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vCheats.com - The Wolf Man - The Legacy Collection (The Wolf Man / Werewolf of London / Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man / She-Wolf of London)
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List Price: $26.98
Our Price: $18.14
Your Save: $ 8.84 ( 33% )
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Manufacturer: Universal Studios
Starring: Claude Rains, Warren William, Ralph Bellamy, Patric Knowles, Bela Lugosi
Directed By: David J. Skal, George Waggner, Jean Yarbrough, Roy William Neill, Stuart Walker
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Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: DVD
Brand: UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOME ENTERTAIN.
EAN: 9780783288178
Format: Black & White
ISBN: 0783288174
Label: Universal Studios
Manufacturer: Universal Studios
Number Of Items: 2
Publisher: Universal Studios
Region Code: 1
Release Date: 2004-04-27
Running Time: 70
Studio: Universal Studios
Theatrical Release Date: 1943-03-05
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating: 
Summary: A Werewolf Collection, yes. The Wolfman Legacy, no.
Comment: Until now, Universal has done an amazing job with their legacy collections, condensing every Dracula, Frankenstein, Mummy, Invisible Man, and Creature from the Black Lagoon film into single, easily affordable volumes. Unfortunately, the Wolf Man Legacy collection is where that all goes wrong. This volume only contains two of the four Wolf Man films and, in place of the last two installments, includes two Universal werewolf films that have no relationship to the Wolf Man series at all.
The true crime here is that the Larry Talbot Wolf Man series is, undoubtedly, the strongest and most consistent of the Universal monster franchises. It is the only series where the monster is played by the same actor each time, and it's the only series where we actually see that character develop in believable and logical ways with each installment. Larry Talbot begins as a frightened child of a man who has no idea what to do with the cruel fate that has been inflicted upon him. By the time of Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman, he has become a stronger and more resolved character, desperately working in search of a cure. In the two remaining sequels not included in this collection (House of Frankenstein and House of Dracula), this progression goes even farther, ultimately finding Larry as a tragic hero, resigned to work toward killing himself in order to save society. It's rich, character-intensive stuff; the kind of thing you wouldn't normally expect to see in a Universal monster film, let alone a franchise sequel.
House of Frankenstein and House of Dracula are (presumably) not included in this collection because their titles suggest that they are Frankenstein and Dracula films, but this is not the case. The Frankenstein monster plays an entirely insignificant role in House of Frankenstein, being literally reanimated at the very end of the film. House of Dracula, on the other hand, features Dracula prominently throughout the film, but it is still clearly a Larry Talbot story, with Larry playing the central character with whom we identify. More importantly, while both of these films include significant character development for Talbot, they do absolutely nothing to further the stories of Count Dracula nor the Frankenstein monster. These are Wolf Man films, through and through, and they are as important to "the Wolf Man Legacy" as the first Wolf Man film included in this volume.
Well, enough whining. So long as you know that you're going to have to buy two other Legacy collections in order to follow the full Wolf Man story, here's the break down of what IS included here. Despite my low marks for this "Wolf Man Legacy Collection," all of these films are worth a viewing:
*The Wolf Man: The first film in the Larry Talbot series is possibly the least interesting. The action is slow-moving, and Larry is a bit too childish and helpless for my taste. However, Claude Rains plays a wonderfully menacing father and brings tremendously rich conflict and emotion to the story. With his help, The Wolf Man becomes a deeply psychological film, more about the conflicted relationship between prodigal son and estranged father than a blood-thirsty monster that kills people (but don't despair, monster fans! There's plenty of the latter, as well). Viewed in this light, the ending of the film is stunning in its significance.
*Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man: Possibly the best of the Wolf Man films. Here, the focus is still fixed entirely on Larry as he becomes a darker, more tragic figure, mature beyond his years, and bearing a heavy weight about him. Cheney rises to the occasion nicely, and the plot (which is far more busy and exciting than in the first film) certainly meets him part way.
*She-Wolf of London: Though the film begins as if continuing from a previous story ("The Allenby curse had almost been forgotten..."), it is entirely original and has no relationship to any other Universal werewolf picture. It's an unusual film in that the focus is neither on action nor monster make-up. In fact, you never actually SEE the She-Wolf at all. However, this slow-moving film filled with two-dimensional arch-types does one fascinating thing -- it leaves us doubting. The original plan for the first Wolf Man film was that they were never going to show the werewolf. They wanted to keep you guessing as to whether Larry really was transforming or was actually losing his mind. She-Wolf of London runs with that idea, keeping you guessing about June Lockhart's supposed transformations, and the revelation at the end is quite brilliant. If you pay careful attention, you'll probably see it coming.
*Werewolf of London: Universal's first werewolf film, pre-dating The Wolf Man by six years. It's incredibly well cast and features surprisingly strong acting for a monster picture. It also contains a lot of subtlety, such as when a drunk woman at a bar orders drinks for "two ladies" and then comically reveals that she is the two ladies. This tangential episode runs parallel to, and offers thematic insight into, a far darker aspect of the story. There's also some stunning psychological undertones, as the main character's fear and rage about losing his fiance to a former lover seems to take its form in the shape of the werewolf. It's a highly intelligent and complex script, far more than you might bargain for in a Universal monster film. Really, all that weighs the film down is the werewolf, himself. He's less of a monster, and more of an ill-tempered hairy man in a three piece suit who attacks people. He can be knocked out with a blow to the head and killed with a bullet. Theater-goers of the time complained that the film was too much like the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mister Hyde (that film had been in theaters only a few years earlier). They were certainly on to something.
So, all in all, this is a collection of excellent werewolf films, but it loses major marks for not being the full "Wolfman Legacy." I recommend purchasing this set. You will enjoy it. But the Larry Talbot story does not end here. There's so much more worth seeing in House of Frankenstein and House of Dracula, but you'll have to shell out another $45.98 for the Frankenstein and Dracula Legacy Collections in order to find this out for yourself.
Customer Rating:
Summary: WEREWOLF FILMS!!!!!
Comment: This set has great prints and I had no problems with the discs. It was great having Universal's werewolf films in one set. Good extras.
Customer Rating:
Summary: The Legend Lives on
Comment: I couldn't believe that the movies wre on dvd. I'm a huge fan of werewolves and this is perfect for any werewolf fan. The quality of the movies were excellent and were worth the money. A Must Buy.
Customer Rating:
Summary: The Wolfman -The Legacy Collection
Comment: I rate this dealer a 5 star rating, the service was very fast, the merchandise was in great condition. My husband loved the movie. I hope to be doing more business with them in the future. I would recommend them to anyone and everyone.
Customer Rating:
Summary: The WolfMan
Comment: Personally, this is a great set. But two of the film are not very entertaining at all. My rating of these films are listed below.
The WolfMan- *****: The 1941 classic starring Lon Chaney Jr. as the cursed Larry Talbot.
Frankenstein Meets The WolfMan- ****: The WolfMan fights the Frankenstein Monster is this classic Monster battle.
The She-Wolf of London- **: Less entertaining yarn of a lycanthrope
The Werewolf of London- **1/2: Another less impressive lycanthrope movie that was released six years before The WolfMan (1941)
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