Flesh for Frankenstein (1973)

User Rating:

5.6/10   

Directors:

Paul Morrissey
Antonio Margheriti

Writers:

Tonino Guerra (writer)
Paul Morrissey (writer)

Release Date:

17 March 1974 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

We dare you to see...

Plot:

In Serbia, Baron Frankenstein lives with the Baroness and their two children. He dreams of a super-race...

Plot Keywords:

Frankenstein | Lust | Mad Scientist | Obsession | Europe

Cast

Joe Dallesandro	...	Nicholas, the stableboy
Monique van Vooren	...	Baroness Katrin Frankenstein
Udo Kier	...	Baron Frankenstein
Arno Juerging	...	Otto, the Baron's assistant
Dalila Di Lazzaro	...	Female Monster
Srdjan Zelenovic	...	Sacha / Male Monster
Nicoletta Elmi	...	Monica, the Baron's daughter
Marco Liofredi	...	Erik, the Baron's son
Liu Bosisio	...	Olga, the maid
Fiorella Masselli	...	Large prostitute
Cristina Gaioni	...	Farmer, Nicholas' girlfriend
Rosita Torosh	...	Sonia, the prostitute
Carla Mancini	...	Farmer
Imelde Marani	...	Blonde prostitute

Also Known As:

Andy Warhol's Frankenstein (USA)
Andy Warhol's Young Frankenstein
Carne per Frankenstein (Italy)
De la chair pour Frankenstein (France)
Flesh for Frankenstein (UK)
Frankenstein
Il mostro è in tavola barone Frankenstein (Italy)
The Devil and Dr. Frankenstein
The Frankenstein Experiment (USA) (pre-release title)
Up Frankenstein

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA | Italy | France

Language:

French | English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

France:-16 | Finland:(Banned) (1975) (uncut) | Finland:K-16 (1995) (cut) | Sweden:15 (uncut: dvd release) | New Zealand:R18 | Argentina:X (original rating) | Argentina:16 (re-rating) | USA:X | Australia:R | Norway:(Banned) (1980-1989) | Norway:18 (re-rating) (1989) | Sweden:15 (heavily cut) | UK:18 | USA:R (cut) (1975) | USA:R (re-release: 1992) | USA:X (original rating) | West Germany:18

Filming Locations:

Vojvodina, Serbia

Company:

Compagnia Cinematografica Champion

Trivia:

While some Italian prints give second unit director Antonio Margheriti credit as co-director, Udo Kier has stated that Margheriti had nothing to do with directing the movie.

Quotes:

Baron Frankenstein: [holding up his severed hand] It's all your fault!

Movie Connections:

Featured in Tod eines Weltstars (1994) (TV)

Better than BLOOD FOR DRACULA -- Udo Kier is tops (laughs)

This is clearly the superior of the two films that Paul Morrissey filmed at Cinecitta studios (Rome) during the early 1970s. It's the typical Frankenstein story with the Morrissey's spin on it.

And I suspect that it has a lot to do with Antonio Margheriti being involved since he is famous in Italian horror circles for the gore effects he brings to films. Especially the scene where the male monster (Srdjan Zelenovic) rips open his stomach sutures, exposing his organs in an act of suicide. Very anatomically correct.

Udo Kier is probably the best reason to see this film, however. His hammy acting skills are tops! His version of Frankenstein is so demented, I guess the German accent adds a lot to it. Usually it's an American or English actor who plays Frankenstein so having a real life German (speaking in English, of course) adds to the atmosphere.

And of course Joe Dallesandro's New York accent sounds totally out of place here, just as it did in BLOOD FOR DRACULA. He sounds like a male hustler hanging out in Times Square instead of an Italian stable boy

Also hideous is Monique Van Vooren as Baroness. Good gawd, the Dallesandro character must have been real hard-up in order to sleep with that old hag.

Still, it has decent atmosphere and the Criterion DVD uses a widescreen print that looks crystal along with production stills of the movie, secondary commentary track by Morrissey who has some revealing comments about the film, and some silly, pseudo-intellectual commentary by Maurice Yakowar that a trashy film like this doesn't deserve.

Worth seeing mostly for Kier's presence.

6 out of 10