can't keep their hands off her. It all works because of Peterson's charm and because of the balanced overview she brings to the subject matter.
This is a picture that may find its wider audience in years to come. It's played as camp in a way that may alienate a lot of viewers and there's no doubt a lot of the jokes are lame. But that's all done intentionally. Essentially, it's a good movie that's made to look as if it was bad. Don't be fooled. There's a lot there to stimulate thought and enough light fun to make it easy to keep going back for another look. Today's dog (though it's anything but one) may be one of tomorrow' classics.
Thanks Cassandra. This was worth waiting for.
The Who : The Kids Are Alright (1979)
It's NOT Rock but it's the Greatest Rock Ever!
Whatever the hell it is the Who play, it isn't rock. It's not. The musical tapestry spanned in Townshend's song writing is far too broad and varied to pigeonhole it with a genre label. His father played the music of his time. Townshend himself fell in love with the R&B singles that made their way to Britain from America. His mentor, Kit Lambert loved pop but also carried the influence of his father, Constant Lambert, a composer who worked in film and theatre. Lambert also loved the Baroque and Classical styles, all of which he passed on to Townshend. Townshend has his own ideas. All of it shows. This is not music of any one genre-it's a genre unto itself. But, when the Who plays it, it becomes rock.
When they play it on stage it becomes the greatest and most powerful rock music imaginable.
It was no surprise (not to Who fans anyway) that their DVD release from the fall 2000 show at the Royal Albert Hall was one of the most celebrated concert videos from that year. The band was firing on all cylinders on the 2000 tour and played at a level closer to what they achieved during their glory years than they'd ever managed since Keith Moon died. That alone was enough to put then back at the forefront.
The "Kids are Alright" shows what it was like in the first place.
It was the oddest of musical relationships. With the exception of the friendship between Moon and Entwistle none of them really liked each other, at least not in the early days anyway. Townshend's temper was enough to keep anyone away and everyone hated Roger. It reached a head in 1965 when they tossed Roger out for beating up Moon only to realize (to a man) that they were throwing away something that might go beyond anything any of them could imagine. It was their Waterloo and it happened before any of them passed twenty-one.
It produced greatness.
The Who had what it took to go places, always; everyone in the fold knew that. When they made that commitment they took it beyond what anyone could have dreamt. Throughout their (active recording) career they never followed a formula, never stopped pushing musical boundaries, and, in concert, always tried to do better than "last night". They became the most astonishing rock band ever to step on the stage.
This film concentrates on showing that.
It doesn't preach. There's no narration going through historic details. There's not even a chronological order to the piece. All it does is try to show the Who, and the ingredients that formed their magic to the world. The live footage is electrifying. The interviews are illuminating and hilarious. How could anyone (or anything) contain Keith Moon? How could an interviewer ever hope to step into the middle of the way the core group constantly challenged each other? They couldn't. This was four strong personalities merged into something larger than life. Their relationship wasn't harmonious but an outsider stepping into it found found themselves confronted with, the whole. When they stepped onstage that "whole" was what audiences got. Jeff Stein has been criticized for just "putting what was around" together. That's crap. Jeff Stein is a brilliant film maker who had the sense to let his subjects speak for themselves. That shows all the way through the film. You get the music, a sense of who the band are and a great sample of why their performances are the stuff of legend.
How much more is needed? See it as soon as possible!.
La clemenza di Tito (1993)
An Unjustly Neglected Jewel
I don't think there are any SPOILERS here. If I'm wrong please accept my apologies.
This is a beautiful opera, one that lovely melodies and a concise story line make easy to appreciate. To be fair, there are signs that Mozart was rushed. Some of the secondary arias are shorter than what's found in the great comedies. Many numbers lack the musical variety found in even lesser pieces from Figaro, Don Giovanni and such. This isn't to say those works are without baggage-they aren't. Masetto's aria (for instance) is a second rate song at best. Mostly though, more attention seems to have given to the supporting roles in the larger works. The original secco recitatives for this opera are a sore point as well. Mozart assigned the work to a pupil, probably Franz Anton Süssmayr. They're a string of duds, and that's being nice. John Eliot Gardiner recorded Tito around the same time this production was filmed and trimmed most of them. The people in charge here found somebody who cared about what he was doing and paid to have a new set written.
The result was well worth the effort. Stephen Oliver's recitatives provide this opera with something that compliments it and carries the action well. Having something like this done was long overdue. Tito contains some of the most beautiful music Mozart wrote. Yes, many numbers are shorter than usual. That's fine as they fill the psychological needs of their characters while also preventing their musical phrases from being overplayed. There isn't a weak link in the cast. Yes, Titus is a one dimensional paragon of goodness. Yet when you watch Philip Langridge perform "his music" it's easy to believe a man can be like that. Diana Montague and Martine Mahé are superb as Sextus and Annio. There's one complaint and it's a minor one. These ladies look too feminine to forget that they're a pair of (very) attractive women. Peter Rose does well in the role of Publius. Elzbieta Szymytka is ravishing as Servilla. Her voice has that lovely crystalline quality so well suited to Mozart's work. Ashley Putnam is great! The role of Vitellia contains an emotional kaleidoscope and she delivers one. She is jealous and passionate, loving and ruthless, proud and then humbled all at once. Her music, particularly "Non Piu di Fiori, is fiendishly difficult. Some passages almost call for a soprano with mezzo-soprano's lower range. There are two instances where the music finds her limit but in both instances she recovers quickly. The sets are odd as are some of the camera angles. They suit the action though, and better yet, don't interfere with it. The subtitles are clear (though sometimes off centre) and contain a few typos ("epress"?) but give far more detail than what's found in most productions. New viewers will appreciate that.
This is an excellent production, one that's great for lovers of opera and for those new to opera.
Ah, Perdona Al Primo Affetto
This duet deserves mention on its own merits. It is one of the most perfect and beautiful gems imaginable. The first recording I heard was sung by Frederica von Stade and Lucia Popp under the baton of Sir Colin Davis. The emotional reaction it set off then was uncontrollable. To this day it usually has that effect. This is one of those pieces where beauty doesn't fade or wither with familiarity. Each time you listen there's a new detail to appreciate. The vocal lines are sublimely gentle, each note a caressing touch. The scoring is a miracle of transparent clarity. When performed as it is here, this is a model for what music can be. It touches the heart, caresses the emotions and makes you think about the beauty man can be capable of. To have it performed the way Martine Mahé (Annio), Elzbieta Szymytka and Andrew Davis have done it is, by itself, good reason to look at this production.
The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
Still The Class Act
Possible spoiler alert ...
Having the characters introduced by the author, Mary Shelley was an interesting idea, but, in this case it didn't work. Elsa Lanchester (also the "Bride") comes off well (if a little pretentious) as Mary Shelley but the other two don't. Douglas Walton as the poet, Shelley, is almost a non presence. As Lord Byron, Gavin Gordon, speaking lines one would have to stay awake writing and memorizing for the next day comes across as the most pompous, pretentious and annoying ass in history. The setting for this recap looks to predate the events of the original film by about a hundred years, and, even with footage from the original film it doesn't pick up the thread exactly the way it had left off.
The word for this part of the film is lame.
That said, don't let this five minute bit of stupidity detract from the enjoyment offered by an otherwise excellent film. Bride of Frankenstein has long been regarded as possibly the best of it's kind and that praise is well deserved. Boris Karloff gave the role of the savage but tragic creation depth of character and humanity that no other actor playing the part in the remainder of Universal's outings ever achieved. Karloff was the rare sort of actor with the gift for being able to "speak volumes" with a small gesture or a shift of expression. His monster is unpredictably menacing and indescribably lonely all at the same time. Ultimately, his portrayal of the creature is still the most charismatic of any of the attempts to bring the Frankenstein legend to the screen. Ernest Thesiger played the eccentric and charming but utterly ruthless Pretorius with a full measure of glee and it shows. Through their scenes together his presence matches Karloff's step for step. Any of the scenes he plays opposite the other players he just out and out steals. One of the films greatest touches is offered through O.P. Heggie as the blind hermit who reveals the monster's humanity. The first scene between him and the monster remains one of the more moving ever filmed.
My reactions to the work from the rest of the cast are little more mixed. Colin Clive returned as the driven but creator and still turned in a decent performance, but this time with slightly less zest. Clive was only two years from death when the film was shot, already suffering from acute alcoholism and probably afflicted with tuberculosis as well. (That was listed as part of the cause of his death). Whatever the reason, his energy level is less consistent than in the first film and it shows. Una O' Connor as the Frankenstein's maid gives the film it's balance with hilarious moments of comic relief; you can't watch her and not laugh, which is what (Director James) Whale intended. Valerie Hobson fares slightly less well. She's a radiantly beautiful Elizabeth but, like Mae Clark in the original film, struggles with some of her dialogue (though in her defense any rational reasoning human being would have struggled with those lines). Her character is one dimensional and ends up being little more than a babbling foil for the film's much stronger male characters. As well, her personality and presence is distinctly English where Clark was so obviously American. These factors, as much as the alterations in the prelude, hurt both the film and the continuity between the two films.
When taken against the film as whole however, those complaints are minor ones. This film succeeds because of the depth of it's story line and the multi-faceted nature of it's principal characters. There is Frankenstein, a man torn between revulsion for their deeds and his drive to seek truth, Pretorius, the brilliant loner with his self-effacing humour and fascination with death which borders on necromancy and the blind hermit, the one man who accepts the monster simply because he feels but can't see and as a result becomes the only one able to really "see" the creature. Then, there's the creature, savage and misunderstood, angry but tender, a being as human as any but rejected by even the one created to be with him. Under Laemmle and Whale writer William Hurlbut allowed the monster to evolve, to grow as a character. In this film his movements are less stiff, his thinking more sophisticated and he gains the power to speak and articulate his thoughts, feelings and desires. It was a masterstroke, and sadly, the last time that would be allowed in the series. Visually, like the first one, this film is a treat. The lighting, brilliantly conceived is moody, atmospheric, subtle where needed and and enhances characters, scenes and action. As always, with Whale's films cinematography is superb. Whale had a touch for composing the way scenes were staged and how they would flow. One example is the how Valerie Hobson's dress trails behind her as she walks during the scene where her character is first introduced. Whale has it set so as to flow into the character behind her, something which visually enhances the feel of motion within the scene. It was a device he used in the first film and one he uses again here. Another remarkable moment is the moment where the creature rampages through the graveyard just prior to his first encounter with Pretorius. This is a masterpiece of lighting and composition and one which was imitated countless times in the decades that followed; it has only seldom been equalled. The score, by Franz Waxman, underscores, enhances, and at times, drives, the content of the film beautifully. His work was connected with many noteworthy films through his life. A few familiar ones are Mr. Roberts, Rear Window, Objective Burma and The Philadelphia Story. With this film producer Carl Laemmle, director James Whale and the rest of the ensemble set the standard which, almost seventy years later, is not just the text book on how it's done, but also, how to do it with style and flair.
four of five stars