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Ludwig Frankenstein | |
---|---|
The Ghost of Frankenstein character | |
Portrayed by | Cedric Hardwicke |
In-universe information | |
Gender | Male |
Family | Henry Frankenstein (father) Elizabeth Frankenstein (mother) Wolf Frankenstein (brother) Elsa Frankenstein (daughter) Peter Frankenstein (nephew) |
Status | Deceased |
Ludwig Frankenstein is a fictional character who appears in the 1942 Universal horror film The Ghost of Frankenstein . He is played by Sir Cedric Hardwicke.
Ludwig was the son of Henry Frankenstein and younger brother of Wolf Frankenstein. Living in the town of Visaria with his daughter, Elsa (evidently named after his sister-in-law), he is a medical doctor who specialized in brain surgery: specifically, in treating the mentally ill with the help of his colleagues Dr. Bohmer (Ludwig's mentor who was demoted to Ludwig's assistant following a tragic surgical mistake) and Dr. Kettering.
Following the apparent deaths of Ygor and Frankenstein's monster at the hands of Wolf Frankenstein in Son of Frankenstein , Wolf gave to Ludwig both his own scientific notes as well as those of their father. Not wanting the people of Visaria, much less his daughter, to know about the unsavory history of his family, Ludwig kept the medical records of his father and brother Wolf locked away, determined not to let the sins of his father and brother haunt him. But Ludwig did not know that Ygor and the Monster were still alive. By some unrevealed act, Ygor becomes aware of Ludwig Frankenstein and his apparent success as a medical doctor which he reasons could help heal the Monster. The two arrive Visaria, Ygor demanded that Ludwig use his special talents to heal the Monster's sick brain, or else he informs the townspeople of the doctor's secret of being the actual son of the infamous monster-making Frankenstein.
Initially, Ludwig agreed. After the Monster killed Dr. Kettering in an unprovoked fit of violence and tried to abduct Elsa, he angrily changed his mind and planned to destroy the creature by dissecting the creature. However, the spirit of Henry Frankenstein (also played by Hardwicke without a moustache since Colin Clive had died in 1937) appeared before his son and implored him to reconsider, persuading Ludwig to use his talent at brain surgery to simply give the Monster another brain to replace the abnormal criminal one. Perhaps Ludwig was merely hallucinating. In any case, he was properly inspired to do what his father wished. He made plans to remove the Monster's brain and replace it with that of Dr. Kettering, whom both he and Dr. Bohmer viewed as a model citizen. In so doing, Ludwig hoped that he would end the threat of the Monster forever and clear the Frankenstein family's name.
Ygor persuaded Bohmer (who was secretly jealous of his former student's success) to put his brain into the Monster's head and not Kettering's. When Ludwig tried to stop the Monster, Ludwig ends up mortally wounded. But when the Monster's body went blind, it calls for Bohmer where he finds that he can hear and feel him while not being able to see him. The wounded Ludwig states to Bohmer that the Monster's blood is actually the same as Kettering's blood and not the same as Ygor's blood. It won't feed the sensory nerves. The creature went berserk, killed Bohmer upon claiming that he was tricked, and destroyed Ludwig's laboratory while causing a fire...supposedly destroying itself, as well.
Ludwig was killed in the resulting fire as recounted by his daughter in the succeeding film Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man .
Bride of Frankenstein is a 1935 American Gothic science fiction horror film, and the first sequel to Universal Pictures' 1931 film Frankenstein. As with the first film, Bride of Frankenstein was directed by James Whale starring Boris Karloff as the Monster and Colin Clive as Dr. Frankenstein. The sequel features Elsa Lanchester in the dual role of Mary Shelley and the bride. Colin Clive reprises his role as Henry Frankenstein, and Ernest Thesiger plays the role of Doctor Septimus Pretorius. Oliver Peters Heggie plays the role of the old blind hermit.
Frankenstein is a 1931 American gothic pre-Code science fiction horror film directed by James Whale, produced by Carl Laemmle Jr., and adapted from a 1927 play by Peggy Webling, which in turn was based on Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. The Webling play was adapted by John L. Balderston and the screenplay written by Francis Edward Faragoh and Garrett Fort, with uncredited contributions from Robert Florey and John Russell.
Frankenstein's monster, commonly referred to as Frankenstein, is a fictional character that first appeared in Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus as its main antagonist. Shelley's title compares the monster's creator, Victor Frankenstein, to the mythological character Prometheus, who fashioned humans out of clay and gave them fire.
Igor, or sometimes Ygor, is a stock character, a sometimes hunch-backed laboratory assistant to many types of Gothic villains or as a fiendish character who assists only himself, the latter most prominently portrayed by Bela Lugosi in Son of Frankenstein (1939) and The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942). He is familiar from many horror films and horror film parodies. He is traditionally associated with mad scientists, particularly Victor Frankenstein, although Frankenstein has neither a lab assistant nor any association with a character named Igor in the original Mary Shelley novel. The Igor of popular parlance is a composite character, based on characters created for the Universal Studios film franchise. In the first Frankenstein film (1931), Fritz served the role; in the sequels, a different physically deformed character, Ygor, is featured, though Ygor is not an assistant in those films.
Dr. Waldman is a fictional character who appears in Mary Shelley's 1818 novel, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus and in its subsequent film versions. He is a professor at Ingolstadt University who specializes in chemistry and is a mentor of Victor Frankenstein.
Doctor Septimus Pretorius is a fictional character who appears in the Universal film Bride of Frankenstein (1935) as the main antagonist. He is played by British stage and film actor Ernest Thesiger. Some sources claim he was originally to have been played by Bela Lugosi or Claude Rains. Others indicate that the part was conceived specifically for Thesiger.
Son of Frankenstein is a 1939 American horror film directed by Rowland V. Lee and starring Basil Rathbone, Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi. The film is the third in Universal Pictures' Frankenstein series and is the follow-up to the 1935 film Bride of Frankenstein. Son of Frankenstein stars Rathbone as Baron Wolf von Frankenstein who, with his wife Elsa and son Peter, returns to his late father's estate. Near the castle lives Ygor, a crazed blacksmith whose neck was broken in an unsuccessful hanging attempt. Among the castle's remains, Frankenstein discovers the remains of the Monster and decides to try to save his family name by resurrecting the creature to prove his father was correct. He finds, however, the Monster only responds to Ygor's commands.
The Ghost of Frankenstein is a 1942 American horror film directed by Erle C. Kenton and starring Cedric Hardwicke, Lon Chaney Jr. and Bela Lugosi. It is the fourth film in the Frankenstein series by Universal Pictures, and the follow-up to Son of Frankenstein (1939). The film's plot follows the previous film's plot: Frankenstein's Monster and his companion Ygor are chased out of town. They go to another small town to encourage the younger son of Henry Frankenstein to continue his father's experiments, so that Ygor can have revenge against his enemies and his brain transplanted into the Monster's skull.
Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man is a 1943 American horror film directed by Roy William Neill and starring Lon Chaney Jr. as Larry Talbot and Bela Lugosi as Frankenstein's monster. The script, written by Curt Siodmak, follows The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942) and The Wolf Man (1941), though with a number of retcons. Most significantly, Talbot only transforms into werewolf form during a full moon, which became a standard part of werewolf lore. The film involves Larry Talbot, who is resurrected when his tomb is disturbed. His search for a way to end his seeming immortality leads to his befriending Frankenstein's monster.
House of Dracula is a 1945 American horror film released and distributed by Universal Pictures. Directed by Erle C. Kenton, the film features several Universal Horror properties meeting as they had done in the 1944 film House of Frankenstein. The film is set at the castle home of Dr. Franz Edelmann, who is visited first by Count Dracula and later by Larry Talbot, the Wolf Man, who are trying to cure their vampirism and lycanthropy, respectively. Talbot is eventually cured, which leads him to discover the body of Frankenstein's monster in a cave below the base of the castle. Edelemann takes the monster's body back to his laboratory but finds Count Dracula has awakened and by attacking his assistants, he captures Edelmann and forces a reverse blood transfusion, which gives Edelmann a split personality and makes him a killer.
Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus, and the famous character of Frankenstein's monster, have influenced popular culture for at least a century. The work has inspired numerous films, television programs, video games and derivative works. The character of the Monster remains one of the most recognized icons in horror fiction.
Frankenstein's Monster is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is based on the character in Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. The character has been adapted often in the comic book medium.
Batman: Castle of the Bat is a DC Comics Elseworlds special published in 1994, written by Jack C. Harris with art by Bo Hampton as the artist and Tracy Hampton-Munsey as the letterer.
Frankenstein vs. the Creature from Blood Cove is a 2005 horror film written and directed by William Winckler. It is the second film from William Winckler Productions. Filmed in black and white, the film is an homage to classic monster movies, harkening back to the days of Universal's "Monster Rally" heyday. The film was released direct to DVD in 2005 and has since gone on to acquire a growing fan base. Part of the success of the film to date has been the support it has received from horror hosts and fans of late night cinema, with a national syndicated showing on Mr. Lobo's Cinema Insomnia Halloween special as well as local airings on shows from the Horror Host Underground. The film was awarded the "Best Feature Film" award at the 2006 World Horror Convention.
Frankenstein is a 2007 British television film produced by Impossible Pictures for ITV. It was written and directed by Jed Mercurio, adapted from Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus to a present-day setting. Dr. Victoria Frankenstein, a female geneticist, accidentally creates a monster while growing her son's clone from stem cells as an organ donor in an effort to prevent his imminent death. The film was broadcast on 24 October 2007, to an average audience of 3.6 million.
Lawrence StewartTalbot, also known as the Wolf Man, is a title character of the 1941 Universal film The Wolf Man and its sequels, created by Curt Siodmak. He was portrayed by Lon Chaney Jr. In the 2010 remake of the film, he is portrayed by Benicio del Toro. The Wolf Man was part of the Universal Monsters ensemble.
The Bride of Frankenstein is a fictional character first introduced in Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus and later in the 1935 film Bride of Frankenstein. In the film, the Bride is played by Elsa Lanchester. The character's design in the film features a conical hairdo with white lightning-trace streaks on each side, which has become an iconic symbol of both the character and the film.
Frankenstein's Army is a 2013 found footage horror film directed by Richard Raaphorst, written by Chris W. Mitchell and Miguel Tejada-Flores, and starring Karel Roden, Joshua Sasse, Luke Newberry, Alexander Mercury, Robert Gwilym, Andrei Zayats, Mark Stevenson and Hon Ping Tang. An international co-production of the United States, the Czech Republic, and the Netherlands, the film is set on the Eastern Front of World War II, as seen from the point of view of a Red Army team. In the film, Soviet troops invading Germany encounter undead mechanical soldiers created by a mad scientist descended from Victor Frankenstein.
Tales of Frankenstein is an unsold TV pilot filmed in 1958. It was a co-production of Hammer Film Productions and Columbia Pictures. The film is a mixture of elements from both the Hammer and Universal Pictures versions of Frankenstein, based on Mary Shelley's 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. The episode title, which does not appear onscreen, is "The Face in the Tombstone Mirror". The film is in the public domain.
Frankenstein is a film series of horror films from Universal Pictures based on the play version by Peggy Webling and the 1818 novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley. The series follow the story of a monster created by Henry Frankenstein who is made from body parts of corpses and brought back to life. The rest of the series generally follows the monster continuously being revived and eventually focuses on a series of cross overs with other Universal horror film characters such as The Wolf Man. The series consists of the following films: Frankenstein (1931), Bride of Frankenstein (1935), Son of Frankenstein (1939), The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942), Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943), House of Frankenstein (1944), House of Dracula (1945) and Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948).