Retrospective: Frankenstein (1931)

[Eric Walker]

Many of the great motion pictures of the 1930s have faded away in the
memories of the public, either because they are simply not watched
anymore (how many readers here have seen "Grand Hotel?"), or because
the films themselves have not stood up well to the tests of time.
Fans of the recent "Indiana Jones"-inspired remakes of "The Mummy" may
have trouble watching the original classic Universal monster movie:
even though Boris Karloff gives a wonderfully haunting performance as
the ancient Egyptian sorcerer Imhotep come to life, it still suffers
from the now-dated production values of that time - especially the
long periods of painful silence that render portions of the film dead
and lifeless, because Universal (and the Hollywood studios as a whole)
had not yet learned how to place a musical score over a "talking
picture."  But there was one motion picture released in 1931 that rose
above this, and became a landmark of film horror that still shines
today: "Frankenstein," directed by the legendary James Whale.

Of the many Universal horror films made during the Golden Age of
Hollywood (including classic silent horror films such as "The Phantom
of the Opera"), "Frankenstein" and its sequel "Bride of Frankenstein"
still stand tall as icons of the cinema, not just of horror but cinema
history itself.  Other famous movie monsters were immortalized on the
movie lot, including Dracula, the Wolf Man, and the Invisible Man (the
1933 version by Whale made a star of Claude Rains), but it is
Frankenstein that we first think of when we think of Universal horror
movies...and, especially, when we think of Whale the director.  While he
directed a number of pictures for Universal throughout the 1930s, this
movie (and even more so in its sequel, "Bride of Frankenstein") bears
his particular stamp: exquisite sets, each scene full of energy and
excitement, campy but not quite over-the-top performances by
wonderfully talented actors, and a keen, morbid sense of humor that
sets his movies apart from other horror films of the day.  The humor
in these films is very subtle and largely symbolic: while a casual
viewer certainly appreciates Victor Frankenstein's obsession (and
macabre taste) as he and Fritz the dwarf dig up a freshly-buried body,
it is on further viewings that we notice that the pair are tossing the
dirt from the grave onto a conveniently-placed gargoyle of the Grim
Reaper...in effect, they are throwing dirt in the face of Death himself.

One remarkable aspect of the 1931 film is rarely mentioned: the expert
use of sound to enhance the greatest moments of the story.  Hollywood
was still going through the painful transition from silent to sound
when "Frankenstein" was released. Tod Browning's smash hit "Dracula"
is badly dated because of this - as it is little more than a filming
of the stage play, there are long periods of complete silence during
important scenes, such as the close-ups of Bela Lugosi giving the
audience Dracula's hypnotic stare.  "Frankenstein," on the other hand,
uses background sound to enhance the great visuals: as the Monster is
brought to life, thunder crashes and booms throughout Victor
Frankenstein's lab, nearly drowning out his voice as he cries out,
"Now what I know what it feels like to be God!"  (In fact, that
particular line was censored from many prints over the years, and this
is covered up by having the thunder overwhelm his words completely.)
Likewise, one of the great images of the movie is the scene when the
peasant father carries his dead daughter into town, interrupting the
celebration of Victor's wedding.  The sight of him walking into the
town square, his lifeless little girl cradled in his arms, while the
wedding bells chime and ring loudly gives great, tragic feeling to
this moment.  And of course, there is the climactic chase and the
burning of the mill, with the shouts of the hysterical mob ("Burn the
mill!") and the roar of the flames as the Monster meets his (apparent)
demise.  These are all moments of true cinema, and these scenes still
impact the viewer today with a power rarely matched, or even
approached, by the many remakes and sequels to "Frankenstein."

In so many ways, "Frankenstein" is cited as a textbook example of many
moments in cinema history - from the art direction (German
Expressionism took hold in the Universal films of the 1930s, and this
can be seen in the elaborately designed Frankenstein lab, with lines
in the floorboards and stone walls criss-crossing the frame) to
censorship.  Of the all the horror films that came from Hollywood in
the 1930s, the censorship imposed on "Frankenstein" is well-known -
even to the point that Universal chairman Carl Laemmle had Whale add
that teaser to the beginning, in which Edward Van Sloan walks out from
behind the "curtain" and warns the audience that the story they were
about to see would horrify them, and if they still wanted to
watch..."well...we warned you!"  Two crucial scenes from the movie are
legendary for having been lost, then recovered decades later: the
moment in which Dr. Waldman injects the Monster with a syringe; and
the scene where the Monster playfully tosses the young girl into the
lake, only to flee in terror when she drowns.  The cutting out of this
scene actually made the Monster seem malevolent and evil, instead of
innocent: in the excised prints, the audience saw the Monster reach
for the little girl, and then the camera cuts away.  Some
interpretations of this scene actually suggested that the Monster was
assaulting or molesting her, when the full scene shows that he was
simply playing a game with her.

And then we come to the unforgettable, sympathetic portrayal of the
Monster by Boris Karloff.  It was this movie that made Karloff a film
star with a single-word name - just as we know Arnold Schwarzenegger
as "Ahnold," and Humphrey Bogart as Bogie, so too do we know the name
of Karloff.  And the praise given to Karloff for his role is well-
deserved: it was his role that gave the Monster a soul, one that made
us care for him and feel sorry for him.  However, the other major
players in the cast shine as well, and here we can give Whale credit
for guiding them.  His best films (including this one) let his actors
give wonderfully hammy, over-the-top performances; yet not so campy as
to be ridiculously unbelievable.  Victor Frankenstein (Colin Clive)
chews his lines and spits out, "Crazy, am I?  We'll see whether I'm
crazy or not!"  We enjoy Dr. Waldman (Van Sloan) rolling his R's as he
says, "You have created a monster and it will DESTROY you!," and
especially the cartoony Baron Frankenstein's deep voice as he declares
"Anything the Burgermeister has to say can't possibly be of the
slightest importance!"; and yet we still take them seriously, so that
we know that the Baron cares deeply for his son, and he is in earnest
when he gives the toast that lays the curse upon his family name for
generations (and multiple movie sequels) to come: "...a son to the house
of Frankenstein!"

"Frankenstein" is one of many Hollywood movies that took enormous
creative liberties with its script: while key scenes from the book
remain in the film (especially when the Monster is brought to life),
nearly the entire story after the Monster comes to life is entirely
different from Mary Shelly's original story.  I've never read any of
the stage productions of "Frankenstein" that were performed throughout
the 19th and early 20th centuries - and they were numerous - but I
would suspect that much of the basic plot is probably borrowed more
from the stage plays than the novel.  But the great visual images are
unquestionably the work of James Whale, and it is his contribution to
the film that makes it a true classic of the cinema.  Four years after
"Frankenstein," Universal was finally able to convince Whale to do a
sequel to the movie...and this resulted in one of those rare miracles of
motion pictures, the unforgettable "Bride of Frankenstein."  Rare
indeed is the sequel that equals or surpasses the original, especially
when the original is a classic that towers in the cinema world.
Fortunately for us all, "Frankenstein" is one such classic.  If you're
a novice to the great black-and-white classics of the silver screen,
and you want to see one movie that is not only deserving of its
reputation as a classic, but also remains powerfully moving, exciting,
and entertaining even to the jaded audiences of today, then this is
the movie for you.  Once you've seen the original "Frankenstein,"
you'll know that - with one single exception - ALL of the many remakes
and sequels pale in comparison.

--
                        The High Weirdness Project
                          http://www.modemac.com