{"id":18354,"date":"2011-06-28T10:25:13","date_gmt":"2011-06-28T17:25:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=18354"},"modified":"2020-12-19T15:43:08","modified_gmt":"2020-12-19T22:43:08","slug":"frankenstein-1931","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=18354","title":{"rendered":"Frankenstein (1931)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;Now I know what it feels like to be God!&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Frankenstein-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Frankenstein-Poster-193x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"193\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-18355\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Frankenstein-Poster-193x300.jpg 193w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Frankenstein-Poster-82x128.jpg 82w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Frankenstein-Poster.jpg 452w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 193px) 100vw, 193px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nWith the help of his assistant (Dwight Frye), a scientist (Colin Clive) steals a human brain and brings a monstrous creature (Boris Karloff) to life &#8212; but the creature struggles to adjust to his new world, and soon causes both fear and havoc.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Boris Karloff Films<\/li>\n<li>Colin Clive Films<\/li>\n<li>Frankenstein<\/li>\n<li>Horror<\/li>\n<li>James Whale Films<\/li>\n<li>Mad Doctors and Scientists<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary\u2019s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nAlthough it&#8217;s consistently overshadowed by its esteemed sequel (<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=17366\"><em>Bride of Frankenstein<\/em><\/a>), this classic Universal Pictures horror film &#8220;still holds up due to striking, innovative direction by James Whale, who employs bizarre camera angles, high-ceiling sets, imaginative set design (especially in the Baron&#8217;s lab), and sharp editing to create a remarkably tense atmosphere&#8221;. In his review, Peary also highlights the &#8220;excellent acting by Colin Clive&#8221; (though not all critics agree with him) and by &#8220;Boris Karloff, as the Monster he creates&#8221;, noting that &#8220;the timelessness of <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Frankenstein\">Mary Shelley&#8217;s morality play<\/a>&#8221; adds to its enduring interest as well. He calls out numerous memorable scenes, including &#8220;Clive and [his] weasly assistant Dwight Frye robbing graves; the Monster coming to life; the Monster trying to make friends with a little girl&#8221;; and others. <\/p>\n<p>In the remainder of Peary&#8217;s review, he provides an interesting analysis of the film&#8217;s themes and philosophical groundings. He argues that &#8220;Whale seems to go along with Shelley&#8217;s controversial belief that Frankenstein&#8217;s sin is not that he defies God by creating life but that once he becomes a creator he both emulates God and competes with him for sovereignty&#8221;. Indeed, this is evidenced by the powerful scene in which &#8220;Karloff beautifully conveys the recently born being&#8217;s newfound feelings of warmth and wonderment&#8221; as he &#8220;shuffles directly under the light&#8221; which is &#8220;flickering into the dark chamber&#8221;, only for Dr. Frankenstein to &#8220;block out the light, jealously refusing the creature any knowledge (symbolized by sunlight) that he didn&#8217;t offer himself, as well as any contact with the god who sent his sun ray.&#8221; Peary&#8217;s interpretation here is spot-on, and demonstrates the level of care taken with turning Shelley&#8217;s complex tale into more than just a standard horror flick. <\/p>\n<p>What&#8217;s most tremendous about <em>Frankenstein<\/em> is the way in which we come to genuinely care about the Monster &#8212; even when (in perhaps the movie&#8217;s most affecting, devastating scene) his new friendship with a young girl goes tragically wrong.  Karloff&#8217;s ability to convey depth of emotion through layers of expertly applied make-up (which apparently took five hours each day to apply, and two hours to remove) is truly impressive; it&#8217;s understandable why Peary chose to nominate him as one of the Best Actors of the Year in his <em>Alternate Oscars<\/em> book. Also impressive (if less astonishing) is Clive&#8217;s performance as Dr. Frankenstein. Knowing Clive&#8217;s personal history (he died just six years later, at the age of 37, from complications related to his alcoholism) adds an extra layer of pathos to his portrayal of a man who &#8220;has withdrawn into self-imposed isolation&#8230; and become an elitist&#8221;, ultimately neglecting &#8220;his fatherly obligations and abandon[ing] his &#8216;son&#8217;, leaving the creature to make its way in a world repulsed by grotesquery&#8221;. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Boris Karloff as &#8220;The Monster&#8221; (nominated by Peary as one of the Best Actors of the Year in his Alternate Oscars)<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Frankenstein-Karloff.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Frankenstein-Karloff-1024x599.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"374\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-18359\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Frankenstein-Karloff-1024x599.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Frankenstein-Karloff-128x74.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Frankenstein-Karloff-300x175.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Frankenstein-Karloff.png 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Colin Clive as Dr. Frankenstein (nominated by Peary as one of the Best Actors of the Year in his Alternate Oscars)<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Frankenstein-Clive.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Frankenstein-Clive-1024x599.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"374\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-18360\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Frankenstein-Clive-1024x599.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Frankenstein-Clive-128x74.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Frankenstein-Clive-300x175.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Frankenstein-Clive.png 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Fabulous set designs (reprised in <em>Bride of Frankenstein<\/em>)<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Frankenstein-Set2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Frankenstein-Set2-1024x599.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"374\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-18361\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Frankenstein-Set2-1024x599.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Frankenstein-Set2-128x74.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Frankenstein-Set2-300x175.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Frankenstein-Set2.png 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Jack Pierce and James Whale&#8217;s copyrighted monster make-up<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Frankenstein-Makeup.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Frankenstein-Makeup-1024x599.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"374\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-18362\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Frankenstein-Makeup-1024x599.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Frankenstein-Makeup-128x74.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Frankenstein-Makeup-300x175.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Frankenstein-Makeup.png 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Arthur Edeson&#8217;s cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Frankenstein-Cinematography.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Frankenstein-Cinematography-1024x599.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"374\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-18363\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Frankenstein-Cinematography-1024x599.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Frankenstein-Cinematography-128x74.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Frankenstein-Cinematography-300x175.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Frankenstein-Cinematography.png 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>James Whale&#8217;s direction<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Frankenstein-Direction.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Frankenstein-Direction-1024x599.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"374\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-18364\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Frankenstein-Direction-1024x599.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Frankenstein-Direction-128x74.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Frankenstein-Direction-300x175.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Frankenstein-Direction.png 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Many powerful, memorable sequences &#8212; including the initial &#8220;birth&#8221; scene, the &#8220;girl in the lake&#8221; scene, and others<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Frankenstein-Transformation.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Frankenstein-Transformation-1024x599.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"374\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-18365\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Frankenstein-Transformation-1024x599.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Frankenstein-Transformation-128x74.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Frankenstein-Transformation-300x175.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Frankenstein-Transformation.png 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Frankenstein-Girl-and-Lake.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Frankenstein-Girl-and-Lake-1024x599.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"374\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-18366\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Frankenstein-Girl-and-Lake-1024x599.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Frankenstein-Girl-and-Lake-128x74.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Frankenstein-Girl-and-Lake-300x175.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/06\/Frankenstein-Girl-and-Lake.png 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, most definitely, as a genuine classic. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Genuine Classic<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> (<span style=\"color:red;font-weight:bold;\">Listed in <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-static\/1001Movies.htm\"><em>1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die<\/em><\/a><\/span>) <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0021884\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1931\/12\/05\/archives\/the-screen-a-manmade-monster-in-grand-guignol-film-story-lawrence.html\">NY Times Original Review (spoiler alerts)<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/dvdsavant\/s2103fran.html\">DVD Savant Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.filmsite.org\/fran.html\">FilmSite Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/classic-horror.com\/reviews\/frankenstein_1931\">Classic Horror Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/moria.co.nz\/horror\/frankenstein-1931.htm\">Moria Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/movies.tvguide.com\/frankenstein\/review\/123728\">TV Guide Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/75587\/frankenstein#articles-reviews?articleId=18617\">TCM&#8217;s Article<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.timeout.com\/film\/reviews\/67015\/frankenstein.html\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Now I know what it feels like to be God!&#8221; Synopsis: With the help of his assistant (Dwight Frye), a scientist (Colin Clive) steals a human brain and brings a monstrous creature (Boris Karloff) to life &#8212; but the creature struggles to adjust to his new world, and soon causes both fear and havoc. Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Boris Karloff Films Colin Clive Films Frankenstein Horror James Whale Films Mad Doctors and Scientists Response to Peary\u2019s Review: Although it&#8217;s&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=18354\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18354","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-responses-to-peary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18354","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=18354"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18354\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":58544,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18354\/revisions\/58544"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=18354"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=18354"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=18354"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}