James Whale’s Bride of Frankenstein is a 1935 horror film. The film stars Boris Karloff as the Monster, Colic Clive as Dr. Henry Frankenstein, and Ernest Thesiger as Doctor Pretorius. The film is a direct sequel to Whale’s 1931 films Frankenstein. Frankenstein and Pretorius create a Bride for their Monster, exploring themes of life, death, and creation. Though the film follows closely with the narrative structure of Classical Cinema and Hollywood studio production, the film’s style draws heavily from Expressionist inspiration.
German Expressionism was concerned with capturing basic human instincts, emotions, and the liberation of the soul. The Expressionists “tried to express interior realities through the means of exterior realities” (Cook…show more content… Sound throughout the film is predominately diegetic. Sounds in the film have a direct relationship with the space, and it is always clear where the noises are coming from. For example, we hear thunder and rain as we see the storm through the open window. Various scores are used throughout, from serene to menacing. As the Monster walks through the forest, the music is gentle. This differs heavily from the intense music heard during moments of terror and suspense. This on-diegetic music is used to further the atmosphere and heighten the level of suspense or emotion throughout the…show more content… Acting in Bride of Frankenstein is highly expressive and theatrical. Doctor Pretorius, as the mad scientist character, has a distinct acting style, used to enhance the character’s internal madness and insanity. The acting throughout is intense and expressive. In contrast to Pretorius and his goons, the acting of Henry and Elizabeth appears restrained. The character Minnie’s highly emotive responses and screaming is utilized for comic relief throughout the film. The Monster’s movements and expressions are forcibly restricted, accurately creating a real creature made of assembled body parts. When Frankenstein’s Bride appears, her acting features highly expressive yet mechanical movements, and the camera movement matches this, cutting between various angles and