Written by Willis Goldbeck And Leon Gordon
Directed by Tod Browning
Carnival Barker (re Freaks): "They did not ask to be brought into the world. But, into the world they came. Their code is a law unto themselves: offend one and you offend them all."
For something a bit different for this blog, I decided to go for a Pre-Code movie and one of the horror variety. I think I picked wisely because this film was rather unsettling, especially with the outcome of the femme fatale. I knew it was coming and it still grossed me out.
The movie itself focused on a carnival sideshow of so called Freaks with the emphasis largely on a dwarf named Hans (Harry Earles) who was initially engaged to fellow dwarf Frieda (Daisy Earles). That was until the seductive trapeze artist, Cleopatra (Olga Baclanova) came between the pair, ambitiously setting her sights on the lovestruck Hans.
It's clear from the get go that Cleopatra's interest in Hans wasn't motivated by love or kindness but more by the wealth he had. A wealth that Cleopatra was determined to get for herself, along with the help of her lover, the strongman, Hercules (Henry Victor). Worse still, Cleopatra very nearly succeeded in her goal.
It didn't take much for her to separate Hans from Daisy and it definitely didn't take a lot for Hans to foolishly marry her either. Where Cleopatra came undone was her inability to hide her disgust from the Freaks with a drunken rant revealing her true colours. Hans also becoming suspiciously ill soon alerted everyone else to her nefarious ways.
There was a saying about offending one of the Freaks in that you'd offens them all. Cleopatra's drunken rant was one thing but when Hans realised she was poisoning him, it didnt end well for either Cleopatra or Hercules. The latter's fate wasn't shown onscreen but the former's definitely was and it was fairly twisted.
For a woman who openly despised the Freaks, her being rendered into one in the most brutal fashion will stick as a villain comeuppance in any media. Even by today's standards, it's a gruesome but poetic outcome for a very unsympathetic character. I didn't use it as the image for this review because you really do have to see it for yourself to believe it.
- The movie is based on a short story named Spurs by Tod Robins with a very different comeuppance for the Cleopatra of that story.
- Hercules comeuppance involved him losing his manhood and being a soprano. However that footage no longer exists and this movie was cut from 90 minutes to 64 minutes due to audience reception.
- Both Harry and Daisy Earles who played Hans and Frieda were brother and sister so why they were cast as a couple beggars belief.
- Other titles for this movie included The Monster's Story, Forbidden Love and Nature's Mistakes.
- American Horror Story: Freak Show owed a lot to this movie, especially the Cleopatra stuff. Also She Freak (1967) and Freakshow (2007)
- Chronology: The film came out in 1932 and seems to be set in a similar time period.
Freaks definitely lived up to it's reputation as a grotesquely uncomfortable movie where humanity could be far more unpleasant than the freaks it derided here. Truly unsettling but definitely a must watch.
Rating: 8 out of 10
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