31 Days of Halloween: Day 7

Frankenstein (1931) Director: James Whale 

Released in the same year as Universal's Dracula, Frankenstein follows the story of a mad scientist who makes a man from dead bodies.  The story is very loosely based on the famed novel of the same name written by Mary Shelley, and actually has more differences than similarities with the source material.  Directed by the under appreciated James Whale, Frankenstein stands as perhaps the most iconic and greatest monster movie of all time.

Running at a mere 71 minutes, not a single frame is wasted, making Frankenstein as perfect of a film as is possible to reach.  At each moment something fascinating is happening both in every possible element that constitutes filmmaking.  Even the peculiarities perfectly work within the world that Whales has created in this film, and there are an abundance of these peculiarities, indeed.

The strangeness of Frankenstein is perhaps its most enriching quality, beginning with the film's vaudeville-esque introduction.  Few discuss that the film begins with a prologue introduced by actor Edward Van Sloan before the opening credits even start rolling.  Here he warns the audience of the terrors that they are about to see.  I've never seen a film do something quite like this.  Quite unsuaul for the time, this scene clearly acknowledges the artifice of the film, by stating that what comes is a film, and only a story invented in someone's mind. 

The peculiarities of the film only build from there.  One moment in the film that makes close to no sense, whatsoever, involves Henry Frankenstein's assistant, Fritz.  At one point during the sensational monster creation, Fritz is walking up a staircase and stops for a moment to fix his sock.  Why does he do this!?  I'm not going to go off and give some bullshit theoretical explanation on how it reflects the political climate of the time.  My views are more similar to those of James Rolfe, in his cinemassacre review.

Frankenstein's father is yet another peculiar character, and his jolly high-brow demeanor contrasts with everything else in the film, and yet still works and isn't distracting.  His main function seems to be a sort of mockery of high class living compared to the normal peasant folk.  One scene that illustrates this well is when he shares his good wine with the wedding guests, but only cheap champagne with the servants.  

Colin Clive and Boris Karloff each give genre defining performances that have been replicated and references since the film first came out.  Clive's portrayal of a crazy, mad scientist is electrifying, but he isn't without sympathy.  At his core is a good heart, but his mad ambition drives him to commit the ultimate sin.  Karloff's portrayal of the monster is impeccable in how he is able to elicit fear and empathy even within the same scene.  His greatest moment is in the film's climax when he screams in fear at the fire surrounding him.  It's an image that never loses it's effect.

Crazy, am I?

One of the apparent themes of Frankenstein is the tragic warning against a man trying to play God by creating life.  But is he really playing God?  Is his ambition about being God, or does it actually stem from an envy of women?  After all, women can produce life, even without all the fancy science equipment.  Frankenstein seems to be more of an outward manifestation of a man's own frustration toward being unable to directly reproduce as a woman does.

Bride of Frankenstein (1935) Director: James Whale 

Four years after the release of the first film, Universal released the James Whale directed sequel to Frankenstein.  This was the first sequel in Universal's monster movie series, and set forth a slew of many more to come for the next decade and a half.  Bride is most often seen as an example of one those rare cases when the sequel actually surpasses the original.  While I do not entirely agree that Bride is the better film, that does not mean that it is not also a masterpiece that must be seen by everyone.

What makes Bride of Frankenstein work so well is that it is incredibly layered both in the genres it is working within, as well as on a thematic level.  Part horror, part satire, part tragedy, Bride of Frankenstein is perhaps the first horror film to be self-ware and mock the horror genre.  An approach that does not truly become popular until the release of Wes Craven's post-modern slasher, Scream in 1996.  Not only does Bride play with the already developed horror film genre conventions, but it also openly mocks the then ongoing classical Hollywood style. 

The story is not over yet.

Like with the first film, there exists a prologue in Bride before the main feature begins.  Here, the first shots of the film appear to set up the horror atmosphere, with a stormy night setting, but the camera then enters a room that is set up as a costume drama where Marry Shelly explains that there is more to her story about the monster.  The acting is intentionally stagy and the dialogue is rather tongue in cheek, mocking the early talkies and the often absurd  extravagance of Hollywood films. This strange humor persists throughout the rest of the film, with  Frankenstein’s house maid (Una O'Connor), Minnie’s exaggerated screams that appear to be almost mocking the audience, and the frequently odd conversations Doctor Pretorius holds, including a moment where he ponders over everyone being devils. 

Once Whale takes the audience to the primary story of the film, one is immediately shown the Monster murdering two villagers.  Again, Whale meets the spectator’s expectations, this time by  showing the monster as a terrifying, murdering creature. Throughout the rest of the film, however,  Whale continues to provoke sympathy from the audience for the Monster, a creature that they  were previously made to fear.  There were moments of compassion for the Frankenstein Monster in the original film, but they were brief and subtle.  In Bride, the Monster is shown to be clearly  misunderstood as villagers mistake his saving of a woman for an attack and his friendship with the  blind hermit as a hostile engagement.  The Monster also learns to speak in this film, giving further  insight into its emotions.

Many critics see homosexual themes in Bride of Frankenstein, but I've always been afraid that is mostly from people reading too deep into the fact that James Whale was opening gay, which was unusual for the time.  I think there are certainly some queer elements, but I think their presence is perhaps overplayed. 

One other aspect that must be discussed is the character Dr. Pretorius played brilliantly by Ernest Thesiger.  It did not seem possible that someone could possibly play a better mad scientist than Colin Clive, but Thesiger's performance absolutely incredible.  Maybe gay, maybe Jewish, but certainly mad, Dr. Pretorius is an ingenious and terrific addition to the Frankenstein story, and what really sets Bride apart from its predecessor.

They are my only weakness...

I opened by stating that I prefer the original film, but when watched back to back, these two movies are shorter than any entry in The Lord of the Rings trilogy.  Honestly, if you're going to watch one, watch them both, because they are two of the greatest films ever made.