Bride of Frankenstein 4K 1935

Seventy-six years (!) after its release on wide screens, Bride of Frankenstein can only bring a sincere smile and affection. James Whale's film can hardly scare anyone anymore. Everything in it looks so naive and funny - the toy castle, the papier-mâché stone blocks, the painted landscapes. It's all so unfamiliar to the picky eye of the modern viewer. But Wale's film has a special magic that ties you to the screen and keeps you hooked until the end of the action.

The actors work in a very forced way. At first it really hurts your eyes and ears, but after a few minutes you quickly get used to this annoying trifle. Well, that was the canon of the film industry back in 1935. Of all the characters, I liked Minnie, played by the inimitable O`Connor, best of all. It's impossible to hold back a smile at her appearance at the burning mill. Even if she had kept silent for the entire movie, she already deserves the highest praise for her amusing facial expressions. O'Connor's character is Frankenstein's talkative maid. She does nothing but gossip and spreads it around. Without her witty banter, The Bride of Frankenstein would have lost much of its flavor.

In the role of the Beast is the brilliant Boris Karloff. In the makeup he really looks creepy. Throughout the movie, the Beast reaches out to people, and they reject him. Unfortunately, no one taught him good manners. Therefore, he knows no pity, no compassion. That is why he has become the Monster to those around him. The episode where the Monster meets the blind recluse is the most emotionally intense in the film. This part of the film touches you to tears, to the core. Few films can do that nowadays. But I didn't like The Monster's Bride herself - she's too attractive for a creature made up of a mosaic of corpses from the nearest morgue.

The special effects in Wale's picture are really impressive. I was most struck by Dr. Pretorius' miniature creations - I'm still puzzling over how this could have been filmed in the mid-30s. Frankenstein and Pretorius' lab, where the Monster's girlfriend was created, also looks very modern and realistic. 'Bride of Frankenstein' is definitely recommended for viewing, but it requires the appropriate mood, the appropriate entourage. I advise you to wait for the next stormy night and then this movie will mesmerize you as it did me.