When Lugosi transforms he becomes a wolf. When Chaney transforms he becomes a wolf MAN. Sure it helps the plot so that Talbot can say he killed a wolf. But then Talbot should also become a wolf. Just saying. Love Universal horror.
I agree. It would have been better if they kept it consistent, but when has old Universal horror films been ever consistent in their plots?
shareThey kinda try to shed some light on this in the first conversation Larry has with Gwen in her shop.She tells him a werewolf is a man who becomes a wolf and he says to her,"you mean runs around on all fours,bites and snaps and howls at the moon?" And she says,"yes,and sometimes worst than that." To me suggesting a two legged form.
share
I never heard that. I'm gonna have to watch it again.
The Wolf Man's got nards.
shareI wondered about that too. Maybe if he lived longer, he would have transformed into a wolf on all fours?
shareIt is an unexplained plot inconsistency. I've always satisfied myself with the explanation you suggest: that it - in the world of Universal horror - is a progressive condition. The longer you've got it, the more canine you become.
Speaking of canines, do you know the story of the German shepherd who "played" the wolf attacking Jenny? Named "Moose," he belonged to a studio employee who agreed to let Chaney adopt him after the two became devoted to one another while working together.
Chaney often brought him to the set on subsequent films, and if you search "Lon Chaney Moose" in Google or Bing images, you'll come upon a number of amusing and adorable photos of them together when Chaney was in costume ("consulting" Moose on a script page; resting his head on the dog during a nap; checking his paw for a thorn during "Son Of Dracula;" etc).
Here's what bothers me: after living with the gypsy troupe for who knows how long while her own son was a werewolf, Maleva starts a "whisper campaign" about Larry, spreading the warning that "There's a werewolf in camp!"
Blood's thicker than lycanthropy, I guess.
Poe! You are...avenged!
I always just assumed the reason for Bela being an actual wolf was the fact that the filmmakers didn't want to reveal the actual "Wolf Man" makeup until Lon Chaney had his first transformation.
shareYou are absolutely correct simeon_flake.
shareWell, yeah: that's the "real life" reason (which usually differs from the "reel life" one).
Poe! You are...avenged!
There were several things that really bothered me while watching the movie.
For instance, Larry's first transformation. The people involved with the film made a big deal out of this being some sort of psychological thriller, but how does a man under delusion of being a wolf suddenly decide to change his clothes?
Also, am I the only one who kind of found Larry to be mildly creepy as a person, almost bordering on stalkerish?
I kind of wish that the people involved had used the original script rather than this version, whenever I see Lon Chaney with Claude Rains, I can't help but laugh. The mom must be an Amazon!
There are a ton of inconsistencies in the film. Apparently, after transforming into a killing machine, he decides to put on a new shirt. The villagers are idiots for assuming the attacks were done by a wolf. Lon Chaney Jr.'s bite would have been nothing like Bela since his far more man than wolf. Not to mention, he's bipedal, so his tracks wouldn't have been the same as a wolf's, either.
Like you, I always thought Larry was pretty stalkerish and creepy. The lady says "no" firmly several times, yet he insists on coming to see her. I suppose that's partly because back in the day it was considered okay, even romantic, to assume "no" means "yes, but I don't realize it yet!" By today's standards, it comes off as creepy.
On that note, I was wondering what the original script was! I've never heard that there was a different script and I'm intrigued, even though your comment is five years old...
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The OP and evolution_500_2 raise excellent points. I agree with a previous poster that perhaps Bela became more wolf-like over time, but we really don't know how long Bela was a lycanthrope, because the script doesn't say. So who knows? But the two big holes in the movie are: 1) Bela being more wolf-like and Talbot being more man-like; 2) Talbot changing his clothes after the first transformation, putting on a dark shirt to cover his sleeveless undershirt while he's actually a werewolf.
And, yes, I agree with evolution_500_2 that Larry Talbot has a bit of the stalker in him. Although Evelyn Ankers - oh wow!
That said, I love the film!
Also, the gypsy camp's reaction to the news of there being a werewolf seemed kind of odd considering Bela had been traveling with them for some time presumably.
shareI can't figure out why Bela was hanging around, telling fortunes when he knew what was up. You'd think he'd have gotten away from where people hang out or locked himself up somewhere instead of continuing to read tarot cards and palms until just moments before he was set to transform. His mom also seemed to have some ability to stop the curse (she caused, I think, Larry to turn back into a human when he was caught in a trap), yet Larry never tries to retrieve the pendant.
sharehow the hell did he keep his clothes when he was a wolf? why did they reappear after he dies?
shareNo, what really bothered me was that kids who went to play in the woods would get their tiny little legs horribly chewed up by all those traps so carefully hidden.😱
sharedon't overthink it
so many movies, so little time
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Here is my idea. In some folklore, a werewolf is someone who has a curse put upon him. Because Bela was cursed he turned into a full wolf form, similar to the character in the movie Ladyhawke-1985 where Navarre turns into a full wolf due to a curse put upon him. Larry was not cursed but only bitten so he does not turn into a full wolf.
The glaring goof of Bela being a full wolf without explanation and Larry not being one is why I've given this movie a 4.
"Do All Things For God's Glory"-1 Corinthians 10:31
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