I Like Horror Movies
The Bride Of Frankenstein
Last night I watched a showing of The Bride of Frankenstein on television, and although I had seen it many times before--and own a DVD of it--I watched it more closely than usual. The Monster is actually very nice to people who are nice to him. His countryside rampages are only against those who are cruel toward him. He reminds me of The Elephant Man. As soon as people bothered to be nice to him, he really wasn't such a bad guy.
Burned, stoned and tortured by an angry mob, The Monster is put into ancient stocks in the old dungeon, from which he immediately escapes. I still wonder what period this story is set in, because the men wear modern suits while the women are in peasant clothes complete with dirndl skirts. Mrs. Frankenstein seems to be the only woman dressed for the 1930's, but she speaks into a device that had apparently just been invented--the telephone. The people chase the Monster through the hills with pitchforks and flaming torches, and as I mentioned, confine him in ancient stocks. I'm still confused.
Once he escapes, he tries to save a shepherd girl from drowning, and is shot for his act of kindness. What a thankless job!
But then he meets the kindly blind hermit, who not only teaches the Monster to speak, but also gets him started in bad habits like smoking and drinking. There are two ways to go in the hermit scene. Either you feel sorry for the two afflicted men who have finally found friends in each other, complete with schmaltzy background church music, or you can't help thinking of Mel Brooks and Peter Boyle's monster having his thumb lit on fire by a blind Gene Hackman. At any rate, the original scene is quite touching, with the Monster crying real tears and giving the hermit a reassuring pat on the shoulder. At last! Someone is showing kindness to the poor Monster, who only wants a friend.
Too bad this doesn't last long, because all too soon a visiting John Carradine accidentally burns down the hut and sends the Monster fleeing into the woods again.
Now armed with a rudimentary speech, the Monster learns about love and marriage, and wants a wife of his own to set up housekeeping. (Where, you may wonder?) Enter Colin Clive, who is forced to build a mate for his creation. Off to the cemetery he must go again, to find a nice young dead girl to bring back to life. The result is an unusually tall Elsa Lanchester (who was short off-screen). Too bad--when she comes to life she doesn't like the Monster either. So there is nothing left to do but kill more people and kill himself along with them. But the Monster shows a final act of kindness by sending Dr. and Mrs. Frankenstein away to live a life of wedded bliss. Conveniently the lab is equipped with a special lever that, when pulled, blows everything up. Whenever I watch this scene, I catch myself talking to the tv. "Look out!" warns Dr. Frankenstein. "The lever! You'll blow us all to atoms!" "Why?" I ask the television screen. "And it's in the middle of the room?"
I have a special language selection on my DVD that lets me watch the movie in Spanish. Now that's interesting!
Boris Karloff did not want the Monster to speak, first because Karloff would have to put in some partial dentures that kill the original gaunt features, but also because he feared this would reduce the Monster to a clown. Maybe it's good that Karloff didn't live to see Young Frankenstein.
But Bride of Frankenstein is a great movie! I watch it nearly as much as I watch King Kong.
Last night I watched a showing of The Bride of Frankenstein on television, and although I had seen it many times before--and own a DVD of it--I watched it more closely than usual. The Monster is actually very nice to people who are nice to him. His countryside rampages are only against those who are cruel toward him. He reminds me of The Elephant Man. As soon as people bothered to be nice to him, he really wasn't such a bad guy.
Burned, stoned and tortured by an angry mob, The Monster is put into ancient stocks in the old dungeon, from which he immediately escapes. I still wonder what period this story is set in, because the men wear modern suits while the women are in peasant clothes complete with dirndl skirts. Mrs. Frankenstein seems to be the only woman dressed for the 1930's, but she speaks into a device that had apparently just been invented--the telephone. The people chase the Monster through the hills with pitchforks and flaming torches, and as I mentioned, confine him in ancient stocks. I'm still confused.
Once he escapes, he tries to save a shepherd girl from drowning, and is shot for his act of kindness. What a thankless job!
But then he meets the kindly blind hermit, who not only teaches the Monster to speak, but also gets him started in bad habits like smoking and drinking. There are two ways to go in the hermit scene. Either you feel sorry for the two afflicted men who have finally found friends in each other, complete with schmaltzy background church music, or you can't help thinking of Mel Brooks and Peter Boyle's monster having his thumb lit on fire by a blind Gene Hackman. At any rate, the original scene is quite touching, with the Monster crying real tears and giving the hermit a reassuring pat on the shoulder. At last! Someone is showing kindness to the poor Monster, who only wants a friend.
Too bad this doesn't last long, because all too soon a visiting John Carradine accidentally burns down the hut and sends the Monster fleeing into the woods again.
Now armed with a rudimentary speech, the Monster learns about love and marriage, and wants a wife of his own to set up housekeeping. (Where, you may wonder?) Enter Colin Clive, who is forced to build a mate for his creation. Off to the cemetery he must go again, to find a nice young dead girl to bring back to life. The result is an unusually tall Elsa Lanchester (who was short off-screen). Too bad--when she comes to life she doesn't like the Monster either. So there is nothing left to do but kill more people and kill himself along with them. But the Monster shows a final act of kindness by sending Dr. and Mrs. Frankenstein away to live a life of wedded bliss. Conveniently the lab is equipped with a special lever that, when pulled, blows everything up. Whenever I watch this scene, I catch myself talking to the tv. "Look out!" warns Dr. Frankenstein. "The lever! You'll blow us all to atoms!" "Why?" I ask the television screen. "And it's in the middle of the room?"
I have a special language selection on my DVD that lets me watch the movie in Spanish. Now that's interesting!
Boris Karloff did not want the Monster to speak, first because Karloff would have to put in some partial dentures that kill the original gaunt features, but also because he feared this would reduce the Monster to a clown. Maybe it's good that Karloff didn't live to see Young Frankenstein.
But Bride of Frankenstein is a great movie! I watch it nearly as much as I watch King Kong.
