I've already written plenty about Bride of Frankenstein, but - let's get real - it's one of my favorite movies of all time. I'm going to talk about it whether anyone cares or not.
The movie was released on April 22nd, 1935. I've now seen it, probably 16 or 17 times, and every time I watch, like all great movies, I don't just enjoy it, I get something new out of it. In short, I can't recommend it enough. And, if you do watch it and don't like it, or if you don't see what I like about it, I'm always happy to chat on the topic.
Yes, the movie is supposed to be funny, so you may feel okay about laughing. If you ever see Una O'Conner show up in anything, it's okay to laugh. Yes, the film is supposed to be weird in both the modern and classic sense of the word, and it's generally the uncanny atmosphere of the movie I relish more than anything resembling a scare. But, yes, it's mildly scary, sometimes, I guess. And sad. Only Dr. Pretorius here is having any fun. Both Frankenstein the Doctor and Being are caught up in a world that torments them despite their better intentions and honest desires.
A complete story in only 80 minutes or so, even if I think you're selling yourself a disservice not watching Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein back-to-back for a good 3 hour movie.
Below are some posters for the picture - not the Mondo posters, many of which I quite like, but the original posters. And, then, some of photography from stills and the film itself - one of the best visually imagined of the Universal Horror movies - or any movie in any year.
Happy Birthday, Bride of Frankenstein.
A singular and unique piece of cinema. What were your feelings on Gods and Monsters?
ReplyDeleteYou know, I saw both for the first time so long ago and right on top of each other, I can't even recall which one I watched first. I recently caught part of Gods and Monsters on cable, and it's perhaps more awkward than I remembered it, and it has a certain 90's-indie quality to it, but it certainly feels like a companion piece to the two Frankenstein pictures, informing and reflecting on them in a whole new light, and I am sure it's part of what kept me looking at them over and over at first. Mostly, it made me want to sit down James Whale and have him walk me through the movie scene by scene.
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