|
Related Items:
Editorial Review:
Amazon.com:
If you're in the properly receptive mindset to appreciate the artistry of director Paul Morrissey's Flesh for Frankenstein, you may experience an unexpectedly delightful shift in attitude while watching the film. At first it appears that Morrissey is indulging in an exercise of pure camp (and it's true, he is), but then it hits you: underneath all the wretchedly awful dialogue and seemingly deliberate bad acting, it's clear that Morrissey and his cast are up to something wonderful. Not only is this a seductively beautiful film to watch--even the abundant bloodshed and gory scenes of dismemberment are esthetically striking--but it's been conceived with astute intelligence and a wealth of refined humor, while maintaining connections to the resonant themes of the Frankenstein story. In this case, Baron Frankenstein (marvelously overplayed by Udo Kier) is a rather twisted fellow, married to his sister (Monique van Vooren) and determined to create the perfect man and woman from the assembled remains of selected corpses. He's created a sexy female, but his male specimen's got the brain of a young man who aspired to be a monk, making sexual arousal a bit of a challenge! The dead man's friend (Morrissey discovery Joe Dallesandro) intervenes to disrupt the Baron's mad experiment, and it all leads up to a climactic laboratory scene of gruesome and tragic death, all worthy of Morrissey's splendid operatic staging.
Originally filmed in 3-D with outrageous scenes of in-your-face carnage, the film is enjoyable as camp horror, but it's equally entertaining as an exercise in pop-art symbolism and socio-political satire. This becomes even more evident from the wonderful audio commentary track featuring Morrissey, a very witty Udo Kier, and the stuffy but erudite critic Maurice Yacowar, whose insightful analyses make it clear that this is surely not a typical horror film. It's trashy but exquisite, and quite worthy of inclusion in the Criterion Collection. Once you've seen this, you simply must move on to its companion film, Blood for Dracula. --Jeff Shannon
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating: - Little Joe and the Frankenstein Saga
Moving at a sometimes glacial pace, Paul Morrisey's 1973 trash-art classic, "Flesh for Frankenstein" is, nevertheless, a beautifully filmed and elegantly turned out psychodrama that is in equal parts, horror film and satire. In this restored version (originally for inclusion in the esteemed Criterion Collection), the movie is so gorgeous to look at that even the excessive gore has an artistic sheen; it's as if a Renaissance painter tackled the Frankenstein legend via a charnel house.
Read More
Rating: - Frankly Funny
I saw this in 3D "back in the day", 1973. It's such a hoot! Watch the version narrated by the director and learn about making films.
D Man
Rating:  - Classic trash
I saw this movie back in 1973 in 3D when I was a kid. It is one of the most memorable horror movies that I still remember up to this day. Who could ever forget the dialogues of Udo like " to understand death you have to f..ck life in the gall bladder!" I am very glad that I finally found this dvd. If you like trashy movies this is a real gem!
Rating: - Frankie as you've never seen him before!
Andy Warhol's "FLESH FOR FRANKENSTEIN", done in the same vein (no pun intended) as the Warhol Dracula film. Joe Dallesandro and Udo Kier also star in this film. It has been restored with a pristine print. It too was filmed in 3-D and you will notice "things" coming at you. Not as good as 3-D itself, but it shows you the idea of the audience becoming a part of the film. It isn't like the Karloff film. This is a campy, gory version. Cutting off heads, cutting open bodies and holding the parts towards ... Read More
Rating: - PERVERSELY FUNNY CULT CLASSIC
The very definition of a guilty pleasure, taken on it's own terms, 'Flesh for Frankenstein' is a weird, wonderful and suprisingly opulent (despite it's low budget) bloody treat.
It's filled with outrageous humour, gore, sex and wildly OTT performances from it's good looking cast. Udo Keir in epically maniacal form as the deranged Baron. He is counterbalanced by resident Warhol hunk Joe Dallesandro, giving his usual brooding mono performance, his New Yawk accent adding to the bizarre fun. ... Read More
|
