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The
Bride Of Frankenstein
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10
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7 |
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10
= Highest
Rating
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James
Whale's brilliant follow-up to his 1931 smash Frankenstein
is that uncommon rarity in movies, a sequel that's superior
to the original. A true treasure of Hollywood's "Golden Age",
Bride is — almost 70 years on —
rightly considered one of the greatest American films of all
time.
Working with more control and a bigger budget than he enjoyed
on the first film, Whale fashions a near perfect blend of horror,
satire and absurd humor. Inspired by the German Expressionist
design of Lang and Murnau, the huge gothic sets (interior and
exterior) are absolutely marvelous. The performances of the
players are equal to the milieu created for them. Colin Clive
is thankfully more restrained here as Henry Frankenstein; Ernest
Thesinger’s Dr. Pretorious — accentuating his relish for sacrilege
with a devilish foppery — remains one of the most memorable
mad scientists of the movies. Created by Frankenstein and Pretorius
as a mate for the lonely Monster, Elsa Lanchester's surprisingly
short screen time as the "bride" was nonetheless powerful enough
to make an indelible impression on pop culture.
The amazing Boris Karloff (now portraying a creature with
the power of speech) matches his brilliant performance in the
first film... That he was passed over for an Oscar nomination
is inexcusable. His interpretation of this iconic role will
live forever.
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Another
of Universal's "Classic Monsters Collection" DVDs, The
Bride Of Frankenstein unfortunately
receives the same treatment as Lugosi's
Dracula;
i.e., the disc comes with some splendid bonus features, but the
film itself hasn't really been restored as it deserved to be.
It also appears to be too tightly framed.
While the video transfer might be a disappointment, monster scholar
David J. Skal's documentary on the making of the movie, She's
Alive!, is certainly a delight. A photo gallery slide show,
set to music from the film, is also a treat. Compared to the commentaries
featured on the Dracula
and Creature
From The Black Lagoon
discs, I found Scott MacQueen's audio narrative a bit on the dry
side (in most instances merely rehashing stories presented in
the documentary). 4/12/01 |
| UPDATE
Out of print for two years, the film has just been re-released
(April 27, 2004) by Universal Home Video in a combo package with
the original
Frankenstein,
Son Of Frankenstein,
Ghost Of Frankenstein
& House Of Frankenstein.
The framing of Bride's transfer has
been corrected for this edition. All five Frankensteins are also
available as part of the 6-disc Classic Monsters Legacy Collection,
which includes the five Dracula and four Wolf Man films (including
Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man)
produced by Universal in the '30s & '40s. - Ed. |
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