FRANKENSTEIN CREATED SUSAN DENBERG

Susan Denberg (aka Dietlinde Ortrun Zechner) was blond, beautiful, and unapologetically curvaceous. A German-Austrian Kim Novak look-alike with strong sex appeal and an endearing screen presence. Like Novak, Denberg dated Sammy Davis Jr. while some of her other romantic conquests included Stuart Whitman, Sidney Poitier, Charles Bronson, Jim Brown, and director Roman Polanski. Following a …

FRANKENSTEIN: THE TRUE STORY (1973)

Film buffs tend to have obsessions. We fuss and fawn over particular actors and directors while attempting to see everything they ever appeared in or produced. One of my own personal obsessions isn’t an actor or a director but it’s a tale I enjoy seeing reimagined over and over again in different languages and in …

MAE CLARKE: FRANKENSTEIN’S FIRST BRIDE

The name Mae Clarke might not immediately ring any bells. But the fair-haired, spirited, and sad-eyed beauty was a promising leading lady in pre-code Hollywood before personal disappointments, mental health issues, and a disfiguring car accident took their toll. When Clarke died in 1992 at age 81 most classic film fans remembered her as the …

In the Trenches with James Whale: FRANKENSTEIN (1931)

THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1935) is commonly considered the best of James Whale’s two Frankenstein films and while I absolutely love Elsa Lanchester’s iconic performance as the hissing she monster, I prefer the original. There are a number of reasons why I tend to gravitate towards FRANKENSTEIN (1931) over its sequel. First and foremost, it takes itself more seriously and …

RECONSTRUCTING FRANKENSTEIN: SPARK OF BEING (2010)

This year marks the 200th anniversary of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, which was originally published in 1818. Shelley was just 19 years old when she first conceived of this classic piece of Gothic fiction, and since the book’s release it has been adapted for the large and small screen many times. One of the most unusual …

6 Months of Film Writing

I'm afraid I've been neglecting Cinebeats again but I've been busy with various personal projects and obligations. I've also recently started writing for Publishers Weekly but I thought I'd finally update with some highlights from TCM's Movie Morlocks. Here's some of the more interesting (in my estimation) film related writing & entertaining babble I've produced …

Spies, Frankenstein & . . . Sports?!

I'm afraid that I've been too busy and preoccupied with home renovations, family matters and work to updated Cinebeats regularly. Most of my film writing is done at The Movie Morlocks now so it often seems redundant to re-post links to everything here. If you want to keep track of my weekly activities on a …

Prometheus Unbound: Ridley Scott & Me

How much did I love Ridley Scott's ALIEN (1979) after seeing it at the tender age of 11? Too much. The commercials for ALIEN terrified me and the film's tagline ("In Space No One Can Hear You Scream") sent unprecedented chills down my spine but I was determined to see it. I can't remember how …

Frankenstein-A-Go-Go

I recently joined 8track, which allows members to create their own internet radio or mixed tape so during the month of October I'll be sharing Halloween inspired music mixes that you can stream online. My first offering is called "Frankenstein-A-Go-Go" featuring 12 songs recorded by a variety of artists between 1958-1973 about the good doctor …

Frankenstein: “It’s Alive!”

I rarely get out to see new films for a variety of reasons. First and foremost is my lack of disposable income but my desire to see new films is also limited by my tastes as well as geography. I simply have little interest in what's currently playing at my local multiplex and very few …

Die, Monster, Die! (1965)

Frankenstenia is celebrating the life and career of one of my favorite actors with The Boris Karloff Blogathon taking place Nov. 23-29th. I didn't sign-up to participate because I couldn't commit to anything. My current blogging schedule is sporadic and a bit crazy because at the moment most of my attention is focused on trying …

10 Questions with Shane Briant

Shane Briant in Straight on Till Morning (1972) The talented British-born actor Shane Briant made his screen debut in the Hammer horror film Demons of the Mind. Since then he's gone on to appear in over 60 films and television productions including Straight On Till Morning (1972), The Picture of Dorian Gray (1973), The Mackintosh …

A Ken Russell Interlude

Just taking a brief break from putting the final touches on the last half of my Favorite DVDs of 2008 list and wanted to point out a few Ken Russell related reading and viewing suggestions. As I've mentioned before, Ken Russell is one of my favorite directors and with the recent unfortunate death of actress …

Jess Franco’s Rites of Frankenstein (1972)

My love for Jess Franco definitely clouds any objective opinion I have about his work, but I truly believe that The Rites of Frankenstein (aka Les Experiences erotiques de Frankenstein, 1972) is one of the director's most surreal and interesting efforts. Unfortunately this erotic horror film doesn't really live up to what it could have …