Often time’s horror and comedy are seen
as two separate and individual categories with a solid line drawn between them.
Rarely are they intermingled successfully. However comedy and horror have been seen
together a few times in cinematic history. Syndy M. Conger and Janice Welsch in
“The Comic and the Grotesque in James Whale’s Frankenstein Films” point out the
close alliance between the two in the Frankenstein films. According to the
article both the comic and the grotesque surprise us and both underline life’s
absurdity. By having the comic and the grotesque coexist we are able to see the
complexity and debt of each category.
Throughout Bride of Frankenstein we are able to see the fusion of the
grotesque and the comic. One would expect the grotesque to be mainly connected
to the monster and the comic to the human however the scene at 00:46:34 between
the monster and Praetorius shatters this expectation.
The scene begins with Praetorius
taking the bones of Madelina Ernestine out of her coffin and having a drink and
cigar with her. Praetorius is laughing uncontrollably and his madness is meant
to make the viewer feel uneasy. Praetorius’s behavior is so uncanny that it
makes the viewer feel suspense for the monster as he approaches him. As the monster approaches Praetorius and
begins speaking to him he takes on a comedic role because he, the living dead,
displays human desire with just two words, “smoke” “friend.” Praetorius’s calm
reaction to the monster is also perplexing. Why is he not yelling? Why is he
not terrified? Could it be that he connects to the monster’s grotesqueness and
accepts his own demonic ways.
The monster is comedic because he
contradicts the viewers built up perception of him. For example although he
grabs the food and drink from Praetorius in a barbaric manner he is able to
understand what Praetorius is doing with Ernestine’s bones. By asking
Praetorius “You make man like me?” the monster is showing his willingness to
communicate and understand his actions.
Praetorius shows
his cunningness and manipulative skills by making the monster believe that he
is building a wife and friend specifically for him. He wishes to use the
monster in his battle against Henry Frankenstein. Praetorius asks the monster
if he knows Frankenstein to which the monster replies “Yes, made me from dead.
I Love dead, hate living.” The scene closes with the monster holding the skull
of his future wife saying, “Friend, wife.”
This scene was an important part of the movie because
although it still contained a gloomy and gothic aspect it allowed the viewers
to see another side of both the characters. The monster portrays his desire for
human comforts and luxuries, such as food, drink, companionship and cigars.
Meanwhile Praetorius exposes his mad/evil side. His desire to stay in the tombs
with the dead as well as his ability to easily accept the monster exposes his
eeriness. During this scene viewers,
such as I, might find Praetorius’s disregard for what society holds scared more
disturbing then the monster made up of dead body parts.
Work Cited
Bride of Frankenstein. Dir. James Whale. Perf. Colin Clive, Mae Clarke, John Boles, Boris Karloff. Feature Films, 1935. DVD.
"The Comic and the Grotesque in James Whale's Frankenstein Films," Janice R. Welsch and Syndy M. Conger. Planks of Reason: Essays on the Horror Film, edited by Barry Keith Grant, The Scarecrow Press, 1984, pp. 290-306
No comments:
Post a Comment