Main Feature Synopsis – Frankenstein (1931)
Based on the book by Mary Shelley and the play adaptation by Peggy Webling, James Whale’s film tells the story of Henry Frankenstein, a scientist obsessed with finding the key to creating life. He assembles a body from parts of corpses and reanimates it using electricity. Repulsed by his creation, he rejects the Monster. It roams the countryside, creating a wave of terror. Released the same year as Tod Browning’s Dracula, Frankenstein made Boris Karloff a star and became the launching pad for a number of sequels.

Cary’s Impressions
When approaching the Universal Studios horror movies of the 1930s and 1940s, one has to start with Dracula. It’s the one that started it all. Had audiences rejected it, there would have been none to follow. However, when looking at the main titles in Universal’s monster catalogue, Frankenstein is easily the strongest film of the bunch. Even its sequels are head and shoulders above the competition of the day.

Of course, it had a leg up on the rest because of the book (and plays) that it was based on. Mary Shelley’s work exposed the fears of a society that was beginning to make great advancements in science and technology. When she wrote it, things were changing rapidly and people were beginning to question whether God had intended for man to make these discoveries, or whether the devil himself was to blame. In fact, when the book was first published, the Inquisition was still in full swing in Europe and Galileo had suffered their wrath a mere 200 years before. 

Fast forward 100 years and this still was ripe subject matter for movie audiences of the 1930s. Where Dracula preyed upon viewers’ superstitions, Frankenstein hit audiences with a tight story, preying upon the fears of a changing world. Look forward to our time, when debates on cloning and stem cell research litter the nightly news, and it’s easy to see the story still resonates.

Story and topic aren’t the only strong points here, though. Frankenstein had fantastic acting, amazing special effects and a director more than capable of pulling it all together effectively.

Let’s talk about acting first. Colin Clive, without a doubt, is the quintessential mad doctor. He plays the part not as a lunatic, but as a man obsessed. He is sure of himself one minute and doubts himself the next. You won’t see wild hair or crazy eyes here. Ultimately, what you see is a tortured soul, played by a man who has his own demons to deal with.

Then there’s the Monster. Boris Karloff, much like Lugosi before him, became an icon because of his portrayal. Unlike Lugosi, though, he didn’t do it with his sexuality. He did it through sheer force of acting. This was a man under a metric ton of makeup who managed to emote, and not just a smile here and there. He shows fear, sadness, humor and awe. The Monster in the 1931 original makes you feel for him. You want the other characters to understand him. He’s a monstrosity, but he’s also an innocent. Karloff understood that and made it work.

Of course, allowing Karloff to bring that out instead of playing a dull, shuffling monster was something that has to be credited to James Whale. His direction brought out great performances by Karloff, Clive and Edward Van Sloan, among others. He embraced modern camerawork, so the film looks light-years beyond Browning’s film of the same year. He even upstaged Browning’s sets with his masterful creation scene, set in a lab alive with arcing electricity and showers of sparks.

Where Browning’s film defined what vampire films would look like going forward, Whale’s Frankenstein defined the look of the mad scientist’s lab. It’s shown up in everything from Universal’s own sequels to The Ren and Stimpy Show (see the creation sequence in “Stimpy’s Invention”).

This movie is a must see, not just for horror fans, but for any fan of film. I can’t think of a better format to get it in than the Legacy series set.

Shawn’s Impressions
It’s hard to believe that Universal would manage to introduce two iconic monsters in the very same calendar year. But that’s exactly what happened in 1931 when they unleashed Tod Browning’s Dracula onto unsuspecting audiences, followed only months later by James Whale’s Frankenstein. It wasn’t the first time that Frankenstein and his Monster were the subject of a film, but it certainly was, like Dracula before it, an inspiration on every one of the many versions that followed.

Structurally, the differences between the two films couldn’t be more obvious. Frankenstein is positively kinetic in comparison to Dracula. Whale’s camera is skewed almost constantly to an odd angle, and there are many dramatic high shots, like those filmed from above the laboratory looking down. There are also extreme low angles, as when Whale shoots up towards Frankenstein’s high window while Elizabeth and Dr. Waldman bang on the door. What look like simple tricks in Frankenstein were actually very innovative in their time, since most contemporary films were still using static cameras and basic theatrical staging.

Hardly surprising given the Mary Shelley source, Frankenstein has more depth than the typical monster story. Frankenstein’s Monster is a rounded character. I imagine that being created from dead bodies and brought to life against your will is bad enough, but looking like Hell doesn’t make things any easier. At first, the reanimated dead man strikes fear into the audience, but it soon becomes clear that the Monster simply wants to be loved, or at the very least, tolerated. This is poignantly illustrated when the Monster accidentally kills a little girl playing by the lake.  His reaction isn’t indifference or joy, but horror at what he’s done, and he wanders off in despair. This is one of the most widely recognized scenes in cinema history for a reason: Whale successfully manipulates his audience into sympathizing with a child-killing monster. (And yet, no one gives a shit about Maria’s kitten, which disappears from her arms as she stands to greet the Monster.) You’d be hard pressed to find another film from the same era that even tries to evoke such a response from the viewer.

Dr. Frankenstein is presented as a believable character, too. He’s a man of ideas and creativity and Whale is able to get this across with little mention of any scientific facts. His descent into madness and back seems authentic. He has devoted all of his free time to the monster project, and upon completion, once he “knows what its like to be God,” he’s ready to move on with his life and get married. If only it were that simple.

When it comes to the Monster, there isn’t a single imperfection in Karloff’s make-up. It stands today as one of the most brilliant monster make-ups ever conceived. The pale skin and heavy eyes give him the look of a cadaver. The bolts in his neck actually go unexplained, but are obviously the conduits through which he was given life. The sunken cheeks are a product of Karloff’s own removable dental bridge, and helps with the intentionally drained look. And finally, there are the stitches all over his face and arms. He’s intimidating, horrendous and obviously a man-made product.

Frankenstein is one of my all-time favorite films. I admire the sequels, but they all seem to lack a bit of the magic that the original had, even the really good ones. The Monster isn’t indestructible in the first film. He’s as scared of the townspeople as they are of him, and his needs are as human as they come. An attentive viewer is sure to have a great time with the film. It’s a rare feat when a movie gets everything right, but Frankenstein does just that, and that’s why it continues to scare and delight audiences 75 years later.

Bonus Feature Films:  Each of the Legacy Collections contains the original Universal sequels to the film. What follows is Shawn and Cary’s conversation about those films.

Bride Of Frankenstein (1935)

Synopsis
Considered by many to be one of the greatest horror films ever made, James Whale returns as the director for the first sequel to the Frankenstein franchise. The story picks up immediately after the events of the original film.  Karloff once again reprises his role as the Monster, still roaming the countryside while being hunted by villagers. In the tradition of the first film, the Monster is not a diabolical creature, but instead just seeks companionship and understanding. Colin Clive returns as Henry Frankenstein and is forced to create a companion for the creature by an old professor of his named Dr. Pretorius. The new creation rejects the original Monster and he goes on a rampage, destroying the lab and killing both the bride and Dr. Pretorius.

Shawn: Bride is a really great sequel, one of the best in Universal's history, but I still think it could have been improved upon.

Cary: On the commentary track Scott MacQueen says something like, "Welcome to the greatest horror movie of all time." I think that's overstating things some.

Shawn: Yes, especially since it isn't all that scary, and doesn't really try to be, either. I think it makes an even more emotional defense for the Monster than the original. Plus, the comical elements REALLY annoyed me.

I can think of many movies (the original Frankenstein, for one) that, to me, are better than Bride Of Frankenstein, and you hit it right on the head. It doesn't really try to be scary, and again, I agree with you completely about the comic elements. The thing that immediately lowers my appreciation of this film is the inclusion of the Dr. Pretorious character. The source material is really strong here, and I think they could have made the film without him. His inclusion lends a comic element to a film that doesn't need it.

Shawn: Worse than Pretorious is Minnie. Normally, I would say that character should have been killed off, but I would have been happier had she never been in it.

Cary: No shit! I knew Cloris Leachman was old, but I didn't know she was that old! Pretorious' little people just piss me off to no end. That shit is right out of a kid's movie, and while I realize this is 1935, again it's something that didn't need to be added.

Shawn: Yes, the whole little people sequence feels added in, and exists only for the purpose of demonstrating the SFX.

Shawn: Another note on Minnie, continuity-wise: At the end of Frankenstein we learn that the manor has at its disposal any number of fine Betties just waiting to wipe Dr. Frankenstein's forehead. In Bride.... there is Minnie. "Where all tha white women at?"

Cary: Hey, the man was into "reanimating the dead". Wink wink. nudge nudge.

Shawn: Pretorious should have shrunk Minnie and shoved her in a bottle.

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