Originally released during the tail end of 1953 in glorious black and white, director Chano Urueta's The Revived Monster-issued here by One Seven Movies as simply Monster-is a unique riff on the classic mythos of Dr. Frankenstein and his stitched-flesh creation.
Both the character of Frankenstein and The Monster are combined here in Urueta's creation in the form of Dr. Hermann Ling, a brilliant yet deranged madman, rendered hideous and deformed by his own, twisted experiments on human genetics. Ling is the subject of an interview conducted by local reporter Nora, during which the unbalanced doctor becomes fanatically obsessed with the beautiful reporter.
Played with strength and class by the beautiful, tragic actress Miroslava-the actress would go on to take her own life only two short years after this film, after an apparent love affair gone bad-this character of Nora is refreshingly empowered compared to most female leads of the time, while Jose Rivas' depiction of the equally tragic doctor is rivetingly intense.
The lighting and cinematography of Victor Herrera is absolutely beautiful here, framing each scene with artistry and class, while the plot and pacing move at a brisk, fluid pace. As such, Monster never feels longer than it's eighty minute running time, a perfect length to establish Urueta's vision as a true classic of Mexican cinema, while placing his film alongside Georges Franju's Eyes Without a Face and the Universal classic Frankenstein as one of the most memorable "mad scientist" depictions ever committed to celluloid.
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