Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
- kbroer
- Oct 25, 2024
- 2 min read
Boris Karloff, Elsa Lanchester, Colin Clive
Directed by James Whale
Available to stream on Prime Video
We finish our "Spooky, Scary, and Other-Worldly" month with a classic horror movie that has endured the test of time -- Bride of Frankenstein. In this much-praised sequel to the 1931 horror classic Frankenstein, Baron Henry Frankenstein, regretting his past creation of the Monster, resolves to be married to Elizabeth and give up dabbling in dark science. But diabolical Dr. Pretorius lures Henry back to create a female Monster from dead body parts.
Why it's interesting:
Considered a landmark in the horror film genre, Bride of Frankenstein has a touch of cleverness and satirical humor which makes it more entertaining to watch than a run-of-the-mill monster movie. It is full of quirky characters, all well-played, especially by Colin Clive as Henry Frankenstein, Ernest Thesiger as Dr Pretorius, and, of course, Boris Karloff as the Monster.
The movie moves along at a good pace with intervals of violence interspersed with dramatic scenes. There is a nice, peaceful interlude with a blind man who befriends the Monster and calms him, until two men with guns come in and violence resumes, the Monster lashing out at whoever is horrified by him. Boris Karloff reprises his role from the 1931 film as the Monster, who this time has learned to talk, and is often a sympathetic character as he goes about looking for a "friend" and finds only revulsion.
The final fifteen minutes of the film are the most dramatic as the Bride slowly comes to life. But when she too finds the Monster repulsive, he destroys everything, including himself, the Bride, and Dr. Pretorius - but exhorts Henry and Elizabeth Frankenstein to go and live.
Fun Facts:
Born William Henry Pratt, Boris Karloff never legally changed his name and was known outside of work by his birth name, Bill Pratt. Karloff was 44 years old and had already appeared in over 80 movies when he found fame playing the Monster in Frankenstein (1931). He was also one of the founding members of the Screen Actors Guild.
Karloff was against having the Monster speak in the sequel, but he was overruled. In Frankenstein he had removed his dental bridge in order to make his cheeks look more sunken, but he couldn't do that in the sequel because he had to speak.
According to Elsa Lanchester, Karloff's makeup took about five hours and hers took close to three. Karloff lost 20 pounds during filming because of his heavy costume and makeup.
Elsa Lanchester plays both the part of Mary Shelley and of the Bride. As the Bride, she screams and hisses at the Monster - she apparently got the idea of the Bride's hiss from the swans in Regent's Park.
Featured Cocktail:
Salty Dog
In the 1950s, a bartender added salt to the rim of the classic two-ingredient Greyhound and called it a Salty Dog. Although some prefer vodka, gin was the original spirit in both drinks.
1½ oz (45 ml) gin
3 oz (90 ml) fresh grapefruit juice
Wet the rim of a tall glass with grapefruit juice and dip in salt. Fill with ice and add gin and grapefruit juice. Stir gently. Garnish with slice of grapefruit.
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