 |
Halfsheet Style B Realart reissue for the 1941 Universal Pictures horror classic, The Wolf Man. Starring Lon Chaney Jr. in his breakout role, the film follows Larry Talbot as he returns to his ancestral home in Wales, only to be bitten by a werewolf and cursed to become one himself.
Film Overview
Starring: Lon Chaney Jr. (Larry Talbot/The Wolf Man), Claude Rains (Sir John Talbot), Evelyn Ankers (Gwen Conliffe), and Bela Lugosi (Bela the Gypsy).
Key Plot Point: Larry is bitten by a werewolf (played by Bela Lugosi) while trying to save a young woman, Jenny, from an attack.
Impact: The movie famously established much of the modern "werewolf lore," including the idea that werewolves are vulnerable to silver and the recurring poem about "wolfsbane blooming" and the "autumn moon".
Production & Trivia
Iconic Makeup: The Wolf Man's look was created by legendary artist Jack Pierce. It involved a grueling process of gluing layers of yak hair to Chaney’s face one at a time, often taking upwards of five to ten hours to apply.
Famous Poem: Screenwriter Curt Siodmak invented the "ancient" poem for the film: "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".
The "Wolf": In the scene where Bela bites Larry, the wolf was actually played by Lon Chaney Jr.'s own pet German Shepherd, Moose.
Tension on Set: Despite their on-screen chemistry, Lon Chaney Jr. and leading lady Evelyn Ankers reportedly did not get along; Chaney frequently pranked her while in full monster makeup, leading her to describe him as "a brute". |
|
|
