The Invisible Man
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Movie Reviews of The Invisible Man
Movie Review: A CLASSIC UNIVERSAL PICTURE! RAINS & CO. SHINE!
Summary: 5 Stars
The Invisible man is one of those old movies that gets lost in the crowd. This picture is one of Universal's best. The Invisible Man Legacy collection includes this film with the 2 sequels, plus two unrelated films about invisibilty. 'The Invisible Man' film is the only film from Universal's Invisiblity catalog that is available on a single DVD by itself but, it's well worth picking up the Legacy set to get all 5 films! Rains and Co. are great in this science fiction tale. Like most Universal horror films, this film has tons of atmosphere and some really creepy images and sets. One in paticular is a close up of Rains wearing bandages and goggles that is just fantastic! The sequels are very good and this set should be in every horror film buffs collection. The DVD transfer on both releases are really good! Movie Review: Don't Meddle with Nature!
Summary: 3 Stars
On a snowy night a man visits "The Lion's Head" in Iping. He wants private room with a fire. [Jenny's hair style dates to the 1890s.] This visitor wants to be left alone. There is the usual gossip about any stranger. Next we see the place where Jack Griffen worked, a place that developed methods for food preservation. But Jack often worked alone in secret. There is a dispute when the visitor is behind in his rent. A policeman is called because of the assault. The wife of the tavern owner plays her part over the top for comic effect. They must arrest the stranger before he takes off his clothes. Being invisible gives great power; will it be handled responsibly?
The scientists talk about Jack's experiments. He used a little known drug that bleached color and also affected the material. Jack visits Kemp for help; he is tired, cold, and hungry. [The food eaten can be seen until it is digested.] Jack's commands shows his state of mind. Griffen tells of his obsessive search for the secret of invisibility. The drugs he took inflamed his brain; Griffen has great plans for personal power. But Griffen must return to retrieve his valuable notebooks. The police Inspector decided the story about an invisible man was a hoax; then an ink pot was thrown in his face!
Kemp is now a captive in his own home. The police send a thousand men to search for the invisible man; he will still leave tracks. They will search everywhere, no warrants will be needed. Will Kemp call the police to report Jack's presence? Had the invisibility drug driven Jack mad? His speech suggests this. The police arrive, Jack escapes but promises to kill Kemp that night. The police have a plan to capture this invisible man; it can't fail, can it? But Nature works against Jack Griffen when the police find his hiding place. Jack can be heard if not seen. Will a few pistol shots stop the invisible man? [Can doctors treat an invisible man?]
The moral is to not meddle in things that should be left alone. Yet Jack worked in preserving foods via chemicals. Is this an argument against chemical foods, or "genetic modification"? Or against experimenting with drugs? This film is a condensed and simplified version of the novel. The story has smoothed out the details of Jack's past life. I think the story in the book was better.
Movie Review: 1933 Black and White Classic Movie based on H.G. Wells Novel has Stood the Test of Time!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is the first movie made based on H.G. Wells' 1897 novel of the same name. This movie although having the same main character and set in one of the towns from the book is pretty much only about 20% following the storyline of Wells' novel. This movie has characters and scenes which aren't in the novel such as Griffin (the invisible man) having a fianc? (played by Gloria Stewart an actress who grew old to be that annoying elderly lady in Titanic) who also has a father, another scientist who isn't in the novel either. Griffin didn't burn down his apartment in this movie in fact the most interesting scenes from the Wells' book where Griffin recounts his adventures in the department store and the city of London when he first became invisible to Dr Kemp are not in this movie at all.
James Whale has also added a fair bit of humour to Wells' novel and a fair amount of new very entertaining scenes such as train crashes, Kemp's car cliff diving, and toying with and taunting the townsfolk which all make the 68 minute movie extremely enjoyable. The biggest difference is that Griffin's madness is more blamed on a drug called monocaine in this movie whereas in the Wells' book although Griffin was never the nicest guy, his desire for murder and mayhem was created by his disgusting treatment by the bigoted town folk as well as the betrayal and stealing of his possessions including his notes (the one's he dropped to Kemp out of the window in the film) which he needed to make himself a cure by those he enlisted to help him.
There is sensational debut acting by Claude Rains as Griffin, but also some bad overacting in the film especially Una O'Connor as the landlady (who reminds me of Granny from the Beverly Hillbillies rather than the landlady from Wells' book) and some pathetic attempts at English accents by bar patrons and towns folk, but other than that the movie has more than stood the test time. Special effects brilliantly pull of the illusion of invisibility and although you can tell Whale used model trains and the like this movie is done so much better than other horror/special effects movies made in the decades following which you watch today just to laugh at their cheesiness. This 1933 classic is a masterpiece, you have to see it!
The DVD has a nice documentary of the film, its actors and the director James Whale as well as the many sequel and spin off movies inspired by this film (in fact you can buy all these movies along with this movie in a DVD set which may be better value than just buying this movie alone depending on prices). The documentary on this one goes for about as long as the movie. You can also watch the movie with commentary or with English, Arabic, Hungarian, Turkish, Greek, Czech or Romanian subtitles.
Movie Review: The sinister perspective!
Summary: 5 Stars
Under the light of more than seventy three years elapsed, we should assume another perspective at the moment to consider its relevant significance. James Whale was the acclaimed director of Frankenstein and Claude Rains (Notorious and Casablanca) make the best they can in which to put asunder the phantasmagoric and the incisive metaphor beneath the script.
A true milestone of the cinema. For many modernists it may be dated, but nobody will be able to deny that in 1933 this must be a horror film in the broad sense of the term.
Movie Review: There's breathing in my barn!
Summary: 5 Stars
Claude Rains. The man. The myth. The legend. You cannot talk about this film, whether in conversation or in any review, without placing this actor on the tip of your tongue. He is the epitome of the madness that surrounded the power-hungry Invisible Man. In this day of modern cinematic wonder, most full-fledged actors would want their faces to be in front of the camera, showcasing the entire film. Directors would want this fledgling star to promote their film, get kiddies interested in spending their money, and for financiers to see the profits of their contributions. Let's face it, if Brad Pitt is in a movie, typically most audience members are actually going to "see" Brad Pitt. Thankfully, we have directors like James Whale and his interpretation of H.G.Wells' classic The Invisible Man. Whale took a powerful story, expanded it, breathed life into it, and followed up with quite possibly one of the most sinister villains in movie horror history since Hannibal Lector. He is crude, he is heartless, and he wants nothing more than world domination ... he is Claude Rains ... and yet, until the end of the film, we never see the white's of his eyes.
There are several reasons why I just fell in love with this film, outside of the cataclysmic performance of Claude Rains. Ohhhh, Claude Rains. I loved the way that this movie was filmed. I loved the scope of the Invisible Man's terror. Whale could have kept his antagonist to committing just single murders of friends and family, he could of just kept it confined to just one single town, he could have kept our focus directly on the turmoil of Rains, but instead, he decided (amazingly!) to open the entire can of worms with success. When I first began this film I was expecting the classic images of angry villagers with pitchforks storming the house that the Invisible Man lived within, but instead, Whale gave us this sort of random chaos that truly created fear around this character. Whale is able to give us the true terror of this madman by perhaps expanding his budget and showing us how big the terror of the Invisible Man is. For example, I never foresaw the horrific train accident, nor the random worker push off the mountain, and when Rains explained to Kemp what the human impact of falling down a ravine would be like, it literally sent shivers down my spine. Whale created a madman better than some modern horror films could ever accomplish.
For a film created in the 1930s, the special effects were spectacular. Sure, CGI was just a glimmer in Lucas' mother's eyes, but James Whale did a superb job of giving us these rare glimpses into the future of special effects. The way that he created the Invisible Man surprised me. I did not expect to ever see the creature without his bandages on, but within ten minutes we are shown the full scope of Whale's creativity. I thought the use of snow, dust, and even the early stages of the overused "green screen" was original for its time. To see Rains smoke as the Invisible Man put a smile on my face. This is a perfect example of a film that used just enough special effects, in the right way, to make the audience forget for a brief time that this was in fact a film ... not real life. While the special effects did have one or two flaws (see the Invisible Man riding the stolen bike - were those wires?), I must credit Whale for pushing the envelope for the time. It was surprising to see such quality from such an older film.
If there would be anything that I would change about this film would be the subtext concerning the relationship between Rains and Flora (played by Titanic star Gloria Stuart). I thought this was nearly unnecessary. I understand the value of trying to give a human element to this monster, but I thought that it could have been done without these random scenes. There wasn't really any connection between the two, and we were left with very little information of them prior to the start of the film. Perhaps if there had been a stronger pre-story it would have congealed better. The same can be said for the chemistry and reasonings for the plot points surrounding Rains and Kemp. I could understand why they occurred during the film, but there had to be something more prior to the opening scene. I wanted to know more. I think that is a good sign for a film, when you are left wondering what was the story before this one ... and even what was it afterwards.
Overall, I thought this was an exceptional film. I now have this newfound respect for Claude Rains, a man I knew nothing about prior to watching this film. He carried this film and honestly successfully pulled off one of the most frightening madmen this world has ever seen. I think what scared me the most about him was the fact that he actually, unlike some villains, actually followed through with his vile plans. He was evil, whether the invisibility did it or not, he was pure evil, and I loved every minute of it. The special effects were delightful, with a small subplot that this picture could have gone without. Amazing, and a perfect treat before Halloween!
Grade: ***** out of *****