Transcript Bride of Frankenstein

English 299B:
Film as Narrative Art
Mr. Kelley
The Bride of Frankenstein
(James Whale, 1935)
Points to Consider
Does this film create sympathy for the
monster? If so, how?
Does the film suggest comparisons
between the monster and other figures,
from folklore, mythology, literature, and
contemporary life?
How “normal” are the “non-monsters,”
such as Henry, Pretorius, Elizabeth, and
the secondary figures? How sympathetic?
More Points to Consider
Do you find the film to be humorous? What
sorts of comedy does the film employ?
How does the humor function within the
film? Does it seem simply “tacked on,” or
does it help develop theme or character?
Additional Points of Interest
Note the “Classic Horror Movie” website
for descriptions, cast lists, images,
storyboards, chronologies, and video clips
from old horror films, located at
http://rhs.jack.k12.wv.us/classic/
Mel Brooks’ Young Frankenstein (1974) is
a terrific parody of the Universal
Frankenstein pictures and contains some
of the original sets.
Additional Points of Interest
The 1998 film Gods and Monsters,
directed by Bill Condon, examines the last
days of James Whale. In Condon’s film,
Whale’s feelings of loneliness and
freakishness are poignantly paralleled by
those of the Frankenstein monster in
Whale’s classic Universal picture.
Selected Filmography of James
Whale
Frankenstein (1931)
Waterloo Bridge (1931)
The Old Dark House (1932)
The Invisible Man (1933)
Showboat (1936)
The Man in the Iron Mask (1939)