FRANKENSTEIN
Frankenstein (James Whale, 1931) has become a legendary film, while Boris Karloff, as the monster, has become an iconic Hollywood image, equalled only by Mickey Mouse. The film's expressionistic cinematography (by Arthur Edeson), influenced by the German cinema (such as The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari), set standards for Hollywood films, at first in the horror genre but later in other films.
Some cinematographic effects can only be captured in slide shows. Notice the way the skeleton moves as it's bumped (top, left), advancing the film's theme of revival from the dead. Combined mise-en-scene (the turn of the monster to face us) and jump editing (three discontinuous closeups) introduce us to the monster in a startling way (top, right). Finally a dolly shot increases tension in the scene where Elizabeth expresses her anxiety to her intended husband, Henry Frankenstein (bottom, left).
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