Review of Freaks (1932) by Stephen O — 05 Nov 2011
The movie starts talking about the freaks as a family, "Offend one and you offended them all.". The "freaks" are mistreated right from the start which helps to build sympathy for the characters.
The story moves rather quickly to establish everyone's place in the circus. Some of the "normals" are rather likable. Frozo and Venus have good chemistry and you really hope the best for them.
Hans is kind, but naive which proves to be his downfall. Cleopatra is especially nasty in mistreating of Hans making her easily dislikable. The use of genuine sideshow players was a brilliant stroke on the casters part.
The direction tends to jump around alot. It doesn't effect the story, but it's slightly distracting. The acting in general is a little over the top at times and a sparse at others. This is not distracting at all it's odd, but it seems to balance out the film.
The wedding feast is quite a scene, showing how tightly the group stands together. The ending climax is very creepy. And what they do to Cleopatra is shocking indeed. The film itself is in a sense a documentary in a strange sorta way.
I don't know why everyone was so distugusted in the 30's this movie is a great film. The pacing is my only complaint, but it is only a minor one that can be overlooked. I highly recommend this film if only to rent, but buy it if you find it in your store around town.
This review of Freaks (1932) was written by Stephen O on 05 Nov 2011.
Freaks has generally received very positive reviews.
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