Frankenstein Overview:

Frankenstein (1931) was a Horror - Science Fiction Film directed by James Whale and produced by Carl Laemmle Jr. and E.M. Asher.

The film was based on the novel Frankenstein (aka The Modern Prometheus) written by Mary Shelley published in 1818.

SYNOPSIS

The monster that mocked the sanctity of God's creation and brought ruin to his mad-scientist master firmly established a fertile movie genre and saved a studio in the bargain. Though the definitive monster movie, it succeeds purely because of the glimmer of humanity that Karloff allows us to see through the stitching and bolts, and the pathos of a barely human consciousness trapped in a hideous body. The versions available since the late '80s have restored the famously brutal sequence of the monster's encounter with a little girl at a lake shore. The laserdisc offers trailers, photos, and study sequences.

(Source: available at Amazon AMC Classic Movie Companion).

.

Frankenstein was inducted into the National Film Registry in 1991.

BlogHub Articles:

10 Classic Frankenstein Movies Worth Watching

By Jennifer Garlen on Oct 24, 2024 From Virtual Virago

This fall I taught a lifetime learning class about the history and cinematic legacy of Frankenstein, so of course I've had the iconic tale of gods and monsters on my mind throughout the Halloween season. One of the reasons for the story's enduring success is its adaptability; like Shakespearean play... Read full article


From the Archives: Son of Frankenstein (1939)

By The Metzinger Sisters on Oct 5, 2024 From Silver Scenes - A Blog for Classic Film Lovers

Boris Karloff as the famous "Monster" from the Frankenstein films (in this photo, The Son of Frankenstein). The make-up for all of the early Frankenstein movies was done by Jack Pierce, whom you could read more about in our previous articles here. From the Archives is our latest series of posts wher... Read full article


Abbott and Costello Films: Naughty Nineties, Time of Their Lives, A&C Meet Frankenstein

By 4 Star Film Fan on Jan 6, 2023 From 4 Star Films

The next genre Abbott and Costello took on in The Naughty Nineties was the show boat-style musical. Henry Travers fits as a kindly old ship captain who promises family-friendly entertainment headlined by his daughter and a very familiar leading man (Bud Abbott).??Costello crops up in a local band po... Read full article


Rating The Universal Frankenstein Films

By Dan Day, Jr. on Oct 8, 2022 From The Hitless Wonder Movie Blog

In May of this year I wrote a couple blog posts ranking the Frankenstein & Dracula films produced by Hammer Films. Now I'm going to rank the Frankenstein & Dracula films produced by Universal, specifically the ones made during the studio's classic monster period (1931-1948). Looking back on ... Read full article


FRANKENSTEIN (1984)

By Dan Day, Jr. on Jul 30, 2022 From The Hitless Wonder Movie Blog

The excellent English actor David Warner passed away recently. While reading various internet tributes about him, I discovered that he played the Frankenstein monster in a 1984 British TV adaptation of Mary Shelley's novel. I was not aware of this production, and I was even more stunned to find out ... Read full article


See all Frankenstein articles

Quotes from

Henry Frankenstein: Quite a good scene, isn't it? One man, crazy - three very sane spectators!


Henry Frankenstein: The brain you stole, Fritz. Think of it. The brain of a dead man waiting to live again in a body I made with my own hands!


Victor Moritz: You're crazy!
Henry Frankenstein: Crazy, am I? We'll see whether I'm crazy or not.


read more quotes from Frankenstein...

Facts about

What are commonly called bolts on the neck of the monster are in reality electrodes.
Universal studios owns the Copyright to the make up designed by Jack P. Pierce for Frankenstein's Monster.
Boris Karloff is considered a late bloomer in Hollywood. Frankenstein premiered when he was 44 years old.
read more facts about Frankenstein...
Share this page:
Visit the Classic Movie Hub Blog CMH
book or play


See All Film Adaptations >>
National Film Registry

Frankenstein

Released 1931
Inducted 1991
(Sound)




See All Films in National Registry >>
Also directed by James Whale




More about James Whale >>
Also produced by Carl Laemmle Jr.




More about Carl Laemmle Jr. >>
Related Lists
Create a list



See All Related Lists >>
Also released in 1931




See All 1931 films >>
More "Book-Based" films



See All "Book-Based" films >>
More "Pre-Code Cinema" films



See All "Pre-Code Cinema" films >>
More "Mad Scientists" films



See All "Mad Scientists" films >>
More "Monster" films



See All "Monster" films >>