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Frankenstein (1931)
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 19, 2015 7:15 pm    Post subject: Frankenstein (1931) Reply with quote

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The film that launched Universal Studios' long-running horror film series which lasted almost twenty years.





Mary Shelley's bizarre novel became director James Whale's landmark movie, a white-knuckle thrill ride for three generations of movie-goers. The plot went through considerable revision from its origins in Shelley's novel before making it to Whale's film; the screenplay was penned by Garret Fort and Francis Edward Faragoh from an adaptation by John Balderston of a play by Peggy Webling based on the novel by Shelley.

Karloff's subtle-but-spooky makeup was created by Jack Pierce, who stayed pretty busy for the next twenty years with Frankenstein and all the spinoff monsters.






Two very worthy scenes were edited from the original release version. The first was judged to be sacrilegious; when Dr. Frankenstein (Colin Clive) sees the hand of his creature move for the first time, he shouts, "It's alive! It's alive! Now I know what it's like to be God!" The reference to God was later snipped out.

The second missing scene was taken from the strange episode in which the creature joins a little child tossing flowers into a lake. Charmed by the child's sweet nature, he joins her at play, but when they both run out of flowers the simple-minded creature tosses the child into the water, thinking she'll float too. She drowns before his bewildered eyes — a tragedy made even more horrible by the monster's complete lack of malice.

The edited version ends with the two playing by the lake, and later the girl's father is seen carrying her dead body into town. The audience is left to wonder why the creature turned on the child.

"Frankenstein" was followed in 1935 by "Bride of Frankenstein", a worthy sequel with an astonishing amount of dark humor woven into the macabre plot. Karloff played the creature in only one other film, "Son of Frankenstein", the third in the series.

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)


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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Sun Apr 17, 2016 9:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

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This thread has been here for over a year and it has zero replies! Come on, guys, this is THE classic sci-fi/horror film of all time.

Enjoy the trailer on YouTube. Then say something about it, for Pete's sake! Shocked

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)


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MetroPolly
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PostPosted: Thu Aug 11, 2016 4:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Okay, I'll reply. To be completely honest, I've never been a big fan of it. It's just a bit too heavy and Gothic for my taste. And before you think it's just the film I don't like, I'm not all that fond of the novel either.

The book is really dense and complex. Ordinarily, I like that, but in this, eh, I just can't.
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Thu Aug 11, 2016 5:27 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

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As everybody who's anybody knows, I'm not a horror fan in any sense of the word. I don't even think of movies like The Thing from Another World and Invasion of the Body Snatchers as "Horror".

They just happen to be scary science fiction movies — and that's why I like them. Horror doesn't give me problems to solve and mysteries to ponder and a future to either fear or look forward to.

They're just movies that go "Boo" for 120 minutes. Rolling Eyes

Frankenstein however, is science fiction, and the science that drives the story is becoming less fictional every day! I mean, when we were kids did any of us ever think that someday the police would be solving crimes using DNA evidence instead of fingerprints?

Frankenstein is perhaps one of the most prophetic science fiction story ever conceived. Its value as a film experience has little to do with how much it scared us when we were just naive little kids — it has more to do with how it prepared us for the wondrous and terrifying world we live in right now! Shocked

When Victor Frankenstein shouts, "Now I know what it feels like to be God!" he's describing what too many of the people in the scientific community feel like when they do things that might endanger the human race, without regard for the consequences.

I'm not saying that science is too dangerous to explore. I'm saying that scientific exploration is too dangerous to be done without extreme caution.

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)


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Gord Green
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PostPosted: Sat Aug 13, 2016 4:19 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The reanimation of dead flesh was first demonstrated by Volta in the early 19th century. Of course it was not a "resurrection" but a response of nerve activation by application of an electric charge.

This film, and the book by Mary Shelley, was an extension of that scientific principle and a "what if" examination of that principle.

In short-----pure science fiction!
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Sat Aug 13, 2016 4:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

[size=33]________________________________

Exceedingly well put, Professor Green. Here here! Very Happy[/size]
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)


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Gord Green
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 27, 2017 9:08 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Still a very enjoyable film, as long as you watch a good, sharply contrasted copy of the movie.

The book by M S Shelly was different in many ways, especially in the intelligence and articulation of the "monster".
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Rick
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PostPosted: Mon Mar 27, 2017 11:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

It's a great film, genuinely great. It is, arguably, the first great American horror film.

It's true that it's best to see it in a good print. The current Blu-ray is pretty spectacular.

But...my first 5 or 6 or 7 looks at it were of the old, scratchy, cut, faded TV prints, viewed on either a 19 or 21 inch TV screen. It was great under those circumstances too. Great.

It's not the novel, no, but it's great in its own right.

The novel is dense and can be difficult. But many great novels are thus. And it is a great novel. We wouldn't still be talking about it if it wasn't. And the name/word "Frankenstein" wouldn't have entered the vocabulary.

Great novel, great film. No question.

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Gord Green
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 28, 2017 1:49 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Frankenstein begins with Edward Van Sloan stepping from behind a curtain and delivering a brief caution before the opening credits:

"How do you do? Mr. Carl Laemmle feels it would be a little unkind to present this picture without just a friendly word of warning: We are about to unfold the story of Frankenstein, a man of science who sought to create a man after his own image without reckoning upon God. It is one of the strangest tales ever told. It deals with the two great mysteries of creation; life and death. I think it will thrill you. It may shock you. It might even horrify you. So, if any of you feel that you do not care to subject your nerves to such a strain, now's your chance to uh, wel . . . we warned you!!"

Now that's how to open a film!!
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Tue Mar 28, 2017 8:52 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

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It is indeed! Very Happy
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_____________________ Frankenstein Intro


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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)


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Skullislander
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PostPosted: Sat Apr 01, 2017 4:08 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

[size=33]That intro is, to me, the funniest [unintentionally funny, that is] film shot ever committed to horror-movie fare: in the early 80s, me and a buddy used to rewind a videotape of this many times just to savor the period atmosphere of this direct-to-camera address to the audience by Van Sloan.

I think it is because he is so earnest in his conviction that I find amusing.

I have wondered: did audiences of 1931 laugh out loud at this as I do, or was the theater silent in sombre anticipation of the macabre delights about to be served up?[/size]
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Sat Apr 01, 2017 12:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Skullislander wrote:
I have wondered: did audiences of 1931 laugh out loud at this as I do, or was the theater silent in sombre anticipation of the macabre delights about to be served up?

I'd say they felt a little of both. They knew the movie was going to be delightfully scary, but Van Sloan's address was delivered with a slight smile, and at the end he says —

"So, if any of you feel that you do not care to subject your nerves to such a strain, now's your chance to uh, well — we warned you!!"

I don't think that was "unintentionally funny". Very Happy

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____________
Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)


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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Fri Nov 23, 2018 2:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

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IMDB has 75 trivia items for this movie. Here’s a few of the ones I found the most interesting, in the blue text. Very Happy
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Boris Karloff was considered as such an anonymous actor by Universal that he was not invited to the December 6th premiere.

Note from me: Bare this in mind when you read the laslt item below, about a very mean trick that James Whale played on poor Boris Karloff during the production. Sad

During production there was some concern that seven-year-old Marilyn Harris, who played Maria, the little girl thrown into the lake by the creature, would be overly frightened by the sight of Boris Karloff in costume and make-up when it came time to shoot the scene.

When the cast was assembled to travel to the location, Marilyn ran from her car directly up to Karloff, who was in full make-up and costume, took his hand and asked "May I drive with you?" Delighted, and in typical Karloff fashion, he responded, "Would you, darling?" She then rode to the location with "The Monster.".


Note from me: It's interesting that a very kind and dignified actor and a sweet, intelligent girl portrayed (respectively) a savage and confused "monster" (the polar opposite of Karloff), and a trusting child (just like the young actress).

Ken Strickfaden, who created all the electrical effects for the movie, also doubled for Boris Karloff during the sequences that showed the million volt sparks playing over his body. The same machines were later used in the comedy Young Frankenstein (1974), and director Mel Brooks gave Strickfaden the onscreen credit he had not received in this film.

Note from me: I'm not a fan of Mel Brooks' comedies (even this movie), but I admire him for the tribute he paid to the original classic and one of the men who helped create it.

In one scene, the Monster (Boris Karloff) walks through a forest and comes upon a little girl, Maria, who is throwing flowers into a pond. The monster joins her in the activity but soon runs out of flowers. At a loss for something to throw into the water, he looks at Maria and moves toward her.

In all American prints of the movie, the scene ends here. But as originally filmed, the action continues to show the monster grabbing Maria, hurling her into the lake, then departing in confusion when Maria fails to float as the flowers did. This bit was deleted because the censors objected to the violent end of the little girl. This scene is restored in the DVD reissue.


Note from me: It's strange to think how our society has changed over the years. We allow so much in movies now, that audiences are rarely shocked by anything!

While preparing to film the scene where the monster attacks Elizabeth, Mae Clarke admitted to Boris Karloff' that she was worried that when she saw him in full makeup coming towards her, she might really be frightened. Karloff told her that throughout the scene he would wiggle his pinkie finger out of sight of the camera so that she could always see that, despite the horrific makeup, she could always see her friend Boris waving at her and letting her know that she was safe.

Note from me: This is another example of what a fine and caring man Karloff was.

According to film historian Gregory W. Mank, director James Whale was jealous of the attention Boris Karloff's monster was getting during production and took revenge by making the actor carry Colin Clive up the mountain to the mill in take after take dozens of times. Clive felt badly for his co-star and suggested that a dummy be used. Whale refused, and Karloff continued to have to carry Clive's 6'0', 154-lb. body in succeeding takes.

Note from me: I can't imagine why James Whale (a brilliant and talented director) would do something so petty and cruel. Sad (Remember the first item above, about the premiere? I think the two items might be connected.)

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)


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Custer
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 24, 2018 10:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Here's the version of the poster that imdb uses:



They estimate the budget as $291,000 - and the gross USA takings as $12,000,000!
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Bud Brewster
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PostPosted: Sat Nov 24, 2018 12:25 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

________________________________

Wow, that is a gorgeous poster! Very Happy

But I'm pretty sure those colors aren't correct. All that greenish-yellow isn't very appealing, so I adjusted the colors and created the version below. I like it a lot better!



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_________________
____________
Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)


Last edited by Bud Brewster on Sun Oct 02, 2022 8:48 pm; edited 1 time in total
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