The Invisible Man (1933)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

James Whale

Writers:

H.G. Wells (novel) and
R.C. Sherriff (screenplay)

Release Date:

13 November 1933 (USA)

Genre:

Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Catch me if you can!

Plot:

A scientist finds a way of becoming invisible, but in doing so, he becomes murderously insane.

Plot Keywords:

Scientist | Invisibility | Inn | Radio Broadcast | Test Tube

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

Claude Rains	...	The Invisible Man
Gloria Stuart	...	Flora Cranley
William Harrigan	...	Dr. Arthur Kemp
Henry Travers	...	Dr. Cranley
Una O'Connor	...	Jenny Hall
Forrester Harvey	...	Herbert Hall
Holmes Herbert	...	Chief of Police
E.E. Clive	...	Const. Jaffers
Dudley Digges	...	Chief detective
Harry Stubbs	...	Insp. Bird
Donald Stuart	...	Insp. Lane
Merle Tottenham	...	Millie

Runtime:

71 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording Sound System)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | USA:Approved (certificate not issued at release) | Spain:13 | West Germany:16 | Australia:M (DVD rating) | Australia:PG (original rating) | Germany:16 | UK:PG | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

On the DVD short documentary, Claude Rains' daughter tells of a time when the two went to see this movie in the theater years after it was made. It was bitterly cold and his face was completely covered by a hat and scarf. When he spoke to ask for the tickets, the attendant immediately recognized his voice and let them in for free.

Goofs:

Continuity: The Invisible Man is the same height as Kemp in some scenes, noticeably shorter in others.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Man in Pub: Did you hear about Mrs. Mason's little Willy? Sent him to school and found him buried ten-foot deep in a snow drift.
Man in Pub # 2: How did they get him out?
Man in Pub: Brought the fire engine 'round. Put the hose pipe in, pumped it backwards and sucked him out.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Heroes: Chapter Fourteen 'Distractions' (#1.14)" (2007/II)

Soundtrack:

Hearts and Flowers

Works Very Well

This film version of the H.G. Wells science fiction classic works very well. It has a number of strengths, but it benefits most of all from James Whale's direction, creativity, and technical excellence. Both the flashier aspects of the movie (such as the "invisibility" effects) and also most of the basic elements are done with skill.

The story is for the most part based on the one main idea of "The Invisible Man" who combines his scientific genius with a generous supply of madness. The story is interesting enough in itself, and of course it provides all kinds of opportunities for visual tricks. Whale hits just the right balance in making good use of these opportunities without over-indulging himself.

The visual effects themselves are of excellent quality, and they are far better than all but the very best of the present-day computer imagery. While it is usually rather easy to spot which parts of a movie are computer-generated, Whale's effects are all but seamless, with the exception of a handful of brief moments. They are often quite impressive, without resorting to tired devices, such as explosions and the like, in order to impress those with shorter attention spans.

Claude Rains does quite well for having such limitations on what he could do. The rest of the cast is solid, if mostly unspectacular, letting the story do the work. Una O'Connor somewhat overdoes it with the screaming this time, but otherwise the characters are believable. The acting may seem slightly quaint to those who are accustomed to the pretentious styles of the present generation of performers, but it's certainly better than the grating, self-important performances in some of the recent movies of the same genre.

While the story does not have the thematic depth or the suggestive imagery of horror classics like "Frankenstein" or "Dracula", this adaptation gets everything it can out of the material, telling the story in an entertaining fashion and with technical skill.