The Invisible Man
by James Whale
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Claude Rains, Gloria Stuart, Henry Travers, Una O'Connor, William HarriganDirector: James Whale
Brand: UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOME ENTERTAIN.
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, DVD-Video, NTSC
Picture Format: Academy Ratio, 1.33:1
Running Time: 71 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2000-08-29
Audience Rating: Unrated
Studio: Universal Studios
Movie Reviews of The Invisible Man
Movie Review: Insanity Is the True Horror
Summary: 5 Stars
If you are on this page, you probably already know that this movie is based on H.G. Welles's book "The Invisible Man." I did enjoy the book, but I found I actually liked the movie better. (Undoubtedly because of Claude Rains's phenomenal acting. (All the more kudos to him, since he had to perform the part with just his voice at his disposal!) His character Jack Griffin (already invisible, but disguised with a coat, hat, and other clothes that make him appear visible) comes to a small out of way town. He causes some stir in this clannish town, but for the most part, they seem to have the decency to treat him with the same courtesy they might give a local. With tensions released for a moment, we meet the other central characters including his former friend Kemp, his former boss Dr. Cranmy, and his former potential wife Flora. Through the conversations, we can see that Rains was a scientist who was not able to keep his experiments behind the 'this far and no further' point. From here, as he tries to find a way to cure himself from his own experiment, Claude Rains has a falling out in the clannish environment. Angry and frustrated he reveals his invisibility which REALLY frightens these people. From here, we may mistake this movie for a comedy, as these people run in terror, and as we see things like a bike riding itself. From here, Rains meets with his former associate Kemp, and we begin to see the reality of a conversation Cranmy and Kemp had about a drug 'monocaine' that slowly drives one insane. Rains's intentions are scary enough in word: 'A few murders here and there...We might even wreck a train or two.' From here, the comedy fades, and we see the horror of an intelligent man losing his sanity. (Perhaps through Rains's great acting, we can somewhat infer that there had once been compassion and kindness in his character, and now that character simply wants to kill.) While some may find his invisible features scary, the TRUE HORROR is his insanity! I don't want to give the story away, but the ways to catch his character become more and more well crafted and elaborate, but as they continue to fail, Rains's character grows more and more insane plotting deeper and darker revenges. (His destruction of a train is especially disturbing.) While modern day horror movies try to be more bloodier than each other, they forget that the true horror is the destruction of one's sanity.
Summary of The Invisible Man
Claude Rains delivers a remarkable performance in his screen debut as a mysterious doctor who discovers a serum that makes him invisible. Covered by bandages and dark glasses, Rains arrives at a small English village and attempts to hide his amazing discover. But the same drug which rends him invisible slowly drives him to commit acts of unspeakable terror. Based on H.G. Well' classic novel and direct by the master of macabre James Whale, The Invisible Man no only fueled a host of sequels but features some special effects that are still imitated today.Claude Rains practically owns his film debut in The Invisible Man, despite the fact that his face (let alone his body) is seen only for seconds in the final moments. As the brilliant scientist who discovers the secret of invisibility, Rains steps into the film wrapped up like a mummy behind a layer of bandages and blanketed in heavy clothes. When he removes his garments, there's nothing underneath, a simple but effective bit of 1930s movie magic that, apart from a few glitches, works as well today as it did in 1933. Like Frankenstein, another cautionary tale of science gone horribly wrong, the consequences of the doctor's experiments are dire: the chemicals drive him insane. Director James Whale infuses the film with plenty of humor, much of it arising from the quaint quirks of the local villagers, but it turns to black comedy as the doctor transforms from an impish prankster upsetting bicycles and taunting tavern patrons to a megalomaniac bent on world domination. It's slow going even at 71 minutes, but full of delightful touches and boasts a terrific performance by the all but unseen Rains, whose rich, cultured voice envelopes the picture in a kind of omnipresent fog. Vincent Price took up the role in the sequel, The Invisible Man Returns. --Sean Axmaker
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