Rating: 
Summary: A great classic but that's all
Review: As I watched The Bride of Frankenstein, I really searched for the deep meaning of things but did not really find those underlying meanings. I do not know if this is because I was not looking the right places but I didn't find the hidden meanings. I think that sometimes people look to much for the "meaning" in the film that they miss the simple entertainment of the film. And, I do not know if that was what the director was intending, but I say the film as a great classic horror / comedy film. I felt that you had to search too deep to find the "meaning" of the film and that if you tried to stretch it to find that meaning that you lost the enjoyment of the film. So, over all, I would recommend that you view this movie, just keep in mind that I enjoyed it the most when I focused on it as an entertainment instead of a film with a deep meaning hid within.
Rating: 
Summary: No Time for Frankenstein
Review: For the modern movie lover, The Bride of Frankenstein can be considered one of the first in its century for bad sequels. There became a pattern of sequels falling short of their famed origins, and The Bride only confirmed this phenomenon. I can't help but to be biased after reading Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and seeing the first movie of Frankenstein fail miserably to account for even half of the original storyline. After this, the sequel was doomed to fail. By adding the sequence with the old, blind man in The Bride and having the monster learn to talk, it tried to make up for the loss of context in the first. However, even this scene was distorted and reflected no real common ground with the actual happening's in Shelley's book. To a viewer of the 1930's, the monster may be sufficient enough for a scare or two, but to view the movie with this purpose murders the theme and intent of the book. We are not supposed to feel sympathetic towards the monster in the movie; after all, he is disgusting and frightening. The audience is supposed to leave with nightmares. But the book is full of sentiment towards the monster as the reader sees him as a being not a thing or lab experiment. You are taken along with him in his learning and growing process and feel his rejection. Dr. Frankenstein is supposed to be proud and self-indulged in his studies and his own self-needs and desires. In The Bride, Frankenstein show no direction--just a confused and contradicting man. To explain my two-star rating, I am forced to admit the lighting was farely good. When you don't have color, you have to play around with something. Dr. Pritorious was probably the most developed character of the movie, although only given cliche lines to work with. There could have been an extremely developed theme that left the audience scratching their heads, but it was glazed over in an attempt to add a few scares (if you can call it that). The town's reaction toward the monster reveals a truth about society, but I guess that will be left to decipher for the reader.
Rating: 
Summary: Creation in the "Bride of Frankenstein"
Review: Though fun to watch merely for the sake of watching it, "The Bride of Frankenstein" is particularly interesting when one considers the religious overtones and creation themes prevalent throughout the film.
In the opening scene of Lord Byron, Mary Shelley, and Percy Shelley, Mary Shelley explains that her intent in writing "Frankenstein" was to show what happened to a man who tried to defy God. During the film, Dr. Frankenstein frequently represents a man trying to be God in taking the secret of life and using it himself. Though early in the movie, after he has suffered the trauma of the burning mill he claims he will no longer try to sacriligeously defy God's will, Dr. Pretorius, who identifies himself with the devil, has little trouble tempting him away from his intentions.
In inspiring Dr. Frankenstein to create a woman monster, Dr. Pretorius leads him away from his own marriage where the natural procreation of God could occur, and instead motivates Dr. Frankenstein to take the power of creation into his own hands by making his own race of monsters. Dr. Frankenstein even has visions of himself teaching the monster to do his will, so that he can in a sense control his own world.
The Frankenstein monster clearly is an Adam figure, the first of his race, and originally alone. He learns that "there is good and there is bad," as though, like Adam, he has gained the knowledge of good and evil.
Dr. Frankenstein learns that his role as God is not as wonderful as he had imagined. Just as Dr. Frankenstein defies the will of God in creating men, the monster defies Dr. Frankenstein's plans in denying his authority and forcing him to create another monster.
Only when the devilish Dr. Pretorius and the creations of Dr. Frankenstein are destroyed does the movie resolve, having accepted God's position as ultimate creator.
Rating: 
Summary: A definite winner, a classic
Review: There are few films that live as masterpieces in theatrical history and Whale's The Bride of Frankenstein is certainly one of them. A sequel to the enormously popular 1930's film Frankenstein, many critics considered by this motion picture to be one of the few sequels to beat its predecessor. Some have even claimed it to be the greatest member of the Frankenstein trilogy.
Time has left the film's perfections untouched; and although it takes some time for the modern viewer to see beyond the film's dating features, within moments the observer is captured within the majesty of the story as a the film picks up a the same scene the original left off. This is one of the redeeming features of the film-setting if off from all other sequels, in that it's a continuation of the original story; it's not a second plot built off the ruins of the first.
When I heard the title of the movie: The Bride of Frankenstein, I was deceived into thinking that the title refers to the monster's counterpart. The title is a deceptive misnomer. The bride of Frankenstein is not the female partner to the monster that our culture knows so well. She's the new wife of the mad scientist Frankenstein-cursed with the ability to create life. This film is a story of his ability-or inability-to cope with the disaster he's created. The plot continues in a dramatic revelation as Dr. Praetorious forces Dr. Frankenstein into making a partner for the monster. Although reluctantly, the Doctor and resumes his work with the same fervor and intensity as before. This is a dramatic change from the promise Frankenstein made to himself at the beginning of the film-to never toy with the God given powers of life. The film seems to focus on this change in Frankenstein as he realizes the true meaning of life, and as he learns the meaning of justice and love from a monster that has received nothing but fear and hate his whole life.
This film is a dramatic continuation of the hit horror film Frankenstein. An improvement from it's predecessor, it concludes the story of a timeless classic. The Bride of Frankenstein is a masterpiece well worth the time and effort.
Rating:
Summary: Monsters Have Feelings Too
Review: Although the Bride of Frankenstein is an old horror movie, deeper meaning can be extracted from it upon further review. I especially found the scene in the cabin with the blind man and the Monster interesting. It is full of irony, as first of all, the Monster is intrigued by the soft music coming from the blind man's violin. This is ironic because usually monsters in movies are portrayed as heartless and without feeling. This is not the case though. As the monster goes into the cabin, the viewer expects the old man to become frightened upon seeing the monster, yet he quickly asks who is there. He invites the "person" to come in. It is at this point that the viewer realizes that the old man is blind, therefore he cannot pass a quick judgement on the monster. He quickly shows compassion for the "person" that has entered his cabin. This shows that we cannot judge people by how they might look. Also, we need to stop stereotyping. When the townspeople come in search of the Monster, they quickly stereotype him. They don't know that he has feeling too, as the viewer previously finds out. In fact, the monster even sheds some tears. In the movie, the true monsters are the people that pass quick judgements like the townspeople. Also, Dr. Praetorius is a real "monster" because he is the one who is fooling around with life itself, by creating living things out of dead peoples body parts. He deserves what he gets in the end. Whereas, Dr. Frankenstein is repentant for what he has done, therefore it is fitting that he does not get the same fate as Dr. Praetorius. To relate it to the us, we need to "kill" the monster within us that is quick to judge.
Rating:
Summary: overall great movie
Review: I thought this was an excellent movie especially with it being an older one. Usually I look at old horror movies like this one as being boring and lacking good technical effects. This movie is really interesting though and I love the characters in it and the good cinematography.
While some parts are cheesy (when they keep on doing close-ups of the faces, or the old lady with the annoying voice) most of the movie does a good job of being funny when it's supposed to be, and being serious when it should be serious. The filmmaker has done a good job also with the special effects of the machine (at the end) and with the lighting all throughout the movie. I thought the part with the blind man was really excellent with portraying emotions because it made me feel really sad for both Frankenstein and the man.
I am usually against horror movies, but this is definitely one of the best that I've seen because it combines laughter, horror, and emotions all into one movie. It was an overall great movie.
Rating:
Summary: Delightful Fright
Review: The Bride of Frakenstein is certainly a movie that is worth seeing. First of all, it is a movie that is virtually devoid of profanity, sexual innuendo, and gratuitous violence. Some critics say that the movie has homosexual overtones in it, but I didn't think that there were any blatantly obvious homosexual scenes. It can be very difficult to find clean movies, so it was refreshing to watch a movie that didn't include those undesirable and uneccesary elements. Second, the characters in the movie were very memorable and interesting. I don't think I will ever be able to forget the lady with the high-pitched screaming voice. She was unforgettable. The monster created by Frankenstein was misunderstood, and therefore caused me to be sympathetic towards him. I felt myself wanting the other people to understand him and his needs. The third reason I enjoyed the movie was that although it was supposed to be a scary movie it had some very funny lines. A good laugh now and then is appreciated even in the most serious movies. The last reason I liked the movie is that it did a good job of getting people to think about the idea of people tampering with God's power of creation. The movie portrays the tampering as basically a bad thing. All in all, I enjoyed the movie and would recommend it to anyone.
Rating:
Summary: Monster
Review: The Bride of Frankenstein movie is a great show of creative genius at work. The monster terrorizes the people on the countryside, while the mad scientist, Dr. Pretorius, devises a plan to create a female counterpart for him. The story tells about the monster finding a friend, and shows a more humane side of him. In the end, he becomes the "hero" of sorts, ending the reign of the monster race.
The techniques used for making the movie one of the greatest of the time make it interesting to watch now, with our technology advancements. To make the monster "realistic" to walk lurching-like, weights are put in his shoes, and then the shape of his forehead was created after many experiements of what a head would actually look like, if a transplant was done. Other things, like lighting, shading, creepy music, and camera angles add to the general effect of a scary movie.
Overall the movie was a great show of artistry and technology of the time. The story was fun, and the humanistic approach to the monster made it a more sympathetic story.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Halloween Gig
Review: "The Bride of Frankenstein" is a great film. I enjoyed the mix of drama, horror, and comedy that I felt throughout the movie. It is especially fun to watch during the Halloween season. Compared to other horror films, I think that this one is appropriate and enjoyable not only for an adult audience, but for a younger one as well.
In many ways, it is a commentary on certain advancements in science. It fascinates me how applicable the themes are in today's cloning debates. The director shows the results of experimenting with human life. In Frankenstein's case, the results are amazing, but are detrimental to society.
Rating:
Summary: Classic?--I don't think so
Review: Based on the limited exposure I had to the movie, I must question, "Why is is this considered a classic?" I'm not some ignorant kid who doesn't care for the established views, but the movie was a joke. With its almost blatent homosexual overtones, I thought I was watching a parody of the original. I understand and appreciate that movie making techniques weren't what they are today, but come on! The only reason I give it any credit is because of the limited breakingground it made. Boris Karlov is good and I liked the innovative costume and makeup, but it truly did not inspire the full sympatheic effect I was expecting. However, this could be on account of the fact I did not watch the whole movie.
|
