The Bride Of Frankenstein
The Bride of Frankenstein (1935) is an oldy, but a goody. Based on the ever popular novel by Mary Shelley. I have enjoyed watching this film over the years. Everyone has seen it at one time or another, so it is familiar to all and a great conversation piece. The first movie, Frankenstein, was then followed by this version, Bride of Frankenstein.
In the first movie, the monster is created and causes havoc through the town. Thus, he is chased and then caught in a burning building with his creator, Dr. Henry Frankenstein. The building collapses under them. We are left not knowing whether the monster and doctor are alive or not.
The movie sequel bring us back to find that the monster and Dr. Frankenstein have indeed survived. Movie goers had to wait three years to learn this exciting information!
There have been several versions of this story made and presented. This 75 minute run of "The Bride of Frankenstein" (1935) was directed once again, as the first, by James Whale from a screenplay by James Hurlbut. The players like Boris Carloff, Colin Clive and Valerie Hobson are animated and work well together in a campy horror picture that is sure to delight anyone who watches. As a child, I remember being very scared by the movie.
The movie takes us into the world of Dr. Henry Frankenstein and his group of players who are attempting to give his current creation, the monster, a female mate! Someone just like him! What we are all looking for, therefore we can understand his longing.
As we go along the journey of this gruesome task, we are led down alley ways, through people's lives, dead bodies and graves, to create the perfect woman and companion for the already pieced together, monster. Along the way, the monster is seen as very human a few times, saving the life of a drowning girl and having dinner with an old blind man. Simple human kindnesses. A sort of lamb in wolf's clothing facade. But then alas, the monster is seen as something that these people need to be protected from. The monster reacts and not in a good way, which then turns the town against him again.
Along the way we meet a miriade of characters ranging from the off the wall Dr. Praetorious who wants to create little people who live in bottles, to the wife of Dr. Frankenstein, who is used and kidnapped to get the good doctor to create this mate the monster craves.
I have always been a huge fan of these movies and love the campy aspect of them all. Being a student of film, I can only appreciate the innovative thinking that occurred during the making of this movie and others along the way. I have a grand appreciation of their style. They opened up many doors for future horror films that we now see today. It all may seem quarky to others, but I see the value of these films. I enjoy watching them and appreciating where they came from, because it took us to where we are and where we are going. For the time it was made, it was a movie everyone was waiting to see. I have to respect it for that value alone.
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I'm certainly not a film student, but I am an avid movie goer and after reading your review of the film, I can better appreciate it. Your appreciation for the innovation that occurred in the making of this film, the actors and filmmaker's style and the road they paved for the future of film making makes me greatly appreciate this film. The Bride of Frankenstein did seem quirky to me and while I liked the film, I didn't completely appreciate it until I read your review of it. I agree with you in that I love the campy aspects of this horror film. It seemed like Whale was deliberately trying to be outrageous and funny at the same time. Throughout the film we meet a menagerie of characters from Dr. Pretorius and his little human pets he keeps in bottles, to the hermit that the monster shares wine and a smoke with. So although the film was another step in the evolution of horror films, it's also humorous and full of good laughs.
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