The Wolf Man is an atmospheric, well-made, and well-acted movie. It's famous doggerel - "Even a man who is pure in heart", etc, has sort of passed into our culture, and it sustains its aura of tragedy right to the end, proving immensely superior to its recent ham-fisted remake.
The film, of course, concerns Lawrence Talbot's (Lon Chaney Jr) return to his ancient family home of Llanwelly, Wales, which looks a lot like Transylvania here. After many years in America. Larry has reconciled with his father Sir John (an excellent Claude Raines), and is to run the Talbot Estate. It isn't long before he has spied (literally through the use of a telescope) the lovely Gwen (Evelyn Ankers), daughter of a local antique shop owner. And of course, there is the sinister party of Gypsies that lurk in the woods.
It isn't long before Larry meets Bela (unsuprisingly Bela Lugosi!) who sees the sign of the Pentagram on a soon to be victim when he reads her fortune. Poor Bela, you see, is a werewolf, and he's about to pass on the curse...
What still grabs you about the film is Chaney's tortured performance as Larry. Poor Lon was just as tortured in real life as his character, and you wonder how much he's actually acting in the role or just being himself. Chaney was never better than he is here, and he's always good value when playing The Wolfman. The distinguished supporting cast are terrific - perhaps the finest cast assembled for a horror movie at the time. Maria Ouspenskya is a real stand-out as Bela's gypsy mother.
Jack Peirce's yak-hair makeup itself has dated of course, and is no longer frightening; but as a gloomy fairy tale the movie still works splendidly. One of Universal's biggest hits of the early 40s, The Wolf Man is still fondly remembered and highly regarded. And it deserves to be.
The film, of course, concerns Lawrence Talbot's (Lon Chaney Jr) return to his ancient family home of Llanwelly, Wales, which looks a lot like Transylvania here. After many years in America. Larry has reconciled with his father Sir John (an excellent Claude Raines), and is to run the Talbot Estate. It isn't long before he has spied (literally through the use of a telescope) the lovely Gwen (Evelyn Ankers), daughter of a local antique shop owner. And of course, there is the sinister party of Gypsies that lurk in the woods.
It isn't long before Larry meets Bela (unsuprisingly Bela Lugosi!) who sees the sign of the Pentagram on a soon to be victim when he reads her fortune. Poor Bela, you see, is a werewolf, and he's about to pass on the curse...
What still grabs you about the film is Chaney's tortured performance as Larry. Poor Lon was just as tortured in real life as his character, and you wonder how much he's actually acting in the role or just being himself. Chaney was never better than he is here, and he's always good value when playing The Wolfman. The distinguished supporting cast are terrific - perhaps the finest cast assembled for a horror movie at the time. Maria Ouspenskya is a real stand-out as Bela's gypsy mother.
Jack Peirce's yak-hair makeup itself has dated of course, and is no longer frightening; but as a gloomy fairy tale the movie still works splendidly. One of Universal's biggest hits of the early 40s, The Wolf Man is still fondly remembered and highly regarded. And it deserves to be.