Frankenstein (1931 film)
Encyclopedia : F : FR : FRA : Frankenstein (1931 film)
Frankenstein is a 1931 horror film from Universal Pictures directed by James Whale and very loosely based on the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. The film tells the story of a scientist named Dr. Henry Frankenstein, whose work takes him into the dark side of life after death. Visually the film was heavily influenced by the German expressionist films of the 1920s.
The film stars Colin Clive as Henry, as well as horror-film regulars Dwight Frye (as the dwarf Fritz), Edward van Sloan (as Dr. Waldman), and Boris Karloff as the monster Henry creates. The film also features Mae Clarke as Henry's fiancée Elizabeth, and John Boles as Henry's best friend Victor Moritz.
The movie was adapted by John L. Balderston, Francis Edward Faragoh, Garrett Fort, Robert Florey (uncredited) and John Russell (uncredited) from the Shelley novel and the play by Peggy Webling. It was directed by James Whale.
Differences between the film and its source
In the original novel, the monster's creator is named Victor Frankenstein and his best friend's name is Henry Clerval. A woman named Justine Moritz works for the Frankenstein family. In the film, the monster's creator is named Henry Frankenstein, and his friend is Victor Moritz.
Whereas in Mary Shelley's novel, the creature's savage behavior is seen as the result of maltreatment and neglect, the 1931 film adaptation adds as further explanation the fact that Frankenstein's assistant Fritz, played by Dwight Frye, has provided a defective brain to be used in the experiment. This suggestion that the Monster's brutal behavior was inevitable arguably dilutes the novel's social criticism and depiction of developing consciousness.
Sequels and parodies
Frankenstein was followed by a string of sequels, beginning with Bride of Frankenstein (1935), which is considered by some to be the best film of the series - partly because the Creature actually talks in this film. Elsa Lanchester plays Frankenstein's bride. A recreation of the filming of this movie is shown in the 1998 film Gods and Monsters.
The next sequel, 1939's Son of Frankenstein - made, like all those that followed, without Whale or Clive, and featuring Karloff's last performance as the Monster - is generally regarded as a lesser work, although it is the most visually memorable of any. The Monster wears his trademark furry vest, and the sets and lighting have a decidedly expressionistic tone. Basil Rathbone plays Baron Wolf von Frankentein, and Lionel Atwill as Inspector Krogh delivers his famous line: "One doesn't easily forget, Herr Baron, an arm torn out by the roots." The film also features Donnie Dunagan (who voiced Disney's Bambi) as the grandson of Frankenstein, Peter.
What followed was a long slide that ended in 1948 with the deliberately farcical Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. Mel Brooks's comedy Young Frankenstein parodied elements of the first three Universal Frankenstein movies.
Additional credits and trivia
As was the custom at the time, only the main cast and crew were listed in the credits. Additionally, however, a number of other actors who worked on the project were or became familiar to fans of the Universal horror films. These included Frederick Kerr as the old Baron Frankentein, Henry's father; Lionel Belmore as Herr Vogel, the Burgomeister; Marilyn Harris as Little Maria, the girl the monster accidentally kills; and Michael Mark as Ludwig, Maria's father.
Jack Pierce was the makeup artist who designed the now-iconic "flat head" look for Karloff's monster.
Ken Strickfaden designed the electrical effects used in the "creation scene." So successful were they that such effects came to be considered an essential part of every subsequent Universal film involving Frankenstein. Accordingly, the equipment used to produce them has come to be referred to in fan circles as "Strickfadens."
Although the character of Ygor is widely thought of as Dr. Frankenstein's assistant, there is no character by that name in either Frankenstein or Bride of Frankenstein. Dwight Frye played Dr. Frankenstein' assistant in both films, but was called 'Fritz' in the former and 'Karl' in the latter. The iconic character named Ygor was not introduced until Son of Frankenstein, where he was played by Bela Lugosi.
Selected for preservation
The film has been selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.External links
- [www.frankensteinfilms.com] - Comprehensive information on the Universal Frankenstein series; compares films to original novel
- [Frankenstein] at the All Movie Guide
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.