Frankenstein Unbound (1990)

User Rating:

5.2/10   

Director:

Roger Corman

Writers (WGA):

Brian Aldiss (novel)
Roger Corman (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

2 November 1990 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Horror | Sci-Fi

Plot:

The ultimate weapon which was meant to be safe for the mankind produces global side effects including time slides and disappearances...

Plot Keywords:

Scientist | Laser | Science | Alternative Reality | Village

Awards:

4 nominations

Cast

John Hurt	...	Dr. Joe Buchanan / Narrator
Raul Julia	...	Dr. Victor Frankenstein
Nick Brimble	...	The Monster
Bridget Fonda	...	Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin
Catherine Rabett	...	Elizabeth Levenza, Victor's Fiancee
Jason Patric	...	Lord George Gordon Byron
Michael Hutchence	...	Percy Byshee Shelley
Catherine Corman	...	Justine Moritz, Woman tried & condemmed as a witch
William Geiger	...	Lab Technician
Mickey Knox	...	General Reade
Myriam Cyr	...	Information Officer
Terri Treas	...	Buchanan's car (voice)
Cynthia Allison	...	Newswoman
Isabella Rocchietta	...	Dorrie
Matt Cassidy	...	Boy #1
Hauck Bjorck	...	Boy #2
Olga Angelo	...	Girl #2
Geoffrey Copleston	...	Secheron Innkeeper
John Karlsen	...	Parson
Donald Hodson	...	Old Man
Bruce McGuire	...	Prosecutor
Grady Clarkson	...	Judge
Andrew Newton	...	Head Juror
Paul Weston	...	Watchman
Christopher Robertson	...	Urchin #2
Peter Goetz	...	Man #1
Nick Gillard	...	Man #2 / Man #3
Cyrus Elias	...	Werner, Levenza's Butler

Directed by
Roger Corman

Writing credits (WGA)
Brian Aldiss		(novel) (as Brian W. Aldiss)
Roger Corman		(screenplay) and
F.X. Feeney		(screenplay)

Produced by
Jay Cassidy	....	associate producer
Roger Corman	....	producer
Kobi Jaeger	....	producer
Laura J. Medina	....	associate producer
Thom Mount	....	producer

Original Music by
Carl Davis

Cinematography by
Armando Nannuzzi
Michael Scott

Film Editing by
Mary Bauer
Jay Cassidy		(as Jay Lash Cassidy)

Casting by
Caro Jones

Production Design by
Enrico Tovaglieri

Set Decoration by
Ennio Michettoni

Costume Design by
Franca Zucchelli

Makeup Department
Guiliana DeCarli	....	makeup artist
Nick Dudman	....	special makeup effects
Romana Piolanti	....	hair stylist
Suzanne Reynolds	....	prosthetic makeup

Production Management
Luciano Balducci	....	unit production manager
Bruno Mancinelli	....	unit manager
Laura J. Medina	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Simona Bares	....	third assistant director
Tony Brandt	....	first assistant director
Thierry Notz	....	second unit director
Mauro Sacripante	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Barbara Anne Bock	....	storyboard artist
Keith Crossley	....	storyboard artist
Giuseppe Mancarella	....	property master
Gary Randall	....	production designer: second unit

Sound Department
Gary Alper	....	sound mixer
Stefano Bausano	....	boom operator
Harry Cohen	....	digital sound effects designer
Terry Fiyalko	....	dialogue editor
Tim Gedemer	....	digital sound effects editor
Lewis Goldstein	....	adr editor (as Lew Goldstein)
Greg Hodge	....	digital sound effects editor
George Johnsen	....	post-production sound supervisor
Patrick Johnston	....	post-production sound supervisor
Ossama Khuluki	....	foley artist
Tanya McGinnis-Potvin	....	foley recordist (as Tanya McGinnis)
Ken S. Polk	....	sound re-recording mixer
Katie Rowe	....	foley artist
Ann Scibelli	....	digital sound effects editor
Ken Teaney	....	sound re-recording mixer
Jeff Vaughn	....	foley editor

Special Effects by
Renato Agostini	....	set special effects

Visual Effects by
Syd Dutton	....	visual effects
Bruno George	....	optical effects
Bret Mixon	....	rotoscoping
Mark Sawicki	....	matte photography
Robert Stromberg	....	matte artist
Bill Taylor	....	visual effects
David S. Williams Jr.	....	optical effects

Stunts
Corrado Burletta	....	stunts
Domenico Cianfriglia	....	stunts
Giovanni Cianfriglia	....	stunts
Steve Dent	....	stunts
Nick Gillard	....	stunts
Chrissy Monk	....	stunts
Marco Stefanelli	....	stunts
Paul Weston	....	stunt coordinator
Silvano Zuddas	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Tommaso Borgstrom	....	assistant camera
Domenico Cavaliere	....	gaffer
Keith Hamshere	....	still photographer
Franco Rosignoli	....	assistant camera
Guido Sagramoso	....	assistant camera
Mario Tessarin	....	key grip
Hans Visser	....	camera operator

Casting Department
John Leamer	....	additional casting (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Phil Hetos	....	color timer
Brian Ralph	....	negative cutter

Music Department
Carl Davis	....	conductor
Peter Fuchs	....	score recordist
Robert Hathaway	....	music editor
Nic Raine	....	orchestrator

Transportation Department
Alessandro Gatti	....	transportation captain

Other crew
Thomas 'Doc' Boguski	....	production coordinator: USA
Robert C. Campion	....	production controller
Clarita DiGiovanni	....	script supervisor
Geoff Freeman	....	unit publicist
Roberto Gallarati	....	location manager
Anne Nevin	....	production coordinator
Raymond Tricker	....	prosthetic mould designer
Ian Whittaker	....	animatronics engineer
Wharton Winstead	....	assistant to producer

Production Companies

• The Mount Company

Distributors

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1990) (USA) (theatrical)
• Blue Dolphin Film Distribution (1990) (UK) (theatrical)
• CBS/Fox (1991) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Warner Home Video (1991) (UK) (VHS)
• CBS/Fox (1993) (USA) (VHS)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Warner Home Vídeo (199?) (Brazil) (VHS)

Special Effects

• Illusion Arts

Also Known As:

Roger Corman's Frankenstein Unbound

Runtime:

82 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Netherlands:16 | Australia:M | Finland:K-14 | Norway:15 (video premiere) | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Bellagio, Como, Lombardia, Italy

Company:

The Mount Company

Trivia:

The title is a reference to both the full title of Mary Shelley's original novel ("Frankenstein - or, The Modern Prometheus") and to Percy Bysshe Shelley's lyrical drama "Prometheus Unbound".

Quotes:

Buchanan: Meet...My monster!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Frankenstein: A Cinematic Scrapbook (1991)

Not bad, actually decent enough, considering the theme

I have to admit, I enjoyed this film, and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. This is only the second Roger Corman film I've seen so far, and therefore I can only really compare it to the other film I saw by him, The Terror. I can clearly recognize the directing style, and basic film-making style, but I must say that this is better than The Terror. The plot is pretty good, and fairly interesting, and more original than most other films dealing with Frankenstein. It has a decent enough pace; I wasn't bored for the 90 minutes it lasted. The script is fairly good too, a good twist on the original Frankenstein story, though I guess some fans of the original story wouldn't like the various changes. The acting is good enough, both John Hurt and Raul Julia gives pretty good performances, and the rest of the cast is decent. The characters are fairly well-written and credible. The film has a fairly bad name, it seems; yes, the monster does look more like the result of genetic mutation or something similar, rather than a creature built together by human bodies, and, arguably, the film has several violent scenes that seem to be there mainly to add violence rather than substance to the film, but apart from that, the film is pretty good, at least worth a watch, if only one watch. The effects are decent enough, at least for a film from 1990. The makeup effects and such were also pretty good, I must say that the monster's face, especially the eyes, did send a chill through my spine, the first time he was shown. I liked the various science fiction aspects of the film, and the social commentary was very good, too. The ending was a little weird, but it was a fairly good climax. All in all, a decent enough science fiction/horror drama, and worth one watch, if you can catch it for free. I recommend it to fans of Roger Corman and open-minded fans of Frankenstein and/or horror films in general; just be prepared that it won't be an incredible or very memorable film, just an entertaining 90 minutes, if you're into violent movies without any real purpose. 6/10