Bride of Frankenstein (1935)

Director:

James Whale

Writers:

William Hurlbut (writer)
William Hurlbut (adaptation) ...

Release Date:

22 April 1935 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

WHO will be The Bride of Frakenstein WHO will dare ?

Plot:

Mary Shelley reveals the main characters of her novel survived: Dr. Frankenstein (goaded by an even madder scientist) builds his monster a mate.

Plot Keywords:

Orchestral Music Score | Mutant | Symphonic Music Score | Explosion | Miniature People

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 1 win

Cast

Boris Karloff	...	The Monster (as Karloff)
Colin Clive	...	Baron Henry von Frankenstein
Valerie Hobson	...	Elizabeth von Frankenstein
Ernest Thesiger	...	Dr. Pretorius
Elsa Lanchester	...	Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley / The Monster's Mate (as ?)
Gavin Gordon	...	Lord Byron
Douglas Walton	...	Percy Shelley
Una O'Connor	...	Minnie - Housekeeper
E.E. Clive	...	Burgomaster
Lucien Prival	...	Albert - Butler
O.P. Heggie	...	Hermit
Dwight Frye	...	Karl
Reginald Barlow	...	Hans
Mary Gordon	...	Hans' Wife
Anne Darling	...	Shepherdess (as Ann Darling)

Also Known As:

Frankenstein Lives Again! (USA) (working title)
The Bride of Frankenstein (USA) (poster title)
The Return of Frankenstein (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

75 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating: 1989) | South Korea:12 | UK:X (re-rating: 1956) | Spain:13 | UK:H (re-rating: 1943) | Norway:16 (1986) | Iceland:L | Australia:PG | Canada:G (Quebec) | Finland:K-16 (1976) | Germany:12 (video rating: 2000) | USA:Approved (PCA #768)

Filming Locations:

Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

Though virtually all of Billy Barty's scenes (as the little baby in the bottle) were deleted, he can still be briefly glimpsed in a wide shot of all the bottles on Dr. Pretorius's table (as well as in still photographs).

Goofs:

Continuity: After the monster throws Karl off the tower parapet, the camera pans away to a long shot of the Cosmic Diffusor, yet the Monster is nowhere in sight.

Quotes:

The Monster: You, make man... like me?
Dr. Pretorius: No. Woman... friend for you
The Monster: Woman... Friend... Wife...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Monster by Moonlight! The Immortal Saga of 'The Wolf Man' (1999) (V)

Welcome to Whale's mind...

Forget 'The Godfather II'. Forget 'The Empire Strikes Back'. This is THE greatest example of a sequel surpassing the original. Coming four years after the original 'frankenstein' in 1931, James Whale was originally reluctant to make a sequal but changed his mind after being allowed to make the film more on his own terms. No other director has ever managed to blend horror, comedy and pathos as successfully Whale. The film features some of the most memorable scenes in cinema history notably the monster's encounter with a lonely hermit and the introduction of 'The Bride'. The film has it all: superb casting, tremendous sets and make up, memorable dialogue ("To a new world of Gods and monsters") and a brilliant score by Franz Waxman. Boris Karloff must surely be one of the greatest actors to ever appear on film. He manages to improve on his characterisation of the Monster, due mainly to the addition of dialogue ("Friends, good!"), and, unlike in the first movie, actually makes us feel sorry for the Monster. Colin Clive returns as the reluctant Doctor F, Una O'Connor makes a wonderful addition as the twittering and hysterical Minnie, but it is Ernest Thesiger who steals the film with his hillarious performance ("Have a cigar. They are my only weakness") as the sinister Dr. Pretorious. Although Elsa Lanchester appears as the Bride for only about 2 minutes at the film's finale, it will be the role for which she is forever associated. The film is regarded as the high point of the Universal horror series and stands as a testament to the genius of James Whale.