CHANEY'S WOLF MAN: REVISED EDITION (A CLASSIC MONSTERS OF THE MOVIES TRIBUTE)

To join the scholarly ranks of Nige Burton/Jamie Jones' revised editions for Tod Browning/Bela Lugosi's Dracula and James Whale/Boris Karloff's Frankenstein and The Bride of Frankenstein, Classic Monsters of the Movies' now offers a refurbished, 36-page edition commemorating George Waggner/Lon Chaney Jr.'s The Wolf Man. 

The 1941, Universal classic, which rose from the warmup success of Waggner/Chaney's Man Made Monster, embodies all the right components, from Waggner's suspenseful direction, Curt Siodmak's mythology-boosting script, Jack Pierce's influential, werewolf makeup, Hans Salter/Charles Previn/Frank Skinner's iconic score, and its strong, relatable cast. 

Chaney, in particular, is remarkable in his most famous role, bestowing poor Lawrence "Larry" Talbot with sadness and guilt after he's bitten by Bela Lugosi's accursed gypsy, becoming a blood-thirsty lycanthrope whenever "the wolfbane blooms, and the autumn moon is bright."

 

Chaney's supporting cast is also endearing and consists of Claude (The Invisible Man/The Phantom of the Opera) Rains as Sir John Talbot, Maria Ouspenskya as the maternal Maleva, Evelyn Ankers as Gwen Conliffe, Patric Knowles as Frank Andrews, Ralph Bellamy as Colonel Montford, Warren William as Dr. Lloyd, Fay Helms as Jenny Williams and the aforementioned Lugosi as (well) Bela. Burton and Jones grant each performer a hearty bio, which cites credits beyond The Wolf Man. 

To bridge the text, The Wolf Man "Ultimate Edition" features many pleasing photos, publicity materials, quotes and trivia, printed on super-sharp, high-stock paper. 

Without any question, this is an essential for one's library. Acquire your copy of Classic Monsters of the Movies: The Wolf Man at

https://www.classic-monsters.com/shop/product/the-wolf-man-1941-ultimate-guide-new-edition-signed-art-print/

HAPPY 80TH, WOLF MAN

There are few films as multilayered as George Waggner's 1941 character study, The Wolf Man, thanks in no small part to Curt Siodmak's engrossing, folklore-bolstering script and Lon Chaney Jr's iconic performance as Lawrence (Larry) Talbot, a man cursed with lycanthropy.

In one sense, The Wolf Man is a grand, atmospheric monster movie carved in the best Universal form; in another, it's an amazing, psychological thriller that draws one into its nuanced tiers. (One fears the monster, but one cares for the human behind the ravenous marauder and make his heartbreaking journey one's own cross to bear.) 

There are few werewolf yarns since that haven't been influenced by The Wolf Man, which redefined the werewolf concept in an unshakable way. In fact, Paul Naschy's entire Waldemar Daninsky series sprung from The Wolf Man's impact. Other productions owe The Wolf Man a mountain of debt: Cure of the Werewolf, I Was a Teenage Werewolf, An American Werewolf in London, The Howling and Universal's 2010 remake with Benicio Del Toro.

As Talbot, Chaney flawlessly churns a sense of yearning and guilt throughout his nuanced portrayal. However, when transformed, he moves like a stealthy beast (the ideal, hairy Hyde), a stark contrast to his woeful, gentlemanly antithesis, thus establishing one of the most memorable movie monsters of all time. 

In lovely contrast, Evelyn Ankers is excellent as the gorgeous Gwen, the apple of Talbot's eye (i.e the symbolic prize that he can't possess). Maria Ouspenskaya is equally effective as the maternal gypsy, Maleva, with Bela Lugosi in a celebrated cameo as her afflicted son. Comprising the rest of the prime cast is Patric Knowles, Ralph Bellamy and the great Claude (Invisible Man/Phantom of the Opera) as Talbot's confounded father, Sir John. 

To cradle to the movie's saturating mood, Hans J. Salter's score fills one ears while driving one's pulse. It set the standard for the Universal horror scores that followed.

From a cultural vantage, Siomak's script introduced the "Even a man who is pure in heart" proverb and the use of silver as a means to slay a werewolf. On a further cultural note, The Wolf Man's symbolic pentagram (as perceived by Talbot to convey his prophesied victims) epitomizes the stigmatic labeling that stained Nazi-reigned Germany at the time of the movie's release, empowering to the fable's identifiable air of terror.  

Jack Piece's make-up is also a substantial feature of the film, rendered with the same, unique logic that defined his design for Boris Karloff's Frankenstein Monster. (Pierce also applied the make-up for Henry Hull's Werewolf of London a few years prior, though that character dynamic ultimately required a more subdued approach, whereas The Wolf Man exudes pure, focused ferocity.) 

There's so much to gnaw upon in The Wolf Man. In truth, if one doesn't comprehend its haunting content, one is incapable of understanding what makes a movie a classic. 

(Re)visit The Wolf Man today. This hair-raiser is fated to mesmerize, whether one engages it for the first or the hundredth view.