The Universal Years 1935
The film that followed Bride was The Son of Frankenstein in 1939. Produced and directed by Rowland V. Lee with a deliberate pace that carries the characters through the beautifully expressionistic production. Leading a cast that includes Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Lionel Atwill, and Josephine Hutchinson is the enigmatic Basil Rathbone as Dr. Frankenstein. Rathbone’s performance is among his best. Lionel Atwill is at his most officious and Josephine Hutchinson as Elsa von Frankenstein is sublimely at sea in the old mansion, but she is soon shocked into reality as her husband is shown to be up to his father’s old tricks. Boris Karloff is wonderful as always in his last portrayal of the Monster. Special mention goes to Bela Lugosi, who as Ygor brings to life a character as vivid and terrifying as Count Dracula as he steals the show as the true monster of the piece.
Ygor first appears in an opening shot of the village as we see the name Frankenstein on the façade of a building and then pan to a broken window where we see Ygor staring out. He will be the pivotal character as his vendetta against the men who hanged him continues with the help of the son of Frankenstein. He had been using the Monster as a weapon up until it was hit by lightning leaving Frankenstein’s creation in a state of shock. Ygor was unable to undo the damage to the Monster. Now that Baron Frankenstein’s son has arrived, there is a new hope for the homicidal recluse.
Not everyone is happy that the son of the Baron Frankenstein is returning to the village. The locals are not happy. There is a meeting of the town council with the Mayor trying to calm everyone down, but to no avail. Meanwhile on the train, the Frankenstein family is looking forward to returning to the old homestead. The townspeople meet the family at the station and make their feelings be known quite clearly as Baron Wolf von Frankenstein begins to fumble through a speech he has prepared. The villagers are not prepared to hear it. He is presented the things that the mayor had promised to deliver to him from his father as the crowd disperses leaving him standing in the rain.
Arriving at the very German Expressionist influenced mansion set, the Baron becomes more excited about arriving there. He doesn’t seem phased by the cold reception of the villagers. His wife Elsa displays her dismay even as she tells him that she is also excited to be there. His manservant explains that in hiring the staff, he had to go outside of the village, because none of the locals wanted anything to do with working at the Frankenstein home.
When he opens the box that his father left for him, he reads a letter from his father, and he seems to be swayed into thinking that his father was not a mad man but a genius. Just at that moment–we see Ygor spying through a rain sheathed window backlighted by flashing lightning.
There you have the set up. The Baron does not intend to continue his father’s work, but then he meets Ygor. This is one of the best entries in the Universal series in the period from 1939 to 1948. The talented cast, exceptional script, and the high production values combine to make this one of the best post Whale entries.