Three Star Wars Villains Have A Rich History With Frankenstein
It's strange to think that "Frankenstein" had already existed for over 100 years by the time James Whale and Boris Karloff's film version terrified audiences. Despite its differences from Mary Shelley's original novel, the film has become intertwined with the story; when someone hears "Frankenstein," they'll probably think of the lumbering, mute green-skinned creature played by Karloff.
Reinterpretations of Frankenstein have either drawn on Karloff's look or purposefully distanced themselves from it. One of the latter is the "Frankenstein" films of Hammer. A British studio specializing in B-movies, Hammer was, during the mid-20th century, the premier horror filmmaking studio. Like Universal Studios, the old masters of horror, Hammer kicked off its scare-frenzy with a Frankenstein adaptation: "Curse of Frankenstein." An even greater departure from Shelley than Whale's film, "Curse" led to sequel after sequel that dropped any pretense of faithfulness.
"Star Wars" has been consistently filmed at studios in England, so it's no surprise that the original and prequel trilogies recruited local actors, including some Hammer alums. In fact, the actors behind "Star Wars" villains Grand Moff Tarkin, Count Dooku, and even Darth Vader himself have all taken turns at playing either Victor Frankenstein, or Frankenstein's terrifying creation.
Peter Cushing
Peter Cushing was the human face of Hammer; the definition of a British gentleman, he played the parts that didn't demand make-up. In "Frankenstein," that meant starring as the titular doctor. Unlike Shelley's Victor Frankenstein, an ambitious fool who finds himself unprepared for the responsibility of creating life, Cushing's Frankenstein was a true villain. Unlike the original story, he doesn't grave-rob to get a brain for his creation — he murders a distinguished professor. When his maid Justine (Valerie Gaunt) tries to blackmail him, he locks her in a room with the creature to be murdered.
Fittingly, the film ends with Victor being sent to the guillotine — though the sequel retconned his execution and Cushing returned to the role five times. The villainous Baron Frankenstein was the opposite of the next Hammer role he would play: the heroic Van Helsing in "Horror of Dracula."
In "Star Wars," Cushing played Grand Moff Tarkin, commander of the Death Star. It's often forgotten because of Darth Vader's screen presence, but Tarkin is the real villain of "A New Hope." Cushing's distinctive appearance has been replicated whenever Tarkin has popped up in subsequent animation or, regrettably, as a digital mask for actor Guy Henry in the prequel "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story."
Sir Christopher Lee
Sir Christopher Lee was Cushing's counterpart at Hammer and the two became lifelong friends as a result. While Cushing played the humans, Lee played the monsters: his imposing height and deep voice served him well. Though Lee is most remembered as Count Dracula, he also played the Mummy and yes, Frankenstein's Monster. Unlike Cushing, Lee only appeared in the first "Frankenstein" film — a shame because of how striking he looks in the part.
The makeup Lee wore as Frankenstein's Monster is more grotesque than Karloff's: decaying grey-green skin, a stitched scar across his forehead and cheeks, and a dead, milky right eye. The film being shot in Technicolor instead of black and white helped the creature's disgusting appearance pop. This might be why Lee's Monster lacks any of the empathy that Karloff's take had; he's not a tragic villain, just a dangerous murderer. To keep him feeling inhuman, Lee's creature never says a word.
Lee came to "Star Wars" much later than his friend did. In the prequel trilogy films, "Attack of the Clones" and "Revenge of the Sith," he played Count Dooku/Darth Tyranus, a fallen Jedi, leader of the Separatists, and Sith apprentice to Darth Sidious (Ian McDiarmid). Dooku's character is tragically underused but Lee always infuses him with greater dignity than the films themselves do. Thanks to Dooku, and simultaneously his performance as Saruman in "The Lord of the Rings," Lee created a whole new generation of fans for himself.
David Prowse
You might not recognize David Prowse's face from "Star Wars." That's because he was always concealed behind a helmet — Darth Vader's helmet, to be precise. Though James Earl Jones supplied the Dark Lord's voice, Prowse wore the costume; his high-pitched, Bristolian-accented voice made the redubbing all the more necessary. Even so, Prowse — a 6'6" bodybuilder — had the physical presence that Vader needed.
Years before he dressed up as the Dark Lord of the Sith, Prowse played Frankenstein's Monster — three times, in fact. His first time was in, of all films, the 1967 "Casino Royale," a parody where James Bond (David Niven) briefly meets Frankenstein's Monster. Prowse's costume is based on Karloff's Creature, not any of the Hammer iterations.
Even so, someone at Hammer took notice of Prowse because he then featured in "Horror of Frankenstein" as the Creature. Notably, this is the only one Hammer "Frankenstein" without Cushing — that's because "Horror" is a remake of the original "Curse of Frankenstein." Compared to Lee's creature, Prowse's is far less mishappen. With his bald, blocky head, he looks more like a Kanamit, the lumbering aliens from "The Twilight Zone" episode, "To Serve Man," than he does Frankenstein's Monster.
The final Hammer "Frankenstein" film, "Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell," brought back Cushing, Prowse, and Hammer's most prolific director Terence Fisher (for his final film). This time, Frankenstein's creation had a more ape-like appearance, complete with fur, rendering Prowse even less recognizable. The creature wound up looking more like the Wolfman than Frankenstein's Monster, but in a franchise all about experimentation, there's nothing wrong with variety.