My Review of Frankenstein (1931)

 

Written by Garrett Fort And Francis Edward Faragoh

Directed by James Whale

Henry Frankenstein: "Look! It's moving. It's alive. It's alive... It's alive, it's moving, it's alive, it's alive, it's alive, it's alive, IT'S ALIVE!"

Victor Moritz: "Henry - In the name of God!"

Henry Frankenstein: "Oh, in the name of God! Now I know what it feels like to be God!"

I did things out of order. I watched and reviewed Bride Of Frankenstein last year but of course, I should've watched and reviewed this one first. The most important adaptation of the Mary Shelley classic.

First of all, the movie started with Edward Van Sloan (who also played Dr Waldman) introducing the movie to the audience, which was a nice but unusual bit. Then there was the movie itself. Creator versus creation. Who was worse or more tragic?

The actual Frankenstein himself was Dr Henry Frankenstein (Colin Clive). The film really began with him and assistant Fritz (Dwight Frye) are digging up the graveyard for body parts. It seems that Victor had a much bigger priority than his upcoming nuptials.

Yup, Victor had a beautiful would be bride in Elizabeth Lavenza (Mae Clarke) but his true desire was the need to play God. Collecting the body parts, he put them together and created The Monster (Boris Karloff). What should've been a scientific advancement immediately became an absolute disaster.

The Monster couldn't be controlled and had no problem even drowning a child named Maria (Marilyn Harris). Needless to say, that certainly put a target on The Monster's back and the last few minutes are dedicated to his downfall. Boris Karloff does a great in giving The Monster some sympathy.

Less sympathetic however would be Dr Frankenstein himself. He's a selfish, vain, arrogant man whose God complex nearly destroyed his village and even almost resulted in his own death. In some ways, he's a lot worse than The Monster he brought to life and doesn't really suffer any consequences for his actions.

- This movie would result in two sequels while James Whale would also direct The Invisible Man (1933).

- The Monster's look in this movie became iconic but it's not the same as the description in Shelley's book itself.

- In the book, Frankenstein is called Victor but was renamed Henry to sound friendly to American audiences.

- Chronology: Set in a village in the Bavarian Alps in the 1800s.

Frankenstein undeniably should be considered a classic in the horror genre and it's still a sight to behold nearly a century later. An excellent adaptation of the source with a brilliant performance from Boris Karloff as The Creature.

Rating: 9 out of 10