Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Frankenstein (1931) and The Bride of Frankenstein (1935) on the big screen






Last Wednesday I got the chance to see Frankenstein (1931) and The Bride of Frankenstein (1935) on the big screen courtesy of TCM and NCM Fathom Events. I had never seen these films and it was a treat for Halloween that's for sure.

Before the films were screened, there was an intro with Robert Osborne. They also showed footage of Osborne's interview with Bela Lugosi Jr., Boris Karloff's daughter Sara Karloff and renowned film make-up artist Dick Smith. This was my favorite part! I loved to hear what they had to say about Lugosi and Karloff and about the history of horror films. And I find solidarity in the fact that they avoid contemporary horror films too. I avoid them like the plague and much appreciate suggestion and suspense to gore, torture p-rn and jump scares.

The movies were fun to watch but overall I had a difficult time. I didn't appreciate the laughter from the audience. I felt like they were making fun of the movies. This irked me especially since how much these films have influenced movies we watch today. Also, I have avoided the Universal monster movies for a very long time and now I understand why. They are just not my bag. I appreciate the Val Lewton films which do a lot with light, shadow and suggestion. No silly costumes or props. The makeup, hair and clothes were amazing in the Frankenstein films. I loved the sets too. But monster movies are just not for me. I do concede that they are still vastly better than any of the scary movies Hollywood produces today and that I might have enjoyed these films if I had watched them at home instead.

Sorry for what comes out to be one of the most boring posts I've ever done!

Did you go to the double feature screening of Frankenstein (1931) and The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)? What did you think?

I hope you all have a Happy Halloween!





5 comments:

  1. I'm sorry to hear there was a lot of inappropriate laughter at the screening you went to. I actually went to two Frankenstein double features this month, the TCM/Fathom one and one at a local theater of Bride of Frankenstein and Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man. There was so much inappropriate laughter during Bride when I saw it at the local theater, including at the line, "We belong dead."

    Even though that event was better than the TCM/Fathom event in some ways, I much preferred the crowd at the TCM/Fathom event. They were much more respectful and the only laughter was during the parts that were meant to be funny.

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    1. Angela - I'm glad to hear that you had a better experience at the TCM/Fathom event than I did. I guess it all depends on the crowd. For the most part they are good, especially if the movie is a serious and respected drama or a comedy (they are supposed to laugh) but I feel with films like the Frankenstein ones they've come to be considered campy and that's what people react to. Thanks for stopping by!

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  2. Have you seen Dracula (1931)? That's, by far, my favourite Universal monsters film. I didn't like The Mummy because I found it really boring and it took me a while to like Frankenstein too. I recently did a vlog post about my love for Dracula & Bela Lugosi here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58lV2WIGh1M

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    1. Vanessa- Thank you for mentioning Dracula. I removed it from my Netflix queue but I think I might put it back. I'll definitely check out your vlog post! Thanks for the link

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  3. I watched this on Halloweeen for the second time! I love Baron Frankenstein - he seemed to not be 'reading' the script and it was like he was ad libbing it- it was one of the best parts of the movie.

    The original Dracula was the first B & W movie I watched and is one of my favourites. Bela is incredible. :-)

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