Flesh for Frankenstein  

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-*In 1973, ''[[Andy Warhol's Frankenstein]]'' became the first [[3-D film|3-D]] movie to be officially rated "X" for its extreme violence and sexuality. 
-*1974's ''[[The Street Fighter]]'', starring [[Sonny Chiba]], was the first film to receive an "X" rating for violence in the US.+'''''Andy Warhol's Frankenstein''''' is a [[1973 in film|1973]] [[horror film]] directed by [[Paul Morrissey]] and produced by [[Andy Warhol]], [[Andrew Braunsberg]], [[Louis Peraino]], and [[Carlo Ponti]]. Starring [[Udo Kier]], [[Joe Dallesandro]], [[Monique van Vooren]] and [[Arno Juerging]], and filmed in the famous [[Cinecittà]] by a crew of Italian master filmmakers, ''Andy Warhol's Frankenstein'' is suffused with the crumbling glamour of old Italian films, paying homage to (while simultaneously parodying) the earnest and stark visual and psychological beauty of the horror films on which it is based. Morrissey's sense of ironic detachment gives the film a gruesomely comic modernity and beauty all its own.
-*''[[1900 (film)|1900]]'' (1976) was originally rated "X" and had over an hour of footage cut for an R-rating before its US release in 1977. The uncut version was released on VHS in 1993 with an "NC-17" rating. In 2006, [[Paramount Pictures]] surrendered the NC-17 rating for the uncut version and released it on DVD.+In the United States, the film was marketed as ''Andy Warhol's Frankenstein'', and was presented in the Space-Vision [[3-D film|3-D]] process in premiere engagements. It was [[X-rated|rated X]] by the [[MPAA]], due to its explicit sexuality and violence. A 3-D version also played in Australia in 1986, along with ''[[Blood for Dracula]]'', an obvious pairing. In the seventies a 3-D version played in Stockholm, Sweden. In subsequent US DVD releases, the film was retitled ''Flesh for Frankenstein'', while the original title was used in other regions.
-*Wes Craven's ''[[The Hills Have Eyes (1977 film)|The Hills Have Eyes]]'' (1977) was given an X-rating. Several of the most violent/graphic moments were edited out to get an "R" rating. Uncut version is now available on all US DVD releases.+The film was later cut to 93 minutes for an R-rating, thereby increasing its ability to be screened in more theaters. The U.S. DVD releases have utilized the full uncut version, which is now unrated. The film has had it's television premiere in the United Kingdom on November 17th 2009 and was broadcast in 3D as part of Channel 4's 3D Week.
-*1980's "[[Friday the 13th (film series)|Friday the 13th]]" and its sequels (except the 4th installment) were all cut for violence to get an "R" rating. Uncut editions can be found only in certain countries, while all known US releases currently contain the theatrical cuts.+==Themes==
 +Like ''[[Blood for Dracula]]'', made by the same crew and cast, and sharing many of the same sets (a cost-cutting measure first used by [[Roger Corman]]), ''Flesh for Frankenstein'' is an attempt at using a [[Gothic fiction|gothic]] story to comment on power, knowledge and social order. While many adaptations of Frankenstein portray the doctor as a man whose dedication to science for professional glory take him too far, in ''Flesh for Frankenstein'', the Baron’s interest is more self-absorbed: he seeks to rule the world by creating a new species that will obey him and do his bidding.
-*''[[My Bloody Valentine (film)|My Bloody Valentine]]'' (1981) infamously had 9 minutes cut for an "R" because of the gore.+==Plot synopsis==
 +Dr. von Frankenstein neglects his duties towards his wife/sister, as he is obsessed with creating a perfect [[Serb]]ian race to obey his commands, beginning by assembling a perfect [[male]] and [[female]] from parts of [[corpse]]s. The doctor's [[sublimation]] of his sexual urges by his powerful urge for domination is shown when he utilizes the [[surgical wound]]s of his female creation to satisfy his [[lust]]. He is dissatisfied with the inadequate [[reproductive]] urges of his current male creation, and seeks a [[Organ donation|head donor]] with a greater [[libido]]; he also repeatedly exhibits an intense interest that the creature's "nasum" ([[nose]]) have a correctly [[Human_nose#Shapes_of_the_human_nose|Serbian shape]].
-*''[[Scarface (1983 film)|Scarface]]'' (1983) was given an "X" rating 3 times (original, 2nd, and 3rd cuts) for extreme violence and graphic language. Director [[Brian De Palma]] pulled in a panel of experts, including real narcotics officers, stating that the film was an accurate portrayal of the real-life drugworld and should be widely seen. This convinced the 20 members of the ratings board to give the 3rd cut an "R" rating by a vote of 18 to 2. However, De Palma surmised that if the 3rd cut was judged an "R" then the original cut should have been rated "R" as well. He asked the studio if he could release the original cut, but was told that he couldn't. However, since the studio executives really didn't know the differences between the three submitted cuts, DePalma released the unedited and intended version of the film to theaters anyway.+As it happens, a suitably randy [[farmhand]] leaving a local [[brothel]] along with his [[sexually repressed]] friend, brought there in an unsuccessful attempt to dissuade him from entering a [[monastery]], are spotted and waylaid by the doctor and his [[henchman]]; mistakenly assuming that the prospective monk is also suitable for [[stud (animal)|stud]] duty, they take his head for use on the male creature. Not knowing these behind-the-scene details, the farmhand survives and finds his way to the castle, where he is befriended by the doctor's wife; they form an agreement for him to gratify her unsatisfied carnal appetites.
-*''[[The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2]]'' (1986), was intended for an "R", but given an "X" for graphic violence, prompting the filmmakers to release it as "Unrated."+Under the control of the doctor, the male and female creatures are seated for dinner with the castle's residents, but the male creature shows no signs of recognition of his friend as he serves the Baron and his family. The farmhand realizes at this point that something is awry, but himself pretends not to recognize his friend's face until he can investigate further. After a falling out with the doctor's wife, who is merely concerned with her own needs, he is captured by the doctor while snooping in the [[laboratory]]; the doctor muses about using his new acquisition to replace the head of his creature, who is still showing no signs of libido. Nevertheless, the doctor's wife/sister is rewarded for betraying the farmhand by being granted use of the creature for erotic purposes, but is killed during a bout of overly vigorous copulation. Meanwhile the jealous henchman repeats the doctor's sexual exploits with the female creature, resulting in her graphic [[disembowelment]]. The doctor returns and, enraged, does away with the henchman; when he attempts to have the male creature eliminate the farmhand, however, the remnants of his friend's personality rebel and the doctor is killed instead in gruesome fashion. The creature, believing he is better off dead, then disembowels himself. The doctor's children then enter the laboratory pair up a pair of scalpels and proceed to turn the wheel of the crane that is holding the farmhand in mid-air. It is not clear if the scalpels are there in order to release him, or take over when father left off!
-*''[[RoboCop]]'' (1987) was originally given an "X" rating by the MPAA for scenes of "excessive violence." To satisfy the requirements of the ratings board, director [[Paul Verhoeven]] trimmed blood and gore from the most violent scenes for an "R" rating. The unrated version is available on the Criterion laserdisc and DVD releases (both now out of print) and the RoboCop Trilogy boxset.+The gruesomeness of the action was intensified in the original release by the use of [[3-D film|3-D]], with several dismbowelments being shot from a perspective such that the internal organs are thrust towards the camera.
-*''[[Leatherface: Texas Chainsaw Massacre III]]'' (1990) was originally rated "X" for its brutal, gory violence. 5 minutes of the film was cut for an "R" rating. The unrated version is now available alongside the R-rated version on DVD.+==Writer and director==
 +Screenwriter [[Tonino Guerra]] is better known as the author of [[Fellini]]'s ''[[Amarcord]]'' and [[Antonioni]]'s ''[[Blowup]]''.
-*In 1990, the ultraviolent cult thriller ''[[King of New York]]'' received an "X" rating for graphic violence and crude language. It was edited and appealed to "R". Shortly after it was released, the "NC-17" rating was introduced.+While some Italian prints reportedly give [[second unit director]] [[Antonio Margheriti]] credit as director of the film, Udo Kier has stated that Margheriti had nothing to do with directing the film. Kier stated that he and the other cast members received direction only from Morrissey, and noted that he never saw Margheriti on the set.
-*''[[Total Recall]]'' (1990) was given an "X" rating for excessive violence. Some violence was trimmed and different camera angles were used in some of the more over-the-top scenes for an "R" rating.+==See also==
- +* [[Andy Warhol filmography]]
-*In the [[Quentin Tarantino]]/[[Robert Rodriguez]] double feature film [[Grindhouse (film)|Grindhouse]], there is a fake trailer before the first movie segment ([[Planet Terror]]) that advertises a movie starring [[Danny Trejo]] called [[Machete (film)|Machete]]. Being true to the intended nature of the double feature film (demonstrating an experience of American Grindhouse movie theaters) the trailer shows many graphic and violent scenes. After the trailer ends, there is a quick screen stating that the film is rated X. While it was not considered a movie at the time and the X rating was meant as a joke, Robert Rodriguez expressed interest in making the trailer into a movie. It is currently in Pre-Production.+
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Andy Warhol's Frankenstein is a 1973 horror film directed by Paul Morrissey and produced by Andy Warhol, Andrew Braunsberg, Louis Peraino, and Carlo Ponti. Starring Udo Kier, Joe Dallesandro, Monique van Vooren and Arno Juerging, and filmed in the famous Cinecittà by a crew of Italian master filmmakers, Andy Warhol's Frankenstein is suffused with the crumbling glamour of old Italian films, paying homage to (while simultaneously parodying) the earnest and stark visual and psychological beauty of the horror films on which it is based. Morrissey's sense of ironic detachment gives the film a gruesomely comic modernity and beauty all its own.

In the United States, the film was marketed as Andy Warhol's Frankenstein, and was presented in the Space-Vision 3-D process in premiere engagements. It was rated X by the MPAA, due to its explicit sexuality and violence. A 3-D version also played in Australia in 1986, along with Blood for Dracula, an obvious pairing. In the seventies a 3-D version played in Stockholm, Sweden. In subsequent US DVD releases, the film was retitled Flesh for Frankenstein, while the original title was used in other regions.

The film was later cut to 93 minutes for an R-rating, thereby increasing its ability to be screened in more theaters. The U.S. DVD releases have utilized the full uncut version, which is now unrated. The film has had it's television premiere in the United Kingdom on November 17th 2009 and was broadcast in 3D as part of Channel 4's 3D Week.

Contents

Themes

Like Blood for Dracula, made by the same crew and cast, and sharing many of the same sets (a cost-cutting measure first used by Roger Corman), Flesh for Frankenstein is an attempt at using a gothic story to comment on power, knowledge and social order. While many adaptations of Frankenstein portray the doctor as a man whose dedication to science for professional glory take him too far, in Flesh for Frankenstein, the Baron’s interest is more self-absorbed: he seeks to rule the world by creating a new species that will obey him and do his bidding.

Plot synopsis

Dr. von Frankenstein neglects his duties towards his wife/sister, as he is obsessed with creating a perfect Serbian race to obey his commands, beginning by assembling a perfect male and female from parts of corpses. The doctor's sublimation of his sexual urges by his powerful urge for domination is shown when he utilizes the surgical wounds of his female creation to satisfy his lust. He is dissatisfied with the inadequate reproductive urges of his current male creation, and seeks a head donor with a greater libido; he also repeatedly exhibits an intense interest that the creature's "nasum" (nose) have a correctly Serbian shape.

As it happens, a suitably randy farmhand leaving a local brothel along with his sexually repressed friend, brought there in an unsuccessful attempt to dissuade him from entering a monastery, are spotted and waylaid by the doctor and his henchman; mistakenly assuming that the prospective monk is also suitable for stud duty, they take his head for use on the male creature. Not knowing these behind-the-scene details, the farmhand survives and finds his way to the castle, where he is befriended by the doctor's wife; they form an agreement for him to gratify her unsatisfied carnal appetites.

Under the control of the doctor, the male and female creatures are seated for dinner with the castle's residents, but the male creature shows no signs of recognition of his friend as he serves the Baron and his family. The farmhand realizes at this point that something is awry, but himself pretends not to recognize his friend's face until he can investigate further. After a falling out with the doctor's wife, who is merely concerned with her own needs, he is captured by the doctor while snooping in the laboratory; the doctor muses about using his new acquisition to replace the head of his creature, who is still showing no signs of libido. Nevertheless, the doctor's wife/sister is rewarded for betraying the farmhand by being granted use of the creature for erotic purposes, but is killed during a bout of overly vigorous copulation. Meanwhile the jealous henchman repeats the doctor's sexual exploits with the female creature, resulting in her graphic disembowelment. The doctor returns and, enraged, does away with the henchman; when he attempts to have the male creature eliminate the farmhand, however, the remnants of his friend's personality rebel and the doctor is killed instead in gruesome fashion. The creature, believing he is better off dead, then disembowels himself. The doctor's children then enter the laboratory pair up a pair of scalpels and proceed to turn the wheel of the crane that is holding the farmhand in mid-air. It is not clear if the scalpels are there in order to release him, or take over when father left off!

The gruesomeness of the action was intensified in the original release by the use of 3-D, with several dismbowelments being shot from a perspective such that the internal organs are thrust towards the camera.

Writer and director

Screenwriter Tonino Guerra is better known as the author of Fellini's Amarcord and Antonioni's Blowup.

While some Italian prints reportedly give second unit director Antonio Margheriti credit as director of the film, Udo Kier has stated that Margheriti had nothing to do with directing the film. Kier stated that he and the other cast members received direction only from Morrissey, and noted that he never saw Margheriti on the set.

See also




Unless indicated otherwise, the text in this article is either based on Wikipedia article "Flesh for Frankenstein" or another language Wikipedia page thereof used under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License; or on research by Jahsonic and friends. See Art and Popular Culture's copyright notice.

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