Review of Freaks (1932) by Ted C — 29 Aug 2010
What a masterpiece! Tod Browning (whose two most famous contributions to the burgeoning art of filmmaking - this masterwork and his 1931 Dracula with Bela Lugosi - are profoundly ingenious works) used actual carnival "freaks" for the deformed and (visually) depraved members of the circus community; this was a feat that would never even be attempted in the modern politically correct climate, and it is shocking that he succeeded in 1932.
Dramatically, this is a work of Sophoclean simplicity - it is a perfect narrative. The exploits of the "normal" prima donna Cleopatra (a monstrously sultry Olga Baclanova) are projected against the silent, leering chorus of circus folk; against her inhumane mechanizations to gain the dwarf Hans's fortune, even the most pitifully deformed of the carnival showmen develop amazing humanity and pathos.
This is a jarring horror-tragedy which still, like Whale's Bride of Frankenstein, maintains its searing bite, even after three quarters of a century.
This review of Freaks (1932) was written by Ted C on 29 Aug 2010.
Freaks has generally received very positive reviews.
Was this review helpful?
