Bride of the Monster
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| Bride of the Monster | |
|---|---|
 Original Theatrical poster |
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| Directed by | Ed Wood, Jr. |
| Produced by | Donald E. McCoy Tony McCoy Ed Wood, Jr. |
| Written by | Ed Wood, Jr. Alex Gordon |
| Starring | Tony McCoy Bela Lugosi Loretta King |
| Distributed by | Banner Pictures |
| Release date(s) | 11 May 1956 (USA) |
| Running time | 68 min. |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
Bride of the Monster (originally known as Bride of the Atom) is a 1955 science fiction film starring Bela Lugosi in a traditional mad scientist role. It was produced, directed and co-written by Edward D. Wood, Jr.. A sequel, entitled Night of the Ghouls, was made in 1959 but went unreleased for decades.[citation needed]
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[edit] Plot
Lugosi's character, Dr. Eric Vornoff, is experimenting with atomic energy in a primitive laboratory in his mansion. His goal is to create an army of mutated supermen to do his bidding. Newspaper reporter Janet Lawton (a role originally intended for Dolores Fuller but given to Loretta King) [citation needed] starts investigating, as do the local police. Meanwhile, an East German "monster hunter", Professor Strowksi (George Becwar), is creeping around trying to persuade Dr. Vornoff to return to their homeland.
[edit] Themes
Lugosi's character says at one point: "One is always considered mad, if one discovers something that others cannot grasp". It has been argued by commentators on the film that it is actually meaningful as a criticism of standard views and ideas.[citation needed] It has also been suggested that the phrase expresses both Wood's and Lugosi's bitterness at the lack of appreciation for their work.[citation needed] According to some, this is a good example of the theory that the problem with Wood's movies was not necessarily his ideas in themselves, but rather their poor execution.[citation needed]
The closing comment by the heroes, after Vornoff's demise in the hands of his own creation, "He tampered in God's domain", is typical of the view in science fiction films that science is bad, even destructive. (Because executive producer Donald E. McCoy disagreed with the use of atomic power, he only agreed to finance the film if Wood changed the script to end with an atomic explosion as a warning against atomic weapons.)[citation needed]
[edit] Myths about the film
Some sources say Wood stole the mechanical octopus (originally used for the John Wayne film Wake of the Red Witch) from a props storage vault at Republic Studios.[citation needed] Other sources insist Wood legitimately rented the octopus, along with some cars, from Republic. Regardless, its inner mechanism was missing, and Lugosi "struggled" with it by moving its arms around in an effort to make it seem alive.[citation needed]
The book The Golden Turkey Awards claims that Lugosi's character declares his manservant Lobo (Tor Johnson) "as harmless as kitchen" [sic]. This allegedly misspoken line is cited as evidence of either Lugosi's failing health/mental faculties, or as further evidence of Wood's incompetence as a director. [1] However, a viewing of the film itself reveals that Lugosi said this line correctly, the exact words being, "Don't be afraid of Lobo; he's as gentle as a kitten."
Rudolph Grey's book Nightmare of Ecstasy: The Life and Art of Edward D. Wood Jr. contains anecdotes regarding the making of this film. [2] Grey notes that participants in the original events sometimes contradict one another, but he relates each person's information for posterity regardless. He also includes Ed Wood's claim that one of his films made a profit and surmises that it was most likely Bride of the Monster but, in a situation similar to the play in Mel Brooks' The Producers, he oversold the film and couldn't reimburse the backers.
[edit] Legacy
The shooting of this movie is re-enacted in Tim Burton's Ed Wood.
[edit] Trivia
This film is part of what Wood aficionados refer to as "The Kelton Trilogy", a trio of films featuring Paul Marco as "Officer Kelton", a whining, reluctant policeman.[citation needed] The other two films are Plan 9 from Outer Space and Night of the Ghouls.
The television program Mystery Science Theater 3000 featured Bride of the Monster in episode 423. [3] Johnson, in the character of Lobo, also appeared in The Unearthly, a non-Wood film which was made years after Bride of the Monster, but was featured on MST3K a year before Bride. [4] Johnson also appeared in a third MST3K episode, The Beast of Yucca Flats. [5] The character of Lobo appeared again in Bride's sequel, Night of the Ghouls, which was never MSTed. [6]
Bride of the Monster was Bela Lugosi's last speaking role in a feature film. His last appearance in a film was Ed D. Wood Jr.'s Plan 9 from Outer Space.
[edit] References
- Sloan, Will (April 2005). "Can Your Heart Stand the Shocking Facts About Kelton the Cop A/K/A Paul Marco?". Filmfax (106): pp. 88-89.
- ^ Medved, Harry, Michael Medved (1980). The Golden Turkey Awards: Nominees and Winners, the Worst Achievements in Hollywood History. New York: Putnam, p. 178. ISBN 0-399-50463-X.
- ^ Grey, Rudolph (1992). Nightmare of Ecstasy: The Life and Art of Edward D. Wood Jr.. Los Angeles: Feral House. ISBN 0-922915-04-0.
- ^ Mystery Science Theater 3000, "The Unearthly" (episode 3.20).
- ^ Mystery Science Theater 3000, "Bride of the Monster" (episode 4.23).
- ^ Mystery Science Theater 3000, "The Beast of Yucca Flats" (episode 6.21).
- ^ "Night of the Ghouls". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved on 2006-05-18.
