In 1941, Lon Chaney Jr's transformation from man to wolf was not as impressive as Benicio Del Toro's 2010 transformation. When Chaney first transformed in the movie, it looked as if the camera stayed on his feet and the audience watched as they turned into wolf paws. There wasn't much suspense to the 1941 transformation; once the camera was at Chaney's feet, the audience knew he was going to look like a wolf when the camera came back up. What I was surprise to notice (because this was my first time viewing the movie) was the fact that the director, George Waggner, wanted to portray Chaney as an actually wolf/man. His legs seemed to stay the same, they just became more hairy, his face only seemed to get more hairy and his teeth more sharp. It did not seem like that much was transforming.
While the 2010 version, directed by Joe Johnston, portrayed Del Toro as more of a Werewolf. When Del Toro transformed,it seemed that he was transforming into a new creature, which built up the suspense in the movie. Of course, the technology was much better. The transformation, in the 2010 film, that was the most intriguing was when Del Toro was strapped down to the chair at the "Psych Ward". You could see in his facial expressions and moans, that bones were forming in new places all over his body. His fingers cracked backward, his teeth triple the amount in his mouth, his neck twists and cracks, his eyes get bigger, his tongue gets longer, he is no longer man . . . he is fully wolf.
Here is a clip of the 2010 transformation from man to wolf.
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ReplyDeleteJust because it is more gruesome, does that mean the transformation is better? What is the function of the hospital scene in the 2010 film?