The Bride of
Frankenstein (1935), dir. James Whale, Universal Pictures
The Universal Frankenstein films helped save the company and
introduce Americans to a new horror icon. For years, Frankenstein and its first sequel were considered the crown jewel
of the Universal Horror series, Bride
generally being considered not only the superior of the two but also the first
sequel to outdo the preceding film. For a while I held this opinion as many
others have, but recently re-watching the films have made me reconsider.
We open Lord Byron (Gavin Gordon), Percy Shelly (Douglas
Walton), and Mary Shelly (Elsa Lanchester), presumably at Byron’s Swiss chateau
as a thunderstorm rages. Byron and Percy praise Mary’s recent stab at horror,
but, the demure poet protests, the story didn’t end at the flaming windmill…
Picking up at the end of Frankenstein, nearly the entire village is witness to the monster’s
(Boris Karloff) attempted murder of Henry Frankenstein (Colin Clive) and the
aforementioned flaming windmill. The mill by now is little more than a burnt
husk, exposing the underground lake it was built over. The new burgomaster
(E.E. Clive) orders everyone away as the fire dies out, confident that the
monster is now little more than a burned skeleton.
That doesn’t satisfy Hans (Reginald Barlow), whose daughter
Maria was drowned by the monster in the previous film. Ignoring his wife’s
(Mary Gordon) protests, he climbs into the wrecked mill to see for himself. He
gets his answer when the monster rises from the water and drowns him.
Dispatching Han’s wife soon after, the monster shambles off into the safety of
the nearby woods.
Back at Castle Frankenstein, things are chaotic. With Henry
needing to recover from his ordeal his marriage to Elizabeth (Valerie Hobson)
has been postponed. Minnie (Una O’Connor), a servant of the family, spots the
monster and shrieks but no one listens…possibly for obvious reasons. She
decides to keep the information secret just to spite everyone.
As Henry recovers, he is visited by an old teacher, one Dr.
Pretorius (Ernest Thesiger). Pretorius somehow knows exactly what Henry has
done and he declares this makes him the perfect partner for a small experiment
he is working on. Like Frankenstein, Pretorius has dabbled in THINGS, only his
experiments were of a smaller scope and produced tiny people in jars like
miniature mermaids, royalty, and bishops. Frankenstein is put off by both the
tiny people and Pretorius, but the older scientist convinces him that together
they can create a new and better race.
The monster, meanwhile, has been dodging more villagers and
their accursed pitchforks. Saving a shepherdess (Anne Darling) from drowning
gets him shot and captured but he escapes easily enough and finds refuge with a
blind hermit (O.P. Heggie). The monster learns to speak but his happiness ends
when hunters discover him. On the run again the monster finds Pretorius and
they decide to form a partnership, with Pretorius promising to create a mate
for the monster. From there things rocket towards the end as Henry is forced
to create the Bride (Lanchester again) when the monster kidnaps Elizabeth and
yet another structure is burned down.
After re-watching the film, I find my enjoyment lessened.
Some faults are forgivable, such as the opening scene recapping the first
movie. Others less so, such as O’Conner; Whale seemed to be under the
impression that comedy was needed less the film become too dark, but O’Conner
screams and mugs across the screen in a manner than even William Shatner would
condemn as overacting.
The monster talking in this film has caused no smaller
amount of controversy as well. The monster did talk in Shelly’s book, but here
it just seems out of place. Granted, 1935 had different standards regarding
horror, but the Black Cat had satanic
masses and people being flayed alive. To go from that to O’Connor is a bit
much.
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