61). Frankenstein (1931)
Run Time: 70 mins
Genre: Horror, Drama
Format: Standard 4:3, B&W, Sound
Director: James Whale
Starring: Colin Clive, Boris Karloff, Mae Clark, Dwight Frye and Edward Van Sloan.
Just like Dracula (1931), I also had about 20 minutes of Frankenstein on Super-8 film and was exposed to both films a lot on late night syndication channels and Saturday afternoon Creature Feature shows all through the 70s and early 80s. I also saw it numerous times in it's entirety on VHS and DVD since then. So, I've seen this one a lot too. It was not reviewed by the DBC at all, but on a quiet night a few days ago I watched it again in my bedroom and boy was it fun.
Frankenstein: The Legacy Collection DVD Set on Amazon - Also Includes "Bride of Frankenstein", "Son of Frankenstein", "Ghost of Frankenstein", "Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman", "House of Frankenstein", "House of Dracula" and "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein".
http://www.amazon.com/Frankenstein-Complete-Collection-Boris-Karloff/dp/B00L8QOYG6/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1413210994&sr=1-1&keywords=frankenstein+legacy+collection
Wikipedia Article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankenstein_1931
IMDB.com Entry:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0021884/?ref_=fn_al_tt_5
Boris Karloff Wikipedia Article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boris_Karloff
Boris Karloff, The Gentle Monster Video from 1995 on Youtube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xn4Wv3Rg30g
Colin Clive Wikipedia Article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colin_Clive
Dwight Frye Wikipedia Article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dwight_Frye
James Whale Wikipedia Article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Whale
Variety Film Review From December 7th, 1931:
http://variety.com/1931/film/reviews/frankenstein-2-1200410509/#
Turner Classic Movies Article:
http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/75587/Frankenstein/articles.html
Say what you want about Boris Karloff. How the gentle giant pulled off a great Frankenstein Monster and how his likeness is now one of the most recognizable pop-cultural icons in the world, even 45 years later after his death, says a lot about his impact. Say what you want about Dwight Frye, who for my money did a great job as Fritz, the hunch-backed assistant in this movie, even better than his portrayal of Renfield in Dracula (1931). Even Edward Van Sloan, who in my opinion, was the best part about Dracula (1931), is also a key player in this film. Even Frederick Kerr, who was a scene stealer as Baron Frankenstein, made this a fun film to enjoy with his off the cuff, almost ad-libbed dialogue, but it was the man who played the son of the Baron, Henry Frankenstein, that stole the whole show. Remember, the movie is about a man named Frankenstein, who builds a monster from the parts of dead victims. It is actually his movie, not the Monster's, not Karloff's and Colin Clive (Henry Frankenstein), gives a supreme performance and manages to harness the power needed for that character to thrive with perfection.
Henry Frankenstein speaking to Dr Waldman (Van Sloan):
Dangerous? Poor old Waldman. Have you never wanted to do anything that was dangerous? Where should we be if no one tried to find out what lies beyond? Have you never wanted to look beyond the clouds and the stars, or to know what causes the trees to bud? And what changes the darkness into light? But if you talk like that, people call you crazy. Well, if I could discover just one of these things, what eternity is, for example, I wouldn't care if they did think I was crazy.
Scene on Youtube:
http://youtu.be/P56QU18vO7Y?list=PL1xfssNZxKQVm_78YaS5OaGHCqjUuLBMO
His disclosure of what philosophy drives him to do what he does establishes a politically and spiritually charged tone that is quite evident throughout the entire film. Topics like playing God or is the human being truly higher than any other animal? What is really the difference between life or death?
James Whale's directing is dead on and he manages to capture the horror and frights by inserting an almost "noir" feeling in the mix. Close ups, lighting and mood all play into an almost perfect film. It is very easy to see certain mistakes, continuity issues and primitive technical mishaps in a film that is 83 years old, but at the time, this film was a box office smash and had the impact on a 1931 audience like the Avengers had on a 2012 audience. This was something movie-goers had never seen before. It WAS the embodiment of state of the art technical achievement in film. The make-up, costumes, sets and special effects were the premiere version of the period and, because of that, it demands the respect that it deserves .......... just like the kind of respect that Henry Frankenstein was searching for. This should be studied and thought about, because as we will see in the sequel, Bride of Frankenstein (1935), Colin Clive and Henry Frankenstein will need compassion from this film, because life will never be the same after Frankenstein.
Phil's Grade: A-
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