The Bride of Frankenstein starts out where its predecessor, Frankenstein, leaves off. The monster (Boris Karloff) escapes certain death and rises from the ashes of a burning mill and escapes for a time into the wilderness where he will meet his first and only friend, a blind, lonely hermit (O.P. Heggie) who exposes the monster to gin and cigars and teaches him his first words: “drink good, smoke good, food good”. Now for the first time, the monster begins to develop a sense of understanding and a connection to his emotions, enabling the audience to view him as less monster and more human. A cast out Frankenstein tries to survive in a world where he does not belong, finding friendship and love along the way.
A late night, knock at the door at the Frankenstein residence from a strange man, Dr. Pretorious (Ernest Thesiger), a mad scientist in his own right, leads to an agreement between the two, Dr. Frankenstein (Colin Clive) and Dr. Pretorious), to create a mate for the monster. They head back to the laboratory and begin yet another round of weird science.
Ultimately, the experiment fails, as the bride (Elsa Lanchester), rejects the monster. The monster’s new found understanding can not contain his emotions and he strikes one final blow, destroying the laboratory and taking his life, the life of his bride, and the life of Dr. Pretorious. Sparing only Dr. Frankenstein and his soon-to-be bride.
Although there are many different takes on the underlying meaning of the film, varying from homosexuality to sacrilege, it reminded me more of an average day with my 18-month-old son. Emotions are overwhelming and words are few for the monster. With the strength of ten men, and the emotional stability of a toddler, he expresses himself more with actions, most often violent, than words.
No comments:
Post a Comment