Frankenstein: The True Story (1974)
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Source: JustWatch
Physical Media
It was written by Christopher Isherwood, whose Berlin stories became CABARET, working with Don Bachardy, the man he shared his life with. Like the Berlin stories it shows deep sympathy for the marginalized and explores opposing tensions of beauty and decay, pity and revulsion.
FRANKENSTEIN: THE TRUE STORY (1973) plays less like a monster feature than a tale of love and abandonment. It also carries one of the most misleading subtitles in horror. The two-part NBC event strays from Mary Shelley in nearly every detail, but retains its own unique power.
Here the creature steps out of the laboratory so beautiful that society opens its doors to him. Then the flesh begins to fail, the features start to slide, and the people who once admired him look away.
Bringing the film to life is an electric cast of luminaries, including Michael Sarrazin, Zeffirelli’s Romeo Leonard Whiting, James Mason as a silken Dr. Polidori, David McCallum, a very young Jane Seymour as a second and colder creature, along with John Gielgud, Ralph Richardson, and a pre-Doctor Who Tom Baker.
Frankenstein: The True Story is a lush, moody, passionate horror in the Hammer tradition and was an acknowledged inspiration for Del Toro's Frankenstein (2025).
About the Film
He created the perfect man—then something went wrong.
- Directed By
- Jack Smight
- Runtime
- 186 minutes
- Released
- September 19, 1974
- Country
- United States of America
- Starring
- James Mason, Leonard Whiting, David McCallum, Jane Seymour, Nicola Pagett
More Credits
- Genres
- Drama, Horror, Science Fiction
- Language
- English
- Origin
- GB
- Studios
- Universal Pictures
- Written By
- Mary Shelley
- Produced By
- Hunt Stromberg Jr.
- Cinematography
- Arthur Ibbetson
- Music
- Gil Mellé
- Also Starring
- Michael Sarrazin, Michael Wilding, Tom Baker, Clarissa Kaye-Mason, Agnes Moorehead
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Absolutely love this movie.
The cast gave wonderful performances.
The sets & costumes are outstanding.
Saw this on tv. when released.
Have enjoyed watching it many times
Agàrha!
I saw this on TV when it first aired. I thought it was terribly romantic and of course I fell for Frankenstein.
Figaro!
Meh!
My favorite Frankenstein! Awesome🔥🔥🔥🔥
A better Sarrazin film is “The Reincarnation of Peter Proud.”
Got it
I just rewatched this for the first time in many years. It’s still a very interesting take on the story and worth a watch. There’s a great “making of..” book called The Epic Saga Behind FRANKENSTEIN: THE TRUE STORY. If you enjoy this film the book is worth a read
Directed by Jack Smight.
What a great movie, and the script by Christopher Isherwood and Don Bachardy was published in 1973 for a mere $1.25 from Avon Books. Sadly there were no lobby cards, no stills, no sound track by Gil Melle… Only this book of the script.
Big Isherwood fan.