Frankenstein (1931) review

 Number 335 on the top 1000 films of all time is the pre-code Gothic drama 'Frankenstein.'

Based on Mary Shelley's book of the same name, Frankenstein follows the Bavarian scientist Henry Frankenstein (Colin Clive) in his attempts to create life. This culminates in him creating a monster played by Boris Karloff. This monster is made out of dead bodies. Meanwhile, his fiancee Elizabeth (Mae Clarke) and cousin Victor (John Boles) try to talk him out of his madness.

Frankenstien is a film that needs no introduction. Even if you haven't read the book you are familiar with the story. I have read the book and I think the film over-simplified the plot and characters.

At seventy minutes long, there wasn't enough time to properly explore the characters in any depth. As a result, they felt shallow, superficial and under-developed. Neither Dr Frankenstein or his monster had the humanity they had in the book.

Frankenstein's monster was little more than a simple killing brute and not the misunderstood yet articulate being he was in the book. He's supposed to be somebody you both pity and are scared off - not just something to be feared. Similarly, Dr Frankenstein lent a little too much into the "mad" aspect of "mad scientist." he wasn't so much of an evil genius, as just evil. It was a radical departure from the books where he was a brilliant if misguided scientist.

This film is beloved by many - having spurned countless sequels, parodies and imitators, so I'm obviously in the minority with my opinions. But I didn't care for Frankenstein. It was an overly-stripped affair that lacked the heart and humanity which made the book so beloved.

Freaks review

 Number 377 on the top 1000 films of all time is the 1932 pre-code horror film Freaks.

Freaks takes place in a travelling circus show where trapeze artist Cleopatra (Olga Baclanova) and strongman Hercules (Henry Victor) plot to murder dwarf Hans (Harry Earles) and steal his money.

I do think that this film could have been a lot better than what we saw on screen. That was because it was slow. It took too long to get to the point. Test screenings went horrifically badly with many of the audience disgusted what they saw, so MGM executives edited the 90-minute film into the 64-minute cut we know today.

The executive did this without the director's knowledge, so perhaps the fault of the film should be put down to studio interference. Freaks was only 64 minutes long. It didn't have time to waste extensively setting up the plot or introducing us to the many romantic subplots- most which were irrelevant to the main plot, but that's what happened.

Things only really got going near the film's climax, where things were at their most horrific and frightening, but also rushed. Freaks definitely earned its stripes as a horror film.

Freaks also received much attention for casting real-life sideshow performers with disabilities like dwarfism, sacral agenesis and microcephaly. Most importantly, none of the eponymous freaks were reduced to jokes or sideshow attractions or villains. Instead, the villains were the able-bodied performers. In fact, the supposed "Freaks" were treated with humanity and respect.

Freaks should have been a better film, but it was mired by unnecessary studio interference.