Driven By Desire
Six years prior to the popular Lon Chaney, Jr. film, The Wolf Man, Universal bared its claws with 1935’s Werewolf Of London. The film starred Henry Hull as Dr. Wilfred Glendon, a man that struggles with the terrible truth that he has become a werewolf and wants nothing more than to murder the one that he loves.
The film is considered to be the first werewolf film released by a major studio. The Werewolf, a silent film released in 1913, is recognized as the first werewolf film ever made.
As is the case with many Universal Monsters films, Werewolf of London begins with an expedition. This time around, the expedition is of a botanical variety and it takes place in Tibet. Glendon and a colleague enter a forbidden area looking for the mariphasa plant, a plant that only blooms by moonlight. While searching for the plant, Glendon is attacked by a creature. He manages to survive, but after returning home he begins to have a craving for blood.
Glendon becomes extremely secretive about his discovery and research and alienates his wife, Lisa (Valerie Hobson), and neglects his social duties. On one particular evening, Lisa manages to pry Glendon away from his laboratory for a gathering. At the party, he meets one of Lisa’s old flames, Paul Ames (Lester Matthews), and there’s tension between the trio almost instantly. Paul doesn’t hide the fact that he still has feelings for Lisa and Glendon becomes very protective of her.
Glendon also meets Dr. Yogami (Warner Oland), a botanist that claims that he and Glendon had an encounter in Tibet. Glendon doesn’t remember their meeting, but Yogami’s knowledge of the mariphasa plant intrigues him. Yogami tells Glendon that the mariphasa plant has properties that can prevent one from transforming into a werewolf, but Glendon brushes him off. Yogami also warns Glendon that a werewolf is driven by a desire to kill the one that he loves the most.
Dr. Glendon soon realizes that he is affected by moonlight. Before he can try using the mariphasa plant to save himself, the two opened blooms are stolen from his laboratory. Unable to resist the transformation, Glendon turns into a werewolf and murders a young woman. Desperate, he isolates himself from the rest of the world. Lisa and Paul become closer, the body count rises, and a second werewolf enters the fray. Can Dr. Glendon discover the identity of the other werewolf? Will he save his marriage? Can he stop his inner cravings to kill? You’ll have to check out Werewolf of London in order to find out!
Glendon’s werewolf and its story are unique in many ways. For starters, Glendon appears to be somewhat aware of what is going on while he’s a werewolf. His transformation is more like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde than that of a traditional werewolf. He’s aware enough to put on a coat and hat before going out to hunt and it isn’t until he sees Lisa that he seems to become blinded by the desire for her blood. Silver bullets are not necessary to stop him and there appears to be a scientific way of treating his lycanthropy. The film also features a love triangle and a secondary werewolf that manipulates the story as it goes along, two elements that don’t always appear in a werewolf film.
The stars of this film do great jobs. Hull is particularly solid as Dr. Glendon. Viewers can easily see the internal struggle raging inside of Glendon as he attempts to save himself and others. Jack Pierce, best known for his makeup work on The Wolf Man, also did the makeup for Werewolf Of London, and Hull’s wolf looks a lot more dapper than Lon Chaney, Jr.’s wolf man.
The film isn’t as well known as other werewolf movies, but its influence can be seen in films such as An American Werewolf In London and heard in the popular song Werewolves of London by Warren Zevon.
I really liked this film. A strained relationshiip made even more so by a man’s need for isolation mixed together with a second werewolf intent on saving itself makes for a great tale. Watching Hull spiral out of control was excellent as well.
If you haven’t seen this oft forgotten gem, give it a chance. You’ll be pleasantly surprised.
Thank you for reading my post. I’ll have another one tomorrow and will also be posting about the Lake Charles Film Festival very soon!
Ken's Alternate Universe! 