Something Else: Frankenstein

Random thoughts of random lengths on random films. 

Directed by James Whale
Starring Colin Clive (Henry Frankenstein), Mae Clarke (Elizabeth, and Boris Karloff (The Monster)
Written by Garrett Fort and Francis Edward Faragoh adapting the novel by Mary Shelley
Cinematography by Arthur Edeson and Paul Ivano
Edited by Clarence Kolster
Released in 1931

Stop me if you've ever heard any variation on the following phrase before. A movie similar to Frankenstein  would not get made today.

Anyone reading should now yell "STOP!" at their computer screen. 

I know everything I'm about to say is a cliche and reflects an awful form of nostalgia that I'm subject to, but I'm going to continue writing just in case a Hollywood higher-up is reading and wants a few tips on how to take commercial cinema in a different direction.

James Whale's Frankenstein was a commercial product (this is not an insult to the film). It was made at the beginning of the Golden Age of Hollywood, and was the next step in creating the cottage industry of monster movies for Universal Studios after the release of Todd Browning's Dracula. The film is blessedly simple. Dr. Henry Frankenstein creates a monster and his colleagues fret over his mental state and experiments. In turn, the monster attacks its creator, escapes, rampages through a nebulously-European village, and is killed by a mob. The film follows a linear narrative and has a strict beginning, middle, and end.

The most enjoyable aspect of the film is that it lets itself be a fairy tale. There's no elaborate backstory for Henry and no dialogue wasted on explaining convoluted pseudoscience (aside from Victor's former professor mentioning "chemical galvanization through electrobiology" the existence of which makes the world a better place as far as I'm concerned). Frankenstein also has a great German Expressionist-bent to its style, with lots of shadows and heightened sets. The opening graveyard scene and Henry's tower are particular highlights.

If the film were made today, (which I guess it was with prequel/sidequel/remake/reboot I, Frankenstein) that fairy tale-like simplicity would be lost. The film would have a complicated mythology built around it, be 2 1/2 hours long, and have a budget of hundreds of millions of dollars, with CGI to make it look "gritty" and "real".*

It's interesting to consider how what's commercial and what's unique or auteur-driven changes over the years. If you wanted a contemporary film like the original Frankenstein, you would need to go to a Tim Burton, David Lynch, or Guy Maddin. It's somewhat baffling. I wouldn't want a shot-for-shot remake, but a throwback to that era would be nice. Universal could make such a film cheaply, so that box-office failure wouldn't matter, and they would be ensured a groundswell of critical support if it turned out even halfway decent. As it stands now, Universal is planning to challenge Marvel and DC by creating a similar universe for their old monster movies, which no.

*I was partly inspired to write this due to Noel Murray's excellent piece "The Problem With Prequels" over at The Dissolve.