The Bride of Frankenstein

Rating:
Summary: "She's Alive!" Indeed!
Review: I was a fan of the work of James Whale before the recent "Gods and Monsters" (which is terrific in its own right) brought his name once more to the attention of the movie-going public. However, I'd allowed my enjoyment of Universal's original - and best, to date - monster epics to take a backseat to recent releases. So, when they were released on DVD, I happily purchased them all, anticipating a joyous re-acquaintance with Dr. Frankenstein, Karloff's hauntingly human monster and, of course ... his Bride.

This DVD will not disappoint either fans familiar with Whale's genius or those coming to know it for the first time. While arguments can be made about which is the better picture - "Frankenstein", in which the monster is completely silent, showcasing Boris Karloff's abilities to convey pathos, terror and the pain of human rejection through bodily gestures and hidious growls alone, or "Bride", in which the monster talks (Karloff argued against this change, feeling it cheapened his portrayal of the character) and demands a mate - both pictures are nonetheless classics in general and stellar examples of Whale's visual genuis.

When I was younger, I failed to see the elements of comedy in "Bride", focused as I was on the monster himself, the terror he inspired, the tragic proportions of his lonliness. Now, viewing this DVD with greater knowledge of Whale, the individual actors and the time period in which the film was created, I am better equipped to appreciate the comic elements which Whale sneakily buried into his movie. Despite the efforts of what must have been a bunch of namby-pamby censors, Whale managed to circumvent their prudish cuts and changes. (See, for example, the change in line - and how the line is then played - during an early scene between the fey Dr. Pretorious, portrayed to the hilt by Ernest Thesinger, and Henry Frankenstein, with Colin Clive reprising his original role.)

And then ... when the Bride (Elsa Lancaster) turns her head jerkily towards Henry for the first time, with those wide eyes and that electrified hairdo ... when her first instinct is to be attracted to the handsome man and not the monster, so desperate for companionship, for love, for the understanding of another creature like himself ... well, you just don't get many better moments in cinema.

The extra features on the DVD are, as usual, first rate. Theatrical trailers, production notes, and an original documentary entitled, "She's Alive! Creating the Bride of Frankenstein" all provide the audience with information guaranteed to enhance their appreciation and enjoyment of one of the greatest horror classics ever made.

"Bride of Frankenstein" - and all of Universal's classic monster DVDs - should be in the collection of anyone even considering calling him-or-herself a movie fan.

Rating:
Summary: Portrait of an outsider
Review: I bought this DVD after watching GODS AND MONSTERS, the fictionalized account of the last days of James Whale, the British director who made both the original FRANKENSTEIN (1931)and this superior sequel. According to the film historian Scott MacQueen who provides the feature commentary, Karloff disagreed with the director's decision to give the monster dialogue (he only growls and moans in the earlier film). But Karloff did an excellent job of delivering his verbless sentences and conveying the sense of pathos that surely embodies Whale's feelings as an outsider who never quite fit in (as a homosexual, as a Brit in America, as a creative artist working for one of Hollywood's lesser studios). In fact, it is the monolithic, unthinking townspeople who turn out to be the most frightening and monstrous thing in this movie.

The picture and sound on this DVD are excellent. Besides the insightful feature commentary mentioned above there is an interesting original documentary (the discussion of the censorship codes and how Whale managed to dodge them was especially fascinating). If you have only seen the movie on t.v., you've probably missed out on the prologue--a scene in which Elsa Lanchester plays Mary Shelley defending her creation against Lord Byron's supercilious taunts. If you loved GODS AND MONSTERS like I did, you'll want to at least rent this DVD. Only the truly obsessive, however, will want to bother with the original FRANKENSTEIN.

Rating:
Summary: A Sequal which is better then the original film.
Review: Boris Karloff, Colin Clive, and director James Whale reunited to make Bride of Frankenstein in 1935. Considered even better then the origianl film, it has terrific acting, gothic film sets, good music by Franz Waxman, and is once again a warning about what happens when science is used for the wrong reasons. Dr. Frankenstein reluctingly makes a female creature for his lonely monster (Karloff). Featureing Elsa Lanchester playing both the female creature and Mary Shelly, and Valerie Hobson as Elizabeth Frankenstein. Was continued in the thrid and final film, Son of Frankenstein in 1939.

Rating:
Summary: A Message from Mr. Movie Buff
Review: An excellent movie! Bride of Frankenstein was a great movie and easily the best of Universal's monster movies. It continues the story of Frankenstein by starting out with Mary Shelley telling the next part where the monster really didn't get burned up in the fire at all but lived. Dr. Frankenstein didn't want any part of the monster after that but the mad Dr. Pretorius blackmailed him into helping him create a mate for the monster after the monster decides he's lonesome. Bride of Frankenstein is a much better film than its origial, and far better than any of the other Universal monster movies. It is outdated by today's standards but still remains a classic film. I loved the part where the monster goes into the forest and finds the hermit, which suggests the it does in fact have a heart after all. And the part where Dr. Pretorius unveils all of his little people in the jars. Boris Karloff to this day will always be the one and only Frankenstein in my opinion, and Ernest Thesiger's performance as Dr. Pretorius couldn't have been better. This movie is not really scary by today's standard's, but still remains a classic. A must for every classic film buff!

Rating:
Summary: It's Alive!
Review: The success of the first Frankenstein film spawned this interesting sequel. Some attempt was made to keep the original mood of horror, in particular the scene where Hans's wife offers the monster a helping hand thinking it is her husband, but with Karloff's monster inevitably undergoing character development, we have a more rational and less mysterious creature. The film therefore relies more on touches of comedy, parody, and, especially in the scene with the blind man, pathos than its predecessor. Una O'Connor is great as the shrewish, shrieking servant, Ernest Thesiger gives a wonderfully over-the-top performance as the evil Doctor Pretorius, and Colin Clive is good for the way he shouts "It's Alive!" at key moments. By the end, disappointed in love, the monster has developed a humanity that is more to be pitied than feared.

Rating:
Summary: We Belong Dead
Review: The greatest horror film ever made, "Bride" is also the screen's purest expression of gay sensibility. From the amazing prologue with a fruity Lord Byron rrrrrolling his R's while the thunder and lightning rage, to the creepy effeminacy of the evil Dr. Praetorius, it's a parade of homoerotic archetypes and themes -- equating gayness with the horror of "the unknown." In the end, the poor martyred monster finally goes on a date... only to wave his hands helplessly as even his specially created bride rejects him (with hisses, yet). "We belong dead," he growls at Praetorius. It's politically incorrect (though not much more than "Gods and Monsters," made six decades later) but that doesn't matter. It's exhilirating, funny, and as alive as the day it was made.

Rating:
Summary: Superior Sequal to Legendary Original
Review: Boris Karloff will always be best-known for his portrayal of the Frankenstein Monster. This superb sequal to "Frankenstein" has elements from Mary Shelly's book. Especially the scene where the fugitive monster is befriended by a blind man. For the first time the hideous outcast of society learns what it is like to be accepted, even liked by another human being. The mob-scenes are typical of early talkies and probably even the silents (i.e. "Birth of a Nation"), but work well in the context. This film also has a haunting score, adding to it's classic status. This is one of the best films made of the genre!

Rating:
Summary: A weird and wonderful classic
Review: Even by today's standards, this is an unusual film. It would be interesting to know what audiences in 1935 made of it. It starts with a prologue featuring Mary Shelley (played by Elsa Lanchester, who also appears as the female monster at the end of the film). The poets Byron and Percy Shelley have so enjoyed her tale of Frankenstein that they persuade her to tell them some more.

The story then starts for real. Picking up where the first film ended, we see the burning windmill in which the monster was thought to have died. However, he has survived, and continues his rampage through the countryside. In a sequence taken directly from the novel, he is welcomed in by a blind hermit, who treats him with kindness and provides food and shelter. The hermit also teaches him a few words of speech ("Friend, good!"). This idyll is ended when two hunters chance upon the hermit's cottage, and the monster becomes an outcast once more. He then meets Dr. Pretorius, Frankenstein's old tutor. They join forces to make Frankenstein build the monster a female companion.

'The Bride of Frankenstein' is one of those rare occasions when a sequel is better than the original. This is no mean feat, as 'Frankenstein' itself is a great film. What we have here is the coming together of many great talents at their peak, and the result is a joy to behold. Director James Whale has expanded on his original vision and added a quirky sense of black humour. Whereas 'Frankenstein' had no background music, 'Bride' is graced with a full score by Franz Waxman, including a glorious wedding march. The camera work is innovative and fluid, especially during the final laboratory scenes, which feature some spectacular set designs. Makeup wizard Jack Pierce has modified his original brilliant concept of the monster. The lank hair has been singed away, revealing more of the clamps that hold the monster's head together.

Then there are the actors. Colin Clive as the tortured Dr. Frankenstein, wracked with doubt; Ernest Thesiger's wonderfully eccentric performance as Dr. Pretorius, one of the cinema's great grotesques; Elsa Lanchester as the female monster, a striking vision with her scarred neck and quick, birdlike head movements; and the great Boris Karloff, building on his masterful piece of mime from the first film and adding new depths to the monster. 'The Bride of Frankenstein' is a one-off. There has never been a film quite like it before or since.

Rating:
Summary: Bride is Top Notch in the Genre!
Review: Probably the greatest of all the Universal creaky thrillers of the early 1930s. Every scene is just about priceless. Film is superior to original Frankenstein which is certainly a great film, but suffered because it seemed to stagy without background music.Franz Waxman's haunting score is chilling and effective(especially the creation music!). This film gave the audience that sense of gothic atmoshpere of the 19th century.Like the original Frank(31), it had that "atmoshpere" which later Universal Frank films lacked(Ghost of, House of,etc.).Ernest Thesiger's Pretorious is great fun. O.P. Heggie(The Blind Hermit) and Karloff have the best scene in the film that conveys the human side to the monster. Una O'Connor is the comic relief and I must say that if the film has a failing, that is it(she is quite annoying, but why carp?).Note the change of actresses with regard to Elizabeth Frankenstein(Beautiful Valerie Hobson).Colin Clive does another great acting job as the raving Henry Frankenstein("She's ALIVE ALIVE! ).Dwight Frye shows up in this one not as Fritz, but as Karl a murderer(Universal needs to release a special edition that shows the deleted scene where Karl murders his aunt and uncle-come on Universal do it! )Interesting prologue with Lord Byron, Mary and Percy Shelley(Elsa Lanchester as Mary and the Monster's Mate!). This film works on all levels.It has chilling atmoshpere, a haunting score, new and fun characters(Karl,Pretorious,Blind Hermit),innovative and improved effects, and a storyline that is, in effect, more close to the Shelley novel than the first Frankenstein(1931) which was adapted from a stage play.

Rating:
Summary: THIRTIES GEM
Review: This caricature by some very knowing people is a macabre comedy classic....i.e., The Monster (Boris Karloff) is the only sympathetic character! James Whale, who had a good gothic sense of humour, directed, with Elsa Lanchester as Mary Shelley in the prologue, and then as the Bride. For many of us, the scene where she says "Eeeek!" in repulsion when she first sees her intended was so satisfyingly silly that she won our hearts forever! Inimitable Thesiger plays the weird doctor who convinces Frankenstein into making a mate for his monster. One of the silver screen's most fondly regarded horror stories, this excellent sequel to the 1931 FRANKENSTEIN offers an excellent blend of black humour and thrills, with all concerned in top form. Lanchester excels in her playing of the bride; she's also seen in the prologue as author Mary Shelley! The pastoral interlude with the blind hermit and the final, riotous creation scene are among the highlights of this truly classic film of which the lighting, photography, sets and direction could hardly be better.