1931 • James Whale
Screenplay: Garrett Fort, Francis Edward Faragoh from the novel by Mary Shelley
Producer: Carl Laemmle Jr.
Cast: Boris Karloff, Colin Clive, Mae Clark, John Boles, Edward Van Sloan
Cinematography: Arthur Edeson, Paul Ivano
Universal Pictures
AWARDS & HONORS
American Film Institute:
100 Years 100 Movies (1997 List) - #87
100 Years 100 Movie Quotes - #49 ("It's alive! It's alive!")
100 Years 100 Thrills - #56
National Film Registry
Inducted in 1991
THE MAN WHO MADE A MONSTER!
Look! It's moving. It' alive. It's alive! It's alive! ... In the name of God! No I know what it feels like to be God!
SPOILERS AHEAD
Dr. Henry Frankenstein is obsessed with death. He believes he can give life to dead flesh and creates a man to prove his theory, he creates a man by sewing together body parts from various corpses. Instead of a man, he gives birth to a monster. Unfortunately, the creature's abnormal brain causes him to break free and escape his creator as the film then focuses on the monster's attempt to find its "humanity."
One of the first books and films to really start blending genres. The film itself is not a perfect adaptation of the book. In fact, it takes many liberties, with the creation of the monster's mate left for another movie altogether. Unlike a lot of early talking pictures, Whale was relatively light on dialogue, letting the monster's actions and appearance do a lot of the talking on-screen. Whale (through Shelly's work) used elements of science fiction and horror to create the monster, and his "birth" scene is still one of the most memorable in film history. Frankenstein was responsible for the imagery modern audiences associate with the Monster: Tall, Flat Top, Bolts in the neck.
This brings us to the immortal Boris Karloff. Never before or again has an actor so perfectly embodied the monster he created on-screen, save for his Universal Pictures contemporary Bela Lugosi with Dracula. Karloff's Frankenstein Monster is an achievement in makeup, costuming, and performance. It would be easy to portray the character as a mindless killing machine, as others have in other adaptations. In fact, Bela Lugosi was originally offered the part when the character was scripted as such... he turned it down. However, Karloff manages to emote sincerity through the heavy makeup, forcing sympathy from the audience. The final fiery end (or is it?) for the creature is truly tragic.
Two key scenes to point out for viewers of this classic: First, the "creation" sequence, perhaps the most famous and iconic of horror history, and even film history. Parodied endlessly throughout the decades, it still is a beautiful example of direction, art direction, and editing. From the shots of the laboratory equipment to the lightning-filled skies, to the hand slowly lifting as it is regenerated to life... it's all perfectly executed. Colin Clive as Dr. Frankenstein is a little hammy throughout the rest of the film, but here it's completely appropriate. He screams, in an almost orgasmic delight, "It's alive. It's alive! It's alive! ... In the name of God! No, I know what it feels like to be God!" His joy at playing God is the terror here.
The second scene, less famous to mainstream audiences, but unforgettable to admirers of the film is the scene with the little girl by the lake. The monster, still learning with his damaged, abnormal brain, befriends an innocent little girl. She shows him beauty in the world, beauty with the flowers she is picking and how pretty they look floating on the water. Karloff's look of innocence here is disturbing juxtaposed with what we know comes next. The monster throws the little girl into the water (off-screen of course) so he can see her float... her death as a result triggers the townspeople to light the pitchforks in search of the monster. A beautiful and haunting scene.
The movie was a huge success and is synonymous with Universal which sequel-ized and spun-off the monster in various films: The Bride of Frankenstein (1935), Son of Frankenstein (1939), The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942), House of Frankenstein (1944) and Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948). Not to mention all other interpretations of the character who followed in Universal's footsteps like Curse of Frankenstein (1957) and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994), but the original remains the go-to classic.
I think it will thrill you. It may shock you. It might even horrify you. So if any of you feel that you do not care to subject your nerves to such a strain, now is your chance to, uh... well, we've warned you!
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