Frankenstein Film 1931 by James Whale Term Paper

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Frankenstein-Movie

Reading about cloning is very disturbing. Scientists should not try to play God. Messing with the natural cause of life can have unforeseen consequences. They should remember the classic novel by Mary Shelley "Frankenstein." Its premise also explores the theme of creating a living thing. Though Frankenstein is not about cloning, its theme is similar to the events related to cloning.

This movie is not attempting to be a horror movie. Though there were horror movies in that era, this one followed a more human path. However it sets the path for science fiction movies of this genre. Frankenstein's creation is an intriguing character. He is only a freak of nature who has no understanding of his surroundings and what he is doing there. The movie directed by James Whale is one of the best versions of Mary Shelley's Goth tale.

Dr Henry Frankenstein played by Colin Clive is one of the protagonists in the movie. He is a bankrupt scientist without any morals who defies all laws of humanity by attempting to play God. Frankenstein is a very zany and self-centered person. He has a lot of contempt for other people and has a very erratic temperament. The doctor has been thrown out of medical school for attempting to resurrect dead bodies. His fiancee Elizabeth (Mae Clarke) is his only pillar of support. She is worried about his emotional instability. Frankenstein steals bodies from graves to create his work of art. With the help of his assistant Fritz (Dwight Frye) he brings it to life. Frankenstein realizes he has made a big mistake when his creation does not seem to respond to his directions. It kills his assistant Fritz. He plans to kill the monster with the help of his former mentor Dr. Waldman (Edward Van Sloan) but it escapes from his custody. Frankenstein's creation roams around the countryside causing destruction. He gets a very painful death in the end. (Crazy for cinema, 2002)

This movie was filmed on a very low budget in 1931. Despite its low budget, the movie boasts of first-rate production values for that era. The acting, set design, music and story are very good.

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It grabs the viewer's attention with its strong visuals. The producer of the movie warns the audience about the graphic content before the movie starts. The movie opens with a graveyard as the backdrop. A funeral is taking place with plenty of grief stricken mourners. Little do they know that the doctor and his assistant are watching from afar? They plan to steal the body from its grave. The statue of the grim reaper in front of the gravesite gives the area a very uneasy feeling. Henry's lack of respect for the dead is shown when he accidentally throws a shovelful of dirt at the statue of the grim reaper. At this point the camera is panned at the grim reaper, which is a witness to this unholy ceremony. This scene is perhaps trying to show us that the grim reaper does not approve of this and will be taking some punitive action. It doesn't approve of anyone messing with is line of work.

The director, James Whale does not stop to startle or scare the audience. He utilizes sound effects in a very efficient manner. Though the sound effects of that era are no match for the new age, they were the trendsetters of their own time. There are no dull moments in the movie as it is packed with various sound and visual effects. Every time there is a thud or a bang the audience is left shaken. This worked very well on audiences of that time as this was a new concept for them and managed to scare them out of their wits. James Whale plans the visual effects of the movie with great detail. The scene where the monster is being brought to life is very effective. There is a storm raging in the background. The body….....

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