Review of “The Bride of Frankenstein” (1935)

This is our latest Saturday pizza and bad movie offering, a horror flick with a little bit of everything, including song and dance.

Plot:

The beginning is framed by a discussion among Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (Elsa Lanchester), Lord Byron (Gavin Gordon), and Percy Bysshe Shelley (Douglas Walton) about the story this innocent young girl has just told. Mary says the story continues.

You see, that Monster (Boris Karloff) survived that burning windmill…

His creator, Henry Frankenstein (Colin Clive), is recovering from all the sturm und drang of having lost his monster as well as the good will of the people. However, his fiancée, Elizabeth (Valerie Hobson), still loves him. Once they are married, they will leave and start a new life.

Before their plans can come to fruition, a man calling himself Dr. Pretorius (Ernest Thesiger) comes to visit. He demands to speak to Henry alone. Henry dismisses Elizabeth and the two talk about… experiments.

Dr. Pretorius has been conducting research but has only gotten so far. He believes the two of them working together—Henry refuses—at first.

In one weird and disturbing scene, Dr. Pretorius shows Henry his “creations,” a series of humans about a foot tall he keeps in glass containers. These include a “queen,” an amorous “king,” and a “ballerina,” among others.

In the meantime, the village realizes the Monster is still alive. They capture him and put him in chains. Silly villagers. The Monster escapes.

A blind hermit (O.P. Heggie) befriends him and teaches him to speak a few words. The Monster loves the hermit’s violin music and enjoys a human connection. The hermit also shows him that fire is good. After nearly dying in a burning windmill, the Monster has a problematic relationship with fire, to say the least.

All good things must come to an end. Some hunters (one of whom is a young John Carradine) stop by to ask for directions and see the Monster. In the confusion, the hermit’s cabin burns down, but the hermit and his violin are saved. The Monster flees.

He chances across Dr. Pretorius in a crypt, who makes him an offer: kidnap the new Mrs. Frankenstein, and he will make him a friend.

Thoughts:

This is a sequel to the successful iconic 1931 Frankenstein (reviewed here), with many actors in the same roles—Boris Karloff as the Monster, Colin Clive as Henry Frankenstein.

The interiors are lavish and extensive, almost as if they were real places. The exteriors rely more on mattes but are nevertheless elaborate, with woods and hills. The convoluted electrical equipment in Dr. Pretorius’s mad scientist lab would make Buck Rogers green with envy.

The final scene of the movie has become iconic. In the credits, the bride is listed with a question mark. It’s well-known that she was Elsa Lanchester, who also played Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley.

The scene with the hermit and the Monster was parodied in Young Frankenstein (1974) (“Fire is good. Fire is our friend.”) in excruciating detail.

The viewer feels both pity for and horror at the Monster. He kills people, but he also longs to be loved. The people in the village hunt him like an animal, not without cause. This existence thing is confusing and frightening. Because his creator rejected him, he has no one to guide him.

While there may be an excess of melodrama for 21^st-century audiences and many side plots, this is an enjoyable movie. I had an emotional investment in the Monster. I didn’t care about Henry, but I wanted the Monster to catch a break.


Title: The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)

Directed by
James Whale

Writing Credits
Mary Shelley…(suggested by: the original story written in 1816 by) (as Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley)
William Hurlbut…(adapted by) and
John L. Balderston…(adapted by) (as John Balderston)
William Hurlbut…(screenplay)
Josef Berne…(adaptation) (uncredited)
Lawrence G. Blochman…(adaptation) (uncredited)
Robert Florey…(story) (uncredited)
Philip MacDonald…(adaptation) (uncredited)
Tom Reed…(contributing writer) (uncredited)
R.C. Sherriff…(adaptation) (uncredited)
Edmund Pearson…(screenplay) (uncredited)
Morton Covan…(adaptation) (uncredited)

Cast (in credits order)
Boris Karloff…The Monster (as Karloff)
Colin Clive…Henry Frankenstein
Valerie Hobson…Elizabeth
Ernest Thesiger…Doctor Pretorius
Elsa Lanchester…Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley / The Monster’s Mate
Gavin Gordon…Lord Byron
Douglas Walton…Percy Bysshe Shelley
Una O’Connor…Minnie

Released: 1935
Length: 1 hour, 15 minutes