Frankenstein and Whale - Seminole Cinema: SEHS Film - Home



IB Film 1: W17.3James Whale and FrankensteinMeet James Whale, director of Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein.Like many of the directors who came to Hollywood in the early days of sound, James Whale had been a director in the theatre.World War 1Whale had been a soldier in WW1He had been captured and held by the Germans as a prisoner of war. He discovered he liked designing and putting on shows for the other prisoners.After the war, he became an art director, actor, stage manager, and ultimately a director for the stage.As a theatre director, he was instrumental in developing the play?Journey's End?by R. C. Sherriff, which is set in the trenches of WW1.Successfully mounted in both London and Broadway, the play was significant because it helped express the hopelessness and tragedy of the war to audiences made up of the friends and families of men who could hardly express what they had been through.The play was eventually made into a movie.Whale's early jobsParamount PicturesBecause of the play's success, Whale had already been approached by Paramount Pictures, with whom he signed a contract in 1929.At the time, sound technology was revolutionising the movie industry, and companies were looking for directors who had experience directing dialogue, and for stage actors who could deliver dialogue as well as a convincing physical performance.Among Whale's early jobs was working on Howard Hughes' famous film?Hell's Angels?(1930) about aviators in WW1.Originally a silent film, Hughes wanted it turned into a talkie.Whale was hired to direct the new dialogue sequences.Whale in the 1930'sJourney's EndAfter this, Whale directed another theatre production of?Journey's End?in Chicago, and soon after directed the film version of?Journey's End?(1930), made by two British producers in association with a small American studio in New York.Like the play, the film was a huge success in both Britain and the U.S., and Whale became a recognised director.In 1931, Whale signed a five-year contract with Universal Pictures, which had become a refuge for many artists who were fleeing Europe, like cameraman Karl Freund who had worked on the German expressionistic films of the 1920s.Whale's first film for Universal was?Waterloo Bridge?(1931), a film about a chorus girl in London who becomes a prostitute during WW1.He was offered any other film he wanted after the conclusion of?Waterloo Bridge, and chose?Frankenstein?partly because he did not want to be associated with another film in the war-story genre.Frankenstein and WhaleWhale at Universal Studios?Ideal Auteur EnvironmentWhale's working situation at Universal Studios very much resembled the ideal situation for the auteur director, which we will discuss in the next few weeks.Truffaut, in developing the auteur theory, pointed out that many auteurs were writer / directors - filmmakers who were able to see their ideas developed from conception to the end of production.Although most of the projects Whale developed had been purchased by the producers who owned the studio, Whale was given free choice in picking his films.With his theatre background, Whale was fully involved with the scripts of his films, making suggestions and developing scenes.With his background as an art designer, Whale was also involved in the visual development of his films.When the make-up was developed for Frankenstein's monster, Whale used many artists to create possible designs as well as contributing his own sketches.Frankenstein's MonsterImagining Frankenstein's pragmatismWhale and make-up man Jack P. Piece eventually settled on the design that is still associated with the monster.Two electrodes in the neck, so the Monster could be connected to electricity and 'jump started'?to life, and a flat head with clamps.They decided on the flat head because, in the early days of brain surgery, they imagined Dr. Frankenstein would not be an expert in cosmetic surgery and would only use a flat plate connected to the skull once he had transplanted the brain.This make-up has become iconic and is recognised by many people who have never seen the film.German Expressionism and FrankensteinUsing design to emphasise characters emotionsElsa Lanchester, who plays both Mary Shelly at the beginning of the picture and the?Bride of Frankenstein?at the end, remembers 'Jimmy' Whale?taking her over to a studio set because he was so proud of the forest he had designed.If you recall the film, you will remember there are two forests.The first, when the monster rescues the shepherdess, is idyllic and features leaves and branches that look lush and alive.The second forest, where the monster is captured, almost looks like a forest of telegraph poles. The trees are bare?of leaves, and the stark, rocky terrain and bare trees emphasises the fact the monster is trapped.As you learned in a previous lesson, James Whale had screened?The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari?in preparation for making?Frankenstein.The trees in the forest, as well as the lighting and shadows throughout?Bride of Frankenstein?are derived from German expressionism, letting sets and lighting - the design, in fact, of the exterior world - emphasise the emotions going on inside the character.Religious Symbolism in FrankensteinSarris requires the auteur director's films feature 'interior meaning'One of the most intriguing aspects of Bride of Frankenstein is how much religious symbolism there is in the film.For instance, when the monster is living with the blind Hermit and taught to speak, notice that once the monster has found a friend, there is a fade out in which a crucifix in the center of the frame is optically separated from the scene and continues to shine in darkness in the fade-out for a few more moments.The blind Hermit, with his lack of vision, may be more in touch with the true soul of the monster than anyone who is frightened by his outward appearance.Later in the film, the monster is captured in the forest and tied to a tree. ?Notice how, for a moment before the monster, still tied to the?tree, falls down onto a horse-and-cart, and the monster is suspended with arms held aloft.It is?almost as if he was being crucified (recall the cross in the Hermit's house).Is the monster an innocent soul who behaves as a monster, because he has been forced to, by other people's reactions to him?Sub-plotCensors lose the plotThere was another scene with religious symbolism that was cut from the film.The monster found a monument to?Jesus on the cross in the graveyard.Seeing a man in pain, apparently nailed to a cross, the monster tried to pull him off the cross.This scene was ordered cut from the film by the Censor's Office, and it was replaced in the film with the scene where the monster finds the statue of a Bishop - a symbol of the kind of authority that has been hunting the monster down? - and pushes it over.You can still see the Jesus on the cross monument in the background.The Directors InfluenceFascination and sympathy for the outsiderIn many of Whale's films, there seems to be a fascination and sympathy for the outsider, whether it is the monster in the Frankenstein films, or the African Americans in?Showboat.These characters lives?are treated sympathetically by Whale, highlighting?the prejudice that existed at the time.This is a quality that has influenced other directors who are inspired by Whale, such as Tim Burton.Tim Burton often references Whale directly in films such as:Edward Scissorhands?(1990)Frankenweenie?(1982)The Nightmare Before Christmas?(1993)Burton's films frequently concern outsiders coming to terms with an society that does not know what to make of them.Artist or Activist?Work that comes out of the unconscious mindGender theorists cite the fact Whale was an openly gay man in a time when being gay was unacceptable as a motivating force for Whale's sympathy for the monster in the Frankenstein films, and for the outsider in general. ?Some critics detect notes of camp humor in much of?The Bride of Frankenstein, particularly in Ernest Thesiger's performance of Doctor Pretorius, and even the appearance of the Bride which is based on a bust of the Egyptian princess Nefertiti, with lightning-like streaks added to her hair.However, those closest to Whale state his films are the work of an artist and not a gay artist.Friend and biographer Curtis Harrington, interviewed by David Del Valle in?Films in Review?says:"All artists do work that comes out of the unconscious mind, and later on you can analyze it and say the symbolism may mean something, but artists don't think that way, and I would bet my life that James Whale would never have had such concepts in mind."James Whale's life as a gay man and as a director are examined in the film?Gods and Monsters?(1998) in which he is portrayed by Sir Ian McKellen.Whale and FrankensteinStill regarded as a classic of the horror genre today,?Frankenstein?(1931) was a follow-up to Universal's successful film?Dracula?(1931).These are two of the first American films to actually feature fantasy and the supernatural as elements of the film story - early horror?movies were much like Scooby-Doo episodes, where the work of a ghost or evil spirit was always discovered in the end to be the work of a villain pretending to be a supernatural creature.Both of these films had been adapted from successful theatre productions, because producers of early sound films were searching desperately for stories that could be used successfully with the new sound capabilities of motion pictures.Universal would become associated with horror films the same way MGM would become associated with musicals and Warner Brothers would become associated with gangster films.Whales FilmographyJames Whale himself would shoot the following feature films:The Old Dark House?(1932)The Invisible Man?(1933)The Bride of Frankenstein?(1935)The character of Frankenstein's monster would continue on from Whale's original and its sequels with:Son of Frankenstein?(1939)Ghost of Frankenstein?(1942)Frankenstein Meets the Wolfman?(1942)The House of Frankenstein?(1944)The House of Dracula?(1945)and finally, the series ended with?Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein?(1948).Mel Brooks' comedy?Young Frankenstein?(1974) could probably be added to the series, as it was made for Universal Studios, featured a story and characters based on the first three films, and used props from the original movies.Film ViewingOver the next two weeks, you will be watching two of the great horror films directed by James Whale: Frankenstein (1931) and The Bride of Frankenstein (1935). You will then write a viewing log comparing the ways in which cinematic language is used to convey meaning in two scenes from these films, choosing from film direction, cinematography, lighting, sound, and/or art direction, and using each element only once.Frankenstein sets up the story for The Bride of Frankenstein, which is a direct sequel (also Frankenstein is only 70 minutes long).There are several interesting things to watch for, and to listen to, while you are viewing.Many viewers of Frankenstein remember Whale's startling use of sound, such as the sound of earth striking the lid of the coffin during the opening burial scene, and the sound of lightning which brings the monster to life later in the film.It is important to note that when the film was originally released, most of the audience had seen very few films with sound, and the use of the stark sound effects like these was very startling and unnerving.At the same time, notice there is hardly any music used in the film at all, except for the opening and ending credits.The tradition of film music composed for sound films had not yet developed at the time, and the sound cues that accompany the credits are borrowed from classical music - much like the photoplay music that accompanied silent films.Finally, pay particular attention to the camera work and lighting, and also the incredible sets (remember Whale had been an art designer in the theatre).Then, when you watch The Bride of Frankenstein, see how much more elaborate film visuals and audio (especially) had become in just four years.Watch (this week): ?Frankenstein (1931)Watch (next week):?The Bride of Frankenstein (1935) ................
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