USA 75M Dir: James Whale Key Cast: Boris Karloff
The Bride of Frankenstein opens with a framing device which seems to exist only as a way of justifying the existence of the sequel- Lord Byron and Percy Shelley are talking to Mary Shelley about her novel and she says that there is more story to tell and proceeds to tell it.
Once the ending of the first film has been dealt with and it's been explained how the characters are still alive, the plot continues in two distinct areas. The monster (Boris Karloff) roams the countryside, desperately trying to find acceptance and friendship. He eventually finds it when he stumbles upon a blind hermit who befriends the monster and teaches him how to speak. Karloff wasn't keen on this idea but it's done well with the creature only having a small number of words like the child he is mentally. Personally I think Karloff does an even better job as the monster here, really opening up his vulnerability and loneliness.
The other part of the plot sees mad scientist Doctor Pretorious (Ernest Thesiger), himself a creator of miniature human life, attempt to persuade Doctor Frankenstein (Colin Clive) to work with him to create a second creature. Eventually Pretorious uses the monster to blackmail Frankenstein by having him kidnap Frankenstein's wife and the pair go on to create the bride.
Pretorious is far more of a villain than the monster is, manipulating people for his own ends and going to any length to succeed in his warped mission. The Bride, played by Elsa Lanchester who also plays Mary Shelley, looks amazing, complete with a hiss as a way of communicating. Everything comes together really well with the incredible design work of both set and costumes merging with perfectly cast actors.
The ending is wonderful and almost more appropriate than the ending of the previous film. It's beautifully tragic as the monster's last hope for happiness doesn't work out and he realises he is going to remain alone forever. It really feels apt to the original novel and further makes the monster a figure of tragedy rather than horror.
I just enjoyed this so much. It has plenty of entertainment value from the mad scientist to mobs chasing after the monster and is really well-made, with every piece of design work looking incredible, even some surprisingly great special effects work. More than anything though it successfully manages to pick out the themes of Shelley's novel and present the tragedy of Frankenstein's monster from new angles.
Comments
Post a Comment