James Whale’s 1931 classic, Frankenstein, follows a crazy scientist, Henry Frankenstein (Colin Clive), as he attempts to reanimate a dead body. As his dreams start to become reality, he and his assistant Fritz (Dwight Frye) begin to come to the realization that the decisions made may not have been in anyone’s best interest. As he tries to reverse his wrongdoings, the lives of nearly everyone around him are placed in danger.
Whale, along with his slew of writers, were able to establish suspense and horror within the first seconds of the film. The film opens with a short announcement made by Edward Van Sloan (who also plays Doctor Waldman in the film). Sloan introduces audiences to the ideas of madness and obsession, and he warns viewers that the images they are about to see on screen may frighten them and may be considered disturbing. This instantly instills fear and forces audiences to expect the unexpected. Within the opening credits, Frankenstein’s monster (who is revealed to have been played by Boris Karloff in the closing credits) is credited simply with a “?.” The unknown adds to the already growing supsense of the film and causes viewers to try to anticipate what might happen next. Within seconds of Frankenstein beginning, audiences are subjected to a fear unlike anything that would have seen up to this point in cinema. Straightforward horror and the fear of the unknown make a wonderful pair and create a twisted sense of fear that looms over audiences.
Dr. Henry Frankenstein is incredibly intense. He finds himself in precarious situations of his own making. These scenarios, like the monster, were born of his madness and his insatiable need to play the role of God. Throughout Frankenstein, Henry is seen on the brink of insanity and is often the recipient of much scrutiny. His intensity adds depth to the story and allows audiences to question the term “monster” and what weight it holds in this film. Clive’s ability to portray such an intense character speaks volumes about his acting ability. His strength as an actor helped bring the film to life and strengthen the already horrific nature of the story. Author Mary Shelley would have been proud of the finished product and of the ability of both Clive and Karloff to bring her timeless story to life.
Compared to films of this era, Frankenstein is full of discrepancies that may turn off modern audiences. Some minor issues when transitioning between scenes, insignificant flaws in the acting and some plot holes are scrutinized by some, and are something enough to ruin the film for some viewers. These discrepancies should be overlooked in order to appreciate the sentiment of the film and the beauty of the story that Shelley wrote more than one-hundred years before. Nothing is perfect, however, the depth of Shelley’s story, and Whale’s ability to bring that story to life were incredibly close. Stories of love and loss, beauty and savagery, are sometimes lost in the horrific nature of the film. However, these aspects of the story are what make the film so wonderful. While they are somewhat difficult to access, they are relatable.
Shelley’s story is timeless, as is Whale’s film adaptation. The artistic genius of the two paired with the acting prowess of both Clive and Karloff create a genuinely timeless film. The film poses questions that, like the story, are timeless, and find extreme relevance in the world in which we live. Frankenstein, on the surface, finds a monster terrorizing the city. However, understanding what led to the monster’s unruly behavior raises the question: “who is the real monster here?”
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