Rediscovering

Welcome to another ‘Rediscovering’ article, a series I do in which I give a new look at a film or something related to film. My first feature, if you remember was for Argento’s ‘Stendhal Syndrome’ and the second was a look at the films of Christina Lindberg. The question I asked myself when I thought of this piece was does ‘The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)’ really need to be rediscovered? It shouldn’t have to, but I recently saw a theatrically presentation, created by a new (and fabulous looking) print. Afterwards, I noticed some remarkable things about this classic.

I love the Universal Monster film of the 1930s and ’40s; I hold them near and dear to my heart. They are precious pieces of early cinema and a clear indication that horror is a powerful genre. Like I said after I saw a beautiful new print of ‘The Bride of Frankenstein’ I realized more now than ever, that James Whale created three of the best horror films during that time and ‘Bride’ is perhaps his masterpiece.

One thing I noticed now is that James Whale gives a character an incredible entrance to the film. Here in ‘Bride’, Dr. Pretorius (Ernest Thesiger) has a great introduction to his character. He comes at night and when the house maid answers the door, the camera is stooped low, with some harsh front lighting, all of which makes this scene memorable. He stands there as if he is begging for the gasp of the audience. A few seconds later, when he is introduced again but this time to Henry Frankenstein, a similar shot is occurred but with different lighting. Whale has just created a powerful villain and in our minds, an unforgettable one.

The Bride has an interesting introduction too and of course equally memorable. After her ‘birth’ and they unwrapped her from the gauze, a couple of quick camera shots quickly establish her innocence and the horror of Henry’s latest creation. The shots are off-kilter, eyeing angles of Elsa Lanchester’s beautiful, cherub-like face, but also her stitches. This is perhaps one of the film’s more powerful images. The birth and first steps of the Bride are like anything every seen but Whale does it again with ‘Old Dark House’ and ‘Invisible Man’. Remember Claude Raines unraveling of his gauze to show the curious hotel maid? It still sticks out in my mind. Re-watch some of these films; Whale creates an entrance on par with anyone else.

Also, the film is deeply rooted in religious themes and meanings. It’s amazing to see what he got away with in 1935, even when the PCA (Production Code Administration) enforcing the Hayes Code. While some interesting scenes were written and never shot, the ones that were created the film’s backbone and message. I really don’t think Whale was against the morality lessons taught in Christianity, I think he related to them. He was a gay man and I think he felt like the Monster, hunted down for what he was and so was Jesus Christ. There’s a scene in which the mob captures the Monster and hoists him up on a pole wrapped in rope. The Monster is looking up in a semi-crucifixion pose, evoking the Last Temptation.

I also feel (and I could be wrong) that Whale found comfort in Christianity. In the scene where the Monster befriends the old hermit and after they get down eating, the hermit lays the Monster down to bed for the night. When he does, he offers a prayer thanking God for finally sending him a friend, a fellow lost soul. The scene fades to black except for a Cross in the top of the frame. Perhaps he was personally referring to his own friendship with God or a lesson in the Bible? Either way it’s one of the more interesting shots in the film.

Of course, the film’s biggest relation to Christianity is that of the story of Genesis. God created Man, then Woman according to the Bible and here we have Henry creating the Monster, then the Woman, a companion for the creature like Eve was to be for Adam. The creature warns Henry to make her like him, that of dead flesh. God was to make Eve like Adam, so he took his rib. Henry, in order to make The Bride like the Monster, takes dead flesh, like the Monster. Henry feels the power of creation, a constant theme in all of ‘Frankenstein’ adaptations. It’s just amazing that this stuff was littered in the film without anyone boycotting the film or demanding cuts. The film rounds out to be about 75 minutes and censors even at that running time cut some scenes, but the ones I mentioned didn’t see any trimming.

For a film deep in theme and substance, Whale still knew how to have fun, and with his four monster films, ‘Frankenstein’, ‘Old Dark House’, ‘The Bride of Frankenstein’ and ‘The Invisible Man’, humor finds a way to appear. Una ‘Connor, a staple actress in bit parts for most of Whale’s features, provides some of the film’s funnier moments. Her bits with the Burgomaster are knee-slapping hilarious, especially in the beginning when the windmill has crumbled. Dwight Fry, a standard Universal horror actor, offers some funny lines too. I am referring to when Pretorius assigns him to go get a body; he remarks maybe it’s better to be in jail, this is no life for a murderer. Even Pretorius has some good humor like when he offers a drink to Henry, remarking it’s his only weakness and then repeats himself to the Monster when he offers it a cigar.

So I fully think ‘The Bride of Frankenstein’ demands a rediscovering, so to speak. It’s a powerful film, filled with horror, humor, and themes. It’s easily a classic in the horror genre, but maybe in a different light, like the one I put on it, people can say it’s a masterpiece of cinema. Surely, Universal horror film got no better than this neither was any of Whale’s follow-ups (and I am a big fan of ‘Invisible Man’). There’s more to this film than you think, than I talked about, so please rediscover ‘The Bride of Frankenstein’.