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IMDbPro

The Bride of Frankenstein

Original title: Bride of Frankenstein
  • 19351935
  • Not RatedNot Rated
  • 1h 15m
IMDb RATING
7.8/10
48K
YOUR RATING
The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
Theatrical Trailer from Universal Pictures
Play trailer1:26
2 Videos
99+ Photos
  • Drama
  • Horror
  • Sci-Fi
Mary Shelley reveals the main characters of her novel survived: Dr. Frankenstein, goaded by an even madder scientist, builds his monster a mate.Mary Shelley reveals the main characters of her novel survived: Dr. Frankenstein, goaded by an even madder scientist, builds his monster a mate.Mary Shelley reveals the main characters of her novel survived: Dr. Frankenstein, goaded by an even madder scientist, builds his monster a mate.
IMDb RATING
7.8/10
48K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • James Whale
  • Writers
    • Mary Shelley(suggested by: the original story written in 1816 by)
    • William Hurlbut(adapted by)
    • John L. Balderston(adapted by)
  • Stars
    • Boris Karloff
    • Elsa Lanchester
    • Colin Clive
Top credits
  • Director
    • James Whale
  • Writers
    • Mary Shelley(suggested by: the original story written in 1816 by)
    • William Hurlbut(adapted by)
    • John L. Balderston(adapted by)
  • Stars
    • Boris Karloff
    • Elsa Lanchester
    • Colin Clive
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 312User reviews
    • 132Critic reviews
    • 95Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 4 wins & 3 nominations total

    Videos2

    The Bride of Frankenstein
    Trailer 1:26
    The Bride of Frankenstein
    'The Invisible Man' Almost Disappeared Before Materializing on Top
    Clip 3:29
    'The Invisible Man' Almost Disappeared Before Materializing on Top

    Photos318

    Boris Karloff and Elsa Lanchester in The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
    Colin Clive, Valerie Hobson, and Una O'Connor in The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
    Colin Clive and Valerie Hobson in The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
    Boris Karloff and Valerie Hobson in The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
    Colin Clive and Valerie Hobson in The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
    Boris Karloff in The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
    Boris Karloff, Colin Clive, and Ernest Thesiger in The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
    Boris Karloff and Jack P. Pierce in The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
    Boris Karloff in The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
    Boris Karloff and O.P. Heggie in The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
    Boris Karloff and Elsa Lanchester in The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)
    James Whale and John J. Mescall in The Bride of Frankenstein (1935)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Boris Karloff
    Boris Karloff
    • The Monsteras The Monster
    • (as Karloff)
    Elsa Lanchester
    Elsa Lanchester
    • Mary Wollstonecraft Shelleyas Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley…
    Colin Clive
    Colin Clive
    • Henry Frankensteinas Henry Frankenstein
    Valerie Hobson
    Valerie Hobson
    • Elizabethas Elizabeth
    Ernest Thesiger
    Ernest Thesiger
    • Doctor Pretoriusas Doctor Pretorius
    Gavin Gordon
    Gavin Gordon
    • Lord Byronas Lord Byron
    Douglas Walton
    Douglas Walton
    • Percy Bysshe Shelleyas Percy Bysshe Shelley
    Una O'Connor
    Una O'Connor
    • Minnieas Minnie
    E.E. Clive
    E.E. Clive
    • Burgomasteras Burgomaster
    Lucien Prival
    Lucien Prival
    • Butleras Butler
    O.P. Heggie
    O.P. Heggie
    • Hermitas Hermit
    Dwight Frye
    Dwight Frye
    • Karlas Karl
    Reginald Barlow
    Reginald Barlow
    • Hansas Hans
    Mary Gordon
    Mary Gordon
    • Hans' Wifeas Hans' Wife
    Anne Darling
    Anne Darling
    • Shepherdessas Shepherdess
    • (as Ann Darling)
    Ted Billings
    • Ludwigas Ludwig
    Robert Adair
    • Hunter in Woodsas Hunter in Woods
    • (uncredited)
    Norman Ainsley
    • Archbishopas Archbishop
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • James Whale
    • Writers
      • Mary Shelley(suggested by: the original story written in 1816 by)
      • William Hurlbut(adapted by) (screenplay)
      • John L. Balderston(adapted by)
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Marilyn Harris, who played Maria, the girl The Monster accidentally kills in the original Frankenstein (1931), appears uncredited as another young girl. She is the leader of the group of young schoolgirls who encounter the Monster as he runs away from the blind man's burning house. Director James Whale deliberately gave her a one-word line ("Look!"), so she would be paid more by the studio as an actor with a speaking role, instead of as an extra.
    • Goofs
      In the prologue explaining what happened in the first Frankenstein (1931), a man is shown in close-up being strangled by the monster; however, the monster's sleeves are torn and his arms already burned by the windmill fire. Clearly this close-up was newly filmed and inserted as if from the 1931 movie.
    • Quotes

      Doctor Pretorius: To a new world of gods and monsters!

    • Crazy credits
      In the opening and closing credits, "The Monster's Mate" is listed as being played by " ? " . Elsa Lanchester is only billed as playing Mary Shelley.
    • Alternate versions
      The Director's cut was 87 minutes long, but Producer Carl Laemmle Jr. imposed a number of cuts, to tame down the Director's "excesses". The Prologue was cut (making difficult to understand the present dialogue), the body count was reduced from 21 to 10, two love scenes between the couple and a toy representing the Monster with a child have been deleted. This ammount of 12-minute footage has subsequently been lost, making it impossible to reconstruct the initial idea by 'James Whale'.
    • Connections
      Edited into House of Dracula (1945)
    • Soundtracks
      Frühlingslied (Spring Song) Op.62 #6
      (1842) (uncredited)

      Written by Felix Mendelssohn

      Danced by Marie DeForrest

    User reviews312

    Review
    Top review
    10/10
    One of the Great Classics of the Genre
    Interestingly, Whale did not want to make a sequel to his incredibly successful 1931 FRANKENSTEIN, and bowed to studio pressure only when he received assurance of absolute control. The result is perhaps his most personal film--a strange collage of Gothic horror, black humor, religious motifs, and sexual innuendo--and one of the great classics of the genre.

    The plot elaborates an idea contained in the Mary Shelly novel: Frankenstein is pressured to create a mate for the monster. In Shelly's novel, the doctor eventually balks; in the film, however, he sees the experiment through due to a mix of his own obsession and the manipulations of a new character, Dr. Pretorious, and the two create the only truly iconographic female monster in the film pantheon of the 1930s horror film: "The Bride," brilliantly played by Elsa Lanchester.

    The cast is excellent throughout, with Colin Clive and Boris Karloff repeating their roles and Frankenstein and the monster, and Valerie Hobson an able replacement for Mae Clarke in the role of Elizabeth; Ernest Thesiger and Una O'Connor also give incredibly memorable performances as the truly strange Pretorius and the constantly hysterical maid Minnie. The art design is remarkable, and the Waxman score is justly famous. But the genius of the film lies not so much in these new and bizarre characters, in the familiar ones, or in the production values: it is in the way in which Whales delicately balances his elements and then subverts them.

    FRANKENSTEIN owes much of its power to its directness--it has a raw energy that is difficult to resist, still more difficult to describe. But THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN owes its power to its complexity. Nothing here is quite what it appears to be, and throughout the film we constantly receive mixed messages about the characters and implications of their situations. While Thesiger's Dr. Pretorius is justly celebrated as a covert gay icon of the darkest possible variety, and while many people quickly grasp Whale's often subversive use of Christian imagery, the film has many, many layers that do not reveal themselves upon a single viewing.

    The single most startling sequence, at least to my mind, is the famous scene in which the Monster stumbles into the lonely cottage of the blind hermit, a role beautifully played by O.P. Heggie. On the surface, the sequence would seem to be about how cruelly we judge people by appearances, and how true kindness can lift the fallen. It was not until I had seen the film several times that it dawned upon me that Whale has essentially endowed the a scene with a host of covertly homosexual overtones--and then tied them to a series of Christian elements for good measure. It is startling, to say the least.

    The current Universal DVD release is exceptional, and the film is supported with an interesting documentary and a still more interesting audio commentary track. Critics and fans continue to battle of whether FRANKENSTEIN or THE BRIDE is the better film--but I say they are so completely different that the question simply doesn't arise. Whatever the case, if you are a fan of 1930s horror and James Whale in particular, this is a must own see, must own.

    Gary F. Taylor, aka GFT, Amazon Reviewer
    helpful•47
    9
    • gftbiloxi
    • Apr 8, 2005

    FAQ6

    • What is 'Bride of Frankenstein' about?
    • Is "Bride of Frankenstein" based on a book?
    • Do I need to see the first Frankenstein movie before this one?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • May 6, 1935 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Facebook
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Frankenstein Lives Again!
    • Filming locations
      • Court of Miracles, Backlot, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Universal Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $397,024 (estimated)
    • Gross worldwide
      • $10,493
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 15 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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