"We belong dead."
Not to spoil the surprise for you or anything, but today is the first of two "Frankenstein" films in our countdown. I'm telling you, it's just how the ranking system worked out. Besides, they are both great films.
Family-Friendliness
- Rating: Unrated
- Minimum Recommended Age: 9 (Common Sense Media: "On for ages 9 and up")
- Quality Rating: 94.5% (Common Sense Media: 5 stars, Rotten Tomatoes rating: 8.9)
- Number of Lists Recommend: 3
- Running Time: 75 minutes
- What does it have to do with Halloween? Nothing
Summary
The film follows on immediately from the events of the first film, and is rooted in a subplot of the original novel, Frankenstein (1818). In the film, a chastened Henry Frankenstein abandons his plans to create life, only to be tempted and finally coerced by the Monster, encouraged by Henry's old mentor Dr. Pretorius, into constructing a mate for him.
Watch Out For
Common Sense Media: "The very young may find the monsters, crypts, and a laboratory crackling with electricity unnerving. Grave robbing, murder, tinkering with nature are the film's main themes. This film might scare grade-school kids out of their jammies, but that's why they'll want to watch it. But it's best for older kids and preteens, who will probably get fewer scares and more laughs out of it than younger kids will. Still, parents may want to remain close by."
Talk About It
Common Sense Media:
* Families can talk about the idea of "playing God." Where is this happening in real life?
* What do you think of cloning and other forms of manipulation? What are the ethics of it?
* What do you think about the way the Monster is treated? How does it make you feel?
Of Note
- This film is widely considered to be one of the greatest sequels of all time
- Ranks #1 on AMC TV's Best Horror Movies for Romance Haters list
- Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Sound (1936)
- The censor's office, upon reviewing the film in March 1935, required a number of cuts. Whale agreed to delete a sequence in which Dwight Frye's "Nephew Glutz" kills his uncle and blames the Monster, and shots of Elsa Lanchester as Mary Shelley in which Joseph Breen, lead censor for the Hays office, felt too much of her breasts were visible.
- The "body count" in the original cut was 21. This was trimmed to 10 after pressure from the censors.
- Boris Karloff sweated off 20 pounds laboring in the hot costume and makeup.
- Elsa Lanchester's shock hairdo was held in place by a wired horsehair cage.
- Elsa Lanchester never receives on screen credit as "The Bride". The character is listed as being played by "?".
Posts
