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Year: 1931 Production: Universal Director: James Whale Starring: Colin Clive, Mae Clarke, John Boles,Boris Karloff, Edward Van Sloan, Dwight Frye Screenwriter: Garrett Fort, Robert Florey, Francis Edward Faragoh Based on an adaptation by Robert Florey and John L. Balderston of the play by Peggy Webling, based in turn on Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus (1818) by Mary Shelley 70 minutes; B/W
This remains the most famous of the Frankenstein films, although it was not the the first. (The Edison Company made a 16min version in 1910; it was directed by J. Searle Dawley and starred Charles Ogle as the Monster. A second version, also US, was the 70min Life without Soul in 1915, directed by Joseph W. Smiley.) Dr Frankenstein is a scientist who builds an artificial man by using parts from stolen bodies. He succeeds, with the aid of an electrical storm, in bringing the creature to life but, because his assistant has provided the brain of a criminal rather than that of a "normal" man (a clumsy plot device which has nothing to do with Shelley's novel), the creation proves difficult to control. Eventually the Frankenstein monster escapes, accidentally kills a small girl, and is pursued and apparently slain by angry villagers (originally the Monster killed Frankenstein, too, but the studio substituted a happy ending). The film remains a semi-classic today. With his atmospheric lighting, smooth tracking shots and numerous low-angle shots that were never obtrusive but made effective use of the high-ceilinged sets - particularly Frankenstein's laboratory - Whale succeeded in making a horror film of some grandeur, with an undertone of ironic humor. Much of the credit must go to Karloff for his fine (unspeaking) performance as the pathetic Monster, considerably helped by Jack Pierce's famous make-up; Karloff's success here doomed him to horror roles for the rest of his life. There have been numerous sequels and remakes. The sequel Bride of Frankenstein (1935), also directed by Whale, is the best film he ever made. A book about versions of the story is Hideous Progenies: Dramatizations of Frankenstein from Mary Shelley to the Present (1990) by Steven Earl Forry. |
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