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Look. It's moving.
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It's alive. It's alive.
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It's alive. It's alive
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It's alive It's alive
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- It's alive
- Henry, in the name of God
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In the name of God,
now I know what it feels like to be God.
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Sometimes I think we film historians
are a bit like mad scientists,
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poking around in dusty vaults,
stitching together our research,
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trying to give a jolt of new life
to Hollywood's forgotten heritage.
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Fortunately one film that's never been
forgotten is James Whale's Frankenstein,
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one of the most influential
and imitated motion pictures of all time.
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When the film was first released in 1931,
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Universal added a special prologue,
part showmanship,
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but partly out of real apprehension
that Frankenstein might be too much
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for nervous audiences
of the Great Depression.
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I think it will thrill you.
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It may shock you.
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It might even horrify you.
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So if any of you feel that you do not care
to subject your nerves to such a strain,
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now's your chance to...
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Well, we've warned you.
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While Frankenstein may
no longer really shock or horrify,
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it has never lost the power to fascinate.
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Boris Karloff's star-making performance
created one of the most
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instantly recognisable
cultural images of the 20th century.
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So, if my friend here
doesn't make you nervous,
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perhaps you'll join us both as we enter
the vaults of Universal Studios,
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and open the Frankenstein Files.
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Have you never wanted
to do anything that was dangerous?
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Karloff's performance is definitely unique,
and one of the great performances,
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in my estimation, in film.
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My father always referred
to the monster as his very best friend.
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It's simply the most powerful character
make-up ever created for the movies.
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I wanted to be Dr Frankenstein. I wanted
to be the guy who made the monsters.
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Those films were the ones
that inspired me.
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Most people have come to know the story
of Frankenstein through motion pictures,
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especially the films produced by
Universal and starring Boris Karloff.
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But the original tale was the work
of a precocious teenaged writer,
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Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley.
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Published anonymously in its first edition,
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Frankenstein;
or, The Modern Prometheus,
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was the result of a parlour game she
played with Percy Shelley and Lord Byron
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during a rainy vacation
in Switzerland in the summer of 1816.
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- Come, Mary. Come and watch the storm.
- You know how lightning alarms me.
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They were all hole n there,
the weather was bad,
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and somebody came up with the idea -
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Percy or Lord Byron -
that they should have a writing contest.
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Frightened of thunder, fearful of the dark.
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And yet you have written a tale
that sent my blood into icy creeps.
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Look at her, Shelley. Can you believe that
lovely brow conceived of Frankenstein?
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A monster, created from
cadavers out of rifled graves.
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We're so used to the Hollywood version
of Frankenstein, the Universal picture,
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with all of the electrical apparatus
and the tremendous production value.
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Of course, Mary Shelley,
when she wrote the book
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back in the early 19th century,
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described it somewhat differently,
and, if I may read just a paragraph,
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it leaves a great deal
up to the imagination.
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"It was on a dreary night of November that
I beheld the accomplishment of my toils."
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"With an anxiety that
almost amounted to agony,
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I collected the instruments
of life around me
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that I might infuse a spark of being
into the lifeless thing that lay at my feet."
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"It was already one in the morning, the
rain pattered dismally against the panes,
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and my candle was
nearly burnt out, when,
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by the glimmer
of the half-extinguished light,
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I saw the dull yellow eye
of the creature open."
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"It breathed hard, and
a convulsive motion agitated its limbs."
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Then she goes on.
She left it deliberately vague.
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You're not quite sure whether
there was black magic involved,
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or whether there was some
vague elixir or something.
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Certainly not by thunder, lightning,
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electrical impulses
and so forth and so on.
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There was none of that. There are
certainly many dimensions to this story.
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We can talk about Faust,
we can talk about the overachiever,
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we can talk about man
trying to emulate God.
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There are so many aspects,
which I think is the keynote
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as to why this particular idea
has transcended time.
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The novel was perfect
for stage dramatisation,
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and playwrights realised this
right off the bat.
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It was just a few years
after the novel was published
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that the plays started coming forth.
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In 1823, I believe,
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Richard Peake presented Presumption,
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which was the fate of Frankenstein,
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which actually was
quite a melodramatic offering.
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It starred as the monster
an actor named Thomas Potter Cooke,
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who became in the 1800s pretty much
what Boris Karloff became in the 1900s.
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He became typecast,
playing the Frankenstein monster
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in all kinds of revivals
of that play, in other plays.
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The stage production that most
influenced Universal's film
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was the version written
in 1927 by Peggy Webling
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and produced by the British
actor/manager Hamilton Deane.
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Deane himself played the monster.
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Film historian
and former actor lvan Butler
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was a member of Deane's company.
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And he had to rely wholly,
of course, on stage make-up,
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which was quite effective.
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Mixtures of greens and yellows and blues.
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And a matted wig on the top.
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He was as tall as I am,
and he wore lifters under his shoes
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to make him a bit taller still,
and he looked enormous.
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Hamilton Deane in the stage production
actually was dressed very much like -
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he was the monster, the creature -
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very much like Henry Frankenstein,
the creator.
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They dressed very closely, and once
again it was the mirror-image bit.
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In the late 1800s, early 1900s, it became
fashionable to interpret the novel
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in a way that Victor Frankenstein
and the monster were like Yin and Yang,
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opposite sides of the same coin,
Jekyll and Hyde.
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They were basically the same character.
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Deane played Frankenstein in repertory
with his production of Dracula,
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which partly formed the basis of
the Universal film starring Bela Lugosi.
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But, unlike Dracula, the Frankenstein
monster was a sympathetic character.
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There was this touch of pathos
with regard to the monster.
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He was to be pitied.
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He didn't ask to be brought forth
into the world, and there he was.
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And because of his appearance,
which was not his doing,
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no matter where he went or what he did,
people were frightened of him.
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He threw a dove out of the window.
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We had a cage full of doves
and one stuffed one.
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And Deane used to get very angry when
he couldn't get hold of the stuffed dove,
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cos the other doves were saying
"What are you doing?"
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And he used to throw it
out of the window.
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He never said "Fly". He said "Floy".
Most peculiar accent he had.
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Deane staged his melodrama
with almost none of the special effects
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that would later become standard.
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His creation scene was a masterpiece
of theatrical understatement.
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You just saw him move
and then he got up.
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He got up very effectively.
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The monster's ultimate
revenge on his maker
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was staged with the simplest materials,
enhanced immeasurably by dim lighting.
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He attacked Frankenstein,
bent him over a table,
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apparently tore his throat out.
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He had a bowl of red dye and a sponge.
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He used to bend over and he'd pick out
this dripping thing and throw it down.
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It was really quite effective.
There was a tremendous roll of thunder,
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flashes of lightning,
and that was the final curtain.
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Techniques of the theatre,
especially expressionist theatre,
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had a major influence on prototype horror
movies produced in Europe in the 1920s.
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In terms of art direction,
German expressionist cinema
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was characterised by intense
light and dark, lots of shadows.
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The Hollywood style for a very long time
was generally flat lighting,
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lighting to make sure
people saw everything.
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When Hollywood filmmakers were first
confronted with the German films,
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they were very surprised by
the kind of atmosphere you could create,
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and that flows into the horror films,
especially that Universal made.
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Studio founder Carl Laemmle
was born in Germany
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and imported much European talent
to Universal City.
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It was his son, Carl Junior,
who was most attracted to horror themes,
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much to his father's initial disapproval.
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But the success of Dracula
was all that was needed
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for Junior Laemmle to have
his way with horror films.
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Frankenstein, another classic,
was the obvious next choice.
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Frankenstein was originally to be directed
by Robert Florey and to star Bela Lugosi.
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Bela Lugosi was a hot actor.
He'd just come off of Dracula,
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so it was, again, a logical choice.
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And Florey claimed that some of
the scenario, if not all of it, was his idea.
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Robert Florey was a Franco-American.
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He'd grown up partially in France
and had started out in the '20s
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making interesting
little experimental films
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that were very strongly influenced
by German expressionism.
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The Cabinet of Dr Caligari starred
Werner Krauss and Conrad Veidt
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in a tale of mind control,
madness and murder.
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It was one of Florey's
favourite expressionist films
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and a model for
his proposed Frankenstein.
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There are similarities in that you have
in The Cabinet of Dr Caligari
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the Werner Krauss character who,
in some ways, creates this being,
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but he is without his own will.
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He is a somnambulist who Caligari keeps
bringing back almost from the dead.
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Another antecedent to Frankenstein,
of course, is The Golem,
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which is also a film about
a human-made monster
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that comes to life and then wreaks havoc.
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Although Bela Lugosi was announced
as the star of Frankenstein,
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he had objections to the assignment
from the beginning.
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With the success of Dracula,
he didn't want to play the monster,
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this mute, heavily made-up character.
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He thought he was too handsome
and too well known.
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There actually was a test scene
of Lugosi shot for Frankenstein.
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The make-up people who were there
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all describe Lugosi's make-up
as basically resembling the golem.
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And the story is that Lugosi
had a very claylike skin,
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a claylike look and also
this big head of hair.
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I keep hoping that this footage crops up
somewhere. I would love to see it.
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The first writer assigned
to the project was Garrett Fort,
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who combined Florey's ideas
with an unproduced stage adaption
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of the Peggy Webling play
by John Balderston.
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Despite Florey's passion for the project,
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another director was already
waiting in the wings,
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and Florey was soon out of the picture.
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There is no paperwork in the files
as to why he was taken off the project,
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but then, as we know,
James Whale became the director.
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James Whale had come over
from England.
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He had directed a very successful play
in England called Journey's End,
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with Colin Clive, who eventually
played Henry Frankenstein.
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Whale was a rapidly rising
Hollywood director,
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noted for his direction
of World War I dramas.
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00:13:01,960 --> 00:13:04,679
Sir lan McKellen was nominated
for an Academy Award
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for his portrayal of James Whale
in the film Gods and Monsters,
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which earned writer/director Bill Condon
an Oscar for adapted screenplay.
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Action.
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It was the moment when theatre directors
were being imported by Hollywood
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to deal with the fact that
actors suddenly had to speak.
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Whale was more than anything
responsible for the choice of Karloff.
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00:13:26,400 --> 00:13:29,790
My father had been
in Hollywood about ten years
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when he made Frankenstein in 1931.
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And what most people don't know
is that it was his 81st film, I believe.
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He was in many silent films and also
in a lot of talkies before Frankenstein.
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He was having lunch in the commissary,
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dressed in one of his good suits
and looking very spiffy,
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and James Whale spotted him.
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Whale saw his face and was fascinated
by the bone structure of it,
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and called him over to have some coffee.
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Whale, as he put it, engaged in
general conversation about England
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00:14:05,200 --> 00:14:08,954
and about the problems of English actors
and English directors in Hollywood,
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00:14:09,040 --> 00:14:11,634
and then suggested that he had a role
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00:14:11,720 --> 00:14:14,951
for which he would like
Boris Karloff to do a screen test
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00:14:15,040 --> 00:14:17,110
and would Karloff be willing to do it?
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00:14:17,200 --> 00:14:20,988
And Karloff jumped at it
without even knowing what it was.
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00:14:21,080 --> 00:14:23,594
My father used to say
his feelings were a bit hurt,
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00:14:23,680 --> 00:14:26,797
since he was looking
his very best that day,
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and to be considered for the role
of the monster, he thought "Hm".
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But he was wise enough
to take the part and,
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00:14:33,720 --> 00:14:38,510
with the help of Jack Pierce
and his genius make-up,
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00:14:38,600 --> 00:14:41,319
went on to make cinema history.
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00:14:41,400 --> 00:14:46,394
Jack Pierce was the creator of all
the classic Universal horror make-ups,
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00:14:46,480 --> 00:14:51,759
the head of the make-up department
at Universal during the golden age.
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He was the man that did Frankenstein's
monster, the mummy and the wolf man,
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00:14:55,800 --> 00:14:58,155
and all the classic make-ups.
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And he didn't have the luxury that
we have today of the modern materials.
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00:15:02,480 --> 00:15:05,313
Everything that he did was
an out-of-the-kit make-up.
229
00:15:05,400 --> 00:15:10,076
Everything was fabricated.
He was a master at it.
230
00:15:10,160 --> 00:15:14,517
This make-up, the Frankenstein's
monster, everyone knows this.
231
00:15:14,600 --> 00:15:17,398
It's instantly recognisable
232
00:15:17,480 --> 00:15:20,358
and it's one of
the all-time great make-ups.
233
00:15:20,440 --> 00:15:24,752
I just hope someday I can do something
that comes close to that.
234
00:15:24,840 --> 00:15:28,958
Of course, there's a great deal
of debate about that make-up.
235
00:15:29,040 --> 00:15:33,352
A lot of people think that it was inspired
by James Whale rather than Jack Pierce.
236
00:15:33,440 --> 00:15:36,398
Jack Pierce, naturally,
would say that he was the man,
237
00:15:36,480 --> 00:15:39,199
although he did say at one time
that it was a compromise.
238
00:15:39,280 --> 00:15:42,078
Who came up with
the monster's make-up and look?
239
00:15:42,160 --> 00:15:44,913
My idea, muchly. From my sketches.
240
00:15:45,000 --> 00:15:49,755
Big, heavy brow. Head flat on top
so you could take out the old brain
241
00:15:49,840 --> 00:15:52,638
and put in the new like tinned beef.
242
00:15:53,720 --> 00:15:57,110
The monster's trademark square forehead
may have been partly inspired
243
00:15:57,200 --> 00:16:00,317
by Thomas Edison's
1910 version of Frankenstein,
244
00:16:00,400 --> 00:16:03,119
in which Charles Ogle
played the monster.
245
00:16:03,200 --> 00:16:07,239
But there's no question about
who executed that job. It was Pierce.
246
00:16:07,320 --> 00:16:12,678
Films really are a collaborative effort,
and so many people are in the mix,
247
00:16:12,760 --> 00:16:15,149
and sometimes it works
and sometimes it doesn't.
248
00:16:15,240 --> 00:16:17,276
This was a case
where it all worked so well,
249
00:16:17,360 --> 00:16:20,432
when you had James Whale,
Boris Karloff, Jack Pierce,
250
00:16:20,520 --> 00:16:23,239
all the people involved
in this film, it just clicked.
251
00:16:23,320 --> 00:16:26,039
I've seen photos of an earlier test.
It was very similar.
252
00:16:26,120 --> 00:16:28,270
He still had the flat head and the brow,
253
00:16:28,360 --> 00:16:31,272
but there were these
two ridges on his forehead
254
00:16:31,360 --> 00:16:34,909
with a little semicircular
clamp on each one.
255
00:16:35,000 --> 00:16:40,313
In fact, it's a photo that still crops up
when they need a picture of the monster.
256
00:16:40,400 --> 00:16:42,709
I guess the photo editors
weren't too careful
257
00:16:42,800 --> 00:16:45,030
about whether it was really
in the film or not.
258
00:16:45,120 --> 00:16:50,035
The frontal bone, the brow here, was
fabricated out of cotton and spirit gum
259
00:16:50,120 --> 00:16:53,556
and collodion, which is
this really strong-smelling,
260
00:16:53,640 --> 00:16:55,995
very solventy-smelling plastic.
261
00:16:56,080 --> 00:16:59,311
You would put on a coat of spirit gum,
stick some cotton on it,
262
00:16:59,400 --> 00:17:02,278
paint some collodion on it,
and gradually build up the form.
263
00:17:02,360 --> 00:17:06,114
The same with the top of his head. The
flatness of the head was built up that way.
264
00:17:06,200 --> 00:17:10,432
It was quite painful to have this cotton
and collodion built up every day,
265
00:17:10,520 --> 00:17:14,513
especially so close to your eyes,
with that strong solvent smell.
266
00:17:14,600 --> 00:17:19,151
And the painful process
of removing it, as well.
267
00:17:19,240 --> 00:17:21,834
He had to have amazing endurance
to go through this.
268
00:17:21,920 --> 00:17:24,912
I'm sure it helped that it was
early on in his career.
269
00:17:25,000 --> 00:17:27,560
The story goes that Karloff felt that
270
00:17:27,640 --> 00:17:32,430
in some of the original tests he looked
too alive, his eyes looked too alive.
271
00:17:32,520 --> 00:17:34,670
So he suggested that Jack
do something to it,
272
00:17:34,760 --> 00:17:38,639
so they ended up building up
these heavy eyelids with mortician's wax
273
00:17:38,720 --> 00:17:42,679
over Karloff's own lids, only allowing him
to open them partway like this,
274
00:17:42,760 --> 00:17:46,753
but he was still able to give
an amazing performance with these lids.
275
00:17:46,840 --> 00:17:51,197
Another thing that helped that corpselike
appearance was Karloff had a bridge,
276
00:17:51,280 --> 00:17:55,432
on his right side, which he removed
so he could suck in his cheek,
277
00:17:55,520 --> 00:17:59,433
on that one side, and Pierce
shaded it to accentuate it.
278
00:17:59,520 --> 00:18:02,637
Again, when you think of this make-up,
you think of the flat head
279
00:18:02,720 --> 00:18:06,508
and of the electrodes, which most people
think are bolts through his neck.
280
00:18:06,600 --> 00:18:10,991
But they are actually supposed to be how
the electricity entered into his body.
281
00:18:11,080 --> 00:18:14,470
There's a positive and a negative,
like on a battery.
282
00:18:14,560 --> 00:18:18,473
Because it all worked with
the contours of Karloff's face,
283
00:18:18,560 --> 00:18:22,678
he was able to express
an entire range of emotions
284
00:18:22,760 --> 00:18:26,389
that other actors couldn't do under
the make-up when they essayed the role.
285
00:18:26,480 --> 00:18:28,755
That's part of the beauty of this make-up.
286
00:18:28,840 --> 00:18:32,992
He was able to perform in it
because so much of it was his face.
287
00:18:33,080 --> 00:18:37,437
If you would have built up much more
on him, he would have become very stiff.
288
00:18:37,520 --> 00:18:42,150
Collodion isn't really very flexible,
especially when you mix it with cotton.
289
00:18:42,240 --> 00:18:46,995
Not only was the make-up arduous,
on and off every single day,
290
00:18:47,080 --> 00:18:51,790
it took three, three and a half hours
to put on and almost as long to get it off...
291
00:18:51,880 --> 00:18:55,589
The wardrobe itself was heavy and black,
292
00:18:55,680 --> 00:18:58,399
and they shot in the middle of August.
293
00:18:58,480 --> 00:19:00,675
The boots were heavy and cumbersome.
294
00:19:00,760 --> 00:19:06,676
I know there was one really torturous day,
which I think was almost a 24-hour day.
295
00:19:06,760 --> 00:19:09,558
Being made-up like this, being outdoors.
296
00:19:09,640 --> 00:19:12,518
I think they shot
the "throwing the girl in the water" scene
297
00:19:12,600 --> 00:19:15,831
and then had to come back
and shoot something else.
298
00:19:15,920 --> 00:19:21,278
And it was not a fun job,
I'm sure, for Boris.
299
00:19:22,680 --> 00:19:27,117
The most difficult part of the shoot
was my father carrying Colin Clive
300
00:19:27,200 --> 00:19:31,830
up a hill time and time again
until they got it right.
301
00:19:31,920 --> 00:19:34,912
Ultimately, he ended up
having three back surgeries.
302
00:19:35,000 --> 00:19:40,233
He really suffered for
the rest of his life, physically,
303
00:19:40,320 --> 00:19:47,590
because of just the physical difficulties
in shooting that film.
304
00:19:47,680 --> 00:19:51,958
Designer Herman Rosse conceived
a futuristic look for Frankenstein,
305
00:19:52,040 --> 00:19:55,635
but, in collaboration with art director
Charles Hall and director Whale,
306
00:19:55,720 --> 00:19:59,110
the film took on a distinctly Gothic look,
with angles and shadows
307
00:19:59,200 --> 00:20:03,079
in keeping with Robert Florey's
initial expressionist vision.
308
00:20:03,160 --> 00:20:06,550
The concept of the burning windmill
also originated with Florey,
309
00:20:06,640 --> 00:20:09,996
who felt the laboratory should
also be situated in the mill.
310
00:20:10,080 --> 00:20:13,516
Preproduction concepts for
the monster itself by Hall and Rosse
311
00:20:13,600 --> 00:20:16,034
were obviously discarded
by director Whale,
312
00:20:16,120 --> 00:20:19,157
an experienced production designer
in his own right.
313
00:20:19,240 --> 00:20:23,153
He was very meticulous about
every shadow and every camera setup,
314
00:20:23,240 --> 00:20:27,472
and the way that the frame
was filled so completely to the top.
315
00:20:27,560 --> 00:20:30,950
There's an amazing verticality
to the design of his sets.
316
00:20:31,040 --> 00:20:34,157
Emotionally, so much of Frankenstein
leads up to that moment
317
00:20:34,240 --> 00:20:36,754
when the monster
sees the sun for the first time
318
00:20:36,840 --> 00:20:39,070
and reaches up, trying to touch it.
319
00:20:39,160 --> 00:20:43,312
And you wonder if the whole
verticality of the movie
320
00:20:43,400 --> 00:20:47,234
wasn't designed by Whale
just to get you to that moment.
321
00:20:47,320 --> 00:20:51,677
The sizzling laboratory equipment was
the handiwork of Kenneth Strickfaden,
322
00:20:51,760 --> 00:20:56,550
a Santa Monica inventor who put his mark
on mad-scientist laboratories for all time.
323
00:20:56,640 --> 00:21:02,192
The original machines would continue to
put in movie appearances until the 1970s.
324
00:21:03,320 --> 00:21:06,392
Karloff was fourth billed
in a cast headed by Colin Clive,
325
00:21:06,480 --> 00:21:10,712
an actor whose anguished roles
sadly reflected his own inner turmoil.
326
00:21:10,800 --> 00:21:14,349
James Whale chose him over
the previously considered Leslie Howard.
327
00:21:14,440 --> 00:21:18,877
Colin Clive - Henry Frankenstein -
was a very broke personality,
328
00:21:18,960 --> 00:21:21,428
having rather a Jekyll/Hyde personality,
329
00:21:21,520 --> 00:21:23,909
Jekyll when he was sober.
330
00:21:25,200 --> 00:21:28,556
Really, the whole company of
Frankenstein was apprehensive,
331
00:21:28,640 --> 00:21:32,235
at the time the film was made,
that Clive might begin drinking
332
00:21:32,320 --> 00:21:35,357
and become Mr Hyde,
if you will, one night in Hollywood,
333
00:21:35,440 --> 00:21:37,590
and it would greatly endanger the picture.
334
00:21:37,680 --> 00:21:40,353
But Whale handled him
with great sensitivity.
335
00:21:40,440 --> 00:21:43,796
Mae Clarke played
Frankenstein's fianc�e, Elizabeth,
336
00:21:43,880 --> 00:21:47,395
and shared her memories
with film historian Gregory Mank.
337
00:21:47,480 --> 00:21:51,234
Mae Clarke was still very much the
actress and insisted on acting out scenes
338
00:21:51,320 --> 00:21:54,596
from Frankenstein in her bungalow
at the motion-picture home.
339
00:21:54,680 --> 00:21:58,753
And she got up and did the monster.
She relished playing the monster.
340
00:21:58,840 --> 00:22:01,718
She went marching across the room
with the monster steps.
341
00:22:01,800 --> 00:22:05,679
And she acted out his discovery of light
and raised her hands to the skylight.
342
00:22:05,760 --> 00:22:09,116
And she was really quite good.
She made a good monster.
343
00:22:09,200 --> 00:22:11,475
Mae Clarke adored James Whale.
She said he was
344
00:22:11,560 --> 00:22:15,155
"the pluperfect gentleman
and the genius".
345
00:22:15,240 --> 00:22:18,471
He had directed her in Waterloo Bridge,
in a wonderful part
346
00:22:18,560 --> 00:22:21,996
as Myra, the streetwalker,
who dies in World War I.
347
00:22:22,080 --> 00:22:25,914
And so she already had
a great relationship with Whale.
348
00:22:26,000 --> 00:22:29,470
She said that he was involved
in every capacity of production.
349
00:22:29,560 --> 00:22:32,518
He'd be up on the boom-crane tower,
he'd be in the sound room,
350
00:22:32,600 --> 00:22:36,593
he had his finger on
every single pulse of the picture.
351
00:22:36,680 --> 00:22:41,549
She talked about Colin Clive, whom
she had great sympathy and empathy for.
352
00:22:41,640 --> 00:22:47,112
She said that he was the handsomest man
she ever saw, and also the saddest,
353
00:22:47,200 --> 00:22:51,796
and she had great sympathy for the
torment that drove him to an early death.
354
00:22:51,880 --> 00:22:57,113
She very much admired Boris Karloff. She
said "Dear Boris Karloff was a pussycat."
355
00:22:57,200 --> 00:22:59,475
In her scene with Karloff in the boudoir,
356
00:22:59,560 --> 00:23:03,678
the monster comes through
and stalks behind her and growls at her.
357
00:23:03,760 --> 00:23:08,993
She screams. She was terrified.
She really was scared of him at that point.
358
00:23:09,080 --> 00:23:12,675
She said to him "If I turn around
and see you, I'm afraid how I'll react."
359
00:23:12,760 --> 00:23:15,593
And so Boris said
"I'll tell you what we'll do, Mae."
360
00:23:15,680 --> 00:23:18,114
"You just keep your eye on my upstage,
361
00:23:18,200 --> 00:23:21,715
away-from-camera little finger,
and I'll wiggle it."
362
00:23:21,800 --> 00:23:25,475
"You'll see the monster wiggling his
finger and know it's Boris in make-up."
363
00:23:25,560 --> 00:23:29,917
He did wiggle his little finger, which was
a little finger compared to the rest of him,
364
00:23:30,000 --> 00:23:32,594
and she got through the scene all right.
365
00:23:33,600 --> 00:23:37,036
Edward Van Sloan, who had played
the role of Professor Van Helsing
366
00:23:37,120 --> 00:23:39,429
in Dracula on stage and screen,
367
00:23:39,520 --> 00:23:43,911
brought a similar note of moral authority
to the role of Dr Waldman.
368
00:23:45,160 --> 00:23:48,277
Next to Boris Karloff,
seven-year-old Marilyn Harris
369
00:23:48,360 --> 00:23:51,432
gave the film's
most poignant performance.
370
00:23:51,520 --> 00:23:53,750
Would you like one of my flowers?
371
00:23:53,840 --> 00:23:56,479
Marilyn had an immediate
rapport with Boris Karloff.
372
00:23:56,560 --> 00:23:59,870
She said that on the morning that
the company assembled at Universal
373
00:23:59,960 --> 00:24:02,474
to go on location
to Malibu Lake for the scene,
374
00:24:02,560 --> 00:24:06,792
there was this little parade of limousines
and out came the monster,
375
00:24:06,880 --> 00:24:10,555
and she, at the age of seven, ran right up
to him and took his hand and said
376
00:24:10,640 --> 00:24:14,235
"May I drive with you?" And Boris Karloff
said "Would you, darling?"
377
00:24:14,320 --> 00:24:17,118
Here was this child
who was terrified of her mother,
378
00:24:17,200 --> 00:24:20,590
but who instinctively loved the monster.
379
00:24:20,680 --> 00:24:24,195
She said it was like magic. And the magic
really carries over to the scene.
380
00:24:24,280 --> 00:24:27,352
Karloff protested
throwing Marilyn into the lake.
381
00:24:27,440 --> 00:24:29,271
He wanted to change the script.
382
00:24:29,360 --> 00:24:32,352
Karloff's idea was for the monster
to show his innocence
383
00:24:32,440 --> 00:24:37,070
by playing with the child and not
having anything awful come of it.
384
00:24:37,160 --> 00:24:40,277
James Whale said
"It's all part of the ritual."
385
00:24:40,360 --> 00:24:43,113
"This has to happen,
to show the tragedy of the monster."
386
00:24:43,200 --> 00:24:45,316
So Karloff, of course, accepted it.
387
00:24:45,400 --> 00:24:52,397
But when he did pick up Marilyn and
throw her into the lake, she didn't sink.
388
00:24:52,480 --> 00:24:54,835
And so James Whale
went up to her and he said
389
00:24:54,920 --> 00:24:59,436
"I'll give you anything you want
if you'll do this scene over again."
390
00:24:59,520 --> 00:25:02,353
And Marilyn said
"All right, I know what I want."
391
00:25:02,440 --> 00:25:05,557
He said "What?" She said
"A dozen hard-boiled eggs."
392
00:25:05,640 --> 00:25:07,631
Her mother always had her on a diet.
393
00:25:07,720 --> 00:25:12,669
So, sure enough, Boris Karloff
threw her again into the lake, farther,
394
00:25:12,760 --> 00:25:15,638
and later she received
her present from James Whale.
395
00:25:15,720 --> 00:25:18,109
It was two dozen hard-boiled eggs.
396
00:25:18,200 --> 00:25:22,079
As Frankenstein's demented assistant,
the former Broadway actor Dwight Frye
397
00:25:22,160 --> 00:25:27,280
followed an equally bizarre role
as the insect-eating madman in Dracula.
398
00:25:27,360 --> 00:25:29,828
The character of Fritz, not in the novel,
399
00:25:29,920 --> 00:25:33,071
originated in the earliest
stage productions of Frankenstein.
400
00:25:33,160 --> 00:25:38,188
I don't know how James Whale
found my father, really.
401
00:25:38,280 --> 00:25:43,718
I don't know whether he saw Dracula and
thought he would be a good idea for Fritz
402
00:25:43,800 --> 00:25:47,588
or whether he had seen some other
of my dad's work, I don't know.
403
00:25:47,680 --> 00:25:51,434
But James Whale became, ultimately,
404
00:25:51,520 --> 00:25:54,796
during and after
the making of Frankenstein,
405
00:25:54,880 --> 00:25:57,713
a champion of my father's.
406
00:25:57,800 --> 00:26:01,793
He was in five different James Whale
films throughout his career.
407
00:26:02,760 --> 00:26:07,709
But the versatile actor was soon
typecast in over-the-top horror roles.
408
00:26:07,800 --> 00:26:12,396
I think it is true that
the larger-than-life figures
409
00:26:12,480 --> 00:26:16,473
that he may have played on film
410
00:26:16,560 --> 00:26:20,758
result from his character work
and his acting work on Broadway,
411
00:26:20,840 --> 00:26:26,437
where you do have to project something
more than just your own self.
412
00:26:26,520 --> 00:26:28,750
You have to be bigger than life
on the stage.
413
00:26:28,840 --> 00:26:33,231
They're all weird and they're all crazy,
to one extent or another,
414
00:26:33,320 --> 00:26:35,993
but they are different from each other.
415
00:26:36,080 --> 00:26:40,153
I think the first time I saw them, he was
watching my reaction quite carefully.
416
00:26:40,240 --> 00:26:43,038
I was probably six at the time.
417
00:26:43,120 --> 00:26:46,192
And, as I understand it from my mother,
418
00:26:46,280 --> 00:26:49,989
when we came back and I went to bed
and got up the next morning,
419
00:26:50,080 --> 00:26:54,198
my father was very upset that I hadn't
been frightened by anything I'd seen.
420
00:26:54,280 --> 00:26:57,556
Children seemed to
empathise with the creature
421
00:26:57,640 --> 00:27:01,633
and probably understood the message
422
00:27:01,720 --> 00:27:05,110
my father was trying
to deliver with his portrayal,
423
00:27:05,200 --> 00:27:09,318
and that was that the monster, or
the creature, as he preferred to call him,
424
00:27:09,400 --> 00:27:12,437
was the victim more than the perpetrator.
425
00:27:12,520 --> 00:27:16,274
And children seemed to
understand that instinctively, he said.
426
00:27:16,360 --> 00:27:21,388
They were not afraid of him
and they were not afraid of the creature.
427
00:27:21,480 --> 00:27:25,155
The Frankenstein monster
is totally innocent.
428
00:27:25,240 --> 00:27:27,435
He's rather like an adolescent.
429
00:27:27,520 --> 00:27:29,875
He's in a world that is not of his making
430
00:27:29,960 --> 00:27:33,077
and he doesn't completely
understand the rules.
431
00:27:33,160 --> 00:27:36,357
And, like many adolescents,
he's a clumsy, very awkward thing,
432
00:27:36,440 --> 00:27:38,829
so of course children across the world
433
00:27:38,920 --> 00:27:43,630
just grafted on to the Frankenstein
monster, particularly Boris Karloff,
434
00:27:43,720 --> 00:27:47,918
because they could see the inherent
innocence, could see the pathos,
435
00:27:48,000 --> 00:27:52,630
could see that the Frankenstein monster
was very much a child like themselves.
436
00:27:52,720 --> 00:27:55,393
Film audiences often
confuse Frankenstein's name
437
00:27:55,480 --> 00:27:58,870
with that of his creation,
and possibly with good reason.
438
00:27:58,960 --> 00:28:01,349
James Whale seems
to have been fascinated
439
00:28:01,440 --> 00:28:04,079
with the dramatic
interdependency of the characters,
440
00:28:04,160 --> 00:28:06,799
according to film historian Paul Jensen.
441
00:28:06,880 --> 00:28:09,269
The film works, at least partially,
442
00:28:09,360 --> 00:28:13,194
because its maker empathised
with those two characters.
443
00:28:13,280 --> 00:28:18,070
And I can't help but think
that these are two people,
444
00:28:18,160 --> 00:28:22,711
each of which
is a version of James Whale.
445
00:28:22,800 --> 00:28:27,510
For Whale, a self-made artist who
overcame poverty and misunderstanding,
446
00:28:27,600 --> 00:28:31,798
the story of Frankenstein's creative
struggle may have resonated deeply.
447
00:28:31,880 --> 00:28:35,998
Whale loved the stage and the theatre.
448
00:28:36,080 --> 00:28:39,516
You get an impression of this,
but the dialogue nails it home.
449
00:28:39,600 --> 00:28:40,953
When Henry says:
450
00:28:41,040 --> 00:28:43,600
Quite a good scene, isn't it?
451
00:28:43,680 --> 00:28:48,800
One man crazy,
three very sane spectators.
452
00:28:51,800 --> 00:28:57,636
The whole idea of it being a stage setting
and he's the orchestrator of it,
453
00:28:57,720 --> 00:29:02,589
Whale brought out of
or found in the situation
454
00:29:02,680 --> 00:29:06,514
something I don't think other directors
would have bothered or recognised,
455
00:29:06,600 --> 00:29:11,674
and that is something that taps into
his own sense of demonstration,
456
00:29:11,760 --> 00:29:14,832
of presentation, of theatricality.
457
00:29:14,920 --> 00:29:19,038
One of the most effective and personal
speeches was added during production,
458
00:29:19,120 --> 00:29:21,918
and was possibly written
by Whale himself.
459
00:29:22,000 --> 00:29:26,118
Where should we be if nobody
had tried to find out what lies beyond?
460
00:29:26,200 --> 00:29:29,988
Have you never wanted to look beyond
the clouds and the stars,
461
00:29:30,080 --> 00:29:33,152
or to know what causes the trees to bud
462
00:29:33,240 --> 00:29:36,038
and what changes
the darkness into light?
463
00:29:38,640 --> 00:29:42,553
But if you talk like that,
people call you crazy.
464
00:29:42,640 --> 00:29:45,029
Maybe Whale wrote it, maybe not -
I don't know.
465
00:29:45,120 --> 00:29:47,270
But it wasn't in the shooting script.
466
00:29:47,360 --> 00:29:50,716
But it's one of the most
important scenes in the film.
467
00:29:50,800 --> 00:29:53,473
So, Whale must have wanted it there,
468
00:29:53,560 --> 00:29:57,235
and that's where this side
of Henry is expressed.
469
00:29:57,320 --> 00:30:01,916
Sometimes I find that the scenes that
don't contain the most dramatic action
470
00:30:02,000 --> 00:30:06,039
might reveal the director's
style of work and his talent
471
00:30:06,120 --> 00:30:10,557
in ways that are unexpected,
if we look at them carefully, those scenes.
472
00:30:10,640 --> 00:30:16,112
One such scene in Frankenstein,
for me, is the first conversation scene,
473
00:30:16,200 --> 00:30:20,398
the one between Victor and Elizabeth
where they're talking about Henry.
474
00:30:20,480 --> 00:30:23,995
It's a passive scene.
475
00:30:24,080 --> 00:30:29,996
So what does Whale do to try
to make it seem alive or come alive?
476
00:30:30,080 --> 00:30:32,469
Take a look at that scene because,
477
00:30:32,560 --> 00:30:36,792
aside from the fact that it begins with
four close-ups - which itself is unusual -
478
00:30:36,880 --> 00:30:39,189
instead of an establishing long shot,
479
00:30:39,280 --> 00:30:42,158
we've got a close-up
of a framed photograph of Henry,
480
00:30:42,240 --> 00:30:47,519
close-up of the maid, close-up of Victor
arriving, close-up of Elizabeth rising,
481
00:30:47,600 --> 00:30:49,670
and only then an establishing long shot.
482
00:30:49,760 --> 00:30:53,992
We've had to figure out what we're seeing
and how those shots go together.
483
00:30:54,080 --> 00:30:58,870
We're involved because our mind
has had to relate those shots together.
484
00:30:58,960 --> 00:31:04,353
We have a scene that could be
thrown away by a lesser director
485
00:31:04,440 --> 00:31:09,355
that is actually turned into
a highly visual and cinematic scene.
486
00:31:09,440 --> 00:31:11,954
The last third of Frankenstein
487
00:31:12,040 --> 00:31:17,433
is the part where at least the story line
has its weakest moments, I think.
488
00:31:19,200 --> 00:31:23,512
There are things that happen that
you have to simply take at face value
489
00:31:23,600 --> 00:31:26,239
and take for granted,
because they're not explained.
490
00:31:26,320 --> 00:31:29,630
And I'm willing to allow that.
There are little contrivances.
491
00:31:29,720 --> 00:31:31,711
Dr Waldman's been murdered
in the tower.
492
00:31:31,800 --> 00:31:34,075
Who finds Dr Waldman's body?
493
00:31:34,160 --> 00:31:37,755
No one ever seems to go up to that tower.
Who found him?
494
00:31:37,840 --> 00:31:40,354
But she has been murdered.
495
00:31:40,440 --> 00:31:45,468
How does the girl's father
know that she was murdered?
496
00:31:45,560 --> 00:31:49,633
All he would really realise
is that she had drowned.
497
00:31:49,720 --> 00:31:53,269
We just have to accept that.
Those don't bother me particularly,
498
00:31:53,360 --> 00:31:58,275
because I accept those statements
to move the plot along.
499
00:31:58,360 --> 00:32:03,070
But the scene in which
Henry locks Elizabeth in her room
500
00:32:03,160 --> 00:32:06,596
because he's afraid
the monster might be around,
501
00:32:06,680 --> 00:32:12,391
and then the monster enters
Elizabeth's room and confronts her,
502
00:32:12,480 --> 00:32:17,508
is the one scene where I think
a contrivance hurts the film considerably,
503
00:32:17,600 --> 00:32:19,670
because it's a major scene.
504
00:32:19,760 --> 00:32:23,912
There is no way
that we can have any idea
505
00:32:24,000 --> 00:32:26,878
how the monster knows
whose house that is,
506
00:32:26,960 --> 00:32:30,077
if the monster knows whose house that is.
507
00:32:30,160 --> 00:32:34,438
But 1931 audiences paid scant attention
to such implausibilities.
508
00:32:34,520 --> 00:32:38,593
For many, Frankenstein simply
was an overwhelming experience.
509
00:32:38,680 --> 00:32:43,879
In 1931, so many of the things
that Frankenstein showed and dealt with
510
00:32:43,960 --> 00:32:47,794
were rather unusual and new to people,
511
00:32:47,880 --> 00:32:52,396
and they tapped into things
that were perhaps very dormant,
512
00:32:52,480 --> 00:32:56,189
or things that people
didn't want to consciously think about.
513
00:32:56,280 --> 00:33:00,717
We had thumping of the dirt
on the top of the coffin.
514
00:33:03,880 --> 00:33:06,633
We had things that really
were never shown before.
515
00:33:06,720 --> 00:33:11,157
The gibbet with this body hanging there
and being cut down,
516
00:33:11,240 --> 00:33:14,312
and the cadavers, and reanimating.
517
00:33:14,400 --> 00:33:17,278
It's hard to believe now,
518
00:33:17,360 --> 00:33:21,558
because of the excess that we've all
been subjected to over the decades,
519
00:33:21,640 --> 00:33:23,949
but in 1931 this was a big deal.
520
00:33:24,040 --> 00:33:27,953
What they objected to in Frankenstein
were the little girl getting drowned,
521
00:33:28,040 --> 00:33:30,952
there were some fairly graphic close-ups
522
00:33:31,040 --> 00:33:33,679
of the monster being stuck
with hypodermic needles.
523
00:33:33,760 --> 00:33:38,788
And where Fritz, the hunchback assistant,
is tormenting the monster with a torch,
524
00:33:38,880 --> 00:33:43,556
there are some horrific close-ups of the
monster with the torch in front of his face.
525
00:33:43,640 --> 00:33:47,553
These are things that today you would
see in G-rated movies on television.
526
00:33:47,640 --> 00:33:52,077
The scene with the monster throwing the
girl in the lake was cut in certain areas.
527
00:33:52,160 --> 00:33:55,550
Some people saw the entire scene,
some saw him just reaching for her,
528
00:33:55,640 --> 00:34:01,237
which, later, when the father appears
holding her and she's in such disarray,
529
00:34:01,320 --> 00:34:04,756
actually created a much more
sinister impact than what was intended.
530
00:34:04,840 --> 00:34:09,675
There were pressure groups. The Legion
of Decency, the Catholic pressure group.
531
00:34:09,760 --> 00:34:13,594
There were problems with the
Colin Clive line "In the name of God..."
532
00:34:14,040 --> 00:34:17,032
Now I know what it feels like to be God.
533
00:34:19,240 --> 00:34:21,913
In the original version
that we got on television,
534
00:34:22,000 --> 00:34:25,515
since the 1950s,
whenever we would get to that scene,
535
00:34:25,600 --> 00:34:28,273
there'd be a physical splice
and you could see a jump cut
536
00:34:28,360 --> 00:34:33,229
where Colin Clive is getting very ecstatic
when he realises what he's accomplished.
537
00:34:33,320 --> 00:34:37,393
During the early talkies, sound was not
on what we have today, an optical track,
538
00:34:37,480 --> 00:34:41,837
which is a visual strip
along the edge of the film.
539
00:34:41,920 --> 00:34:46,869
In the old days, the sound was recorded
on big records about this size,
540
00:34:46,960 --> 00:34:50,999
and they were played in the theatre,
synchronised with the projector.
541
00:34:51,080 --> 00:34:56,279
In 1966, a friend of mine who was working
at a local Los Angeles radio station
542
00:34:56,360 --> 00:34:59,909
called me and he said "You'll never
believe what's in our studio -
543
00:35:00,000 --> 00:35:03,549
the sound disc
from the original Frankenstein."
544
00:35:03,640 --> 00:35:07,633
And I was always disappointed when
all the restored versions of Frankenstein
545
00:35:07,720 --> 00:35:09,870
always left this line out.
546
00:35:09,960 --> 00:35:13,839
With or without the censored footage,
Frankenstein was a sensation,
547
00:35:13,920 --> 00:35:17,230
and the monster became
a major new Hollywood icon.
548
00:35:17,320 --> 00:35:19,595
Boris Karloff's stardom was assured,
549
00:35:19,680 --> 00:35:22,831
although in real life
he had little in common with monsters.
550
00:35:22,920 --> 00:35:25,992
He was the antithesis
of the roles that he played.
551
00:35:26,080 --> 00:35:30,073
He really was a cultured, well-educated,
552
00:35:30,160 --> 00:35:33,675
articulate, well-read English gentleman,
553
00:35:33,760 --> 00:35:37,753
who earned his living
scaring children and little old ladies.
554
00:35:37,840 --> 00:35:41,435
Robert Florey's initial uncredited
enthusiasm for Frankenstein
555
00:35:41,520 --> 00:35:44,830
was finally rewarded with an
acknowledgement on the French poster
556
00:35:44,920 --> 00:35:49,710
and the chance to direct a highly stylised
horror film in the expressionist manner.
557
00:35:49,800 --> 00:35:52,030
Murders in the Rue Morgue
starred Bela Lugosi
558
00:35:52,120 --> 00:35:55,112
as a mad scientist
destroyed by his own experiment,
559
00:35:55,200 --> 00:35:58,875
and was partly filmed
on the original Frankenstein sets.
560
00:35:58,960 --> 00:36:04,193
Universal spent four years on a sequel to
Frankenstein, and it was worth the wait.
561
00:36:04,280 --> 00:36:06,748
In what was finally called
Bride of Frankenstein,
562
00:36:06,840 --> 00:36:11,834
Karloff returned and brought a whole new
dimension to the monster: Speech.
563
00:36:11,920 --> 00:36:13,911
I love dead.
564
00:36:15,320 --> 00:36:17,390
Hate living.
565
00:36:17,480 --> 00:36:19,471
You're wise in your generation.
566
00:36:20,400 --> 00:36:22,675
A talkative monster
and the creation of his mate
567
00:36:22,760 --> 00:36:25,832
were both elements from
the original Mary Shelley novel.
568
00:36:28,600 --> 00:36:31,398
She's alive. Alive
569
00:36:34,000 --> 00:36:36,673
The bride of Frankenstein.
570
00:36:41,840 --> 00:36:46,391
Karloff played the monster for a third
and last time in Son of Frankenstein.
571
00:36:46,480 --> 00:36:49,517
This time he had a companion
who did the talking for him,
572
00:36:49,600 --> 00:36:52,797
the broken-necked Ygor,
played by Bela Lugosi.
573
00:36:52,880 --> 00:36:55,519
It's my friend.
574
00:36:58,040 --> 00:37:01,396
He does things for me.
575
00:37:03,680 --> 00:37:07,992
Basil Rathbone played the title role
of Wolf Van Frankenstein.
576
00:37:08,080 --> 00:37:11,595
Is it the old legendary monster
of my father's time?
577
00:37:11,680 --> 00:37:16,834
Or am I supposed to have whipped one
up, as a housewife whips up an omelette?
578
00:37:19,960 --> 00:37:21,473
Daddy Daddy
579
00:37:35,080 --> 00:37:40,473
In Ghost of Frankenstein, the relationship
between Ygor and the monster got closer.
580
00:37:41,960 --> 00:37:46,556
Your father was Frankenstein,
but your mother was the lightning.
581
00:37:47,040 --> 00:37:49,190
Much closer.
582
00:37:49,280 --> 00:37:53,831
I, Ygor, will live for ever.
583
00:38:03,720 --> 00:38:09,238
Next, Universal paired two of its most
popular monsters for amplified impact.
584
00:38:09,320 --> 00:38:11,311
I can't do it.
585
00:38:12,640 --> 00:38:15,438
I can't destroy Frankenstein's creation.
586
00:38:17,240 --> 00:38:19,390
I've got to see it at its full power.
587
00:38:36,960 --> 00:38:40,509
Frank You're making him strong again.
588
00:38:41,000 --> 00:38:45,596
Since Bela Lugosi's brain had been sewn
into the monster's head in the last film,
589
00:38:45,680 --> 00:38:49,389
it made some sense for Lugosi
to finally play the monster himself,
590
00:38:49,480 --> 00:38:51,471
speaking in Ygor's voice.
591
00:38:51,560 --> 00:38:54,518
But the effect was considered
ridiculous by studio heads,
592
00:38:54,600 --> 00:38:59,469
and the monster was rendered
voiceless again for the release print.
593
00:38:59,560 --> 00:39:02,757
Encouraged by the success of
Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man,
594
00:39:02,840 --> 00:39:06,116
Universal pulled out all the stops
with House of Frankenstein,
595
00:39:06,200 --> 00:39:11,354
featuring its entire stable of monsters,
with the curious exception of the mummy.
596
00:39:39,680 --> 00:39:43,150
Don't go this way. Quicksand. Quicksand.
597
00:39:43,960 --> 00:39:47,077
The creature was now played by
former stunt man Glenn Strange,
598
00:39:47,160 --> 00:39:49,310
in a halting, robotic manner.
599
00:39:49,400 --> 00:39:52,597
Boris Karloff,
wisely avoiding career quicksand,
600
00:39:52,680 --> 00:39:56,798
made his final appearance
in a Universal Frankenstein film.
601
00:40:05,560 --> 00:40:07,949
In House of Dracula,
Frankenstein's creation
602
00:40:08,040 --> 00:40:12,272
made the briefest of appearances,
a thankless lurch around the lab.
603
00:40:29,800 --> 00:40:31,791
In Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein
604
00:40:31,880 --> 00:40:35,873
the classic Universal monsters were
reunited for an affectionate spoof,
605
00:40:35,960 --> 00:40:39,794
and for what many considered to be
the best horror comedy ever made.
606
00:40:39,880 --> 00:40:43,589
Help me with this excelsior.
Come on. Take it all out.
607
00:40:43,680 --> 00:40:44,556
Get it all out.
608
00:40:53,240 --> 00:40:55,231
Well, we got him.
609
00:41:05,440 --> 00:41:09,672
But the Frankenstein mystique didn't end
with the films of the '30s and '40s.
610
00:41:09,760 --> 00:41:13,036
The Universal tradition has inspired
generations of filmmakers,
611
00:41:13,120 --> 00:41:15,395
even to the present day.
612
00:41:15,480 --> 00:41:18,438
The evil of Frankenstein.
613
00:41:18,520 --> 00:41:23,958
The evil of a man who created
a monster by crude surgery,
614
00:41:24,960 --> 00:41:28,555
and harnessed
the tempestuous forces of nature
615
00:41:29,360 --> 00:41:31,351
to give it life.
616
00:41:33,080 --> 00:41:35,275
The laboratory equipment
in Gods and Monsters
617
00:41:35,360 --> 00:41:37,715
was no longer the work
of Kenneth Strickfaden,
618
00:41:37,800 --> 00:41:40,997
but the Universal look was unmistakable.
619
00:41:46,880 --> 00:41:50,873
In 1997, Boris Karloff and Frankenstein
had the unique honour
620
00:41:50,960 --> 00:41:53,474
of appearing on
a US postal service stamp,
621
00:41:53,560 --> 00:41:56,597
along with four other
classic Universal monsters.
622
00:41:56,680 --> 00:42:03,552
It was wonderful. The Post Office
could not have been better to work with.
623
00:42:03,640 --> 00:42:07,076
We got about 17,000 signatures.
624
00:42:07,160 --> 00:42:10,550
All over the country
people pitched in and helped us.
625
00:42:10,640 --> 00:42:15,953
It was a very, very rewarding experience,
because people were so enthusiastic.
626
00:42:16,040 --> 00:42:20,431
I think my father would be the one that
would be most surprised and pleased.
627
00:42:20,520 --> 00:42:24,911
He always stressed how grateful he was
for having been given the opportunity
628
00:42:25,000 --> 00:42:29,630
by James Whale to play the monster,
how it changed his whole life.
629
00:42:29,720 --> 00:42:32,518
He certainly had seen
the opposite side of success
630
00:42:32,600 --> 00:42:35,672
for many, many years
before fame came his way.
631
00:42:35,760 --> 00:42:40,197
And I don't think he ever had
any difficulty with being typecast.
632
00:42:40,280 --> 00:42:43,716
He felt, and I heard him say
on more than one occasion,
633
00:42:43,800 --> 00:42:46,837
that a typecast actor
was a very lucky actor,
634
00:42:46,920 --> 00:42:52,074
because if you had been able
to make a niche for yourself,
635
00:42:52,160 --> 00:42:56,790
do something that nobody else
had done or was likely to do,
636
00:42:56,880 --> 00:42:58,677
you were very lucky.
637
00:42:58,760 --> 00:43:01,069
You left your mark in your profession.
638
00:43:01,160 --> 00:43:06,154
He truly felt being typecast was the
luckiest thing that ever happened to him.
639
00:43:07,840 --> 00:43:12,311
In her introduction to the revised edition
of Frankenstein in 1831,
640
00:43:12,400 --> 00:43:15,676
Mary Shelley instructed
her hideous progeny
641
00:43:15,760 --> 00:43:18,672
to go forth into the world and prosper.
642
00:43:18,760 --> 00:43:22,958
Exactly 100 years later
Universal took her directive to heart
643
00:43:23,040 --> 00:43:26,396
and created the most successful
movie monster of them all.
644
00:43:26,480 --> 00:43:30,314
The original advertising campaign
for Frankenstein featured the tag line:
645
00:43:30,400 --> 00:43:32,789
"The monster is loose."
646
00:43:32,880 --> 00:43:35,269
And, you know, it still is.