The scene in Rowland V. Lee’s Son of Frankenstein, where the main character Baron Wolf von Frankenstein first attempts to resurrect The Monster, is a pivotal point for the film’s narrative of the regressive development that plagues Baron Wolf von Frankenstein’s by his blindness for his family’s pride.
In this scene, Baron Wolf von Frankenstein finishes his analysis on the biological composition of The Monster. He begins to monologue to his assistants, Benson and Ygor, about the dilemma for attempting to resurrect the monster. However, he fails to resurrect The Monster and gives up his pursuit. The monologue is about viewing from the perspective of what to do with The Monster from that of a typical man and that of a scientist. Overall, he chooses to resurrect the monster to help clear his father’s name. This monologue amplifies the family element in the film. His monologue reveals to the audience the extent of his greed to resolve his family’s name. This results in Baron Wolf von Frankenstein having a regressive development. When the film began, his intentions were clear. He wanted to mend the peace from the harm that his father had created several decades ago.
From another interpretation, this is Baron Wolf von Frankenstein surrendering his humanity. This occurs even after he views the two perspectives, believing that as a human, he should destroy The Monster. But, with a huge glimmer of realization and hope, chose to do the opposite. scene internally changed the character, as he is presented with the possibility to help his father not only to absolve his father’s past but to also make him into a renowned scientist. He’d rather seize the potential pride, ignoring the risks and safety of the towns people and his family. The scene displays to the audience a powerful message of how corrupt a man’s values could be when given the opportunity.
This scene is very crucial to the narrative of the film. It sparks the linear chain of events that ultimately leads to the deaths of several towns people and the voluntary banishment of the Frankenstein’s. In the beginning, his values and morals were established. However, once he met Ygor, his morals begin to spiral downward. He caves into the pressure of Ygor when he displays the comatose body of The Monster. This is also a critical point in the film, as Baron Wolf von Frankenstein facial expressions appears to be morbidly intrigued. He doesn’t seem too upset or disturbed, given that he is well aware of the role The Monster had in the previous two films. He is ultimately convinced by Ygor to help resurrect The Monster. The pivotal scene described in the analysis serves as the final opportunity for Baron Wolf von Frankenstein to potentially progress and to choose the side that is morally right. As a result from this scene, Baron Wolf von Frankenstein begins to spiral into a man blind by his father’s work and their family name. He firmly believes that what he is doing is justified. He argues with his servant Benson after Benson suggests that they should report to the police about their findings, having been in awe with the idea of potentially reclaiming his father’s name. His values continue to shrink, where he learns that The Monster began killing off people under Ygor’s orders. Baron Wolf van Frankenstein berates Ygor for ordering The Monster to kill off the jurors that led to a botched hanging for Ygor. The words that Baron Wolf van Frankenstein utters shows that he values humans less than that of his father’s legacy. He states to Ygor that if the police find out about the monster, they will execute it and there will be no purpose for either of the two. The lack of remorse for the victims is strongly conveyed throughout this scene and shows that Baron Wolf von Frankenstein’s humanity has deteriorated even further from the scene when he first attempts to resurrect The Monster. It is ultimately when his son, Peter von Frankenstein, was kidnapped by The Monster for retribution for killing Ygor that he does the morally correct choice and regaining his humanity by kicking The Monster to its death.
Throughout the film, the character’s development Baron Wolf von Frankenstein is regressive. The scene in Rowland V. Lee’s Son of Frankenstein, where the main character Baron Wolf von Frankenstein first attempts to resurrect The Monster, is a pivotal point for the film’s narrative of the character’s regressive development.
