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Rating:  -
Fully restored after years of unfortunate censorship cuts, director James Whale's "Frankenstein" (1931) has lost none of its spellbinding power. Despite some contemporary criticisms, the rough-edged production values and lack of a music score actually work in the movie's favor. Boris Karloff gained celluloid immortality with his classic portrayal of the Monster - a multifaceted performance that does not overshadow Colin Clive's brilliant intensity as Dr. Henry Frankenstein. Special kudos to makeup genius Jack Pierce and the influential art direction of Charles D. Hall. Thanks to Whale's distinctive gothic flair, this Universal Pictures adaptation of the Mary Shelley novel helped define the horror genre while cementing its place in cinema history.
Rating:  -
Frankenstein: 5 out of 10: Frankenstein is a hard film to review. So much that was shocking in the film when it first came out is muted today. (Desecration of the grave ect.) As a standalone film rather than an American Classic Frankenstein leaves much to be desired.
The film is very stagy with people exiting stage left and posing theatrically. The fight scene between the monster and the bride on her wedding day is Mystery Science Theater 3000 material. The movie is quite short (running about an hour) and character development is minimal. If you real Shellys original work you are likely to be appalled by some of the changes.
The brain is in the film is one of a criminal (Abby Normal) as opposed to an everyman. This changes a major component of the novel. In the book, Frankenstein became evil because he was rejected by man not because of some predestined nature. The destruction of Frankensteins family by his experiment that goes against Gods will is barely touched upon and the romance between Victor (excuse me Henry; they changed the name to Victors younger deader brother) and his fiancée is barely touched upon.
While the vastly superior Bride of Frankenstein surprised with its effectiveness and advanced film techniques Frankenstein surprises with its brevity and staginess. But in its defense it is a classic and Boris Karloff is great as the monster.
Rating: -
Please note that this is on the movie and not the digitized DVD versions.
I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't sleep last night, turned on the TV, and happened to catch this since it's only about an hour and a half long. Amazingly I had never seen the original Frankenstein before.
This might be the most iconic horror film of all time, done in a time before the Hollywood censorship code of 1935, and having inspired literally hundreds of knock-offs over the decades. Far from being the early raw, naive horrorfest that others have seen in it here, in fact the movie shows great finesse, sophistication, and creativity at almost every turn.
The actors all turn in outstandingly nuanced performances (of course Karloff's would become the sine qua non of such roles for decades), the mood inspiring cinematography and backdrops are appropriately and overwhelmingly dark and creepy, the sets (especially the lab in the tower) are spectacular, the electrical machinery and special effects during the storm are impressive even by modern standards, and the suspense and the action gripping and spine tingling.
This is truly a classy blast from the past that has lost nothing to all the later reprisals with their bigger budgets and more sophisticated and advanced special effects. Frankenstein remains a pioneering classic that still stands head and shoulders above the competition.
Rating: -
I've always enjoyed the old movies, and my grandsons wanted to see this one. It will be nice to have in my collection.
Rating:  -
I opened this and first the disc holders fell out, and then I saw that the sheet including the important info on the film comes off...what the heck were they thinking! Worst packaging ever. If you like he movie fine, but you will have to get another DVD holder - a double to house this baby and make your own new cover info from photos here.
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