I am an avid fan of British Horror in general, and of anything starring the great late Peter Cushing in particular. I am also a great fan of Werewolf-flicks, and yet I cannot deny that I was a bit disappointed with "Legend of the Werewolf" of 1975. Directed by prolific director Freddie Francis, whose filmography includes many collaborations with Cushing, be it "The Creeping Flesh" or several productions for major British Horror studios Hammer ("The Evil of Frankenstein") and Amicus ("Torture Garden", "Dr. Terror's House of Horror"), is an acceptably entertaining little film, but it mostly lacks the thick atmosphere that usually makes British Gothic Horror so irresistibly great. The plot isn't terribly interesting, and features nothing that anyone who has seen a few Werewolf films hasn't seen. Still it is worth seeing, though mainly for Peter Cushing (who makes everything worth seeing, as far as I am concerned).
In 19th century France, an orphan boy is raised by wolves, until he is picked up by a traveling circus. He is named Etoile and grows to become a relatively normal young adult; one day, he runs away and becomes a hand in a Paris zoo. He falls in love with a beautiful girl. It isn't long, however, until his upbringing as a Wolf catches up with him...
Peter Cushing, who plays a pathologist here, is great as always in his role. Ron Moody is fun as a drunken Zookeeper. While the rest of the cast isn't bad, there are no particular highlights either. The storyline is very predictable and bears no surprises. David Rintoul, who plays the lead, is neither good nor bad. The film is too slow for its own good, and it features little gore and no sleaze or nudity (in spite of a large part of it being set in a bordello). Most of the film is supposed to be set in Paris, which is quite ridiculous as the place looks like a little village. The Werewolf makeup is pretty good though, and the parts that are done from the Werwolf's perspective are done quite well. Occasionally, the film also has a nice sense of humor. Overall, most of the film is pretty dull and is mainly saved by Peter Cushing, who is fantastic as always. It is beyond me how some people seem to mistake this Tyburn production for a Hammer film, as the quality simply is worlds apart from the usual Hammer greatness.
Overall, this review may sound a bit too negative for a film that isn't really bad; "Legend of the Werewolf" has its qualities, but it simply doesn't compete with most other Brithish Gothic Horror productions as the blend of this Country and subgenre usually stands for greatness. This film is watchable, and worth the time for my fellow Peter Cushing fans, but it isn't anything special and can easily be skipped.
In 19th century France, an orphan boy is raised by wolves, until he is picked up by a traveling circus. He is named Etoile and grows to become a relatively normal young adult; one day, he runs away and becomes a hand in a Paris zoo. He falls in love with a beautiful girl. It isn't long, however, until his upbringing as a Wolf catches up with him...
Peter Cushing, who plays a pathologist here, is great as always in his role. Ron Moody is fun as a drunken Zookeeper. While the rest of the cast isn't bad, there are no particular highlights either. The storyline is very predictable and bears no surprises. David Rintoul, who plays the lead, is neither good nor bad. The film is too slow for its own good, and it features little gore and no sleaze or nudity (in spite of a large part of it being set in a bordello). Most of the film is supposed to be set in Paris, which is quite ridiculous as the place looks like a little village. The Werewolf makeup is pretty good though, and the parts that are done from the Werwolf's perspective are done quite well. Occasionally, the film also has a nice sense of humor. Overall, most of the film is pretty dull and is mainly saved by Peter Cushing, who is fantastic as always. It is beyond me how some people seem to mistake this Tyburn production for a Hammer film, as the quality simply is worlds apart from the usual Hammer greatness.
Overall, this review may sound a bit too negative for a film that isn't really bad; "Legend of the Werewolf" has its qualities, but it simply doesn't compete with most other Brithish Gothic Horror productions as the blend of this Country and subgenre usually stands for greatness. This film is watchable, and worth the time for my fellow Peter Cushing fans, but it isn't anything special and can easily be skipped.