Frankenstein was made and released in 1931 by Universal Studios. What was thought to be a small hit has now become one of the most well known and famous horror pictures which has shaped world cinema today.
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At the very beginning of the film there is a warning introduction. This is a tall male around the age of 50 wearing a suit, standing on a stage with draping curtains behind him. This gives the impression that you are about to view a play of some sort. Once the man has warned you of what you are about to see, the film then cuts to a scene of a graveyard. People around are crying and grieving for a lost one. We see a grave being dug then buried again when the coffin is placed in the grave. Once this procedure has been done the graveyard becomes empty as people leave and go back to the village. Throughout all of this two mysterious men have been looking through the graveyard fence watching everybody's single move. They wait until the graveyard is empty and proceed to dig up the fresh coffin placed there.
The men then take the body up a steep hill on top of a mountain to a dead body they had previously collected. The previous body they had collected was hanging on top of a large piece of wood, and when they cut it down the body landed on a neck. Seeing as the neck had broken the brain in the body was no longer of any good to the men so they had to look further for a fresh brain. The camera cuts to a lecture in a university and the student are learning the difference between a normal brain and a criminal brain. Once the lecture is over, Fritz, Henry Frankensteins sidekick sneaks into the room and steal the 'normal' brain. However being the butterfingers he is, he drops the normal brain and grabs the abnormal criminal brain in a rush to escape from the room without being caught.
Henry Frankinstien (the creator of the monster) at this point has spent so much time away from his home that his father and fiancee become very worried about him. In an attempt to bring him home they chose to go visit him at the lavatory he is working in. The night is story with lots of thunder and lightening which really sets the scene for what is about to happen. He needs to wait till the peak of the storm when he can use the body he has sewn together using dead bodies, to rise it to the lightening, for the electricity to awake the body. Unfortunately his plan is almost ruined when his father, fiancee and friend arrive at his lab. Fritz is sent by henry to send them away but they wouldn't take no for an answer. Eventually Henry allows them to come inside for shelter and takes them upstairs to see what he is about to create.
When the peak of the storm hits, Henry rises the body to the top of the lab and once the lightening has hi he brings the body back down.
"ITS ALIVE!" he shouts "IT'S ALIVVVVE!" The monsters hands slowly start to move and he finally awakes. The camera cuts to Frankinstein being told to sit down, however Fritz doesn't like him and kept whipping him to hurt him. Not only this, he kept shoving fire torches in his face as he was so afraid of fire. Fritz is then left alone in the room with the monster, and after all the hurt and pain he has caused the monster, he kills Fritz. Finally when Henry returns home everything in his life returns back to normal and he decides to have his wedding as early as possible.
The big day finally arrives and the whole village is singing, dancing and cheering through out the streets, it's a happy day as the mayors son is getting married. One man, and his daughter are at home and are planning to attend the wedding however the dad has a quick job he needs to complete before he goes down town, so he tells Maria to go play. She sits by the lake and plays with some flowers. Frankinstein then approaches her and she shows him that flowers float. In a friendly way he picks the girl up and throwsa her in the river which causes her to drown. Her dad then finds the body and take it to the mayor. The men in the town then go on a hunt for Frankinstein and when they find him he kidnaps his creator and tries to hurt him. Henry magaes to escape from the mill he was trapped in with Frankinstein and the rest of the men set alight the wind mill, and sadly Frankinstein dies. Throughout Frankenstein meaning is strongly created. Many things are what contribute to its strong codes and conventions and to what the connotations carry and what certain aspects the features signify.
As the film was shot in 1931, many of the images shot were very controversial. Images are an extremely important part of what makes Frankenstein as famous as it is today. Camera movement throughout this film is rare. The only movement you really is is an occasional zoom, or the transitions between each scene of shot. This could be mainly because the director wanted to focus on the plot of the film, or simply because the time in which it was shot, the government didn’t give much funding to the studios, therefore they couldn’t experiment with good shots.The shots used were mostly wide to show of the elaborate sets and all the characters involved in the scene. The angles in which the camera was used were very cleverly executed to create a strong formation of subliminal messages as low angles were used to make the Monster seem more intimidating and close-ups on the doctor to listen to intently due to his knowledge.
Throughout Frankenstein meaning is strongly created. Many things are what contribute to its strong codes and conventions and to what the connotations carry and what certain aspects the features signify.
As the film was shot in 1931, many of the images shot were very controversial. Images are an extremely important part of what makes Frankenstein as famous as it is today. Camera movement throughout this film is rare. The only movement you really is is an occasional zoom, or the transitions between each scene of shot. This could be mainly because the director wanted to focus on the plot of the film, or simply because the time in which it was shot, the government didn’t give much funding to the studios, therefore they couldn’t experiment with good shots.The shots used were mostly wide to show of the elaborate sets and all the characters involved in the scene. The angles in which the camera was used were very cleverly executed to create a strong formation of subliminal messages as low angles were used to make the Monster seem more intimidating and close-ups on the doctor to listen to intently due to his knowledge.
As this was a low budgeted film, sound became a vital part of the films horror success. The use of screaming, dogs barking, bells and high pitch laughter was a key indicator of what mood the director wanted to be setting and repretsed the genre really well.
Transitions as mentioned earlier were useful from moving from one scene or set to another and the creation of space between the Monster and Henry and his wife. Through the use of mise en scene this is represented well, it’s especially noticeable in the shots when Henry has gone ‘insane’ and shots of the monster being dark and scary. Then moved to when Henry is healthy in his Manor with his new wife being very light, delicate and bright. This was a major point in the film as it was a key indicator to the audience who to like and who to dislike. It represented good and evil perfectly, all through the use of shots and lexical choice. This has had a huge impact on film today especially the horror genre as it has become an iconic conventions portray the victim as innocent and the monster of the film as the person you should hate. Only today in 2012 have filmmakers started to break the moulds and have the murderer as the character you know, love and least expect it to be.
Throughout Frankinstein, representation is extrewmely apparnt. This is through not only social groups bit individuals aswel, along side the issues that surround them. Class, sex, race and disability is presneted and each aspect can be drawn from the film in the indiviual monster. we all know that the film is fiction, but something inside us knows what class we would be placed in and why. This is a great way in pulling the aidnece in in and getting them to feel more invovled within the society portrayed throughout Frankinstein.
A big part of the process of filmmaking is ownership. Ownership in relation to Frankenstein was extremely controlled even though it was released to the general public and private audiences it was extremely independent of its genre. With such regulatory bodies such as OFCOM and the BBFC today we are required to monitor the rates of viewings, what we are viewing and whether it is censored correctily if necessary and appropriate for the public to view it. Frankenstein faced the influence of the HAYS office the way in which the film was released especially the way in which the legal and ethical contraints the film carried withtin the the Pre-Code Hollywood. Due to these restriction when the films was released the contreversial scenes were removed. Then as with many Pre-Code films that were reissued after strict enforcement of the Production Code in 1934, Universal made cuts from the master negative. Some scenes where infact removed from the film for up to 50 years and have only today been put back in.
Frankenstein's line, "Now I know what it feels like to be God!", was obliterated by a clap of thunder on the soundtrack.Some footage of Frankenstein's assistant Fritz taking sadistic glee in scaring the monster by waving a lit torch near him while the monster is shackled in chains.Close up of needle injection was removed. In the scene of the monster and the little girl tossing flowers into the lake, the second part of the scene was cut, beginning at the moment he extends his hands to pick her up.
The distribution of Frankinstein was exremelty limited, and at the time of the release of the film it was only show in private screening. But then later it was re-released in cinemas and moviehouses, then today such things like DVD, video etc. It was now easier than ever to veiw the film and thus making it one of the most famous and well known horror films known to cinema. Selling rights, copyright and performing rights were then sold to television and was published to the internet to buy and view and then in fruther internet progression to be able to be delivered to the home to view it royalties were also sold to radio stations and networks to be able to boradcast parts of effects, speech and soundtrack.
Frankenstein received universal acclaim from critics and is widely regarded as one of the best films of 1931, as well as one of the greatest movies of all time. In 1991, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry as being deemed "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant". In 2004, The New York Times placed the film on its Best 1000 Movies Ever list. And yet today we still know it as one of the most iconic films ever made, and I believe we will do for a long time to come.
Transitions as mentioned earlier were useful from moving from one scene or set to another and the creation of space between the Monster and Henry and his wife. Through the use of mise en scene this is represented well, it’s especially noticeable in the shots when Henry has gone ‘insane’ and shots of the monster being dark and scary. Then moved to when Henry is healthy in his Manor with his new wife being very light, delicate and bright. This was a major point in the film as it was a key indicator to the audience who to like and who to dislike. It represented good and evil perfectly, all through the use of shots and lexical choice. This has had a huge impact on film today especially the horror genre as it has become an iconic conventions portray the victim as innocent and the monster of the film as the person you should hate. Only today in 2012 have filmmakers started to break the moulds and have the murderer as the character you know, love and least expect it to be.
Throughout Frankinstein, representation is extrewmely apparnt. This is through not only social groups bit individuals aswel, along side the issues that surround them. Class, sex, race and disability is presneted and each aspect can be drawn from the film in the indiviual monster. we all know that the film is fiction, but something inside us knows what class we would be placed in and why. This is a great way in pulling the aidnece in in and getting them to feel more invovled within the society portrayed throughout Frankinstein.
A big part of the process of filmmaking is ownership. Ownership in relation to Frankenstein was extremely controlled even though it was released to the general public and private audiences it was extremely independent of its genre. With such regulatory bodies such as OFCOM and the BBFC today we are required to monitor the rates of viewings, what we are viewing and whether it is censored correctily if necessary and appropriate for the public to view it. Frankenstein faced the influence of the HAYS office the way in which the film was released especially the way in which the legal and ethical contraints the film carried withtin the the Pre-Code Hollywood. Due to these restriction when the films was released the contreversial scenes were removed. Then as with many Pre-Code films that were reissued after strict enforcement of the Production Code in 1934, Universal made cuts from the master negative. Some scenes where infact removed from the film for up to 50 years and have only today been put back in.
Frankenstein's line, "Now I know what it feels like to be God!", was obliterated by a clap of thunder on the soundtrack.Some footage of Frankenstein's assistant Fritz taking sadistic glee in scaring the monster by waving a lit torch near him while the monster is shackled in chains.Close up of needle injection was removed. In the scene of the monster and the little girl tossing flowers into the lake, the second part of the scene was cut, beginning at the moment he extends his hands to pick her up.
The distribution of Frankinstein was exremelty limited, and at the time of the release of the film it was only show in private screening. But then later it was re-released in cinemas and moviehouses, then today such things like DVD, video etc. It was now easier than ever to veiw the film and thus making it one of the most famous and well known horror films known to cinema. Selling rights, copyright and performing rights were then sold to television and was published to the internet to buy and view and then in fruther internet progression to be able to be delivered to the home to view it royalties were also sold to radio stations and networks to be able to boradcast parts of effects, speech and soundtrack.
Frankenstein received universal acclaim from critics and is widely regarded as one of the best films of 1931, as well as one of the greatest movies of all time. In 1991, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry as being deemed "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant". In 2004, The New York Times placed the film on its Best 1000 Movies Ever list. And yet today we still know it as one of the most iconic films ever made, and I believe we will do for a long time to come.
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