CLAYTON'S CREEPY CINEMA!
WEEK 1: FREAKS AND FIENDS
The Invisible Man (1933)
In the 1930’s, Universal dominated the horror genre in
cinema. The now classic monsters were making their big screen
debuts—Frankenstein, Dracula, and The Mummy—and in 1933, the same year King Kong climbed the empire state
building, another one of Universal’s monsters debuted in The Invisible Man, based on the novel by H.G. Wells. The Invisible Man continued Universal’s
hot streak, and remains one of the best films to depict a transparent
character.
It begins with a mysterious
man checking into an inn and demanding to be left alone. His face is bandaged
and he is wearing a heavy trench coat, among other concealing articles of
clothing. After the innkeeper gets in a tousle with the stranger when he fails
to pay his rent on time and makes a mess of his room, authorities step in and
it is revealed the man is a chemist who has perfected a formula for
invisibility. He strips himself of his bandages and clothing and escapes
undetected. For the rest of the movie, he becomes more troublesome and more
insane, plotting an unending crime spree while the authorities are hot on his
trail.
The greatest aspect of The
Invisible Man is the special effects. For the time it was groundbreaking,
and even today several scenes beg the question: “How did they do that?” Wires
were used in scenes where he was wearing one or two articles of clothing, but
it’s filmed so well you can’t even see the wires. In other scenes they filmed
actor Claude Rains wearing a black velvet suit against a black velvet
background, so it appeared parts of his body were invisible. Besides the
visuals, the rest of the film is well crafted as well. Claude Rains is terrific
as the title character, making him funny but also sinister and verge into insanity.
One of the only issues I have with this movie is the woman working at the inn
and her constant shrieking. Her screams are so constant it becomes extremely
annoying and hard on the ears. Aside from that, The Invisible Man is entertaining and surprisingly funny, with a
great number of gags involving people being tripped, tricked, and confused by
the unseen marauder. That isn’t to say there aren’t any frightening moments.
There is one scene where the invisible man is hiding in the back seat of a car
and he ties up the driver then sends him over a cliff. It’s shocking and
brutal, though by today’s standards, the scene might not pack quite the same
visceral punch.
The Invisible Man
is a classic that holds up well to this day, largely thanks to the magnetic
performance from Claude Rains and the still impressive visual tricks.
Considering the main character isn’t seen for most of the run time, you might
be surprised by the impact he leaves. The image of a man cloaked from head to
toe with nothing underneath that exterior is every bit as creepy as any of the
other Universal monsters.
No comments:
Post a Comment