Search - The Wolf Man on DVD

MPAA Rating: NR Content Advisory: Mild Violence, Questionable for Children Movie Release: 1941 DVD Release: 11/02/1999 Format: DVD - Black and White Edition: Dual Layered,Special Collection Audio Tracks: English Subtitles: English, French SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 1 hrs 10 mins Studio: Universal Studios Members Wishing: 10 Genres: Horror, Creature Film See Also: The Wolf Man [$5 Halloween Candy Cash Offer], The Wolf Man [Special Edition]

"Even a man who is pure at heart/And says his prayers by night/May become a wolf when the wolf-bane blooms/And the moon is full and bright." Upon first hearing these words, Larry Talbot (Lon Chaney) dismisses them as childish folderol. After all, this is the 20th Century; how can a human being turn into a werewolf? Talbot soon learns how when he attempts to rescue Jenny Williams (Fay Helm) from a nocturnal attack by a wolf. Collapsing, Talbot discovers upon reviving that Jenny is dead-and, lying by her side, is not the body of a beast, but of a gypsy named Bela (Bela Lugosi). The son of fortune teller Maleva (Maria Ouspenskaya), Bela was a lycanthrope, or "wolf man." And now that he has been bitten by Bela, Talbot is cursed to suffer the torments of the damned whenever the moon is full. Arguably the best of the "original" Universal horrors (original in the sense that it was not based on an existing literary property, a la Frankenstein, Dracula and The Invisible Man), The Wolf Man boasts one of the most stellar casts ever to grace a "B" picture: Lon Chaney Jr., Claude Rains, Evelyn Ankers, Ralph Bellamy, Warren William, Patric Knowles, Maria Ouspenskaya and Bela Lugosi. The man-to-wolf transformation sequences -- one of which took a full 24 hours to film -- are thoroughly convincing, thanks to the cosmetic genius of Jack P. Pierce (Chaney had wanted to emulate his father by developing his own werewolf makeup, but existing union rules would not permit this). Alas, after this powerhouse opening volley, the Wolf Man character was relegated to a series of cheap sequels, teaming him with other Universal shock stars: Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman (1943), House of Frankenstein (1944) and House of Dracula (1945). The final ignominy was Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1945), in which Lawrence Talbot (Chaney again), having been cured of lycanthropy in House of Dracula, reverts to his werewolf status -- and has to endure the one-liners of Lou Costello to boot! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Lon Chaney, Jr. - Wolfman/Larry Talbot
Claude Rains - Sir John Talbot
Warren William - Dr. Lloyd
Evelyn Ankers - Gwen Conliffe
Ralph Bellamy - Capt. Paul Montford
Bela Lugosi - Bela
Patric Knowles - Frank Andrews
Maria Ouspenskaya - Maleva

The transfer for this Universal Studios fright feature has a few minor nicks here and there, but represents the several foggy set pieces in perfect fashion. The full-screen (standard) transfer has an aspect ratio of 1.33:1 and the audio track is in Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono. The commentary track is by Tom Weaver and, as with the track he provided for =Creature From The Black Lagoon, it is full of humor and great background information on everything from the actors to comparisons between the original script and the final onscreen version. Included as a supplement is a half-hour documentary entitled "Monster by Moonlight," which is hosted by John Landis and includes interviews with makeup wizard Rick Baker and screenplay author Curt Siodmak. The "Wolf Man Archives" contains a six-and-a-half-minute slide show set to music featuring stills, posters, and lobby cards. There is a "Production Notes" section and a "Cast and Filmmakers" section that contains succinct bios and filmographies for the film's stars and director. A theatrical trailer is included; it's rough shape is a perfect contrast to the nearly flawless state of the main-feature transfer. The "Language Selections" include English, with captions for the hearing-impaired, and French subtitles. Yet another disc in the Universal Studios Classic Monster Collection that will give this particular monster something to howl about. ~ A.R. Ferguson, All Movie Guide