‘Oh, in the name of God! Now I know what it feels like to be God!‘
It could be argued that the monster from Frankenstein set the template for all future movie monsters (although it should be noted that Cesare from The Cabinet of Dr Caligari predates Frankenstein’s creation by over a decade). What isn’t in doubt, however, is the fact that Boris Karloff’s performance as the monster has echoed throughout cinematic history, and also that the success of this film helped to save Universal Studios from going under completely…
We know the story, of course. Dr. Henry Frankenstein (Colin Clive) acquires bit and pieces of body parts from various nefarious sources and successfully fuses them together to create a new life (in what is one of the most famous horror movie scenes ever put to film). The monster (Karloff) wants only to be loved, but his hideous appearance and lack of understanding of the world he has been thrust into prevents him from forging any kind of connection. Meanwhile, Baron Frankenstein (Frederick Kerr), Henry’s wonderfully eccentric father, disapproves of Henry’s attempts to play God and tries to bring him home. Henry’s friend, Victor (John Boles), and Elizabeth (Mae Clarke), the doctor’s future bride, also understand the dangers of Henry’s insane experiments.
There is a general consensus that if you were to name the top five Universal horror films, four of them would be the creation of master director James Whale. Not content with being at the helm for this film, Whale also directed The Old Dark House, The Invisible Man and Bride of Frankenstein, and in doing so, he established himself as perhaps the first great horror auteur. It is clear from this film that he is operating on a different level to his peers. His innovative camera work and understanding of light and shadow have been hugely influential, and it is his vision, coupled with an iconic performance from Karloff, that have ensured that this first adaptation of Frankenstein remains the most potent (at least until Guillermo del Toro’s version hits Netflix later this year). That being said, this is very much an ensemble piece, with both Boles and Clarke also providing performances that seem very modern compared to some of the other films released around this time. The lack of a score (a purely technical decision rather an artistic one), also helps to give the film a more timeless feel.
At 70 minutes, Frankenstein is essential viewing for any budding cinephiles or horror hounds. While Universal’s iteration of Dracula would later be surpassed by the Hammer Horror version, Whale’s vision for Frankenstein remains unsurpassed.
