The Invisible Man (1933)

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

Director:

James Whale

Writers:

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

Stars:

Claude Rains, Gloria Stuart, William Harrigan

3 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Claude Rains	...	Dr. Jack Griffin aka 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	...	Constable Jaffers
Dudley Digges	...	Chief Detective
Harry Stubbs	...	Inspector Bird
Donald Stuart	...	Inspector Lane
Merle Tottenham	...	Millie

Storyline

Working in Dr. Cranley's laboratory, scientist Jack Griffin was always given the latitude to conduct some of his own experiments. His sudden departure, however, has Cranley's daughter Flora worried about him. Griffin has taken a room at the nearby Lion's Head Inn, hoping to reverse an experiment he conducted on himself that made him invisible. Unfortunately, the drug he used has also warped his mind, making him aggressive and dangerous. He's prepared to do whatever it takes to restore his appearance, and several will die in the process.

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Plot Keywords:

invisibility | experiment gone wrong | world domination | mad scientist | police station | 

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Taglines:

H.G. Wells' Fantastic Out Of This World Show!

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Genres:

Horror | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

13 November 1933 (USA)

Also Known As:

Der Unsichtbare

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

71 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Noiseless Recording Sound System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

By the calendar on the wall of the police station, around 1:01:28, it's the month of January. In the novel, the story begins in early February.

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Goofs

When Griffin first visits Kemp, he locks the library door and puts the key in his pocket, but when Kemp leaves at the end of the scene, he easily opens the door which is now unlocked.

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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.

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Crazy Credits

Claude Rains is the only actor in the film whose character is identified in the credits. We are not told which roles the other actors play, even though the cast is listed twice: at the beginning and at the end. Rains is billed as "The Invisible One" in the opening credits and as "The Invisible Man" in the closing credits.

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Alternate Versions

When the film was released to home video, Universal Studios replaced a snippet of music heard on the radio when Dr. Kemp is reading a newspaper in his house, and the Invisible Man enters through a set of French doors. Universal was unable to secur the rights for the original music and replaced it, covering the original sound effects (the sound of the newspaper and the door latch) in the process.

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Connections

Referenced in Gossip Girl: Pilot (2007)

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Soundtracks

La Rosita
(1923) (uncredited)
Music by Gustave Haenschen
(original version only)

User Reviews

Bone-chilling Rains debut - a true sci-fi classic

THE INVISIBLE MAN (1933) **** Claude Rains is super scary as mad scientist Griffin in HG Wells' classic horror novel about the power of being invisible thanks to a serum with some dangerous effects. Atmospherically directed by James Whale ("Frankenstein"). Great visual effects for its time that stand up well to today's standards. Chilling.