Hales, The Wolf Man

Naturally there are many differences between the 1941 version and the 2010 version of The Wolf Man. First one notices that the original is in black and white and the remake is in full color. In the original they do not seem to use lighting techniques or scenery to instigate a feeling of suspense. Instead they use smoke and the soundtrack. The 2010 version makes use of all of these techniques. Another major difference between the two is the change and extension of plot. They only mention the warning poem once in the remake, but many times in the original:

Even a man who is pure in heart and says his prayers by night

may become a wolf when the wolf bane

and the autumn moon is bright.

I saw this as a repetitive trick used in the same way as the soundtrack. In the remake they extended the running time substantially, so much so that I lost interest. Also, the changes made to the original plot did not seem to be improvements. The love interest of the wolf man being his brother’s ex-fiancee made me have less sympathy for the characters, whereas the love interest being a local girl in the original was easier to accept. I suppose the twist of the father being the original werewolf in the remake was an improvement, but I definitely saw it coming. I enjoyed the more primitive use of special effects in the original film. It was interesting watching the camera and editing work involved in the wolf man’s transformation. In the remake the transformation was certainly more seamless, but not necessarily superior. Overall, I found the 1941 version of The Wolf Man to be charming, and the 2010 version just cheesy.