Directed by James Whale
Written by Garett Fort and Francis Edward Faragoh from the novel by Mary Shelley
1931/US
Universal Pictures
IMDb page
Repeat viewing/Amazon Prime rental
One of 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die
Henry Frankenstein: Look! It’s moving. It’s alive. It’s alive… It’s alive, it’s moving, it’s alive, it’s alive, it’s alive, it’s alive, IT’S ALIVE!
Victor Moritz: Henry – In the name of God!
Henry Frankenstein: Oh, in the name of God! Now I know what it feels like to be God!
This one never gets old. The definition of a true classic.
Do I really need to explain the plot? Surely not but I want to squeeze in two photos.
The setting is a village in some unnamed country of Central Europe. As the story begins, Henry Frankenstein (Colin Clive) and his assistant Fritz (Dwight Frye) are grave robbing in furtherance of Frankenstein’s experiments to try to bring dead humans back to life. He is working in strict secrecy and his fiancee Elizabeth (Mae Clark) is worried. So is his old professor Doctor Waldman (Edward van Sloane). The two set off for Frankenstein’s castle/laboratory accompanied by Henry Moritz (John Boles), who is sweet on Elizabeth. They break in on the Creation/Monster (Boris Karloff) coming to life. He has been given an abnormal criminal brain, which explains his violent tendencies though I have never felt anything but sympathy toward him.
The Monster awakens to a confusing new life filled with torment. All hell breaks loose.
I’ve seen this one many times before. Each time I am moved all over again by Boris Karloff’s timeless performance as the monster. It is amazing that Universal considered for even one second giving the part to Bela Lugosi. I had forgotten how few of the scenes Karloff appeared in. They are what sticks with the viewer long after the movie is over.
Then, too, the images are just wonderful. Some of the performances are over the top but they seem to fit right into the Gothic story. For a movie that is so easily parodied, this plays it surprisingly straight. Essential.
Essential is a wonderful catagory. FRANKENSTEIN certainly is.
There’s not that many of them but you really can’t call yourself a film buff unless you have seen this film IMO.
I too love the movie. For me it is the pervading gothic feel of it that really hits the spot. And then of course the endlessly referenced coming alive sequence. The Aalborg university Sense-Motoric institute work with using electric impulses from nerves to control prosthetics and they use that clip from them movie to attract students. A colleague of mine sometimes go there to help with the experiment by being electrocuted at the SM institute…
I cannot wait to I get to read Shelley’s book.
I’ve listened to the novel on audiobook before and it is very interesting. Different but really Gothic and good. Maybe we could read together when you get to it.