movie film review | chris tookey
 
     
     
 

Frankenstein


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  Frankenstein Review
Tookey's Rating
8 /10
 
Average Rating
8.90 /10
 
Starring
Colin Clive , Mae Clarke, John Boles
Full Cast >
 

Directed by: James Whale
Written by: John L. Balderston, Garrett Fort, Francis Edward Faragoh

 
Tookey's Review
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Cast
 
 
Released: 1931
   
Genre: UNDERRATED
MONSTER
IMPORTANT
HORROR
SERIES
SCIENCE FICTION
   
Origin: US
   
Length: 71
 
 


 
Scientist (Colin Clive) creates life (Boris Karloff, pictured) but accidentally gives it a murderer's brain.

Reviewed by Chris Tookey



Critics are divided as to whether this, or its more lighthearted sequel The Bride of Frankenstein, is the best Frankenstein movie. I favour this one, even though the director is evidently uninterested in his romantic leads and allows Colin Clive to ham abominably. This is, after all, the movie which was the blueprint for all future versions, and it is all the more eerily effective for being played straight. Karloff’s sensitive performance, surely one of the greatest on celluloid, lingers in the mind - as does the magical look of the whole film. The Gothic atmosphere is beautifully established, while the sets, props and make-up are first-rate.


The original reviews were mixed and betrayed a patronising attitude towards horror films and their likely audience. Certainly, they showed little appreciation that the film would become one of the most famous and influential of all time.


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