Full Transcript for Universal Presents: MonsterMania

clear idea how he got there. 00:02:52.400 --> 00:02:52.560 Dr. 00:02:52.800 --> 00:03:00.000 Mattering is trying to figure out what happened to him while Inspector Owens has the more basic problem of figuring out who he is. 00:03:00.240 --> 00:03:08.159 Larry says he's Lawrence Talbot, but a telephone call to Leannewillie produces one fairly significant complication. 00:03:08.319 --> 00:03:10.639 Lawrence Talbot died several years ago. 00:03:10.800 --> 00:03:19.840 The police naturally assume they have an imposter on their hands, while Larry's returning memory tells him that something considerably worse is what's actually happened. 00:03:20.080 --> 00:03:21.599 And the full moon confirms it. 00:03:21.759 --> 00:03:23.599 Larry transforms again. 00:03:23.840 --> 00:03:26.080 He escapes the hospital and kills. 00:03:26.240 --> 00:03:30.479 And then wakes up the next morning to discover that the nightmare he thought ended with his death. 00:03:30.800 --> 00:03:32.800 Well, it's just started over. 00:03:33.039 --> 00:03:35.759 Everyone around him is still trying to make sense of the situation. 00:03:36.000 --> 00:03:44.240 Medicine or police work because Deadman came back and is still a werewolf, understandably, sits fairly low on the diagnostic checklist. 00:03:44.479 --> 00:03:47.759 Larry, unfortunately, knows exactly what's happening. 00:03:48.000 --> 00:03:50.319 His father killed him at the end of the Wolfman. 00:03:50.639 --> 00:03:56.560 He was buried, years have passed, and somehow even that was not strong enough to release him. 00:03:56.800 --> 00:04:01.919 That changes the nature of Larry's problem because he's no longer simply afraid of becoming the wolfman. 00:04:02.240 --> 00:04:05.919 He's afraid that he's going to keep becoming the wolfman forever. 00:04:06.159 --> 00:04:09.840 In the first movie, death seemed like the inevitable ending to the curse. 00:04:10.000 --> 00:04:14.400 But now Larry's discovered that death itself may only be an interruption. 00:04:14.639 --> 00:04:21.360 And that's particularly cruel development for a character whose greatest fear isn't really what the wolfman will do to him. 00:04:21.519 --> 00:04:25.199 It's what the wolfman will do to everyone unfortunate enough to be nearby. 00:04:25.439 --> 00:04:33.199 Well, once Mannering and the police begin investigating his story, they discover the Talbot Crypt has been broken open and Larry's body is missing. 00:04:33.439 --> 00:04:38.800 Which should prove the supernatural explanation a few positions higher on everyone's list of possibilities. 00:04:38.959 --> 00:04:41.439 Larry doesn't wait around for medicine to catch up. 00:04:41.759 --> 00:04:50.399 He escapes and begins searching for the one person he knows will believe him, Madame Maleva, whose son Bella passed the curse onto him in the first place. 00:04:50.639 --> 00:04:57.600 Maria Ospensaka gives the movie an important connection to the wolfman, because Maleva doesn't need convincing. 00:04:57.759 -->

00:05:06.319 Larry tells her the curse is returned, and that all he wants is the same release her son eventually received, and she understands immediately what that means. 00:05:06.560 --> 00:05:18.399 She can't give him death herself, but but she believes there may be someone whose knowledge of life and death could help, which sends Larry toward possibly the most ironic medical consultation in Universal Horror. 00:05:18.639 --> 00:05:23.199 Lawrence Talbot, a man desperately trying to die, goes looking for Dr. 00:05:23.439 --> 00:05:24.399 Frankenstein. 00:05:24.560 --> 00:05:28.560 By the time Larry and Maleva reach Viseria, Frankenstein is dead. 00:05:28.800 --> 00:05:34.639 The castle is in ruins, leaving Larry without the one person he hoped might know how to end his curse. 00:05:34.800 --> 00:05:38.319 Before he can figure out what to do next, the full moon arrives. 00:05:38.560 --> 00:05:43.199 Another death brings the villagers out with torches, and Larry flees into what remains of the castle. 00:05:43.360 --> 00:05:47.839 During the chase, though, he falls through the ruins and ends up in the frozen chambers underneath. 00:05:48.000 --> 00:05:56.079 When Larry wakes up the next morning, he starts searching through the ice and discovers that the Frankenstein family, wouldn't you know it, left something behind. 00:05:56.319 --> 00:05:57.199 The monster. 00:05:57.360 --> 00:06:01.839 He's frozen there, looking dead, but remarkably well preserved. 00:06:02.000 --> 00:06:08.319 And considering this family's record with apparent dead bodies, Larry probably should know better than to start thawing anything. 00:06:08.560 --> 00:06:09.839 But he does anyway. 00:06:10.000 --> 00:06:12.800 Because he isn't looking at the monster and seeing a threat. 00:06:13.040 --> 00:06:19.120 He sees him as the last surviving connection to Frankenstein, and possibly the only way to find the records he needs. 00:06:19.439 --> 00:06:27.519 So the man who has crossed Europe desperately searching for a way to die ends up bringing someone else back to life in hope that he can show him how to do it. 00:06:27.680 --> 00:06:29.439 Well then we come to Bella Lagosi. 00:06:29.600 --> 00:06:36.480 And Bella Lagosi's presence as the monster comes with one of the stranger pieces of production history in the Universal series. 00:06:36.800 --> 00:06:49.040 Universal originally considered having Lon Cheney play both the Wolfman and the monster before deciding that all that makeup requirements made that, well, let's be honest, very impractical. 00:06:49.199 --> 00:06:51.040 So Legosi stepped into the role. 00:06:51.199 --> 00:07:05.839 Now, on paper, that actually made a certain amount of continuity sense, because Ghost of Frankenstein ended with Igor's brain inside the monster's body, meaning Legosi was effectively inheriting a creature that now contained the mind of a character he already played. 00:07:06.000 --> 00:07:07.759 And that is just super cool to me. 00:07:08.000 -->

00:07:09.600 I I will never not love that. 00:07:09.920 --> 00:07:16.000 So the version audiences eventually see, however, removed one important part of that continuity though. 00:07:16.160 --> 00:07:23.519 The monster originally was supposed to speak, and was also still blind as a result of what happened at the end of Ghost of Frankenstein. 00:07:23.680 --> 00:07:30.079 So scenes explaining both were actually removed, along with material in which Mannering later restores his sight. 00:07:30.240 --> 00:07:38.480 This creates a serious problem for Lugosi's performance because his stiff movements and extended arms were intended to suggest a creature that couldn't see properly. 00:07:38.639 --> 00:07:44.079 Take away the blindness, and suddenly he just looks like he's wandering around the movie with his arms stretched out for no apparent reason. 00:07:44.240 --> 00:07:46.560 And it's difficult to judge a performance fairly. 00:07:46.720 --> 00:07:52.079 When the editing room removes the explanation for what the actor was performing, what are you gonna do? 00:07:52.319 --> 00:07:58.399 So Larry eventually learns that Frankenstein's daughter Elsa may have access to her father's records. 00:07:58.639 --> 00:08:03.360 So he approaches her while pretending to be interested in purchasing the old estate. 00:08:03.600 --> 00:08:16.560 Elsa doesn't initially know where the records are, but Larry's search brings him into the village during the Festival of the New Wine, which gives the movie one of its strangest and I'll say for Larry, most unintentionally cruel moments. 00:08:16.800 --> 00:08:25.199 You see, everyone's drinking, singing, and celebrating life, while in contrast, Larry is sitting among them trying to figure out how to end his. 00:08:25.600 --> 00:08:29.120 And then the song wishes him eternal life. 00:08:29.360 --> 00:08:32.000 Now for everyone else, it's a cheery toast. 00:08:32.159 --> 00:08:34.720 But for Larry, it's practically a threat. 00:08:34.879 --> 00:08:37.759 And in response, he explodes. 00:08:38.240 --> 00:08:43.679 Because these people are casually celebrating the exact thing he has crossed Europe trying to escape. 00:08:43.919 --> 00:08:50.000 And Long Cheney plays that moment with enough desperation that the sudden anger makes a whole lot of sense. 00:08:50.240 --> 00:08:52.159 Because Larry doesn't want immortality. 00:08:52.240 --> 00:08:53.200 He already has it. 00:08:53.360 --> 00:08:59.759 And he doesn't consider survival a gift, and in fact has no interest in being told how fortunate he is to keep existing. 00:09:00.000 --> 00:09:05.919 Every additional day carries the possibility that the moon will rise and someone else will die because of him. 00:09:06.159 --> 00:09:07.519 Well, back to Mannering. 00:09:07.840 --> 00:09:15.039 He arrives in Viseria after following Larry's trail across Europe and initially still treats him as a patient who needs to be brought home. 00:09:15.200 --> 00:09:25.200 That position becomes harder to maintain once Frankenstein's monster wanders into the village, and provides several hundred pounds of evidence that Larry's story may deserve another look. 00:09:25.440 --> 00:09:39.679 So Elsa, Mannering, Maleva, and Larry eventually return to the ruins, where the Frankenstein's records are discovered, and Mannering realizes the old equipment may offer a way to drain the unnatural energy keeping both Larry and the monster alive. 00:09:39.840 --> 00:09:42.960 Now for Larry, this is finally what he's been searching for. 00:09:43.120 --> 00:09:52.480 The Frankenstein family spent years learning how to force life into bodies that should be dead, and now that same knowledge might be able to be used in reverse. 00:09:52.639 --> 00:09:58.240 There's something wonderfully appropriate about the possibility because Larry doesn't need Frankenstein to create another miracle. 00:09:58.399 --> 00:10:00.080 He actually needs him to undo one. 00:10:00.240 --> 00:10:09.279 So, Mannering agrees to help, but apparently prolonged exposure to Freienstein's laboratory equipment has side effects that medical science really should investigate. 00:10:09.440 --> 00:10:18.960 He came to Viseria as the rational doctor who thought Larry needed medical treatment, followed him across Europe and eventually discovered that his patient has been telling the truth the entire time. 00:10:19.200 --> 00:10:31.279 Now, you might expect that to make him more willing to listen to Larry, but but oddly enough, Mannering gets Frankenstein's equipment working and starts wondering what else it can do. 00:10:31.519 --> 00:10:35.600 The plan is supposed to end Larry's curse and destroy the monster. 00:10:35.919 --> 00:10:42.159 But once Mannering has the creature in front of him, let's just say scientific curiosity takes over. 00:10:42.320 --> 00:10:46.799 Larry has spent the entire movie begging people to believe him when he says what he needs. 00:10:47.039 --> 00:10:56.720 And when he finally finds a doctor capable of giving it to him, it's just hilarious to me that that doctor then decides the experiment is far more interesting. 00:10:56.879 --> 00:11:00.159 And that then puts Mannering in some very familiar company. 00:11:00.320 --> 00:11:03.440 Henry Frankenstein wanted to know whether he could create life. 00:11:03.679 --> 00:11:11.600 Pretorius wanted to know how much further creation could be pushed, and Ludwig Frankenstein convinced himself he could repair what his father had started. 00:11:11.840 --> 00:11:22.720 Mannering, who is not related to any of these people, walks into the ruins intending to destroy the monster, and thus ends up unable to resist seeing what the creature can become at full strength. 00:11:22.879 --> 00:11:30.799 So at this point, the Frankenstein curse may have less to do with the family name, and more so what happens whenever a scientist sees those switches. 00:11:30.960 --> 00:11:40.399 So while Mannering's rebuilding the equipment, the villagers

become understandably concerned that crates of scientific machinery are once again being carried toward Frankenstein's castle. 00:11:40.559 --> 00:11:48.159 And at this point, Visaria has enough experience with the family business that no one should need a committee meeting to determine whether this is encouraging. 00:11:48.320 --> 00:12:00.799 In fact, one villager, Vasick, decides the most reliable solution is actually to blow up the dam that's just above the castle and let several million gallons of water handle whatever science is happening below. 00:12:00.960 --> 00:12:08.559 Well back in the laboratory, Mannering proceeds with the experiment, but gives in to his fascination and strengthens the monster rather than destroying him. 00:12:08.879 --> 00:12:18.320 Fortunately, he chooses the same night, the full moon rises, so Larry transforms while the monster regains his strength, and the movie finally delivers a confrontation promised by the title. 00:12:18.559 --> 00:12:22.240 Now, what's interesting is how long it takes to get there though. 00:12:22.399 --> 00:12:24.000 Frankenstein meets the Wolfman. 00:12:24.159 --> 00:12:30.960 Sounds like the fight should be entirely reasoned for the movie, but most of what we've watched has been Larry Talbot's story. 00:12:31.279 --> 00:12:32.799 He's the character with the goal. 00:12:32.960 --> 00:12:38.559 He's the character driving the journey, and he's the one whose suffering gives the movie its emotional center. 00:12:38.720 --> 00:12:46.960 And the monster doesn't really become an opposing force until like the final stretch, when he grabs Elsa and the Wolfman attacks him. 00:12:47.120 --> 00:12:49.600 And then, yes, they finally get into the fight. 00:12:49.759 --> 00:13:00.399 And I have to say, there is something wonderfully straightforward about seeing two universal monsters stop carrying the weight of their respective tragedies for a few minutes, and simply throw each other around a laboratory. 00:13:00.559 --> 00:13:10.080 After several movies built around frightened villagers chasing these creatures, Universal finally realizes there may be entertainment value in letting the monsters chase each other. 00:13:10.320 --> 00:13:19.360 Well, the fight doesn't produce a clear winner because Vasick has been busy implementing his whole, you know, blow up the damn proposal, without waiting for municipal approval. 00:13:19.519 --> 00:13:28.000 The explosives go off, water crashes through the ruins, Mannering and Elsa barely escape, but the monster and the wolfman disappear beneath the flood. 00:13:28.240 --> 00:13:39.519 Universal once again presents this as though everyone involved is probably dead, which would be more convincing if we hadn't opened this very movie by watching Larry recover from already being dead. 00:13:39.759 --> 00:13:45.200 The ending also points toward what Frankenstein makes the Wolfman changes for Universal Horror. 00:13:45.360 --> 00:13:56.480 Earlier films build their stories around individual monsters, and the people connected to them, but this movie demonstrates that the creatures themselves have become attractions large enough to share the screen. 00:13:56.559 --> 00:14:01.039 And once Universal makes that discovery, let's face it, there's no putting it back in the laboratory. 00:14:01.200 --> 00:14:15.759 House of Frankenstein and House of Dracula will expand the idea, and eventually Abbott and Costello meet Frankenstein will realize you can put several monsters in one movie and add comedians to the situation because apparently there was still room for escalation. 00:14:15.919 --> 00:14:24.240 So for all of that franchise history though, for me personally, I think the movie still works best as just another chapter in Larry Talbot's story. 00:14:24.399 --> 00:14:28.960 The title gives Frankenstein top billing, but really Larry's the reason we're here. 00:14:29.120 --> 00:14:33.840 And pairing him with the monster makes more sense than simply putting two famous creatures in the same movie. 00:14:34.000 --> 00:14:42.320 Frankenstein's monster exists because people refuse to accept death as a limit, while Larry is trapped by a curse that refuses to let death remain a limit. 00:14:42.559 --> 00:14:50.320 One was dragged into life because a scientist demanded it, and the other has already died only to discover that life apparently intends to keep dragging him back. 00:14:50.480 --> 00:14:56.720 So there's a sad similarity between them beyond that though, because neither one has much control over what happens to their body. 00:14:56.879 --> 00:15:09.919 The monsters spent the series being created, revived, altered, given another man's brain, blinded, frozen, and revived again, all depending on what the latest scientist wants to accomplish. 00:15:10.159 --> 00:15:17.440 Larry loses control whenever the moon rises, and spends his conscious hours trying to prevent what his body will do next. 00:15:17.600 --> 00:15:27.919 They're both trapped inside bodies that other forces keep deciding how to use, which makes it strangely appropriate that when they finally meet, neither one gets the peaceful ending Larry was looking for. 00:15:28.159 --> 00:15:35.440 And I gotta say, the movie itself isn't as emotionally rich as Frankenstein or even Bride of Frankenstein. 00:15:35.600 --> 00:15:40.000 And it doesn't have the family theme that gave Son of Frankenstein so much to work with. 00:15:40.240 --> 00:15:46.080 But it does occupy an important place in the universal cycle because it changes the possibilities. 00:15:46.320 --> 00:15:49.679 The monsters no longer belong entirely to their own stories. 00:15:49.919 --> 00:16:02.000 They're becoming a shared mythology, capable of wandering into one another's movies, carrying pieces of previous continuity with them, and even occasionally losing several important pieces in the editing room along the way. 00:16:02.320 --> 00:16:12.000 And I can't lie, I have some sympathy for Bella Lagosi and all of that, because the monster he played isn't entirely the monster audiences were supposed to see. 00:16:12.240 --> 00:16:22.159 He was performing a blind creature who could speak and who carried Igor's mind forward from Ghost of Frankenstein, only for much of that material to just disappear. 00:16:22.399 --> 00:16:25.519 And what's left can look awkward if you don't know what was removed. 00:16:25.679 --> 00:16:37.759 But I will say, once you do, those outstretched arms stop looking like a strange acting decision and start looking like evidence of a different version of the movie buried somewhere beneath the one universal actually released. 00:16:37.919 --> 00:16:39.600 And we come back to Larry Talbot. 00:16:39.759 --> 00:16:45.679 He knows something about being buried and unexpectedly turning up again, so maybe there's still hope for some of those missing scenes. 00:16:45.919 --> 00:16:50.639 Alright, folks, I'm Obi Knox, and this has been The Introverted Obelisk. 00:16:50.799 --> 00:17:01.679 Until next time, if you're ever wandering through frozen ruins beneath an abandoned castle and discover Frankenstein's monster trapped in a block of ice, I understand the curiosity is a powerful thing. 00:17:01.919 --> 00:17:06.240 But maybe, and I say just maybe, just leave him there. 00:17:06.400 --> 00:17:12.000 Because if four Frankenstein movies have taught us anything, it's that nobody has ever made their evening better. 00:17:12.240 --> 00:17:13.599 Thalling that man out. 00:17:13.920 --> 00:17:14.960 Good night. 00:17:15.279 --> 00:17:16.480 And roll credits.