Frankenstein (1931)
Thus begins Frankenstein, the film that Universal Studios became known for, and that cemented the studio as a maker of horror films. Earlier in 1931, Universal had opened Dracula to great success, it's first horror success since the death of Lon Chaney the year before, and the first one done in sound at the studio. The studio had done many silent horror films which were great successes, most with Chaney. This film was made during the depression, and supernatural, monstrous horror was something to take peoples' minds off the all too real horrors of homelessness and starvation.
Frankenstein was published in 1818 anonymously, but written in the 'year without a summer' (so called due to the volcanic winter caused by the eruption of Mount Tambora) in 1816. The year was continuously dreary, cloudy and cold. The perfect weather to write horror. Mary and two friends, her husband-to-be Percy Shelley and Lord Byron, had a competition that year to see who could write the best horror story. Percy's didn't come to fruitation and so he helped Mary write Frankenstein and Lord Byron wrote some fragments that would find their way to John Polidori, who used those fragments to create the first vampire novel, The Vampyre. The novel would not be credited to Mary Shelley until 1822. The text was redone by Shelley in 1831 due to political pressures, and it is this version which is mainly read now. The book was a phenomenal success both critically and publicly. The book was about a man, Victor Frankenstein who is obsessed with fringe science and is convinced he can create a man. He eventually does so and is repulsed by the finished product which he had hoped would be beautiful. In the book the monster is intelligent, thoughtful, and a sad figure. He is angry at Frankenstein for making him and leaving him different and alone, and wants him to make him a mate. Frankenstein agrees at first, but then decides he doesn't want a race of mutants being created by his two creations and destroys what he's done of the mate. The monster follows Frankenstein home, kills his wife after the wedding and then leaves, Frankenstein following him all the way to the North Pole.
The movie is quite different, losing a lot of the philosophy (but still enough of it), the monster's speech and wisdom, and the whole thing about the monster's bride. The film has been streamlined into a simple horror film about a man that dares to play God, and his creation that he can't control. The monster, turned into a six and a half foot toddler that doesn't know his own strength. He's still a sad creature, but he can be violent and scary as well. The first time we see the monster must have been pretty chilling to a 1930s audience. Victor Frankenstein and Fritz hear the monster coming and we hear his footsteps. Then the monster backs up into his room. We can't see his face at first. The camera goes to a close-up on his head as he turns around. We slowly see the flattened top of the head, the sunken in eyes, the scar where they put the criminal brain in. And the eyes have this sort of demonic glow to them as he stares at us through the camera lens.
Perhaps the most famous scene in the film is one that was cut out of the film after it's initial release after the Hays Code started to be more strictly enforced in the mid-1930s. Here's the scene.
It was pretty shocking to see a child killed on screen at the time. Heck, it still is considered somewhat of a taboo in modern film. As you can see, the child is not killed in malice, but as a mistake. The monster simply thought she would float. (Although I don't see how she drowned two feet from shore like she did.) Actually, I find the shot of her father carrying her lifeless body through the celebrating town a few minutes later to be just as, if not more disturbing.
The film was directed by James Whale, who wanted a sort of German Expressionism feel to the film, those movies being quite popular at the time. Exaggerated shadows, distorted lines, in your face makeup... Those were the hallmarks of the style. While not as pronounced as, say, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari or Metropolis, the film is still shot in that same sort of style. I suppose we could say it's been Americanized; watered down. There's also no music in the film besides for the credits, something that was done for Dracula as well. And it works. I can't imagine the movie with music. I tried watching the old German expressionist film Nosferatu today, and with orchestration, the images lose their power... And expressionism is all about the image.
I've never been scared by the film. Not in the least bit. However, it's one of the most entertaining horror films from the time period. Much better than the boring as hell Dracula, and the crowning jewel, along with it's not so horrific comedic sequel Bride of Frankenstein. (And if you want to really know the best Universal Horror films, add The Invisible Man (also directed by James Whale), The Wolf Man, and The Mummy. The movies are classic, and this one especially. Don't be afraid to watch older films. They may not pack the same punch for modern audiences, but there's a skill to their production that present films no longer match most of the time; at least in films like this one.
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