Frankenstein's Army

I don't normally start threads in the Films section but this one is worth it!

"Toward the end of World War II, Russian soldiers pushing into eastern Germany stumble across a secret Nazi lab, one that has unearthed and begun experimenting with the journal of one Dr. Victor Frankenstein. The scientists have used the legendary Frankenstein?s work to assemble an army of supersoldiers stitched together from the body parts of their fallen comrades ? a desperate Hitler?s last ghastly ploy to escape defeat."

The official site: http://www.frankensteinsarmy.com

More news: http://www.slashfilm.com/frankenste...veal-shocking-nazi-zombie-forces/#more-103254

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And from this wonderfully grim teaser page:

A very interesting object found in a field close to Baarsdorf, a village located
in east Germany near the borders of Poland and the Czech Republic.

Research showed that it is indeed a human skull of an unidentified male in his
mid twenties. Amazingly the skull itself has been cut in half (marks found on
the skull suggests this was done using a circular saw) and then reattached,
leaving a gap in between the two halves. No apparent reason has been found
explaining the maiming of this young man's head. What is more; the helmet is
attached to the skull on several points using varying sizes of screws and
different types of metal.

Sadly the remaining parts of the skeleton have not been recovered. We are trying
to locate the farmer who reportedly found the object in his field.

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Stoo said:

I don't normally start threads in the Films section but this one is worth it!

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I knew that I'd convert you to the dark side some day.

This looks very interesting.

When was this released? I need to watch this and Iron Sky back to back.

I like the pulp vibe. But what's the subtext here ? That it's ok to do inhumane things to an inhumane enemy ? That the Nazis are so laughable in their ideology that the only way we can view them now is in comedic terms ? The original Frankenstein had the monster as an innocent - a sympathetic chatacter, which I imagine is not the intent of this film.

All that aside, still going to watch it

Sounds like a comic book . . . .

Joe,
nice find!

roundshort said:

Joe,
nice find!

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You dig it the most.

I loved that comic.

Dr. Gonzo said:

I knew that I'd convert you to the dark side some day.

This looks very interesting.

When was this released? I need to watch this and Iron Sky back to back.

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It's still in production and hasn't been released yet (sorry Gonzo, but you haven't converted me to the dark side! )

inky_skin said:

I like the pulp vibe. But what's the subtext here ? That it's ok to do inhumane things to an inhumane enemy ? That the Nazis are so laughable in their ideology that the only way we can view them now is in comedic terms ? The original Frankenstein had the monster as an innocent - a sympathetic chatacter, which I imagine is not the intent of this film.

All that aside, still going to watch it

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That is a good question, Inky! Though it seems as if PULP is a main objective, with no aim of morality. We'll just have to wait and see...

Joe Brody said:

Sounds like a comic book . . . .

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Initially, the lack of attention to this film could be atttributed to the fact that it DIDN'T deal with a comic book superhero. This thread was DEAD for almost 1 year...but what happened after it was brought back to life 10 days ago? Superhero gayness was injected like a dirty needle, thanks to Joe Brody.

---
With all due respect, Joe (& Roundshort): Is Captain America your only connection with the Frankenstein story?

Stoo said:

Initially, the lack of attention to this film could be atttributed to the fact that it DIDN'T deal with a comic book superhero. This thread was DEAD for almost 1 year...but what happened after it was brought back to life 10 days ago? Superhero gayness was injected like a dirty needle, thanks to Joe Brody.

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Thanks Stoo -- this really cracked me up. Why the sharp reaction? Frankly, I'm not even following your line of thought here. Are you involved in the project in some manner?

Stoo said:

With all due respect, Joe (& Roundshort): Is Captain America your only connection with the Frankenstein story?

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Admittedly, I've never been a fan of the book though I am a fan of Mary Shelley. I've got my annotated version of Frankenstein right beside my annotated Dracula (signed Edward Gorey)(Crikey! -- another comic reference!) and my Everyman's Library copy of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

With two noted exceptions, I've never been a fan of Frankenstein in film: (i) Abbott & Costello meet Frankenstein (classic!) and (ii) De Niro's performance in Branagh's otherwise forgettable version.

So no, not much of a connection.

Is the Human Tourch like three feet tall on the cover?

Joe Brody said:

Thanks Stoo -- this really cracked me up. Why the sharp reaction? Frankly, I'm not even following your line of thought here. Are you involved in the project in some manner?

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Sorry to sound so harsh, Joe. 'Twas an automatic, anti-comic-book-superhero reaction. (I dislike the ubiquitous superhero content here and how it permeates many nooks & crannies.)

No, I'm not involved with this movie, I just think it's a good concept and love the fact that the makers are attempting to match their footage with archival film from the period. Whether or not they do it believably is/will be a matter of debate.

Joe Brody said:

Admittedly, I've never been a fan of the book though I am a fan of Mary Shelley. I've got my annotated version of Frankenstein right beside my annotated Dracula (signed Edward Gorey)(Crikey! -- another comic reference!) and my Everyman's Library copy of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

With two noted exceptions, I've never been a fan of Frankenstein in film: (i) Abbott & Costello meet Frankenstein (classic!) and (ii) De Niro's performance in Branagh's otherwise forgettable version.

So no, not much of a connection.

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Good! I LOVE Abbott & Costello and their Frankenstein flick is one of their best. (You don't dig Peter Cushing as the Doctor in the Hammer versions?)

The premise of "Frankenstein's Army" is that the Germans found Dr. Frankenstein's journal/diary and this works well with Shelley's original tale. Even though the doctor was Swiss, he went to university and created the monster in Germany (if I remember correctly).

To me, this film is much more appealing than "Iron Sky" and my desire to see it is so strong that it hurts!

Stoo said:

Even though the doctor was Swiss, he went to university and created the monster in Germany (if I remember correctly).

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A likely story. Karl from the Exorcist claimed the same thing when he was accused of having bowled with Goebbels and other such Nazi activities. His answer was simply, "I'm Swiss!"

Mephisto said:

A likely Story. Karl from the Exorcist claimed the same thing when he was accused of having bowled with Goebbels and other such Nazi activities. His answer was simply, "I'm Swiss!"

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Ha! Mephisto. I can guess that you're making a joke but what the hell is this supposed to mean? Frankenstein's story takes place in the post-Napoleonic era...more than 100 years before Germany's Nazi regime. It was back in the days before the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-71 and before the country changed its name from Prussia to Germany.

(If you want to discuss Swiss collaboration with Nazi Germany, we can do that...but in another thread. )

Stoo said:

Sorry to sound so harsh, Joe. 'Twas an automatic, anti-comic-book-superhero reaction. (I dislike the ubiquitous superhero content here and how it permeates many nooks & crannies.)

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Sounds like the trip to Amsterdam lightened you up -- but I get your point. One reason why I didn't understand your rant was the reference to the thread being a year old -- as if superhero over-exposure is something that only happened in the past year. We hit saturation much earlier -- I'd say as far back as '03 and the Ben Affleck Daredevil. And once Favreau hit the grand slam with the first Iron Man and Disney came knocking (looking to fill the Bruckheimer/Pirates void) and bought Marvel (I'd love to study the valuation work on the deal due to the projects in the pipeline) -- I've decided to just shrug and accept all the super hero films. The audiences like them and the films -- so far -- have been a money machine for Marvel/Disney. So it's not going to end any time soon. Trust me, even though I read some comics as a kid -- I'd like to see a lot more films like 'Winter's Bone', 'On The Road' or even 'The Way' being made than comic book movies. And for what it's worth, I don't see much of a difference between a comic book movie and this Frankenstein's Army concept.

Stoo said:

Good! I LOVE Abbott & Costello and their Frankenstein flick is one of their best. (You don't dig Peter Cushing as the Doctor in the Hammer versions?)

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I've got to confess: (1) I've got to check out the Hammer films (at most, I saw one as a kid, and (2) I neglected two other Joe Brody approved Frankenstein properties: (a) Young Frankenstein (my kids love it), and (b) as a kid in the '70's I had a Power Records Comic set that included Frankenstein (The Power Records series was a comic with a 45 rpm record -- which I guess was either a throwback to old radio serials or comics for kids that couldn't read. Either way, most of them, I subjectively remember as being really good and Frankenstein as having a particlularly good depiction of the monster's plight).

Joe Brody said:

Sounds like the trip to Amsterdam lightened you up -- but I get your point.

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Ha! Funny you say that, Joe, because the director of "Frankenstein's Army" is Dutch! (His previous work was filmed in Amsterdam!)

Joe Brody said:

One reason why I didn't understand your rant was the reference to the thread being a year old -- as if superhero over-exposure is something that only happened in the past year.

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How can you NOT understand the rant?

Many factors: Indy fans LOVE to talk about killing NAZIS. Many RAVEN MEMBERs LOVE to talk about MARVEL comic book movies. NOBODY here (besides myself) talked about this film until the "Iron sky" trailers were released!

The over-exposure is the least of the issues for me.

Joe Brody said:

We hit saturation much earlier -- I'd say as far back as '03 and the Ben Affleck Daredevil. And once Favreau hit the grand slam with the first Iron Man and Disney came knocking (looking to fill the Bruckheimer/Pirates void) and bought Marvel (I'd love to study the valuation work on the deal due to the projects in the pipeline) -- I've decided to just shrug and accept all the super hero films. The audiences like them and the films -- so far -- have been a money machine for Marvel/Disney. So it's not going to end any time soon. Trust me, even though I read some comics as a kid -- I'd like to see a lot more films like 'Winter's Bone', 'On The Road' or even 'The Way' being made than comic book movies. And for what it's worth, I don't see much of a difference between a comic book movie and this Frankenstein's Army concept.

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Sorry, man, all of the name-dropping you've just done mean nothing.

Joe Brody said:

I've got to confess: (1) I've got to check out the Hammer films (at most, I saw one as a kid, and (2) I neglected two other Joe Brody approved Frankenstein properties: (a) Young Frankenstein (my kids love it), and (b) as a kid in the '70's I had a Power Records Comic set that included Frankenstein (The Power Records series was a comic with a 45 rpm record -- which I guess was either a throwback to old radio serials or comics for kids that couldn't read. Either way, most of them, I subjectively remember as being really good and Frankenstein as having a particlularly good depiction of the monster's plight).

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The Hammer films focus on the doctor. Judging from what you've written, Joe Brody, you NEED to check them out!

However, Frankenstein's diary is much more prevelent in the Universal films than it is in the Hammer versions...(and the diary is the main impetus of this story.)

Stoo said:

Sorry, man, all of the name-dropping you've just done mean nothing.

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Sorry I ramble when I get over-tired. I'll check out the Hammer.

No worries, Joe. Interestingly enough, there is another Amsterdam/Netherlands connection to this movie!

I read that "Frankenstein's Army" is a re-working of another film the Dutch director, Richard Raaphorst, was planning several years ago. For various reasons, that project was shelved but 2 trailers were made. The title was, "Worst Case Scenario", and the its premise was that The Netherlands beat Germany in a fictional World Cup soccer/football game and the Germans decide to take revenge by attacking the Dutch with an army of Frankenstein-ish soldiers. Below is the 1st trailer and it gives a taste of how the undead creations might be portrayed in the new story.

WARNING TO GERMANS: Those of you who don't have a good sense of humour may find a certain part slightly insulting. (The part about 'overtaking the beaches'.)

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That is a very funny trailer!

Film Finally Finished!

*BUMP* (By freaky coincidence, roundshort's post was EXACTLY one year ago, today!)

Joe Brody said:

And for what it's worth, I don't see much of a difference between a comic book movie and this Frankenstein's Army concept.

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Agreed, since this is very much like the old, "Weird War Tales" comic but I'm always turned off by how much attention that superhero movies get amongst members here.

Anyway, "Frankenstein's Army" has been completed and it premiered in Rotterdam about 2 months ago with positive reviews. Fortunately, it has very little CG effects with almost everything being done in-camera. Unfortunately, the film is in colour with only the 'found footage' being in grainy, black & white. (I was hoping the entire thing would be done in the style of the trailers.)

Joe, I believe that you live somewhere in the New York City area? If so, it'll be playing in 2 weeks (April 18) at the Tribeca Film Festival. To any New Yorkers who go: I'd be very interested to read your comments.

That is a very funny trailer!