Quarantine Film Fest — “Frankenstein: The True Story” (1973), dir. Jack Smight
We’ve all heard about the great TV movies of the 70s and 80s — “Roots,” “Shogun,” “North and South” — but I never heard much about “Frankenstein: The True Story” until a couple of years ago when I encountered Sam Irvin who has become the self-established caretaker of this film. Sam has written a cover-to-cover comprehensive feature on FTTS for “Little Shoppe of Horrors” magazine, and now that I’ve seen the film, I can read up on it with a better understanding and appreciation.
Sure it has a bit of that made-for-TV aesthetic, and it’s a bit of a slow burn — which I don’t mind — but overall it was a surprisingly emotional and often horrifying epic. Michael Sarrazin’s portrayal as The Creature and his slow transition into deterioration is haunting and troubling as you see him come to grips with what he is.
This Shout Factory release is loaded with features that I can’t wait to check out.
Three and a half stars.
Check it out.
