A Monster Thursday

I chose today to be my annual Franky Double Feature. Not quite the middle of the month but close enough and I was in the right spirit. I think both Frankenstein [1931] & Bride of Frankenstein [1935] are just so different in tone and style, in terms of the acting and structure, it is hard for me to compare them. So I just look at each film differently, approaching the '31 and '35 films with separate expectations. While I think Bride is endlessly fascinating, I perhaps prefer the more serious presentation of the first film. But while Florey's influence appears all over the '31 film, I think Whale enthusiasts have more than enough ammunition to consider the '35 film superior. But as long as Una rants and raves I think that nudges me closer towards the first film. But I adore both films almost equally, so if I do have slight grievances with Bride, it isn't at all major. I still think it is brilliant.

From October 28th, 2011. Some user comments from my IMDb account:
I decided to approach Frankenstein from another angle than typical synopsis and rundown of how I feel about it. I don't think I need to explain the plot of such a seminal horror classic. I provided my five favorite scenes. 

1) The bummer on a celebration: the scene I consider the most powerful of the film, a farmer carries his dead, drowned daughter into the city as village folk were having a spirited time partying to the wedding day of Henry Frankenstein (Colin Clive) and Elizabeth (Mae Clarke). It states loud and clear that Henry's "mad dream" had brought unforeseen consequences. Equally haunting was the incident itself, a mistake from a Monster whose brain is abnormal. 2) The hanging of Fritz: I consider the main reason the Monster (Boris Karloff) reacted in such a maniacal way was because Frankenstein could not keep his hunch-backed assistant, Fritz (Dwight Frye, creating another ghoulish character so emulated in mad science films) from mistreating the titan of stitched body parts. Using a flaming torch and whip, Fritz seemed to have a gleam in his fiendish eyes and a relish in his smile when tormenting the Monster. That scene where we see Fritz dangling from a chain, hung there lifeless, we know that he had gotten too close (and gotten what he deserved). 3) The graveyard: I adore the opening minutes of the movie where crosses stick out from off angles as if the earth of the cemetery were full of lumps and mounds. I remember much ado about the sketch drawings from director Florey (and they are awesome) and his influence on the project without the deserved credit, but all those unique visual angles (German expressionism seeping impressively into Hollywood, and we horror fans were all the better for it).It also has that eerie sight of a criminal hanging from a wooden cross, the body of the monster for which Fritz would cut down. We see here how determined Henry is, the way he orders Fritz to do his bidding, and the audacity to raid the graves of people loved in order to satisfy his scientific curiosity and desire to create life by his own hands. 4) The flaming inferno: The awesome sight of the windmill burning asunder after a mob of villagers (the now famous horror cliché of villagers gathering together with torches and pitch forks, going after the beast that has terrorized their countryside) set it on fire, with the Monster trapped inside (after tossing Henry's limp carcass off the balcony, onto the windmill cross, with him crashing to a heap below), crying out in horror, since it is established the creature hates the flame. 5) Seeing the sun: I find the scene where the Monster glimpses the sun, he kind of waves with his hands, and seems to be like a newborn discovering a brand new life, trying to understand everything its eyes see. Perhaps Fritz ruined what potential such a creature had, only further burdening his master, Henry who seems to grow wearier as the Monster becomes increasingly volatile.

There are certain little annoyances that have bugged me, nothing that major as director Whale had a sense of humor and couldn't help include a character like crusty old buzzard, Baron Frankenstein (Frederick Kerr), always grumbling and barking mad about his son's cooking himself up in the medieval "tomb" of a large, gloomy castle, isolated on a mountain, a symbol of "death and destruction" instead of doting on his soon-to-be bride. I know some fans hold this in great favor for quiet, introspective scenes like Henry talking with Professor Dr. Waldman (Edward Van Sloan) about the pursuit of the secrets of life and death or Henry lamenting about being considered crazy for simply wondering, inspired enough to search by any means to achieve a dream most feel is morally objectionable. I hang on specific scenes, as described above, which hold their place in my fondness for the film. The wedding seems to work as a monkey wrench in Henry's "engagement" to the creation of life. I find the mobile scenes through the village and forest following the Monster really impressive because it shows that Whale wanted the action to move instead of remain still. Whale likes to shoot faces, allowing the interesting cast of characters close-ups, an interesting contrast to the massive sets. I could talk about this movie endlessly...



Astonishing to me I never wrote user comments for the '35 film, but here's my official blog review:Click

Proud of that Bride write-up.