Frankenstein 1931 Film Analysis

Mel Brook's film ,Young Frankenstein, is a comedic throwback and famous parody to Univeral's Frankenstein (1931), Bride of Frankenstein (1935), Son of Frankenstein (1939), and The Ghost of Frankenstein (1942). (quote from interview generally describing movie experience).

From beginning to end Frankenstein’s Monster is shown as a wicked creature from the people; however, he possesses many human characteristics. The monster was originally an idea of Frankenstein that will soon come to life. Created from many different parts, the monster was never given a chance to be seen as anything other than a science project. From the outside looking in,

Frankenstein’s monster, a misunderstood creation fabricated by Victor Frankenstein in Mary Shelley’s classic story, has been terrorizing readers and audiences alike for well over one hundred and fifty years. Since the story was first written in 1818, there have been numerous plays, and over one hundred films, each adaptation trying to portray its own vision of the original story. Mary Shelley came to create “the prototype of a new literary genre – science fiction” (Hardwood 14) while James Whale crafted his beautiful film creation, Frankenstein, to portray conservative values and civil rights while still telling the classic story. Other versions of Frankenstein

The novel Frankenstein was written by Mary Shelley in 1818. This gothic romance novel tells the story of a philosopher who discovered how to create life, without the full knowledge that his actions could cause grave consequences. Universal Studios made the film version of this novel in 1931. Unfortunately, the film version of Frankenstein has more differences than similarities to the novel. In the novel, Victor’s mental obsession seems to be more severe than in the film. The character of Victor Frankenstein was portrayed in both the novel and the film as a veriphobe, or one who is afraid of the truth, in this case, the truth of his actions. He

In many movie adaptations of a novel, the film doesn’t do the book justice in its story telling. Movie versions generally do not focus on the characters’ emotions or thoughts like the books do. They also do not develop the characters as well as the original story, giving the viewer little to no knowledge of a certain person. This is the case in Frankenstein. While there are some similarities between the original written version and the one on screen, the movie doesn’t delve into the lives of the main characters: Victor and the creature. The loss of characterization and focus on their lives takes away the audience’s take on consequences.

Young Frankenstein’s setting commences in New York where a neurosurgeon by the name of Frederick Frankenstein (Gene Wilder), lives. He receives the news that his infamous grandfather, whom he prefers to not affiliate with, has left his castle for Frederick’s inheritance. He then goes to the castle in Transylvania, where he is introduced to Igor ( Marty Feldman)

I can compare Frankenstein to the movie I saw by Tim Burton, Frankenweenie. They are similar but instead of a human body, it was a dog and the mad scientist was a young boy named Victor Frankenstein. The young Victor Frankenstein brings his dog back to life after being hit by a car for a science fair project while the real Victor Frankenstein wanted to create a real life human. Just like the real Frankenstein monster, the dog brings trouble. In the book, the mad scientist, denies the monster but in Frankenweenie, the young boy convinces his family and friends to like his creation. Some of his classmates had known the young Victor Frankenstein creation and was intrigued to do the same experiment like his but it went out of the standards of

Whereas in the 1931 film adaptation, it states that his condition is largely due to the mistake preformed by Fritz, who provided a defective brain to be placed into the creature’s head. The implication that the monster's brutal behavior was inevitable arguably weakens the novel's social criticism and depiction of developing consciousness. The film therefore emphasizes the idea that the creation exists as an inherently evil, manufactured being. The creature in the film lacks incentive, despite Shelley’s monster’s craving for love and his “ feelings of revenge and hatred” (Shelley 139). Essentially it was the creation of a new character, Fritz, which allowed the film’s plot to shift away from the novel’s original story of Frankenstein. The addition of Fritz reveals that Frankenstein’s creation had innate anger, and allows the audience to associate him to a monster.

Throughout the novel, “Frankenstein,” the “monster” was seen as hideous. As a result, many including the creator himself did not give the “monster” a chance and portrayed him as evil. Rather than looking at his personality, they looked at his outward appearance, which scared them off and made them assume he was a “monster.” When readers, including myself, read this story, we feel disappointed about how during this time everything revolved based upon looks and not on what really mattered like charisma. Overall he is portrayed as an evil, scary creature. When Victor describes him he is so harsh and cruel it makes him seem to be a monster. “He held up the curtain of the bed; and his eyes, if eyes they may be called, were fixed on me. His jaws opened, and he muttered some inarticulate sounds, while a grin wrinkled his cheeks,” (Shelley 59) this phrase proves how when Victor describes the monster he did not care to think about what the monster was trying to say because he was too scared of his horrible looks.

Frankenstein thinks that everything is alright now, but Elizabeth has a premonition that the monster will return, and she warns her fiancé that she fears some harm is going to befall him. At the same time, during the entire village’s celebration, the father of the dead girl carries her lifeless body though the streets for all to see. The shock crowd stops its celebration, stunned and outraged over the death of Maria, and they demand justice from The Burgomaster (mayor) and local police. By nightfall, the angry mob has organized into torch carrying search parties to find the murderer. Frankenstein is determined to destroy the creature, and leads one of several groups looking for the monster, up the mountainous terrain.

The movie Young Frankenstein is about a neurosurgeon professor named Fredericks Frankenstein whose doesn't want to be known as Dr. Frankenstein grandson so calls himself Fronkensteen. Fredericks grandfather was known for trying to revive the dead, which Fredericks doesn't like when people bring it up so he calls himself Fronkensteen. Fredericks goes to Transylvania after he finds out that his grandfather gave him his castle. Frederick finds his grandfather's secret laboratory and also books on how to revive the dead. With the help of Igor and Inga, Frederick brings life to a dead body. Frederick shows the monster to the people of Transylvania but they are scared of him and the monster is taken to jail and locked up with chains around his neck. Later that night while Frederick is sleeping with Inga, his fiancée Elizabeth shows up at the door. Soon after Elizabeth shows up the monster escapes out of jail and kidnaps Elizabeth and sleeps with her. Frederick lures the monster back to the castle and gives him half his mind. The monster can now think and talk a lot better than before and gets married to Elizabeth. Frederick is now calling himself Frankenstein. We see how Frederick is finding his identity throughout the movie.

The 1931 film, Frankenstein, which was directed by James Whale changed the mad-scientist/horror movie scene permanently. Although it is almost a century old, people are still reenacting it and discussing it. This film is about a young man named Henry Frankenstein. Henry has an obsession with creating life. Fritz, Henry’s assistant, helped collect body parts from recently deceased corpses. The two men got to work, binding the parts together, to create a whole human body. Using electricity from a thunderstorm, they managed to bring the body to life. The assistant was messing around in the lab and switched the brain they were using with a deceased criminal’s brain. Little did they know that the person they created with science would become a psycho killer.

The film Young Frankenstein directed by Mel Brooks, 1974 Young Frankenstein is a series of hilarious humour scenes. To create humour exaggerated dialogue was used. This exaggeration made the dialogue sound ridiculous. - When Frankenstein said "throw the first switch" then the second and third, each time getting louder and louder. The creation scene replicates the 1931 original Frankenstein, similar settings.

How can we think of Frankenstein and ignore the film classic of 1931? Yet the celebrated film does not follow the novel by Mary Shelley. Although the scene of a futuristic laboratory entrances movie audiences with the mad Dr. Frankenstein and his faithful assistant Igor, the scene is derived from twentieth century imaginations and interests, not the novel itself.

In Frankenstein, the monster is created by Victor Frankenstein in an attempt to do what has never been done before, create life from death. “Victor’s thirst for knowledge led him to serious questions about the nature of life and souls.” (Holland, Tiger. “Book Review: Frankenstein by Mary Shelly.” All-Consuming Media, 18 February 2012. Web.) By way of ancient scientific disciplines, the monster is reanimated from a hodgepodge of different body parts Victor assembles. But, upon seeing his creature’s grotesque form, he is so terrified by the magnitude of his accomplishment the doctor flees the laboratory and has subsequently fallen ill and is bedridden with nervous fever for months. This, however, is just the beginning of the creature’s ill-fated interaction with the population of Europe.