Bride of Frankenstein
Original 1935 theatrical poster
Directed by	James Whale
Produced by	Carl Laemmle Jr.
Written by	William Hurlbut (screenplay and adaptation) and John L. Balderston (adaptation) Mary Shelley novel Frankenstein
Starring	Boris Karloff Colin Clive Valerie Hobson Ernest Thesiger Elsa Lanchester Reginald Barlow
Music by	Franz Waxman
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release date(s)	April 22, 1935 (U.S. premiere)
Running time	75 min
Language	English
Preceded by	Frankenstein (1931)
Followed by	Son of Frankenstein (1939)
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

Bride of Frankenstein is a horror/science fiction film released on April 22, 1935, a sequel to the 1931 film Frankenstein. Image File history File links Brideoffrankposter. ... James Whale (July 22, 1889 – May 29, 1957) was a ground-breaking British Hollywood film director, best known for his work in the horror movie genre, making such pictures as Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, and The Invisible Man. ... Carl Laemmle Jr. ... American screenwriter John L. Balderston (1889 - 1954) specialised in writing plays and horror and fantasy scripts for movies. ... This article is about the 1818 novel. ... Boris Karloff (born William Henry Pratt) (London, November 23, 1887 – February 2, 1969) was an English actor, who immigrated to Canada in the 1910s, best known for his roles in horror films and the creation of Frankensteins monster in 1931s Frankenstein. ... Colin Clive (20 January 1900 – 25 June 1937) was an English stage and screen actor most famous for portraying Dr. Frankenstein in James Whales two Universal Frankenstein films Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein. ... Valerie Hobson (April 14, 1917 – November 13, 1998) was a British actress, who appeared in a number of British films during the 1940s and 1950s. ... Ernest Thesiger, (January 15, 1879 - January 14, 1961), sometimes credited as Ernst Thesiger, was a British stage and film actor. ... Lanchester in Naughty Marietta Elsa Lanchester (October 28, 1902 - December 26, 1986 in Woodland Hills, California) was an Oscar-nominated English character actress who became a naturalized American citizen in 1950 along with her husband, actor Charles Laughton. ... Reginald Harry Barlow (June 17, 1866 - July 6, 1943) was a veteran stage and screen character actor, and film director. ... Franz Waxman (December 24, 1906, Königshütte, Upper Silesia (now Chorzów, Poland) - February 24, 1967, Los Angeles, California), born Franz Wachsmann, was a German-born Jewish-American composer, known for his bravura Carmen Fantasy for violin and orchestra and for his musical scores for films. ... Universal Pictures is the main motion picture production/distribution arm of Universal Studios, a subsidiary of NBC Universal. ... is the 112th day of the year (113th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar). ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Frankenstein is a 1931 science fiction film from Universal Pictures directed by James Whale and very loosely based on the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. ... Son of Frankenstein is a horror film made by Universal Studios in 1939 and directed by Rowland V. Lee. ... “Horror Movie” redirects here. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... “Moving picture” redirects here. ... is the 112th day of the year (113th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar). ... // Frankenstein, starring Boris Karloff Ingagi, starring Sir Hubert Winstead Mata Hari, starring Greta Garbo and Lionel Barrymore City Lights starring Charles Chaplin Best Picture: Cimarron - MGM Best Actor: Lionel Barrymore - A Free Soul Best Actor: Wallace Beery - The Champ Best Actor: Fredric March - Dr. Jekyll and Mr. ... Frankenstein is a 1931 science fiction film from Universal Pictures directed by James Whale and very loosely based on the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. ...

Title note

The name "Frankenstein" properly refers to the scientist, not the nameless monster; the "Bride of Frankenstein" of the film's title is twofold: the monster's mate (as intoned by Dr. Pretorius at the film's climax), and Frankenstein's new bride Elizabeth. The first "the" in the title appears on advertising for the film, but not on the film itself. It is also worth noting that the intended title of the film was "The Return of Frankenstein."

Plot

Doctor Henry Frankenstein (Colin Clive) has resolved to abandon his experiments in creating life in favour of a peaceful marriage with the beautiful Elizabeth (Valerie Hobson), but his old mentor, the mad scientist Dr. Septimus Pretorius (Ernest Thesiger), who has himself created miniature human-like beings, tries to persuade Frankenstein to combine their efforts in "playing God." Frankenstein is torn between his upcoming marriage to Elizabeth, and the appeal of creating life with Dr. Pretorius. Dr. Henry Frankenstein is a fictional mad scientist appearing in two Universal Pictures horror films Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein. ... Colin Clive (20 January 1900 – 25 June 1937) was an English stage and screen actor most famous for portraying Dr. Frankenstein in James Whales two Universal Frankenstein films Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein. ... Valerie Hobson (April 14, 1917 – November 13, 1998) was a British actress, who appeared in a number of British films during the 1940s and 1950s. ... They LAUGHED at my theories at the institute! Fools! Ill destroy them all! Caucasian, male, aging, crooked teeth, messy hair, lab coat, spectacles/goggles, dramatic posing — one popular stereotype of mad scientist. ... Septimus Pretorius is a fictional character who appears in the Universal film Bride of Frankenstein. ... Ernest Thesiger, (January 15, 1879 - January 14, 1961), sometimes credited as Ernst Thesiger, was a British stage and film actor. ... This article discusses the term God in the context of monotheism and henotheism. ...

The monster (Boris Karloff) befriends an old blind violinist in the woods, who teaches the monster how to speak. Pretorius, forced to continue his experiments without Frankenstein's involvement, has a chance encounter with the monster; by kidnapping Elizabeth, they blackmail Frankenstein into creating a bride for the monster (Elsa Lanchester, who also plays author Mary Shelley in the film's prologue). Boris Karloff (born William Henry Pratt) (London, November 23, 1887 – February 2, 1969) was an English actor, who immigrated to Canada in the 1910s, best known for his roles in horror films and the creation of Frankensteins monster in 1931s Frankenstein. ... For other uses, see Blackmail (disambiguation). ... Lanchester in Naughty Marietta Elsa Lanchester (October 28, 1902 - December 26, 1986 in Woodland Hills, California) was an Oscar-nominated English character actress who became a naturalized American citizen in 1950 along with her husband, actor Charles Laughton. ... Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin Shelley (30 August 1797 – 1 February 1851) was an English romantic/gothic novelist and the author of Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus. ...

The bride rejects the monster; spurned, he destroys the laboratory. "You live! Go." he tells Frankenstein and Elizabeth. "You stay," he tells the others. "We belong dead." The film ends with the monster (and his bride) presumably dead; it was up to the Son of Frankenstein (1939) to resurrect him. Son of Frankenstein is a horror film made by Universal Studios in 1939 and directed by Rowland V. Lee. ...

The basis of the film is rooted in the original novel. A subplot from the latter half of the book involves the monster promising to leave Frankenstein, and the human race, alone if Frankenstein will create a mate for him. Frankenstein creates the female monster, but never brings it to life, deciding instead to destroy it.

Production

Actor Colin Clive, who plays Henry Frankenstein, broke his leg in a riding accident during filming, and hence remains seated in most of his scenes ^[1]. Colin Clive (20 January 1900 – 25 June 1937) was an English stage and screen actor most famous for portraying Dr. Frankenstein in James Whales two Universal Frankenstein films Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein. ...

Dwight Frye portrays Karl - despite having played hunchbacked dwarf Fritz, who was killed in the original film. The make-up was entirely different, however, since Karl wore short hair and bizarre eyebrows. This role continued a long series of appearances through Universal's Frankenstein saga in which he essayed different roles, culminating in Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man (1943). Likewise, Marilyn Harris (whose character is accidentally killed in the original, in which she played little Maria) reappears here. Dwight Frye in Bride of Frankenstein Dwight Iliff Frye (February 22, 1899–November 7, 1943) was an American stage and screen actor. ... Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man, released in 1943, is an American horror film produced by Universal Studios. ... Marilyn Harris,(1924 - 1999),was an American child actor in several Hollywood productions of the 1930s. ...

Makeup

Universal's makeup ace Jack Pierce paid special attention to the monster's appearance in this film. As well as altering his 1931 design to display the after-effects of the mill fire, he adorned Karloff with a singed hairstyle that actually "grows" during the course of the film. An unavoidable flaw, however, was that the newly prosperous Karloff's face had filled out since the first film and had lost its eerily cadaverous look. Jack Pierce (May 5, 1889 in Greece – July 19, 1968), born Janus Piccoulas, was a Hollywood make-up artist most famous for creating the iconic make-up worn by Boris Karloff in Universal Studios 1931 adaptation of Mary Shelleys Frankenstein. ...

Sets and special effects

The financial success of the original Frankenstein movie enabled the producers to put much more money into the production than its low-budget predecessor. The laboratory is now not just barely equipped, it is overflowing with sparks, dials, and coils. The scene in which the mate is brought to life with a bolt of lightning is greatly improved over the original. Most critics consider Bride to be a generally better movie, and arguably the best of all non-comedic versions (although the film's dry vein of sardonic wit does not go unnoticed ^{[citation needed]}), but especially so for its glittering production values.

The man behind the astounding special photographic effects in Bride of Frankenstein was John P. Fulton, A.S.C., head of the special effects department at Universal Studios at the time. The scene in which Dr. Pretorius (Ernest Thesiger) shows Dr. Henry Frankenstein (Colin Clive) miniature people inside glass jars still baffles audiences and even special effects experts today. ^{[citation needed]} John P. Fulton (born 1902 in Nebraska and died October 1, 1965 in London, England) was an American special effects supervisor and cinematographer. ...

The impressive village prison set would be reused for Bela Lugosi's lair in The Raven later the same year, also starring Boris Karloff. The watchtower staircase was featured in Universal's popular Flash Gordon serials starring Buster Crabbe, as well as Dracula's Daughter (1936). Kenneth Strickfaden, who created and maintained the laboratory equipment, shared it in the Mel Brooks homage/spoof, Young Frankenstein (1974). The European village set, left over from All Quiet on the Western Front of 1930, was used and maintained for dozens of other studio features, until it was accidentally destroyed by fire. Bela Lugosi as Dracula United States stamp. ... The Raven (1935) is a horror film revolving around Edgar Allan Poes famous poem, featuring Bela Lugosi as a Poe-obsessed mad surgeon with a torture chamber in his basement and Boris Karloff as a fugitive murderer desperately on the run from the police. ... Boris Karloff (born William Henry Pratt) (London, November 23, 1887 – February 2, 1969) was an English actor, who immigrated to Canada in the 1910s, best known for his roles in horror films and the creation of Frankensteins monster in 1931s Frankenstein. ... Flash Gordon is a 1936 film serial which tells the story of three people from Earth who travel to the planet Mongo to fight the evil Emperor Ming the Merciless. ... Buster Crabbe Buster Crabbe (February 7, 1908 – April 23, 1983) was an American athlete turned actor, who starred in a number of popular serials in the 1930s and 1940s. ... Draculas Daughter is a 1936 horror film, a sequel to the 1931 film Dracula. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Young Frankenstein is a 1974 comedy film directed by Mel Brooks, starring Gene Wilder as the title character. ... For the films, see All Quiet on the Western Front (1930 film) and All Quiet on the Western Front (1979 film). ...

Elsa Lanchester and Boris Karloff in "Bride of Frankenstein". The bride's conical hairdo, with its white lighting-trace streaks on each side, has become an iconic symbol of both the character and the film.

Bride of Frankenstein This is a screenshot of a copyrighted movie or television program. ... Bride of Frankenstein This is a screenshot of a copyrighted movie or television program. ... American cultural icons. ...

Credits

Boris Karloff is credited simply as KARLOFF, which was Universal's custom during the height of his career, much to Bela Lugosi's dismay. By the third Frankenstein installment four years later (Son of Frankenstein), he had reverted to being "Boris Karloff" again and found himself billed under Basil Rathbone in his own series. Bela Lugosi as Dracula United States stamp. ... Son of Frankenstein is a horror film made by Universal Studios in 1939 and directed by Rowland V. Lee. ... Basil Rathbone (13 June 1892 – 21 July 1967), Military Cross, was a British actor most famous for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes and of suave villains in such swashbuckler films as The Mark of Zorro, Captain Blood, and The Adventures of Robin Hood. ...

Elsa Lanchester is credited for the role of Mary Shelley, but in a nod to the earlier film, the monster's bride is credited only as "?", just as Boris Karloff had been in the opening credits of the first film.

Cast

• Karloff as The Monster
• Colin Clive as Dr. Henry Frankenstein
• Valerie Hobson as Elizabeth Frankenstein
• Ernest Thesiger as Dr. Pretorius
• Elsa Lanchester as Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley/The Monster's Mate
• Gavin Gordon as Lord Byron
• Douglas Walton as Percy Shelley
• Una O'Connor as Minnie
• E. E. Clive as Burgomaster
• Lucien Prival as Albert (the butler)
• O.P. Heggie as Hermit
• Dwight Frye as Karl
• Reginald Barlow as Hans
• Mary Gordon as Hans' wife
• Anne Darling as Shepherdess (as Ann Darling)
• John Carradine as a hunter (unaccredited)
• Walter Brennan as a villager (unaccredited)

Boris Karloff (born William Henry Pratt) (London, November 23, 1887 – February 2, 1969) was an English actor, who immigrated to Canada in the 1910s, best known for his roles in horror films and the creation of Frankensteins monster in 1931s Frankenstein. ... Colin Clive (20 January 1900 – 25 June 1937) was an English stage and screen actor most famous for portraying Dr. Frankenstein in James Whales two Universal Frankenstein films Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein. ... Valerie Hobson (April 14, 1917 – November 13, 1998) was a British actress, who appeared in a number of British films during the 1940s and 1950s. ... Ernest Thesiger, (January 15, 1879 - January 14, 1961), sometimes credited as Ernst Thesiger, was a British stage and film actor. ... Lanchester in Naughty Marietta Elsa Lanchester (October 28, 1902 - December 26, 1986 in Woodland Hills, California) was an Oscar-nominated English character actress who became a naturalized American citizen in 1950 along with her husband, actor Charles Laughton. ... There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ... Una OConnor in The Invisible Man (1933) Una OConnor (October 23, 1880 – February 4, 1959) was an Irish actress who worked extensively in theater before becoming a notable character actress in film. ... E.E. Clive (28 August 1879 - 6 June 1940) was a British actor. ... Dwight Frye in Bride of Frankenstein Dwight Iliff Frye (February 22, 1899–November 7, 1943) was an American stage and screen actor. ... Reginald Harry Barlow (June 17, 1866 - July 6, 1943) was a veteran stage and screen character actor, and film director. ... Mary Catherine Gordon (born December 8, 1949) is an American writer, best known for her novels, memoirs and literary criticism. ... John Carradine (February 5, 1906 - November 27, 1988) was an American actor, best known for his roles in horror films and Westerns. ... Walter Brennan (July 25, 1894 – September 21, 1974) was a three time Academy Award winning American actor. ...

Crew

The movie was adapted by William Hurlbut and John Balderston from an incident in Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein in which the creature demands a mate. It was again directed by James Whale, following his success with Frankenstein, The Invisible Man and The Old Dark House. Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin Shelley (30 August 1797 – 1 February 1851) was an English romantic/gothic novelist and the author of Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus. ... This article is about the 1818 novel. ... James Whale (July 22, 1889 – May 29, 1957) was a ground-breaking British Hollywood film director, best known for his work in the horror movie genre, making such pictures as Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, and The Invisible Man. ... Frankenstein is a 1931 science fiction film from Universal Pictures directed by James Whale and very loosely based on the novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. ... The Invisible Man is a movie produced by Universal Pictures in 1933 and directed by James Whale. ... The Old Dark House is a 1932 horror film directed by James Whale and starring Boris Karloff, produced just one year after their success with Frankenstein. ...

Afterlife

The film spawned numerous sequels, none of which were directed by Whale.

The film Gods and Monsters (1998) depicts the life of James Whale and features reconstructions of the filming of key scenes in Bride of Frankenstein. Gods and Monsters is a 1998 film which recounts the (somewhat fictionalized) last days of the life of troubled film director James Whale, whose homosexuality is a central theme. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ... James Whale (July 22, 1889 – May 29, 1957) was a ground-breaking British Hollywood film director, best known for his work in the horror movie genre, making such pictures as Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, and The Invisible Man. ...

In 1998, this film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry as being deemed "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant". The National Film Registry is the registry of films selected by the United States National Film Preservation Board for preservation in the Library of Congress. ...

Trivia

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items into other sections and removing inappropriate items. (August 2007)

• The thinly disguised homosexual overtones may be a trademark of James Whale (particuarly the relationship between Frankenstein and Pretorius; as explained by film historian Scott MacQueen on the Bride of Frankenstein DVD commentary track) but also note the other potentially blasphemous imagery in the film, such as the monster's virtual crucifixion at the hands of the villagers.
• Ernest Thesiger's sly remark, "Do you like gin? It is my only weakness!" is a nod to a similar quotation in The Old Dark House, also intoned by Thesiger.
• Pretorius mentions that he grew his miniature people "from seed", a reference to the alchemical belief that it was possible to generate homunculi - tiny humanoid creatures - by placing a mixture of flesh and sperm in a dung hill.

Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... Crucifixion is an ancient method of execution, where the condemned is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross and left to hang until dead. ... Ernest Thesiger, (January 15, 1879 - January 14, 1961), sometimes credited as Ernst Thesiger, was a British stage and film actor. ... The Old Dark House is a 1932 horror film directed by James Whale and starring Boris Karloff, produced just one year after their success with Frankenstein. ... The concept of a homunculus (Latin for little man, sometimes spelled homonculus, plural homunculi) is often used to illustrate the functioning of a system. ...

Cultural references

Aspects of and the title of the film have been mentioned or alluded to in a number of popular films, television shows, and songs. In the finale of The Rocky Horror Picture Show "Magenta" sports a hairdo similar to The Monster's Mate. In the 1998 film Small Soldiers, members of the Commando Elite use the "brain" (actually a military-grade microchip) of a fallen comrade to bring an army of "Gwendy" dolls to life. During the "creation" sequence, Max Steiner's theme for the Bride plays. At the end of the sequence, one of the commandos exclaims "She's alive! Alive!". The Rocky Horror Picture Show is a 1975 musical comedy film that parodies horror films, based on the British musical stage production The Rocky Horror Show, with the screenplay written by Richard OBrien and Jim Sharman. ... This article or section contains a plot summary that is overly long or excessively detailed compared to the rest of the article. ...

The song Bride of Frankenstein is the title of a single by New Zealand band Toy Love. The song "Dust to Dust" by The Misfits is about the film. In the animated series Beetlejuice, Lydia's band was called "The Brides of Frankenstein." One episode of the children's cartoon series The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy ("Home of the Ancients") shows The Monster's Mate living in an old folks home. Toy Love was a New Zealand rock and roll band fronted by Chris Knox. ... For the movie of the same name, see The Misfits (film). ... Beetlejuice is an animated television series loosely based on the Beetlejuice film, and ran from September 9, 1989 to December 6, 1991. ... The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy (Sometimes shortened as Billy & Mandy or Grim Adventures), created by Maxwell Atoms, is an American animated television series aired on Cartoon Network. ...

References

See also

• The Bride (film)

The Bride is an adaptation of Mary Shelleys Frankenstein, released in 1985 and directed by Franc Roddam. ...

External links

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• Bride of Frankenstein at the All Movie Guide