Review of Bride of Frankenstein (1935) by Liolia K — 13 Jul 2010

Here we have a movie that is timeless and iconic on the level of Citizen Kane or the Godfather. A movie that is not only outstanding but is a staple of the American motion picture business. If we didn't have the prejudice toward the horror genre it would be on every critics list of greatest achievements in film. It is one of the few movies that deserves the all too often thrown around title of masterpiece. You can't praise James Whales' Bride of Frankenstein enough.

Bride of Frankenstein is a movie where everything connects together perfectly. The cast, the direction, and the set design are perfect.

If there is one film that rises Karloff above your typical bogeyman and cements him as one of the all time greats it would be Bride of Frankenstein. His "monster" is one of the most tragic characters in cinema. Karloff objected to giving the monster dialogue but his objections were ill founded, his performance here is Academy Award worthy. The Monsters dialogue gives insight into a dark and desperately lonely soul. He isn't very articulate in his speech but it's more effective that he isn't. His simple speech offers glimpses into a variety of human emotions and how they can effect anyone. The monster make-up works very well with Karloff's face and his facial expressions are outstanding as well. The scene where tears sprout from the Monster's scarred face is heartbreaking. This creature is anything but a monster, he is someone who longs to be understood and loved.

Ernest Thesiger is a show stealer as the villainous Pretorius. He lacks any morality whatsoever and is the personification of the devious side of ambition. Thesiger's Pretorius is the most effective deliver of the movie's dark humor. He delivers the lines in a very dry way. You can't help but let out a devilish smirk with Pretorius as he gives the iconic line "To a new world of Gods and Monsters".

Colin Clive is sad to watch in this film. You can tell he is in pain both physically and mentally. He doesn't seem to be as alert in the delivery of his lines and his face shows signs of his alcoholism. That being said his performance is all the more admirable considering his hardships.

Elsa Lanchester gives a brief but iconic performance as the Bride. Jack Pierce deserves credit for another job well done, she looks nothing like her attractive counterpart Mary Shelley in the film's introduction.

Bride of Frankenstein has been called the essential film to look at when you want to see a director's personality. Well if this is true James Whale would have been someone I would have liked to have had a chat with. The movie is so bizarre and so different from the other pictures of the 30's. I wasn't a huge fan of the Ian McKellan bio Gods and Monsters simply because I felt it did Whale a great injustice by trying to over simplify Whale by saying he was a non-conformist homosexual in a conservative society. Whale was much more than that, he was clever, witty and one of the greatest directors of all time.