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Frankenstein (1931)

Director(s) James Whale
Producer(s)

Carl Laemmle Jr.

E.M. Asher

Top Genres Horror, Science Fiction
Top Topics Book-Based, Mad Scientists, Monster, Pre-Code Cinema

Frankenstein Featured Cast See Full Cast »

Colin Clive
Colin Clive(as Henry Frankenstein)

Frankenstein

Released
1931

Colin Clive
(as Henry Frankenstein)

Mae Clarke
Mae Clarke(as Elizabeth)

Frankenstein

Released
1931

Mae Clarke
(as Elizabeth)

John Boles
John Boles(as Victor Moritz)

Frankenstein

Released
1931

John Boles
(as Victor Moritz)

Boris Karloff
Boris Karloff(as The Monster)

Frankenstein

Released
1931

Boris Karloff
(as The Monster)

Frederick Kerr
Frederick Kerr(as Baron Frankenstein)

Frankenstein

Released
1931

Frederick Kerr
(as Baron Frankenstein)

Dwight Frye
Dwight Frye(as Fritz)

Frankenstein

Released
1931

Dwight Frye
(as Fritz)

Lionel Belmore
Lionel Belmore(as The Burgomaster)

Frankenstein

Released
1931

Lionel Belmore
(as The Burgomaster)

Francis Ford
Francis Ford(as Hans)

Frankenstein

Released
1931

Francis Ford
(as Hans)

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).

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Frankenstein was inducted into the National Film Registry in 1991.

Frankenstein 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 ... 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

Frankenstein Quotes:

Henry Frankenstein: Help! Help!
Villager #1: Listen, it's Frankenstein.
Villager #2: That way.
— From: Frankenstein
Victor Moritz: You're crazy!
Henry Frankenstein: Crazy, am I? We'll see whether I'm crazy or not.
— From: Frankenstein
Henry Frankenstein: [after screaming is heard] It's Elizabeth!
— From: Frankenstein
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!
— From: Frankenstein
Henry Frankenstein: Quite a good scene, isn't it? One man, crazy - three very sane spectators!
— From: Frankenstein
See more quotes from Frankenstein...
Frankenstein Facts
A 20-minute test reel, starring Bela Lugosi as the monster and directed by Robert Florey, was filmed on the Dracula sets. This footage has not been seen since 1931 and is now considered lost. Only a poster, featuring the vague likeness of Bela Lugosi as a 30 feet colossus, remains.
Ken Strickfaden, who created all the electrical effects for the movie, also doubled for Boris Karloff during the sequences that showed the million volt sparks playing over his body. The same machines were later used in the comedy Young Frankenstein.
The set design of the windmill sequence was inspired by a building in Los Angeles that housed a local bakery, Van de Kamp, which displayed a large windmill as its corporate logo.
Bela Lugosi was offered the role of the monster, but refused on the grounds that his character would not speak (though he eventually played the role in Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man). Lugosi also insisted on creating his own makeup for the Monster, but his design was rejected. According to film historian Richard J. Anobile, Lugosi was originally offered the role of Dr. Frankenstein by original director Robert Florey, but Carl Laemmle insisted that Lugosi play the monster. Test footage of Lugosi in Monster make-up was filmed by Florey on the set of Dracula. Soon after, Florey was replaced by James Whale as director, and Lugosi was replaced by Karloff.
During production there was some concern that seven-year-old Marilyn Harris, who played Maria, the little girl thrown into the lake by the creature, would be overly frightened by the sight of Boris Karloff in costume and make-up when it came time to shoot the scene. When the cast was assembled to travel to the location, Marilyn ran from her car directly up to Karloff, who was in full make-up and costume, took his hand and asked "May I drive with you?" Delighted, and in typical Karloff fashion, he responded, "Would you, darling?" She then rode to the location with "The Monster.".
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