Movie Monday: Frankenstein (1931)
Since Halloween is this Wednesday, I am going to end our month long scary themed classic films series with a classic: Frankenstein. This household name and story has been around for 200 years, and what better way to end the Halloween theme than to celebrate this milestone!
These photos are not mine.
This classic horror film set the tone for the whole genre when it premiered in Santa Barbara in 1931. The Frankenstein novel was written by Mary Shelley and, when made into a film, the set was created to be all that the readers of the novel had dreamed of and more. Even to this day you can see the influence that this 1931 film has had on modern horror movie set designs.
Arguably one of the most iconic horror stories, Frankenstein in this film is not like the character portrayed in The Munsters. This early “talkie” takes the expressive nature of silent films and combines it with a minimum amount of dialogue. Music does not play a large part in this film, instead we are treated with suspenseful silence.
These photos are not mine.
Despite all of the rather scary aspects to this film, it was responsible for rocketing Boris Karloff into fame. Karloff who created the Frankenstein we all know today was a little known actor in mostly silent films at the time. It wasn’t until the creation of this 1931 version of Frankenstein that Karloff’s career finally took off and he started being offered major roles. In the years to come he would reprise the role Frankenstein numerous more times, and eventually Karloff would play a equally scary role in the Broadway play Arsenic and Old Lace.
Although the Frankenstein film would change the horror genre and gain a cult like following, the studio did not appreciate the film or Boris Karloff as an actor. He was not invited to the premier of this film when it was first shown in Santa Barbara in 1931. This had no effect on how Karloff felt about Mr. Frankenstein, though. Karloff was known to love this role and the films he was in playing Frankenstein.
These photos are not mine.
Most of what see from the monster, Frankenstein, in this film is someone (or something) just trying to understand the world around him. Take the scene where Frankenstein is playing with the little girl, Maria. The monster felt he was doing a good thing and being nice to her. However we as the viewers saw the scene differently, and if you have watched this film you know this interaction has an unfortunate conclusion.
The censors at the time did not find the creative and skillful camera angles to be as acceptable as modern film enthusiasts do. In fact, the studio deleted this dramatic scene from the film when it was originally released. Even with this scene sequence gone, the studio felt the need to add in a warning to viewers at the beginning of the film telling them what they were about to see was not of delicate material. However, the scenes with little Maria were not lost, and later they were added back into the film as we know it today.
If it weren’t for Frankenstein we would not have some of the most nostalgic elements of Halloween. For a story to last 200 years, it has to be a gripping one. Thankfully we have Frankenstein to always give us a good scare!
Much Love,
Sarah
Source for some of the fun facts found in this review: http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/373967%7C18617/Frankenstein.html
