Frankenstein Created Woman
Anchor Bay Entertainment
Cast: Peter Cushing, Thorley Walters, Robert Morris, Susan Denberg
Extras: ’World Of Hammer’ Episode, Trailers and Spots
Rating:
Located somewhere between a love story and a tragedy, ’Frankenstein Created Woman’ is much less of an actual horror movie than the title may suggest. Baron Frankenstein (Peter Cushing) is still on the search for the secret of life and with the help of Dr. Hertz (Thorley Walters), and their assistant Hans (Robert Morris) he is closer to his goal than ever. But a string of tragic events suddenly breaks into their lives – but at the same time it gives the Baron finally the break-through he has always been looking. He is now ready to create a woman without having to fear she turns out as a monstrosity!
The version of ’Frankenstein Created Woman’ that Anchor Bay is presenting on this DVD is absolutely beautiful, paying full tribute to this atmospheric movie. Presented in an anamorphic widescreen transfer, the movie has a very bold look without any defects in the source print. As a result, the transfer is very clean, with strong colors and good contrast. Blacks are deep and solid, giving the image plenty of visual depth. The compression is flawless without any compression artifacts, leaving the highly detailed image fully intact.
The disc contains a monaural audio track, that despite its technical limitations, comes across as very lively. The dynamic range is surprisingly good, creating an experience that is pleasing and never overly harsh. Dialogue is clear and without sibilance, and always well understandable. The ominous music by James Bernard is also nicely reproduced without distortion, giving the movie its looming quality, which has become so significant for most Hammer titles.
Chilling and atmospheric in his visuals, Terence Fisher was one of Hammer films’ most accomplished and driving directors, and has since become an icon for horror fans. In ’Frankenstein Created Woman’ we get see him working with rather restrained and static visuals, but the impact is not diminished a bit! This is a fantastic version of a true Hammer classic!
