Frankenstein
Composite Score: 86.37
Starring: Colin Clive, Mae Clarke, Boris Karloff, John Boles, Edward Van Sloan, Frederick Kerr, Dwight Frye, Lionel Belmore, and Marilyn Harris
Director: James Whale
Writers: Garrett Fort and Francis Edward Faragoh
Genres: Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
MPAA Rating: Approved
Box Office: $12.00 million worldwide
My take on Watching This Film:
Frankenstein is the film adaptation of Peggy Webling’s play adaptation of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley’s novel Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus about a young scientist obsessed with creating life and the “monster” that he brings into the world. The film stars Colin Clive as the titular Doctor Henry Frankenstein, joined by Mae Clarke as his fiancée Elizabeth and Boris Karloff in his career-defining role as the monster. The film creatively explores the themes of Shelley’s novel, while honing in more specifically on the mistreatment and fear of the monster as an “other”, featuring that theme at its core rather than the questions of scientific exploration and who the real monster is of the original novel.
Obviously, as one of the first mainstream talkie horror films, Frankenstein has been incredibly influential, launching Universal Pictures’ monster movies alongside the success of Dracula. The sequels, homages, and references that continue to be made to Whale’s interpretation of Frankenstein speak to its unshakable place in the pantheon of film. From the iconic dungeon sets, full of sparks and tesla coils, to Frankenstein’s shout of “It’s alive!” to the monster’s interaction with little Maria on the lakeside to the climactic windmill showdown, the film is full of amazingly iconic moments of film history, and that’s without even bringing up the iconic look and sounds of Karloff’s monster, with his neck electrodes and wide forehead.
Old as the film is (93 years), all of this iconography still feels like authentic cinema, and it transports you into this world of gothic horror beautifully. The sets are excellently designed, with plenty of depth and detail to make them feel alive. The effects, both makeup and visual, are used minimally, lending the film an almost timeless air. Of course, the themes remain just as prevalent as ever. There’s a reason that Shelley’s novel is still taught in high school literature classes, and this film remains relevant for the same reasons. For all its iconography, it is also a film with something to say. The tragedy of the monster’s existence and the brief but tortured life that he lives reminds us of the danger in reacting negatively to things we don’t understand. By taking a slightly different stance than the novel and not immediately treating the monster as this abomination of human creation, it explores more deeply questions of nature vs. nurture and of society’s treatment of the outsider. As such, the film carries a more elevated form of horror than most modern horror makers could even scratch at – it highlights the tragedy of existence that can only be elevated by interactions with our fellow humans, not seeking to scare us into any sort of realization but to show us the folly with choosing to be afraid of things that we simply don’t understand. Ironically, it offers a critique of modern horror without even knowing about its existence.
Frankenstein offers a near-perfect look at the genre of sci-fi/horror, giving the audience plenty to ruminate on while also providing sheer entertainment in the form of iconic characters, visuals, and locales, earning the film a place of greatness. There’s really not much to knock in this adaptation unless you really are a novel purist, in which case the deviations from Shelley’s work will certainly be too much to overlook. Currently, this film can be rented on most streaming platforms if you’d like to give it a go in the coming days.
