The Man Who Saw Frankenstein Cry

Not a Frankenstein movie, but a great title for a film I can’t wait to see… The Man Who Saw Frankenstein Cry: Paul Naschy, The Life and Legend of a Horror Icon.

The intriguing title comes from an anecdote reported by Naschy (1934-2009). On February 25, 1966, Naschy was hired as an extra on a Spanish location shoot for the American television series I Spy with Boris Karloff in a memorable guest part as a Quixotic scientist. Though Naschy’s scenes were edited out, he had the opportunity to observe the elderly actor, hobbled by leg braces, at work in very difficult circumstances. Late in the day, in bitter cold and piercing winds, Naschy saw the suffering Karloff weep as he waited for transportation that was late arriving. “I am one of the very few,” Naschy wrote, “perhaps even the only man who saw Frankenstein’s Monster cry.”

The 60-minute documentary was directed by Naschy’s biographer, Angel Agudo. Mick Garris serves as host and narrator, and the film features rare archival footage of Naschy and interviews with Naschy friends and colleagues, including Christopher Lee and Caroline Munro.

The Man Who Saw Frankenstein Cry is scheduled for various film festival stops through the summer. It will premiere officially, and most appropriately, at the 43rd Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia in October.

In other Festival news, the extraordinary — and amazingly successful —Fantasia International Film Festival wrapped up in Montreal on July 28 and we note that Matthew Saliba’s Frankenstein Unlimited (which I blogged about here) walked away with a Bronze Award in the Best Canadian or Quebecois Feature category. And, by the way, I was knocked out to see Frankensteinia quoted by the Festival blog!

Paul Naschy website.

Frankenstein at FanTasia

The torrid summer of 2010 just got hotter: The 14^th edition of the excellent FanTasia International Film Festival, the largest genre festival in North America, kicks off today, July 8, in Montreal.

Among the offerings this year is Frankenstein Unlimited (2009), an anthology film by local filmmaker Matthew Saliba. The director’s Dark Fury is one of the six short films included in the compilation that, according to a press release, “takes the themes and mythos of Mary Shelley's creation in bold new directions via some of the most dynamic, innovative and mind-blowing shorts you've ever seen!”

You can read about the individual films, see the official trailer and even purchase the DVD on Saliba’s comprehensive website. And here’s the FanTasia page for the film.

There’s another Frankenstein connection to this year’s festival. Jury President Jean-Claude Lord, a Québécois film critic turned filmmaker who has proved himself as comfortable with social commentary as he is with B-movie thrillers, directed the 1986 Robocop precursor, The Vindicator, about a dying man turned into an indestructible killing machine. The film’s shooting title was Frankenstein ’88. The production company was identified as “Frank & Stein Film Productions" and the main character’s robotic costume was referred to as “the Frankenstein Suit”.

The Festival runs until July 28. Feast your eyes on the program, the guests and all the goodies on the FanTasia website. There’s also a FanTasia Blog this year.