Bride of Frankenstein (1935) - James Whale

Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
Director: James Whale
Writers: Mary Shelley (Novel), William Hurlbut (Screenplay), John L. Balderston (Adaptation)
Starring: Boris Karloff, Colin Clive, Valerie Hobson, Ernest Thesiger, Elsa Lanchester, O.P. Heggie

From most of the things I have been reading lately, it seems that Bride of Frankenstein (1935) is widely considered to be a better film than Frankenstein (1931). While I really enjoyed the movie I am not sure I agree with this general consensus. It is a wonderful film but I think that it is just shy of reaching the same level of greatness as the first film.

Overall Bride of Frankenstein does continue many of the themes presented in the first film. It takes on the issues of playing God head on. It really turns these issues on their head though by presenting some interesting religious imagery, including a scene where the monster, still played masterfully by Boris Karloff, is tied to a pole and then stood upright in a position almost parodying a crucifixion.

The film also deals just as much with the creatures feelings of abandonment and loneliness as the first film did. For the first time the creature finally finds a friend in an older blind man. This man can not see the creature's hideous visage and is not afraid of him as everyone else is. They become good friends and the blind man even begins to teach the creature to talk. However, this does not last long because other people, knowing the monster's true form, will not let this friendship last. No matter how hard the monster tries he will never be accepted by humanity.

This leads to Dr. Pretorius, a scientist that has also succeeding in creating life on a smaller scale, trying to take advantage of the monster. Dr. Pretorius tricks the monster into forcing Dr. Frankenstein to create a bride for him. The creature has come to believe, with the help of Pretorius, that only someone created like him could truly be his friend. I am not even sure that the creature understands what it means to have a bride, he only understands that he will have a friend that is just like him and he might not be as lonely anymore.

Many of these plot points are grabbed directly from Mary Shelley's original novel. The monster's attempt to become friends with an old blind man and learning how to talk happen in Shelley's novel but not in the same way that they happen in the movie. While these scenes are very a condensed version of the similar scenes from the book they still invoke the same kinds of emotional reactions.

The monster's desire for a bride is also taken directly from the book, however in the book he comes to this conclusion on his own and is not tricked into it. Even though he does not come to this decision on his own in the film, we are still able to understand his desire for wanting a friend that would be more like him. However, the creation of the bride and what follows is almost as shocking and heartbreaking as the ending of the first film.

In many ways the emotional impact of Bride of Frankenstein is as great as it is in the first film. My only problem with the film is that it gets a bit too campy for my taste and I didn't really think that this fit well with the themes presented in the movie. The way the monster acts when he is excited and happy seem just a bit too childlike to me. I understand that the monster is a child in many ways but for some reason it just came across as too silly in my opinion.

I also thought that the tiny people created by Dr. Pretorius were just a tad to far on the campy side for me. I understand I am watching a film that involves a lot of fantasy elements as well as the creation of life but this was just went to far over the top in my opinion. It seems like it was added as comic relief and in the end it just didn't work for me. Of course I thought the whole character of Dr. Pretorius was a bit over the top as well.

The set designs were just as great in this film as they were in the first. The castle where Dr. Frankenstein and Dr. Pretorius do their work still has that almost surreal quality to it that was presented in the first film. This surreal quality also exists in the underground crypt where Pretorius and the monster meet for the first time. If nothing else these films could be remembered for their iconic imagery alone.

The look of the monster's bride is an extension of this wonderful iconic imagery created in the film. Although she only has a few minutes of screen time her image has become almost as iconic as that of any of Universal's classic monsters. Her famous hair along with the way she acts and moves just add such a wonderful feel to the character and add so much to the film. My only disappointment with the character was that she had so little screen time. However that small amount of screen time was used well and served the story perfectly.

Bride of Frankenstein ends up being a great sequel that in many ways lives up to its predecessor. There are a few places here and there throughout the movie that are a bit to over the top but in the end it has the same kind of emotional impact as the first film. The evolution of Karloff's monsters is well done and at times very heartbreaking. The introduction of his bride has a wonderful impact and leads to a very emotional climax to a great film.

Rating: 8/10