He supported well-known directors such as Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, Ron Howard, James Cameron and “The Silence of the Lambs” creator Jonathan Demme. As a distributor, he brought international masterpieces to American cinemas. And himself? He has directed countless titles from the world of B-movies and exploitation – from genre gems to ‘so bad it’s good again’ trash.
This made Roger Corman an award-winning Hollywood legend. Now you have the opportunity to catch up (or refresh your memory) with one of his lesser-known films: Tele 5 shows today, March 27, 2024, from 11:55 PM.”Frankenstein by Roger Corman“. The film was both Corman’s directorial comeback and his farewell from the director’s chair – and is available as VOD on Amazon Prime Video as an alternative to broadcast TV:
“Roger Corman’s Frankenstein”: Future meets past
2031: Dr. Buchanan (John Hurt) is working on a secret weapon. But then he is transported to Switzerland in 1817! There he meets Dr. Frankenstein (Raúl Julia), who recently created his artificial creature. While she proves to be a stubborn monster who terrorizes those around her and begs her creator to make him a mate, Buchanan wants to go back to the future. But how will he succeed?
As a director and/or producer, Corman was responsible for some of the most memorable low-budget productions in American film history. However, in his latest directorial work to date, this is hardly noticeable. He uses Mary Shelley’s legendary novel and a novel based on it by Brian Aldiss to combine genre ideas with a striking statement in the old B-movie style.
Because Corman and his co-author FX Feeney use this mix of sci-fi and horror to warn against military arms races. But while some unforgettable horror and sci-fi productions from Corman’s heyday expertly combined enjoyable, grueling genre impact with topical political observations, platitudes are just enough in ‘Roger Corman’s Frankenstein’.
That might be easier to forgive if this sci-fi horror fun, struggling for relevance, shone in terms of chills, disgust or wild violence. Instead, Corman shows his tamer side – although the uncut FSK-18 version of the film, at least at the turning points, is reminiscent of the old Corman and is therefore clearly preferable to the FSK-16 version, which also circulates.
Requested to retire
A sensational crescendo for Corman’s directing career is not expected. That could be because he didn’t resume his career, which effectively ended in 1971, because an idea burned in his head: producer Thom Mount urged him to make another film. Initially, Corman wanted to hire big names for the script.
But when ‘Nightmare On Elm Street’ creator Wes Craven, among others, refused, smaller sandwiches were baked. Nevertheless, the $11.5 million project launched to the world in 1990 is worth a look for fans of strange delicacies from the category of “electric market grabbers.”
Especially if they do not run any financial risk thanks to TV broadcasts. Because while ‘Roger Corman’s Frankenstein’ shows an exploitation legend in its tamer form, pleasant waste entertainment: Corman’s farewell film largely appears to be a significantly optimized production of the “Sharknado” company The Asylum!
While the messy forge usually lures with obscure premises and then drills long stretches, Corman creates a strange science fiction horror comedy. Hurt and Julia love to overact. And Dr. Buchanan acts like a “Frankenstein” fanboy who discovers that his beloved book is factual. Grinning enthusiastically, he ignores all time travel rules.
Ultimately that is enough Guilty pleasure pleasure and perhaps it wouldn’t look so out of place with the ex-Tele 5 format “SchleFaZ”. But unlike many Asylum productions on the assembly line, this Frankenstein is fun even without cheeky comments. And now we keep our fingers crossed that Corman will deliver again soon: