Wednesday, May 29, 2013
"The Bride of Frankenstein" (1935)
Not sure that this post qualifies for a "spoiler alert" notice--what's to be spoiled? Even if you've never seen the movie, what do you expect when you go to watch it? Nevertheless, if you like warnings, then there are subtle references included in this post. MacDonald wasn't kidding when he said that the Bride's musical motif was the same as "Bali Hi" in South Pacific. Can't miss it. Can't miss the kettle drums from the creation of the heart all the way through the end of the movie either. Yeah, the music is rich. The acting is almost comedic in places. Almost. The plot takes very distorted and extremely fragmented pieces of what was cut from the original story to fashion this new movie from. Story moves quickly--so, it seems to me it would survive well in today's plot moving. I didn't ever latch onto the Monster's musical motif--not on the first listen through, anyway. The little people in a bottle was disturbing until I saw that there was a variety of figures. Franz Waxman music. Interesting that the sustenance of choice was bread and wine. That's not accidental.
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Oh cripes. Bali Hi. Of course. I've seen this movie umpteen thousand times and never connected them, and as soon as I read that I go "oh yeah." Thanks for that.
ReplyDeleteBread and wine: I didn't even think of it. But right there the most powerful implication of the whole Frankenstein mythos is being made: When God creates life, we get humanity and therefore (not sure my causality is Biblically correct, but it feels logical to me) Jesus Christ, who is alluded to through the bread and wine. The natural order is upheld. When man creates life, we get monstrosity, literally portrayed by the Monster himself, and the natural order is perverted. Interesting
Yes, your logic fits. On top of that, there are 2 other connections via bread and wine. First, bread and wine is used in communion/the Lord's supper [a specific sacred ceremony]. So, there are sacred connotations connected to that combination. The second is an extension of the first [sacred ceremony broad definition]. It's the idea that any time someone eats with another in literature or film, they are making the statement that the two or more of us have something in common, a connection. You don't eat and drink with your enemies or strangers. You eat and drink with your family and friends. So, with this second item, the monster is eating first with his blind friend, then later with the evil scientist. Every other time he tries to eat or drink, he is repulsed. The fact that the times he does eat and drink involve bread and wine and not just food in general strengthens this idea/connection (the first thing I list). So, the first time he successfully eats and drinks (and smokes) is with his blind friend. When the strangers come, the blind man invites them, too, to join, but the strangers yank apart the "communion"/union. The second time, it's with the evil man. The monster himself later says, "We belong dead" and he, the bride-monster, and the evil scientist all die together.
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