56. Frankenstein (1931)

Directed by James Whale

Synopsis

You know the story. Dr. Frankenstein introduced meat rag doll to lightning. Havok ensues.

Review

Wow, this is perfectly timed for Halloween, Dracula and now Frankenstein! This is actually the better of the two films hands down. There is not much to be praised about it in terms of technical advances. The sets are pretty nice, in a very German expressionist way, all diagonal shadows and rickety graveyards, there are some interesting things done with the camera, like panning inside of a house through the walls following a character. The monster's entrance is also quite well done, first seen from the back, then the side, and when seen from the front he gets a zoom in.

But as with Bela Lugosi and Dracula, Boris Karloff has become the ultimate Frankenstein Monster. And remember kids, Frankenstein is the doctor, not the monster. Karloff plays it perfectly, and if you want to see more of him in action watch Bride of Frankenstein, an even better film.

Some of the acting is pathetic, Frankenstein's best friend is laughable at times, as is his melodramatic bride. The Dr. himself and his father, Baron Frankenstein, are great actors, and let's not forget Dwight Frye as Fritz playing the correspondent of the role of Renfield that he had played in Dracula.

Of coure I unfortunately cannot see this film without reliving Young Frankenstein, and that is a good thing... but I am constantly replacing the dialogue by Gene Wilder of Marty Feldman quips. Buy it at Amazon UK or US.

Final Grade

8/10 (8.5, it's better than Dracula, but doesn't deserve a 9)

Trivia



From Wikipedia:

In the opening credits, Karloff is unbilled, a question mark being used in place of his name. He is, however, listed in the closing credits, which otherwise duplicate the credits from the opening under the principle that "A Good Cast Is Worth Repeating".

Bela Lugosi was originally due to star as the monster, but after several disastrous make-up tests, the Dracula star left the project, lamenting the mute role as he did. Ironically, Lugosi would later go on to play the monster in Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man.

As was the custom at the time, only the main cast and crew were listed in the credits. Additionally, however, a number of other actors who worked on the project were or became familiar to fans of the Universal horror films. These included Frederick Kerr as the old Baron Frankenstein, Henry's father; Lionel Belmore as Herr Vogel, the Burgomeister; Marilyn Harris as Little Maria, the girl the monster accidentally kills; and Michael Mark as Ludwig, Maria's father.

Jack Pierce was the makeup artist who designed the now-iconic "flat head" look for Karloff's monster.

Ken Strickfaden designed the electrical effects used in the "creation scene." So successful were they that such effects came to be considered an essential part of every subsequent Universal film involving Frankenstein. Accordingly, the equipment used to produce them has come to be referred to in fan circles as "Strickfadens." It appears that Strickfaden managed to secure the use of at least one Tesla Coil built by the then-aged Nikola Tesla himself.

Although Dr. Frankenstein's hunchbacked assistant is often referred to as "Igor" in descriptions of the films, this is incorrect. In both Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein, an assistant is played by Dwight Frye, but he is called "Fritz" in the former and "Karl" in the latter. It was not until Son of Frankenstein that a character called "Ygor" appeared (here, he was played by Bela Lugosi). This character — a deranged shepherd whose neck and back are twisted due to a botched hanging — befriends the monster and later helps Dr. Wolf Frankenstein, lending to the "hunchbacked assistant" called "Igor" commonly associated with Frankenstein in pop culture.

This film was banned in Kansas for its portrayal of cruelty.

The film has been selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.