68. Freaks (1932)

Directed By Tod Browning


Synopsis

Big Woman pretends to love little man, who is the director of a Freak Show. Actually she is only trying to get his money. She marries him, and then tries to poison him with the help of her lover. Lover is killed by Freaks, and she is permanently disfigured.

Review

I am probably biased when reviewing this film, as I am a sick, sick person. I am actually quite interested in genetic accidents and "freaks of nature", and this is a fantastic film for me. It's not sexual or anything...

Ok technically it isn't that accomplished, aside from the truly great ending scene, in the rain when the Freaks take their revenge. This film is, however, a relic of the Freak Show period, and it is truly unique. Browning who had worked with sideshow attractions before becoming a director did a fine job of humanising his characters, and the Freaks aren't in the film just for some gratuitous shock value, but become fully rounded human beings who suffer from not looking like everyone else, while feeling like anyone else.

Many might say that this is an exploitation film, but there were very little alternatives for people in the conditions of most characters in the film; working in a circus was a way of becoming financially independent and in some cases quite wealthy. The special features on the DVD have very interesting histories of the characters, and make you rethink what in our PC age might be seen as shocking or demeaning. You owe it to yourself to watch it, more than as a piece of cinema as a piece of history. Buy it at Amazon UK or US.

Final Grade

9/10


Trivia



But better than this is a montage of the characters to the sound of Beautiful by Christina Aguilera:



That was truly quality...

From Wikipedia:

The famous quote

At one point in the film, the Freak crowd cry: "Gooble gobble, gooble gobble, we accept her, we accept her, one of us, one of us!" It is a phrase that has been used in homage numerous times since, including:

* It was nominated by AFI for AFI's 100 Years... 100 Movie Quotes, which was a voted upon list of the greatest movie quotes in the history of American cinema. The quote from Freaks didn't make the top 100, however.

* In the season 1 episode of The Simpsons called There's No Disgrace Like Home and in the season 14 episode called Special Edna.

* In the South Park episode Butters' Very Own Episode.

* In the Clerks Animated Series. episode 6.

* In the episode of Johnny Bravo titled Carnival of the Darned, which was an obvious homage to Freaks.

* It was the inspiration for the Ramones' song "Pinhead" (quoted as "Gabba Gabba"); the introduction runs "Gabba-Gabba we accept you we accept you one of us!". This led to the famous Ramones cheer "Gabba-Gabba Hey!"

* It was also the inspiration for the Girls Against Boys song "Freaks", which was featured on the soundtrack of Hedwig and the Angry Inch.

* The quote also appears in Robert Altman's The Player (1992).

* And in Bernardo Bertolucci's The Dreamers with the accompanying clip playing after the characters say the line.

* And in the Marillion song "Separated Out", from the album Anoraknophobia.

* In an issue of the comic book Harley Quinn. Harley, a former psychiatrist, is sent to live in Arkham Asylum herself, after repeatedly freeing The Joker. As she is being led to her cell, Dr. Arkham asks her "Why did you do it? You were one of us!" prompting her to chant "One of us! One of us!" and the other inmates to join in.

* In the Marilyn Manson song doll dagga, buzz buzz, ziggety on the album golden age of grotesque.


* In DVD commentary for the third season of The Kids in the Hall, Mark McKinney states that two of the show's recurring characters, Kevin McDonald's Bearded Lady and his own Chicken Lady, were inspired by the movie.

* Bill Griffith's comic strip character Zippy the Pinhead was inspired by Schlitzie the pinhead in the film

* David Bowie references Browning's film 'Freaks' within the first verse of Diamond Dogs:

As they pulled you out of the oxygen tent,
You ask for the latest party,
With your silicone hump and your ten inch stump,
Dressed like a priest you was,
Todd Browning's freak you was.

* A screen capture of Hans has become an internet meme. It was apparently from the DVD, as there is a subtitle of "Never before did I think I should be so unlucky."

* Frank Zappa once called it one of his favourite films. Note that his debut album was called Freak Out! and he used to call himself and the fans of his music "freaks", a name with the same kind of "proud label" as "hippie", though as Zappa put it himself: "more original and creative". On a later album from 1980 called Tinsel Town Rebellion, the cover features a collage, & a close look reveals a couple of stills from the movie are visible in the artwork.

* Tom Waits mentions some of the performers by name in the opening number from The Black Rider, "Lucky Day Overture".

* Writer David Hine references the movie in the last two issues of his Marvel comicbook District X

* In the Malcolm in the Middle episode Carnival, Dewy rounds up a gang of side-show freaks to get Stevie away from a security guard.