The Bride of Frankenstein |  | Director: James Whale
Actors: Boris Karloff, Elsa Lanchester, Colin Clive, Valerie Hobson, Ernest Thesiger
Studio: Universal Studios
Category: DVD
List Price: $14.98
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Rating:  113 reviews
Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), French (Subtitled)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
DVD Layers: 2
DVD Sides: 1
Picture Format: Academy Ratio
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 75 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: MCAD20632D
ISBN: 078323502X
UPC: 025192063220
EAN: 9780783235028
Theatrical Release Date: April 22, 1935
Release Date: October 19, 1999
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Studio: Uni Dist Corp. (mca) Release Date: 07/08/2008 Starring: Boris Karloff Run time: 75 minutes Rating: Nr
Amazon.com essential video
It appeared, at the end of the epochal 1931 horror movie Frankenstein, that the monster had perished in a burning windmill. But that was before the runaway success of the movie dictated a sequel. In Bride of Frankenstein, we see that the monster (once again played by Boris Karloff) survived the conflagration, as did his half-mad creator (Colin Clive). This remarkable sequel, universally considered superior to the original, reunites other key players from the first film: director James Whale (whose life would later be chronicled in Gods and Monsters) and, of course, the inimitable Dwight Frye, as Frankenstein's bent-over assistant. Whale brought campy humor to the project, yet Bride is also somehow haunting, due in part to Karloff's nuanced performance. The monster, on the loose in the European countryside, learns to talk, and his encounter with a blind hermit is both comic and touching. (The episode was later spoofed in Mel Brooks's Young Frankenstein.) A prologue depicts the author of Frankenstein, Mary Shelley, being urged to produce a sequel by her husband Percy and Lord Byron. She's played by Elsa Lanchester, who reappears in the climactic scene as the man-made bride of the monster. Her lightning-bolt hair and reptilian movements put her into the horror-movie pantheon, despite being onscreen for only a few moments. But in many ways the film is stolen by Ernest Thesiger, as the fey Dr. Pretorious, who toasts the darker possibilities of science: "To a new world of gods and monsters!" Absolutely. --Robert Horton
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Showing reviews 1-5 of 113
 SOMEONE TO LOVE November 18, 2009
Robin Simmons (Palm Springs area, CA United States)
The original odd couple, Mr. And Mrs. Frankenstein's Monster, mesmerized movie-goers on the heels of the huge success of 1931's iconic "Frankenstein."
It seemed certain that Frankenstein's monster perished in a burning windmill at the end of "Frankenstein," but box office success has a strange way of resurrecting dead movie characters. In the sequel that is superior to the original, the still unnamed monster seeks love and a mate.
Boris Karloff is back as the Creature and Elsa Lanchester entered the pantheon of horror-movie icons as the man-made bride with her trade-mark lightning bolt hair and herky-jerky reptilian movements.
Look for scene-stealing Ernest Thesiger as Dr. Pretorious, who toasts the creature couple: "To a new world of gods and monsters!" Never a good send-off for a bride and groom. The doomed couple cannot overcome their twisted genetic heritage and realize they can never live a normal life. They find a redemption of sorts, end their monstrous lives in a fiery self-sacrifice. The monster, his mate and Pretorius die, freeing Dr. Frankenstein and his mate to pursue a relatively normal life. Much has been made of the ending; that the death of a creature liberates his creator. Who is the god and who is the monster? (Not rated, full frame, 78 minutes)
Ah yes, a classic horror film. It's my only vice... August 13, 2009
Craig Edwards (By the sea in NC)
The Bride of Frankenstein (1935) The first movie is truly a landmark and despite its dated elements, a true classic. And while I do think this sequel is an even better movie in many ways, they actually work best taken together, as one big story told in two parts.
The plot has Henry Frankenstein and his creation surviving the fiery end of the first movie. Henry (Colin Clive) just wants to get on with his life and marry his fiancee Elizabeth. The monster (Boris Karloff) doesn't know what he wants, at least until he meets up with Dr. Praetorius (Ernest Thesiger), another dabbler in the science of life and death and former teacher of Henry Frankenstein. Dr. Praetorius uses the monster to force Henry back into the lab where the dotty Dr. P conceives of a bride for the monster. Of course, these things never go smoothly, and soon there is terror, and murder, and oh yes, there is blood. Director James Whale mixes whimsical light moments with horror, pathos and high drama, and it's more entertaining than any 70+ year old movie has any right to be. Franz Waxman's score is poetic and gorgeous, and the performances are delicious, if a little high strung. This one is an absolute must, even for those who prefer their horror movies a little more recent. Followed by The Son of Frankenstein. Also with Valerie Hobson.
 3 stars out of 4 May 25, 2009
One-Line Film Reviews (Easton, MD)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
The Bottom Line:
One of the few sequels that's unequivocably better than the original, "Bride" benefits from a greater exploration into the monster's character, a wonderfully over-the-top performance by Ernest Thesiger as Dr. Pretorius, and the swan-like Elsa Lancaster as The Bride herself; you can pretty much avoid the original and just watch this superior film instead.
A Masterpiece of Cinema April 13, 2009
Joshua Miller (Coeur d'Alene,ID)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Four years after the original horror classic, James Whale returned to direct Bride of Frankenstein. The original classic is generally considered the masterpiece, but this film more than equals it despite the change in tone.
Despite being released in 1931, the original Frankenstein (75th Anniversary Edition) (Universal Legacy Series) had a grim, gloomy tone to it. It isn't horrifying by today's standards of that word, but you can see how people would've been horrified by it in 1931. Bride of Frankenstein is a horror film that balances drama, poignancy, and campiness (not sure if that's a word).
The film opens with Mary Shelley, her husband Percy, and their friend Lord Byron imagining a sequel to Ms. Shelley's tale of horror. The film then picks up right where Frankenstein left off. The windmill has burned down and the Monster is thought to be dead. As Henry Frankenstein (Colin Clive) recovers, Dr. Pretorius (Ernest Thesiger) arrives and suggests they continue Frankenstein's work together. Pretorius proposes that since Frankenstein created a man, they together will create his mate. Meanwhile, the Monster roams the countryside occasionally encountering an angry mob of villagers.
In one of the films best scenes, the Monster encounters a lonely, blind violinist. This scene is strangely touching and poignant.
And, of course, we hear the Monster speak. While in the first film he only growled, here (even with the simplicity of his dialogue) he's given some of the most memorable lines of the movie. Ironic, considering Karloff was initially opposed to The Monster speaking.
And I can't forget to mention The Bride played by an uncredited Elsa Lanchester. Despite very little screen time (3 minutes, I believe), this is one of the most iconic images in cinema history. Lanchester also plays Mary Shelley in the opening scene.
The art direction, beyond being influential, is brilliant. As mention before, it's not as ominous as the first film but terrific all the same.
Karloff once again brings tremendous pathos to his character. You empathize more with the Monster than anyone else in the film. Colin Clive is really the unsung hero of the Frankenstein films. He brings such a demented genius to the role with his facial expressions, mannerisms, and voice.
Finally, much has been made about Bride of Frankenstein being a gay parable. There is almost certainly a gay subtext flowing beneath the story, but I think Roger Ebert was correct when he observed that the film is much more fun when you just take it for what it is.
Bride of Frankenstein is a masterpiece, pure and simple. The final scenes of the movie are both poignant and surprisingly heartbreaking. Frankenstein entertained me, Bride of Frankenstein affected me.
GRADE: A
EXCELLENT IN EVERY WAY...! April 12, 2009
Sheree D. Waites (DALLAS TX.)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
MAN OH MAN! THAT BORIS KNOW HE RESLLY OUTDONE HIMSELF IN THIS FILM..!! IN FACT ALL OF THE ACTORS WERE SUPERB ESPECIALLY THE MONSTER FOR THE BRIDE. I LOVE THE DIMPLE IN HER CHIN!(Elsa Lanchester) I LOVED THE BLIND MAN AND FRANKIE,I FELT SORRY FOR BOTH OF THEM,AS THESE SCENES SHOWED THE EMOTIONS OF THE MONSTER. AS FOR THE RATER WHO GOT LESS WHAT THEY SO-CALL EXPECTED, THE MOVIE IS WHAT YOU WERE SUPPOSE TO BE RATING,NOT THE FORMAT. THESE BLACK AND WHITES COULD ONLY BE REMASTERED SO MUCH,USE YOUR INTELLENCE FOOR THAT. BUT THE MOVIE WAS GREAT..AS WE KNOW BECAUSE IIT IS THE RESON YOU BOUGHT IT IN THE FIRST PLACE..THIS MOVIE IS A WINNER!
Showing reviews 1-5 of 113
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