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| Wolf von Frankenstein | |
| Aliases: | Wolf Frankenstein Baron Wolf von Frankenstein |
| Continuity: | Universal Monsters |
| Notability: | Main character |
| Type: | Scientist |
| Gender: | Male |
| Race: | Human |
| Location: | Castle Frankenstein, Frankenstein Village |
| Relatives: | Henry Frankenstein [1] Elizabeth Frankenstein [2] Elsa von Frankenstein [3] Peter von Frankenstein [4] Ludwig Frankenstein [5] |
| Status: | Deceased by virtue of time era |
| Born: | 19th century [6] |
| First: | Son of Frankenstein (1939) |
| Actor: | Basil Rathbone |
Wolf von Frankenstein is a fictional scientist and part of the Universal Classics Horror film series by Universal Pictures. Played by actor Basil Rathbone, he made a single appearance in 1939 in Son of Frankenstein.
Overview[]
Wolf brought his wife, Elsa and son Peter to Frankenstein Village after inheriting his late father's estate. They were met with derision and cold stares from the villagers who remembered the mad experiments of his late father, Henry Frankenstein, and the monster that he created.
Wolf tried his best to assuage their fears, until he came upon a deformed criminal named Ygor, who told him where he could find the Frankenstein Monster. The monster was revived and Wolf found himself drawn into his father's work, and became determined to uphold the legacy of Frankenstein. During his journey of discovery, he found his efforts confounded by a particularly insistent town inspector named Krogh.
Notes & Trivia[]
- The character of Wolf von Frankenstein was created by director Rowland V. Lee and writer Wyllis Cooper based on concepts originally developed by author Mary Shelley.
- Actor Basil Rathbone was forty-seven years old at the time that he played Wolf von Frankenstein.
- It is unknown why the "von" was added to the Frankenstein name with this character. His parents did not have this name, nor does his apparent brother, Ludwig Frankenstein, from Ghost of Frankenstein. Perhaps Wolf decided to add it because he thought it made himself sound more sophisticated.
- Wolf von Frankenstein inherited the title of Baron from his late grandfather, the original Baron Frankenstein, played by Frederick Kerr in Frankenstein (1931).
- In terms of the "Mad scientist" trope, Wolf von Frankenstein is one of the more benign examples of this archetype. Though he does develop the obsessive tendencies that seems to dominate all male members of the Frankenstein family line, he is nowhere near as crazed or lacking moral judgment as some other notable scientists.
- In the scene where Wolf is playing darts with Inspector Krogh, actor Basil Rathbone demonstrates remarkable accuracy and grouping considering that he is looking directly at Krogh rather than the dart board when throwing the darts.
- In a non-canon sense of continuity, Wolf von Frankenstein is either the father or direct uncle of Frederick Frankenstein, who is the increasingly loud crazy-haired scientist played by Gene Wilder in Mel Brooks' 1974 comedy Young Frankenstein.
See also[]
External Links[]
References[]
- ↑ Father, deceased; Identified as Henry von Frankenstein.
- ↑ Mother; status unknown; likely deceased by the time of Son of Frankenstein.
- ↑ Wife; not to be confused with Elsa Frankenstein from Ghost of Frankenstein.
- ↑ Son.
- ↑ Brother, as revealed in Ghost of Frankenstein; deceased.
- ↑ It is unclear exactly what year this film is supposed to take place, but it is safe to assume that Wolf is either in his mid-thirties or early forties in the movie.