Bride Of Frankenstein

Bride Of Frankenstein...1935...unrated...75 minutes...starring Colin Clive, Elsa Lanchester, Ernest Thesiger, and Boris Karloff...adapted from Mary Shelley's work by William Hurlbut...directed by James Whale

Sequels are often a tricky business; I know of only a few that manage to stand up to their predecessor movies let alone surpass them. After seeing "Bride", however, I have another selection to add to this short list. What we have here is one of those works that surpasses just being a film. This classic is a movie that has woven itself into the history of the cinema, not just for horror films but for the medium in general.

First, we are shown an opening sequence that shows a conversation between Byron and the Shelleys that leads us into the movie. Elsa Lanchester plays Mary Shelley in this short part, as well as the Bride herself later, and gives viewers the transition into the story proper. The story picks up after the end of "Frankenstein", and as I hinted at before the monster has proven to be hardier than the local villagers had hoped. Dr. Frankenstein has survived his calamitous fall as well, and only returns to his crazed pursuit of reanimation after being both tempted and later coerced by a warped colleague, Dr. Pretorius. Pretorius has created his own miniature life forms, but wants to collaborate with Dr. Frankenstein to build a woman. Meanwhile, the Monster has been captured but escapes, generally gets treated poorly, but finally receives a small measure of kindness when he stumbles across a cottage that houses a blind hermit. Not surprisingly, this doesn't last...and the Monster ends up working with the scheming Pretorius to get Frankenstein to build him a companion. The conclusion...well, if you don't know, see it for yourself.

Now, I could go on and on about this piece...and many critics have. To be fair, there's lots to look at and admire...the performances are wonderful, the artistry of the sets and lighting is distinctive, the makeup is still iconic (though this time the get-up is much kinder to Karloff). The Monster does speak in this film, and while the actor himself was worried that this decision was the wrong one, I think it adds to the pathos of the created being. There's also an interweaving of humor in the film that gives it lightness in places and a strange twist in others...overall adding to the movie's movement.

Again, I'm not sure how much this film translates to the modern audience, but in the horror genre this movie is a foundation of many films that later come down the road. ("Gothic" and "The Bride" are two quick examples.) For some people, I'm sure that watching this would be "eating your veggies" all over again, but it's worth it. If you only see one of the Frankenstein films, see this one.

My rating: 4 and a half tiny people in bottles.