Ghost of Frankenstein

Universal cranked out yet another sequel in 1942. Ghost of Frankenstein (GoF) picks up the story where the third movie left off. The monster and Ygor somehow survived and search out a second son of Henry. This fourth movie starred Lon Chaney Jr. as the monster, and Bela Lugosi again as Ygor. Cedric Hardwicke plays Ludwig Frankenstein. Erle Kenton directs, as he would the sixth movie in the series. The formula for the films is repeated, some variations to freshen it up.

Quick Plot Synopsis
Awhile after the cheerful farewell to Wolf von Frankenstein, the villagers fall on hard times. The other villagers shun them. They fret about a curse. The burgomaster tells them the castle is theirs, so they decide to blow it up. Ygor, not dead after all, cowers in lower levels. One of the explosions dislodges the monster from the solidified sulphur of the cooled pit. He is alive! Ygor and the monster escape before the castle is destroyed. Ygor takes him to the nearby village of Visaria where he knows a second son of Heinrich (Henry) works as a doctor.The monster rescues a little girl (named Cloestine) from some bullies, but the townspeople mob him. He kills a couple in self defense. The monster is put in jail but quickly escapes. Ygor takes him to the estate of Ludwig von Frankenstein. Ludwig wants nothing to do with his family's dark past, but Ygor threatens to expose Ludwig if he doesn't make the monster well again. Ludwig reluctantly agrees, but really plans to dissect the monster and end the curse. The "ghost" of Henry appears to Ludwig imploring him to fix the monster, not destroy it. Give it a "good" brain. Ludwig reluctantly agrees. He dusts off the diary and notes of his father and brother and starts to figuring. Meanwhile, the townsfolk and police are looking for the missing monster and gradually suspect Ludwig is hiding him. The monster had killed an associate of Ludwigs, a Dr. Kettering, so Ludwig plans to use Kettering's brain. Ygor persuades another associate of Ludwig's, a Dr. Bohmer, to use his (Ygor's) brain instead. Meanwhile, the monster has left the castle (just when the police show up to search it, so he's not found). He goes into town and scoops up little Cloestine and brings her to the estate. The monster wants Ludwig to use Cloestine's brain. No no, that won't do. The operation proceeds. Bohmer brings in Ygor's brain. Ludwig thinks it's Kettering's. When complete, the monster recovers, but speaks with Ygor's voice. He boasts of invincibility. The villagers storm the estate. Ygor-monster and Bohmer flood it with sleeping gas. Suddenly, Ygor-monster realizes he is blind. Ludwig says Ygor did not have the right blood type. The body is reacting. Blind Ygor-monster rages around, killing Bohmer and starting a huge fire. The whole estate burns up. The monster is shown with glimpses of burn makeup. Eric (the town prosecutor) and Elsa, Ludwig's daughter, leave the burning estate and climb over a hill into the dawn. The End.

Sci-fi Connection Only near the end does medical "science" factor in. The introduction of the blood type issue was at least a nod to biology.

Compared to the Novel
This section needs to be dropped. Universal's Frankenstein series had stopped drawing upon Mary Shelley's novel for its material and was making up their own scenarios -- mostly repeating the previously successful ones.

Saga Connection
Ludwig is a brother to Wolf, apparently an older brother. Ludwig is a doctor too (he does brain transplant surgery), but is supposedly more of a psychologist. Ludwig's only child, apparently, is his daughter Elsa. This is the same name as his brother Wolf's wife. Ygor returns, apparently somewhat invincible himself. As with the previous iterations, the monster and other bad folk die in the end -- or at least appear to. This time, the doctor Frankenstein does die in the end. It is his daughter, Elsa, who lives to be featured in another film.

Notes
New Monster -- Boris Karloff did not play the monster in GoF. Instead, Universal cast Lon Chaney Jr. Jack Pierce's makeup makes him unmistakably the monster, but Chaney's dimpled chin is obvious. Chaney renders the monster as more plodding and without the pathos that Karloff put into him. Inextricably, he is mute again.

Chaney-As-Monster II -- The year before, Universal released a "lite" sci-fi thriller called Man Made Monster. In it, the mad scientist is played by Lionel Atwell. Lon Chaney is the large man made invincible by high voltage. Man Made Monster will get its own review in due time, but for now, suffice it to say the plot is a loose paraphrase of the by-now-familiar mad scientist and man-made-monster trope that Frankenstein made famous.

Town Ghosts -- Fans of the series will note that councilman Neumuller and Lang are alive again and sitting on the council. Lionel Atwell, who played inspector Krough in Son of… now plays Dr. Bohmer, the rogue associate.

Childlike Charm -- A curious bit of pathos that GoF does generate, revolves around the accepting innocence of little Cloestine. The other kids run away from the monster, but she's not frightened. This harkens to the scene with little Maria in the first movie, except that the monster seems to have learned to treat girls better. The Cloestine scenes (all three) seem to be the writers' suggestion that the monster would an okay guy if people just treated him nice and smiled now and then. 

Wooden Doc -- Cedric Hardwicke plays a more distant Dr. Frankenstein. He had hoped to hide from his father's legacy, and only reluctantly joins the cause. Hardwicke plays Ludwig rather stiffly, like a somewhat tired old man, compared to the young and zealous Colin Clive of the first two films. The "ghost", which is supposed to be Henry, is real just Hardwicke made blurry.

Mephisto By Proxy -- Ygor continues to play his role as Mephistopheles, but this time instead of beguiling a Frankenstein, he sets his sights on a more pliant victim. Dr. Bohmer, desiring fame, is an easier victim for Ygor's wiles. Ygor apparently harbors the same megalomaniacal dream of ruling the world that Dr. Pretorius did in the second film. Hubris foils Ygor's schemes and kills Bohmer.

Bottom line? GoF shows more of the weakness sequels are prone to. Yet, it manages to interject a few new features to the saga. Lugosi's Ygor actually carries the film. While some use of long shadows is made, the off-kiler look of German Expressionism is gone. There are still plenty of dark and stormy nights, and angry mobs with torches. The Frankenstein formula franchise has become a bit too familiar. Still, the film offers some predictable entertainment.

Son of Frankenstein

Universal Pictures went to the well again, releasing in 1939 a third installment in their popular Frankenstein series. Son of Frankenstein (SoF). The monster is the only character carried over from the previous film. He is played by Boris Karloff, for the last time. Basil Rathbone stars as Wolf von Frankenstein, son of Henry and Elizabeth from the previous movies. Like the second film, SoF is repeat of the original trope, but with more interesting "other" characters. Director/Producer Rowland Lee maintained James Whale's dark German Expressionist visuals.

Quick Plot Synopsis
The people of the village of Frankenstein meet the new Baron at the train station. Wolf von Frankenstein, son of Henry, is the new heir to the estate. He and his wife Elsa have come from America. The townsfolk are not keen on having another Frankenstein living in the castle again and treat Wolf cooly. Inspector Krough comes to tell Wolf of the villagers' fear and animosity. He has a wooden arm, since the monster ripped it off when he was a boy. At the castle, Wolf opens a box left by his father. It contains all his notes. Wolf imagines being able to vindicate his father, blaming the monster on the bad brain Fritz brought. While exploring his father's damaged lab, Wolf encounters Ygor who lives in the ruins. Ygor gives his backstory. Hung for body stealing, he didn't die, but has broken neck. Villagers consider him dead, since hung. Ygor shows Wolf the sleeping monster in the crypt below. Before, the monster was Ygor's only friend. "He does things for me," but now has fallen ill. Ygor encourages Wolf to make him better. Wolf thrilled at the opportunity to revive the monster, maybe fix him, and clear the family name. Wolf has equipment brought in (which upsets the villagers). The town council interrogate Ygor. Two of the councillors are all that remain of the eight that sentenced Ygor to be hung. Wolf sets to work examining and reviving the monster with many sparking devices. The monster does not revive. Later, Krough visits the castle again. During banal chatter, Wolf's young son Peter says a giant visits him in his room. Wolf runs out to the lab. He encounters the monster, who regards him with curiosity. The monster is revolted by his own reflection, and seems to plead with Wolf (to make it better?) Ygor comes in, saying that the monster was healed by Wolf's treatments after all. Later, Ygor sends the monster to kill one of the remaining two jurists. He grabs Neumuller off his wagon, kills him, then places his body under the wheels of his freight wagon. Krough is not convinced it was an accident. Later yet, the monster enters Herr Lang's home and kills him too. Wolf and Elsa notice that their butler Benson is missing too. An angry mob of villagers rant outside the castle gate. Krough visits again. Wolf makes excuses and acts nervously. Wolf goes to lab and shoots Ygor three times. Peter is taken by the monster, to the lab. Krough finds Benson's body in the secret passageway and follows it to the lab. The monster, angry at the death of his only friend, rips off Krough's wooden arm. Wolf climbed to a hole in the wall, grabs a chain and swings in, kicking the monster into the pit of molten sulphur where one presumes he is finally killed. Peter is safe. Wolf gives the villagers the deed to the castle and bids them farewell at the train station. The End.

Sci-fi Connection
The most significant sci-fi element is a delicious tie-in to 50s sci-fi movies -- Cosmic Rays! After Wolf studies his father's notes, he declares that his father discovered a "super-violet ray" with life-giving properties. Actually, he attracted "cosmic rays -- the very source of life itself. Neither he nor anyone else knew it existed. This creature isn't a monster. Not one part of his being is like human beings. He's unearthly." -- The monster is a prototype of 50s aliens!

Compared to the Novel
SoF begins the departure of the movie franchise from the novel. The credits still claim that the screenplay is suggested by Mary Shelley's novel. The connection is thin, but could reasonably be seen in two places. The first is where the monster meets Wolf for the first time and entreats him with gestures. Make him better? Shelley's novel had this. The second novel affinity is the monster's jealousy towards Wolf's son, Peter. In the novel, it was Frankenstein's wife, but the trope is similar.

Saga Connection
Wolf, son of Henry, is also a scientist, and has the same dream. All of the other characters from Bride, besides the monster himself, are dropped. The new character of Ygor is introduced. He will figure in future installments.

Notes
Sequel Tonic -- Universal Pictures ran into financial troubles after Bride of Frankenstein ('35). High production costs on Show Boat put Universal into the hands of creditors. Laemmie family control was ended. Another sequel to the highly popular Frankenstein saga seemed like good financial medicine. To their credit, the new producers did not scrimp too much. They did make sure to repeat famous signature line, "It's Alive!" which has been in all three movies now.

Gray Face -- It is sometimes said that SoF was planned to be shot in color, but the producers scrapped the idea because the color of Jack Pierce's monster make-up did not photograph well. This smacks of PR spin. Changing the color of the makeup was not that hard. The fact that Technicolor was three times more expensive than black and white, and Universal struggling for solvency, seems more a plausible explanation. Either way, having SoF in black and white actually works well for the topic and mood.

Bela's Best -- Continuing that loose co-mingling of Frankenstein and Dracula, Bela Lugosi plays the role of Ygor. Like Dr. Pretorious in Bride, Ygor takes on the Mephistopheles role of devil-incarnate, tempting a Frankenstein to dabble in dark arts. Lugosi plays the part marvelously, almost stealing the show.

Wooden Arm -- Another show stealer is Lionel Atwell's character, Inspector Krough. His wooden arm, with black gloved hand becomes fascinating to the point of distraction. Interesting metaphors aside, Krough's wooden arm made such an impression that Stanley Kubrick used it with his Dr. Strangelove character in 1964.

Actor Recycling -- Watch for Michael Mark as Herr Neumuller (the monster's first on-screen victim). He played little Maria's father, Hans, in the first and second films. Watch for Lionel Belmore as Herr Lang, the monster's second victim. He played the Burgomeister in the first film. These, and other actors in Universal's stable, will reappear in later chapters too.

Botttm line? SoF is starting to show some of the genetic dilution common to sequels, but it is still a strong enough movie in its own right. The basic trope is repeated, (mad scientist makes monster live) but new characters such as Ygor and Krough freshen things up. Rathbone does a fair job, with his "hammy" overacting for Wolf's nervous phase, being oddly colorful too. Overall, SoF is a worthy addition to the franchise.

Bride of Frankenstein

Universal Pictures followed up their highly successful Frankenstien with what has to be one of the best sequels out of Hollywood. James Whale's Bride of Frankenstein (BoF) had many factors contributing to its success. For some of those, see the Notes section below. It is a bigger, richer tale. Two key cast members reprised their roles. Colin Clive again played the obsessed and tormented Henry Frankenstein. Boris Karloff again played the monster. Other lesser characters were picked up by new faces. A couple of new characters were added. To some, BoF surpasses the original. Few sequels get such acclaim.

Quick Plot Synopsis
The film opens on a suitably dark and stormy night in the early 1800s. Mary Shelley, Percy Shelley and Lord Byron sit around a fire talking of Mary's story. Was that how it ended? No. Mary tells what happened next. (cross fade to burning windmill). The crowds filter on home. Maria's father insists on seeing the body of the monster, so goes into the smoking rubble. He falls into the water filled cellar. The monster is there too, much alive. He drowns Hans. The monster emerges. The crowd took Henry back to his family castle, thinking he was dead, but he moves his hand. He's Alive! He swears to never dabble in man-making again. Just then, a sketchy former classmate arrives. Dr. Pretoreous heard of Henry's work and wants him to partner, to make a perfect man. Henry goes to Pretorious' lab to see his work. Six glass jars, each with a miniature person inside. A queen, a king, a bishop, a devil, a ballerina and a mermaid. Pretorious makes them from raw materials, not dead body parts, but can only make smaller things. He wants Henry to make a full-sized body again. Pretorious would supply the brain. Meanwhile, the monster roams the woods. A shepherdess sees him, screams and falls in a river. The monster rescues her, but hunters heard her screams and shoots the Monster in the arm. A new mob combs the woods finally capturing the monster. They haul him into town and chain him in a jail cell. Stronger than his chains, the monster escapes and rampages around the village awhile before fleeing into the woods again. Tired, hurt and hungry, the monster comes to the shack of an old blind hermit. The hermit befriends the monster, eventually teaching him to talk. Hunters find the monster in the shack, so he flees again. Yet another mob chases him through the woods. The monster goes down into a crypt to hide. There, he sees Pretorious and henchmen stealing body parts (bones). When henchmen leave, Pretorious entertains the monster and suggests Henry should build him a woman, a mate. The monster likes that idea. Pretorious tells Henry it's time to start building. Henry refuses. Pretorious has the monster kidnap Elizabeth and take her to a cave. Her ransom is to build the new woman. Henry, under duress, starts working in the old tower again. They have the "bride" done and exposed to dramatic sparks. She's Alive! When the monster comes in to meet his bride, she screams and runs from him. Enraged that even his own kind rejects him, the monster rampages around the lab. This lab is equipped with a self-destruct lever, (for some reason). The monster starts to pull it. He tells Henry to get away with Elizabeth (now free). "You go. You live." He pulls the lever and the tower blows up dramatically, crumbling to rubble. Henry and Elizabeth embrace on an adjacent hilltop. The End.

Sci-fi Connection
Much of Henry's prior electro-biology technology is reused. The equipment is ramped up a bit, though. Henry uses two 3-winged kites (ala Ben Franklin) to gather lightening. Pretorious' process is more akin to alchemy, and in that way similar to the "science" used in Edison's 1910 version.

Compared to the Novel
The plot in BoF is an expansion on elements in Mary's original novel. In her story, the monster demands that Victor create a mate for him. In BoF, it was Pretorious who pushes the idea. The scene with the hermit befriending the monster is a good parallel to the DeLacy family whom Mary's monster lived with for awhile, there learning to talk, etc.

Saga Connection
BoF is such a close sequel, it is more like the second part of a single story. It picks up immediately where the first film left off. After all the action, things return to pretty much where they started. A notable exclusion is Henry's father, the old baron. Suddenly, even though it is the "same night", the old baron is gone and Henry is "now" the baron. Despite all the action, BoF ends as it began. Henry and Elizabeth survive and want to put all the nastiness behind them. The monster is, again, presumed to have died in a dramatic architectural collapse.

Notes
Superior Sequel -- Where most sequels falter is that they try to do the same thing as the original, with just a little variation. It is as if the writers or producers don't dare tamper with "success". James Whale was bold. He continued the story in the same time line. He kept the 2 main characters. They start out as they left off, but change (grow) during the film. Whale introduces a key antagonist and some potent sub-plots. The 1931 film was spartan and a bit claustrophobic, with two worlds -- one sane, one unstable. This befit the birth of the creature. BoF is a wider tale, with more characters and much more going on. This is befitting the monster's growth into personhood. BoF is clearly not just a retread, Frankenstein II.

The Devil Himself? -- Ernest Thesiger plays Dr. Pretorious, who is a Mephistopheles-like character. This lends a very Faustian flavor to the saga. When Pretorius is showing off his miniature people, he shows off his miniature bishop, the voice of morality. Then he shows his fourth. "This one is the very devil. There is a certain resemblance to me, don't you think? Or do I flatter myself?"

He Speaks! -- In a broadening of the monster character from the first movie, the monster learns to speak. Granted, they're rudimentary sentences. "Friend…Good." But, even with just a few words, a deep range of the monster's thoughts and desires become known. It is said that Boris Karloff objected, at first, to having "his" monster speak. But he did and it made the monster much more "human" and sympathetic.

Monster As Christ -- It's not a prefect allegory, though allegories, by nature, are not exhaustive matches.
That said, consider how the screenwriters and Whale made the monster an allegory of Jesus. Note these parallels. He did not have the usual mom-dad-birth, but has a creator. He was befriended by the poor, but rejected by the better-off. Some of the visuals are too obvious to ignore. He was hung on a pole (half a cross). (See image at left.) Watch the scene where they're hammering in the chain rings in the jail. This is a strong parallel to the nailing of Christ's hands. Then, note at the end of the film, the monster acts noticeably out-of-character for a horror film monster. Instead, he (again) parallel's Christ, in that he voluntarily gives up his own life to save someone else, and to wipe away that person's "sins" and the devilish power of temptation over them. All this Christ-parallel is a very curious inclusion, but it clearly adds depth to the BoF story.

MORE Ambiguity -- BoF exacerbates the name confusion over who is "Frankenstein" -- the man or the monster. When the female creature is unveiled, Pretorious declares, "Behold, the bride of Frankenstein." Most people take that to mean the bride of the monster. Yet, it could still mean the "bride" that Henry created. The poster adds another layer of ambiguity, by suggesting that the monster ("frankenstein") might chose either Elizabeth or the new woman as his bride. (The monster does kidnap Elizabeth at one point -- the primeval bride-selection method). Yet, Elizabeth is also the bride of Henry. More ambiguity!

Nurture, not Nature -- Note the rejection of the monster by "regular" society. It is more evident than in the first movie, The subtle implication is that "bad behavior" in mankind is not due to "nature" (how we're made), but from "nurture" -- how people are treated. The abuse by society "made" the creature a monster.

Comic Blend -- James Whale made his sequel much more complex by weaving in occasional comic moments. Some of it verges on camp, as with most of the scenes with Minnie (Henry's old biddy house keeper). Even the monster drinking and smoking, saying lines like "Smoke… Good." were designed to get a laugh. Some humor was more subtle, such as Pretorious saying that each vice, wine, cigars, etc. were "his only weakness." Happily, the humor and camp did not overtake the deeper plot. This early bit of comic relief, though, does open the door for later films like Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein.

Bottom line? BoF is another classic that should be seen. Perhaps the best way is to watch the 1931 film and BoF as a double feature. Much of what "worked" in the original is still in the sequel, but BoF adds new, vibrant material. Whale weaves a complex, yet not confusing, plot and paces it very quickly. Bride of Frankenstein is a movie milestone that even all old movie fans should experience.

Frankenstein (1931)

Universal Studios made themselves famous for "horror" films in the 1930s. Following the success of their Dracula, starring Bela Lugosi, Universal put out a variation on Mary Shelley's story that would become hugely influential for decades. Universal's Frankenstein. Much has already been written about this film, so this review will not attempt to cover everything. James Whale's Frankenstein was a hybrid -- partly a horror movie, but also partly a sci-fi movie. The goal of FrankenFEST is to explore the science fiction aspects of the many Frankenstein films. Some have more "science". Some are more "horror". Some are just silly.

Quick Plot Synopsis
Henry Frankenstein and his hunchback assistant Fritz dig up a recently buried body and take down a hanged man. Henry still needs an undamaged brain, so Fritz sneaks into a medical college to steal one. He drops the first brain-in-a-jar, so takes the second, labeled "abnormal brain." Henry has his creature assembled on a table and awaits the storm's peak for the jolt to infuse life. Just then, his fiancee, Elizabeth, friend Victor and former teacher, Professor Waldman, come knocking at the door of Henry's spooky tower. Reluctantly, he lets them in. Baited by Victor's accusation that Henry is crazy, Henry shows them his experiment. The storm peaks and the creature moves. "It's Alive!" Waldman stays to help. Victor and Elizabeth express worry to Henry's dad, Baron Frankenstein. Meanwhile, Henry shows off his creature to Waldman. It needs time to mature. However, Fritz taunts it with fire, sending the creature into a rage. It murders Fritz. It beats up Henry before Waldman injects it with anesthetic. Victor, Elizabeth and the Baron arrive and take the sick and battered Henry back to the village. Waldman stays to get rid of the monster. Before he can, the anesthetic wears off. The monster kills Waldman and escapes. In the village, all is festive, music and dancing for the wedding. Elizabeth is troubled with premonitions of doom. The monster comes across a little girl who wants a playmate. She tosses flowers in the lake to watch them float. When she's out of flowers, the monster tosses her in to float. She doesn't. The monster is upset and flees. He goes into the village and sneaks into Elizabeth's bedroom. Before he can do anything, her screams bring everyone running. He escapes unseen. Maria's father brings her dead body into town. The Burgomeister organizes three search parties to find the killer. Henry leads the mountain group. The monster finds Henry alone, knocks him out and carries him away. The mob see this and purse them to a windmill. The monster throws Henry from the upper railing, but he catches on a windmill blade, so doesn't die. The mob burn down the windmill. Henry recovers with Elizabeth's doting. The baron makes a toast to a future "son of Frankenstein." The End

Sci-fi Connection
The "science" in Whale's Frankenstein is mostly medical or biological. Waldman describes Henry's work as being in "chemical galvanism" and "electro-biology." Henry himself describes the key being "rays" beyond violet in the spectrum. This "Life Ray" is apparently available in electricity. Much of Henry's lab is filled with large things that spark or arc. Electricity is, in this pre-atomic world, the magical stuff that can do wonders. Compare Henry's lab and creation with Rotwang's in Metropolis ('27). The motif of the mad scientist's lab being stocked with sparky things dates back to this era.

Compared to the Novel
The main characters are retained, although the names of Henry and Victor are swapped, for some reason. Universal's screenplay was more of an adaptation of a stage play written by Peggy Webling in 1927. Her successful play had to do something similar to Edison's screenplay, in paring the story down to some basic elements. Whale's film focused more on the hubris of unfettered "science" than on the philosophical elements of creator-creature obligations. The hubris of the "mad" scientist, as a plot trope, would endure many decades into future films.

Saga Connection
This is the film that begins the famous franchise that will run from the 1930s, through the 1970s and beyond. It is the first of many chapters.

Notes
Iconic Monster -- The famous monster was a combination of make-up specialist Jack Pierce (who created the flat-top head and bolts on the neck) and the characterization given by actor Boris Karloff. Their "monster" was too captivating to the public imagination, too iconic to ever really die -- as we shall see -- that he would reappear in many later films. Little children would dress up as the monster for halloween. Parodies and spin-offs would key off the Pierce-Karloff monster.

Lasting Expressions -- Much of the look of the film stems from the artistic style of German Expressionism. This style is a whole topic unto itself. The stark light and dark, the use of up-lighting, the asymmetry and odd angles all enhance the feeling of instability. Nothing is soft. Nothing is "quite right." Contrast Henry's tower with the village sets. They're all normal enough, and almost Disney quaint. The normal world vs. HIS world: dark, unstable and "off". The artistic style of German Expressionism would not remain popular beyond WWII, but its visuals in association with the mad scientist's lab would endure far beyond.

What's Your Name? -- Far back into the 1800s, probably not long after Shelley penned her story, people would often confuse the monster and the man. The monster, in both the novel and the 1931 movie, had no name. He was, like the novel, called only, "my creation", "the monster" or "the fiend." It was Henry who carried the family name of Frankenstein. Yet, to the public imagination, such a strong character as the monster simply could not go nameless. He was often referred to as "Frankenstein" as if that were his name. That's not the case, but it has been a common enough mistake that it has stuck. The monster is more famous than the man.The more famous character gets the name. After all, children do not dress up as Henry (or Victor) Frankenstein.

Artistic Touches -- Aside from the many Expressionist visuals, there is one scene which, though brief, is an interesting

inclusion of a famous painting. When the monster accosts Elizabeth in her room, just as he sneaks out, and the others burst in, note Elizabeth's position on the bed. This very brief moment is also captured on the poster art (see above). This seems an unmistakeable visual reference to Henry Fuseli's famous 1791 painting: "Nightmare" (shown here). Maybe this something that only art history majors might enjoy, but it was an interesting bit for Whale to include.

Mixed With Vampires -- A curious note, is how much Frankenstein as a story had become intertwined with the classic vampire story: Dracula. For one, Universal released them both in 1931. Beyond proximity, Universal had originally cast Bela Lugosi as the monster, but he declined the part. Lugosi would, however, end up playing the monster in a few later iterations. As well, Webling's play, which served as source material, also followed a successful Dracula production by the same star. The two characters sprang from very different literary roots and told very different cautionary tales, yet, they would become paired in the popular imagination, as if they were somehow brothers.

Bottom line? Universal's 1931 Frankenstein is a movie classic that is not to be missed. It is a well-told and well-paced story, but more importunely, it is foundational to almost all the Frankenstein films to come.

Edison's Frankenstein (1910)

In the early 1900s, the moving pictures industry becoming a big-money market. Novelty "nickelodeon" content was giving way to full-reel stories. Thomas Edison was one of the pioneers in the industry. In 1910, his studio released many such feature films. One was an adaptation of Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein" -- the first film based on her novel. Edison's Frankenstein was not a huge success, and nearly a "lost" film for decades afterward. As such, it had no particular artistic impact on James Whale's landmark 1931 version. Edison's film had it's own problems and challenges, but deserves to start off this FrankenFEST study, even if it isn't a direct ancestor to what would become the the most famous movie monster franchise.

Quick Plot Synopsis
Young Victor Frankenstein says goodbye to his sweetheart, Elizabeth and his father as he is off to study at the University. In his studies, the muses over the secrets of life and death. Thinking he's discovered the secret, he sends home a letter to Elizabeth explaining his intent to create the most perfect man the world has seen. In his lab, he tosses some ingredients into a hot-tub sized vat. They obligingly send up puffs of smoke each time. Frankenstein watches his vat as a form rises up in it. The form develops arms and a head, then finally takes on a man-like shape. When complete, his creation is not the most perfect man, but a large shabby monster. Young Frankenstein flees to his bedroom where he swoons on his bed. The monster follows him in and watches him. When Frankenstein wakes up, he is frightened and argues with the monster. Frankenstein faints again. When the butler enters the bedroom, the monster retreats behind the bed curtains. Frankenstein goes home to Elizabeth. All seems tranquil enough, but the monster has followed him. In a key scene, Elizabeth comes into Frankenstein's study. She brought him a rose for his lapel. After a bit of smiling love-banter, she takes the teapot into the kitchen. The monster enters the study. He pleads (argues) with Frankenstein about how SHE gets all his attention, while HE, his own creation get none. The monster yanks out the lapel rose and throws it to the ground. Elizabeth re-enters with a tray of snacks. The monster hides behind a curtain. Frankenstein gives her a quick goodbye and rushes her out of the room. Alone again, he and the monster argue some more, then fight. The monster is winning, but stops when he sees himself in the mirror. Appalled at his own ugliness, he stomps out. Apparently thinking the monster had gone, Victor marries Elizabeth and prepares to settle down. After the wedding guests have all gone, the monster sneaks into the bedroom while Frankenstein is in the kitchen. Elizabeth screams. Frankenstein comes running. She collapses at his feet. The monster follows her out. Thinking she might be dead, the monster pleads with Frankenstein to give HIM some attention now. Frankenstein picks up a candelabra to strike the monster, but the monster quick takes it away. Angry at the rejection, the monster stomps away. Later, the monster pines in the study, as if pleading with the heavens for answers to his plight. The monster disappears, but his reflection in the mirror remains. Frankenstein enters the study, sees the reflection, but it fades out, replaced by his own. His loving nature had overcome the evil. The End.

Compared To The Novel
Two features of early silent films explain most of the deviations from the novel. The first major handicap, is that most early silent films were typically a single reel, with a run time of 15 minutes or so. To pare down Shelley's novel into 15 minutes necessitates leaving out a great deal. The second handicap was social. Edison wanted no violence shown (see Notes below), so his screenplay focused on the more philosophical angle.

Saga Connection
Ediston's film predates the on-going saga that James Whale's 1931 film began. As such, it has no connection, beyond having come from the same source material. Still, Edison's monster is more like Shelley's. More animated, able to speak and communicate.

Notes
Seedy Past -- Early silent films had a moral stigma surrounding them. Decent people, families, did not watch movies. Why? Movies hung out with a bad crowd. "Nickelodeon" store-front theaters were typically in theater districts. These areas already had a sketchy reputation as home for charlatans, brawlers and women of low character. Early short films (a visual novelty) were one part of the varied "acts" in Burlesque stage shows. Burlesque often featured lewd jokes and often some degree of strip-tease. It was the "adult entertainment" of its day. Vaudeville sought to clean this up a bit and make it more family fare. It was partially successful, but never quite shook the tangental association with burlesque. Being shown in such venues naturally tainted early films as morally corrupting. (As a footnote, "movies" would still have some of this taint, even into the 1960s.) Edison and others were keen to break out of the theater-district low-brow market, so they self-censored their films to be morally acceptable. This is one reason why Edison's Frankenstein has no real violence or horror (gore). Edison was PG before it was PC to be PG.

Special Effects -- As befitting a sci-fi film, special effects were key. The two notable special effects scenes were the creation of the monster, and the monster's demise. For the creation scene, a dummy of the monster (torso, head, arms) was burned down to a smoldering pile. This footage was then run in reverse, so it appeared that the monster assembled itself from within the big smokey vat. Early in the process, a skeletal arm is made to wave about via wires (visible).  For an early film trick, it wasn't too bad. The second film trick came near the end. The monster, distraught at his creator's rejection, stands before the full-length mirror in the study. While he pleads to heaven, asking (one might guess) Why Me?, the monster disappears (camera cut), but his reflection in the mirror remained. When Victor enters the study, he stands before the mirror, pointing accusingly. The monster's image cross-fades (sort of) to that of Victor's actual reflection. The monster just faded away.

Stagey View -- One curious feature of Edison's Frankenstein was the very stale camera use. Even before 1910, directors were using dolly shots, traveling shots, intercuts and close-ups as well as unusual camera angles. Director J. Searle Dawley used none of the artistic camera or editing techniques already pioneered. Instead, he set the camera on a fixed tripod to watch a fixed patch of set. This gave Edison's Frankenstein the feel of a low-budget stage play of several short acts. This stale viewpoint may be part of why the film was not much of a success with audiences. The story was interesting, but the visuals were not so appealing. Audiences were already accustomed to cameras mounted on speeding trains, panning, and rapid intercutting.

Almost Lost -- There is already much written on the internet about how Edison's Frankenstein was rescued from oblivion. Apparently, oblivion was the fate of most early films. Producers regarded them as ephemeral bits of entertainment -- perhaps also a taint of the burlesque association. When the film had made its several week "run", all the prints were returned to the producer, who stripped the films to reclaim the silver to make more film. This made producing the next movie a bit less expensive, but tended to obliterate previous copies. Frankenstein is one of the exceptions.

Single Takes -- There is some visual evidence that Dawley let his camera capture whatever happened, also like live theater. There are wo little clips, where things did not go quite right, but the cameras kept rolling. They are: Dang Fingernails -- In the study, the monster goes to pluck out the rose from Victor's lapel, but the long fingernails of his costume got in the way. He has to try a few times. Dang Feet -- After the monster has caused Elizabeth to faint and he and Victor fought, the monster goes to fling open the doors and go. Trouble was, his big costume feet were in the way. The doors wouldn't fling. He has to back up a bit, and re-fling them. There was, apparently, no time or budget for retakes. First take is a print.

Bottom line? Edison's short silent film is an interesting example of the challenge in condensing a complex novel into a short story. In that short span, it touches on the notion of good and evil within the same man (Victor). The monster being the personification of his hubris. Check it out for yourself. It is available for download or watched online from the Video Archive.
Though this seems like an especially dark copy and somewhat cropped.

A Look Back at Frankenstein

Before delving into the sci-fi films of the 70s, it seemed like a good idea to backtrack a bit to set the stage. The first sci-fi film of 1970 was Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed. It is actually one of the last of a long series of films which make up a sort of Frankenstein franchise. To help give this first film of 1970 some context, it seemed prudent to go back and have a FrankeFEST to run through the prior installments. Frankenstein is often associated with the horror genre. Certainly some of its permutations wallowed in the horror/gore aspect. Yet, at its roots, Frankenstein is actually a sci-fi tale.

Mary Shelley's Novel
Of course, it all started with Shelley's 1818 novel, "Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus". She penned one of the first modern science fiction novels. Modern, in that it was "science" (medical) which created the situation that the plot plays out. It wasn't magic, or fantasy, or all-a-dream, etc. The original story did not dwell on the science as much as later readers/viewers tended to crave. Her scenario just presumed such things were possible and moved on. The crux of the story was more about creation and obligation, and a metaphor for the costs of meddling outside one's realm. In this, her story is a more earthly (science-bound) recasting of the old Faust legend. Certainly the trope of the misguided (mad?) scientist being tormented by his own creation, would get played out in scores of other sci-fi stories for decades -- even if they had little resemblance to the Frankenstein story.

First FrankenFilm
FrankenFEST will start with the 1910 Edison silent film as a benchmark. It predates the famous Universal version by 20 years. Edison's version isn't as well remembered. Yet, is a useful bridge between the novel and Universal's iconic series. Most of the later iterations would maintain at least a nominal tie to sci-fi via the "mad scientist" trope.

Universal Saga
Universal Studios created an enduring legacy with its Frankenstein quadrilogy. Starting in 1931 was the primary tale and a monster that almost everyone recognizes. In 1935, they released Bride of Frankenstein, picking up the story from where the first film left off. In 1938, they released Son of Frankenstein. Not son of the monster, but son of the original Dr. Frankenstein. 1942 saw Ghost of Frankenstein pick up the story from where "Son of…" left off.

Cameo Monster
Three later Universal films would feature Frankenstein's monster (often called Frankenstein, as if it were his name), but had little or nothing to do with the saga story line of the quadrilogy. In 1943, Universal released Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman and in 1944 House of Frankenstein -- a sort of monsters All Star Game. 1948 had the comedy farce, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. The title pretty much says it all.

Hammer Carries The Torch
Britain's Hammer Studios would pick up where Universal left off. They kicked off their half of the franchise with The Curse of Frankenstein and would go on to produce seven other Frankenfilms, the next to last one being 1970's Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed that opens up the sci-fi of the 70s.

A Note About Faux Franks
Several films sought to capitalize on the ticket-selling power of the name "Frankenstein", though their stories had nothing to do with Victor, Henry, any of their descendants or their creations. A couple of examples include, Toho's 1965 Frankenstein Conquers the World which has the thinnest of claims to the franchase, but is more honestly just another kaiju (giant rubber-suit monster) film. Frankenstein Meets the Space Monster (also 1965) had nothing to do with the franchise. The main character is a largish android who becomes disfigured (hence the franken-reference) and then does battle with a space monster.

 With all that said as introduction, the next post will start off FrankenFEST with Edison's 1910 silent film rendition. Enjoy!