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Classic films in focus: The Wolf Man (1941)
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DVD cover art - Universal Legacy Series
"Even a man who is pure in heart, and says his prayers by night, may become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms, and the autumn moon is bright." So goes the mantra that haunts The Wolf Man (1941), and its reiteration over the course of the film reveals the spirit in which this movie is meant to be viewed. What we have here is nothing less than a de casibus tragedy on a supernatural scale, the story of a good man whose descent into violence and ultimate destruction are not of his own making, but rather the cruel machinations of Fortune's ever spinning wheel. Though its special effects may hold fewer thrills for pampered modern viewers, The Wolf Man remains an elegant, thoughtful example of classic horror and one of the best werewolf movies ever made.
Lon Chaney, Jr., stars in his career-defining role as Larry Talbot, the Americanized prodigal son of an ancient English family. Returning home after the death of his older brother, Larry is reunited with his father, Sir John (Claude Rains), who expects Larry to take up his responsibility as the family's sole surviving heir. Larry seems happy enough to do just that, but an ill-fated encounter with a mysterious wolf leaves Larry with disturbing symptoms, and people in and around the village start turning up dead. At the same time, Larry finds himself attracted to local shopgirl Gwen Conliffe (Evelyn Ankers), even though she is engaged to Sir John's gamekeeper, Frank Andrews (Patric Knowles). Soon enough, the midnight rambles of the wolf man put everyone Larry cares about in mortal peril.
Chaney plays Larry as a big, good guy, not a heroic character, really, but a nice one. The actor's large frame and wide, open face serve him well in that his Larry is the opposite of everything we might consider monstrous. There is no mystery here, no brooding brow, no sinister allure to drive the school girls wild. He is a marrying kind of man, a son eager to prove himself to his father, a man who rushes to the aid of a desperately screaming woman. None of these qualities will protect him, and, in fact, his courageous effort to save Jenny Williams (Fay Helm) is the direct cause of his downfall. No good deed goes unpunished. As a werewolf he is all snarls and hair, tiptoeing through the foggy forest in search of victims, but he is far more terrifying as the man who wakes the next morning and knows that something terrible has been let loose in him during the night. We know there can be no salvation, and so does he. Such horror never becomes dated, no matter what modern special effects might make of the transformation scenes.
Claude Rains keeps a very British stiff upper lip as Larry's father, and it's clear that one of the film's major concerns is how much Sir John's reticence and skepticism will contribute to his son's demise. The idea that huge, lumbering Chaney could be the son of the small, sharp Rains is a bit ludicrous, it's true, but Rains affects a very credible patriarchal attitude nonetheless. Could a better father have saved his son? Sir John's paternal favoritism for his first born was clearly the wedge that drove Larry from Talbot Hall so many years before; by the time the film ends, the Talbot line will be eradicated, leaving Sir John with nothing. We see here a terrible indictment of old-fashioned paternity; Sir John pays for his failures as a father with the blood of his sons and the collapse of his family line. It pays to watch the last few moments of the film very closely and read the emotions that play across Claude Rains' face as the final scene rolls. He knows what this story means.
The other players are all very good, with several horror regulars making appearances. Bela Lugosi is grandly theatrical and almost unrecognizable as the gypsy who shares his name. Patric Knowles is very fine, chiseled and handsome as always, although he really doesn't have that much to do. The standout of the supporting cast is certainly Maria Ouspenskaya as the old gypsy woman, Maleva. There's a wonderful pathos in every line that she delivers, and director George Waggner makes great use of her tiny size and inscrutable face throughout the film. Stealing scenes in a horror movie from Chaney and Lugosi is no small feat, but Ouspenskaya manages it every time she turns up on screen.
A remake of the film is currently slated for release in early 2010, with Benicio Del Toro as Larry Talbot and Anthony Hopkins as Sir John. Joe Johnston (The Rocketeer, October Sky, Hidalgo) directs the new version. His career indicates that he has a talent for a very classic sort of action and adventure, but it remains to be seen whether or not he can capture the tragic heart of this werewolf story.
More classic horror:
Dracula (1931)
The Mummy (1932)
Cat People (1942)
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