The Man Who Saw Frankenstein Cry (2010) Reviews

• In memory of Spain's beloved 'Horror Maestro' Paul Naschy

  kevinolzak2014-05-10

  "The Man Who Saw Frankenstein Cry" is a 74 minute documentary covering the life and best known films of Spain's 'King of Horror' Paul Naschy, who wrote, produced and directed under his real name, Jacinto Molina. His early life during the Spanish Civil War, cinematic yearnings, and weightlifting years set up his fascinating, extremely prolific film career, encompassing over 100 titles in 42 years. Most amazing of all, he scripted 44 of them as well, utilizing locations convenient for his low budgets, especially the ancestral home best remembered from "Horror Rises from the Tomb." At 74 minutes, there really isn't enough time to cover all the movies, but his best known all get a mention, from his starring debut in "Frankenstein's Bloody Terror," to "Count Dracula's Great Love" and "The Mummy's Revenge." The only difficulty I encountered were that the subtitles were occasionally difficult to read against certain backgrounds, but it was a brilliant idea to feature English captions when Spanish was being spoken, and vice versa. We hear from Naschy's devoted wife and both of his sons, plus we see his joy at meeting his fans in America, overwhelmed at the warm response, and refusing to charge a cent for his autograph. The story behind its title is saved for the very end, as Naschy witnessed a tearful Boris Karloff, during filming of an episode of I SPY, waiting for the car that would return him to his hotel. Mick Garris hosts in English, supported by actors Jack Taylor, Caroline Munro, and Maria Jose Cantudo, and filmmakers Joe Dante, John Landis, Donald F. Glut, and Javier Aguirre. A loving and deserved tribute to a fitting subject, hopefully just the first of many.

• Paul Naschy

  kosmasp2012-01-25

  I have to admit, I had no idea what the movie (documentary) was about when I went to see it. It was part of the Frightfest line-up in 2011 and the title did sound very intriguing. Plus a friend told me, if he'd only watch one movie from the whole Festival, it would be this one. I guess you can say he is a Naschy fan. While I have seen him (and the recent Valdemar Legacy does not do him justice), I'm not a scholar of his work, nor could I tell you many things about his movies. But this documentary is able to fill in some blanks, even for those who haven't heard of the guy. A bit of reading prior to watching this might come a long way, but this is still a very compassionate portray of a man, who lived his dream.