Review of Freaks (1932) by Cole P — 10 Jun 2011

Offend one, offend them all.

Freaks it largely an experimental film, primitive perhaps by today's standards, but paradoxically significant in delivering its message. It's experimental in a sense of documenting circus life. Running only one hour in length, a lot of time is spent jumping from character-to-character in an attempt to liven the audience with its portrayal of circus folk post-performance. In no way is it fictitious. The "freaks" are all incredibly real, and given enough time to showcase their differences. There's the man with no legs, a family of premature children, a s/he man, and even a limb-less performer who can light a cigarette and smoke it using only his mouth. In that way, Freaks is an impressive documentation.

On the other hand, the story is where the message comes alive. The circus is also inhabited by "normal" folk (so to say), such as Hercules the giant, Cleopatra the trapeze artist, and the stagecoach drivers. And (you guessed it) these people are prejudiced, cruel, and haughty towards the handicapped. Tod Browning, the director, refrained from sugar coating the relationships these peoples had with the freaks. In fact, the way they act in this movie (such as laughing raucously at a midget) STILL rings true today. It makes me feel guilty of all those times I've strangled a smirk on public outings, encountering an overly obese person, a midget, or a special parapeligic. Appropriately, I think that's why the film was so damn risky for its time and yet has resonated throughout the years.

Freaks is timeless, and whereas not as dramatic as Browning's other piece Dracula, it has us questioning ourselves and more importantly, our own momentum.