Bride Of Frankenstein:
This movie was produced in the year 1935. It is depicted as the sequel to the novel in which Frankenstein, a creature, was built by his master, who turned evil and was shown to be dead in that part. In this sequel movie, the creature appears to have escaped death along with his creator. The evil creature kidnaps the wife of the creator with a demand that he will release the creator’s wife only if the creator makes a companion for him. Thus, the universal themes witnessed in the movie are love and escape in their distinct meanings.
It Happened One Night:
This movie is about a rich character, ‘Ellie Andrews,’ who is committed to the social avatar ‘King Westley’. However, her father does not agree with her opinion and makes every effort to seclude her from her husband. She makes an indistinct effort to run away and get back to her husband. She meets Peter (a journalist), who becomes necessary for her to get back to her husband. The story is an interesting combination of the themes of escape and love that binds the central idea of the movie in place.
The most interesting element of the two movies is the beautiful combination of the themes of love and escape. For example, the movie “Bride of Frankenstein” displays the creature’s longing for a companion as the fundamental aspect of the central idea, which is interlinked with the longing for love. This theme of love and escape was rare at a time when the horrific characters of Dracula, Wolfman and the Mummy were appreciated and were not distinctly related to the theme of love. The same power of love with all its boldness is depicted in the movie ‘It Happened One Night,’ in which the young heiress manages to run away from her father’s yacht to secure her marriage with the character of King Westley. She takes a risk by taking the support of the journalist ‘Peter’ to reach her husband and forfeiting the traps of her father. This interesting movement is classical in the era of its launch because of the color or ‘liveliness’ it shares with its audience almost effortlessly.
Although the themes of the two movies are somewhat similar, the similarities and differences of the two movies can be explored further to study the core aspects of the films.
The first aspect of similarity is the focus on the display of attributes. In the movie ‘It Happened One Night,’ the element of beauty and lust is prevalent in the theme, which is repeatedly imposed with all its sobriety and color. The small hints of beauty are depicted without a trace of vulgarity. For example, the heroine of the movie is shown revealing part of her leg or the skin of her chest to fill in the color without breaking the limits of sobriety or vulgarity. Instead, the theme of love was supported with sweet feelings and romantic gestures.
In contrast, the movie “Bride of Frankenstein” is more of a tragic love story than a romantic one. However, the essence of the movie’s display of emotions is as intense as in the movie ‘It Happened One Night.’ The horror element was cultivated with the haunting aspect of the expressions and gestures that left the viewer gasping for the next move. Throughout the movie, the helplessness of the creator to obey his creature is the greatest fear shown with all its impact. The imagery and its validation with gestures add a glimpse of reality to the movie (“Bride Of Frankenstein Film”, 2017).
Herein, it can be observed that although the themes of the two movies are similar, the genres of the two are completely contrasting. That is, one is romantic love and escape, but the other is tragic love and horror. However, the factor that catches the interest of the audience is the element that adds color with a fresh touch to the visual elements. In the movie ‘It Happened One Night,’ the best vanity depictions were adopted to keep the romantic aspect and beauty element alive in the movie; the wardrobe of the heroine, the hairstyles and the accessories are minutely picked to display the essence of femininity and romance. The impact of the gestures and expressions was relevant in the same capacity.
Likewise, in the movie ‘Bride of Frankenstein,’ the element of horror and tragedy was engraved with the use of expressions and the features of the creature and the bride as well. The tragedy of the air is shown to have invaded the movie in different scenes with different styles. For example, when the creator invited his creation to the lab, he offered him citrate and wine. The combination of the two elements depicts a depressed environment in which the two entities are shown to be wrapped. The jerky movements of the bride with stressed expressions on her face are also elements that could be viewed as factors that were used to instill horror and tragedy in the movie. However, in the part when the bandages of the bride were removed, the expressions on her face are the perfect combination of horror-embedded love creation (“Bride Of Frankenstein Film”, 2017).
Therefore, it can be stated that the two movies discussed hereunder are widely distinct yet similar in a number of factors that determine the essence of the movies. However, the shared values of the movies could be used for analyzing the depth of the films. Apart from the factors used to identify the visual intensity of the movies, the values that compile the essence of the movies comprise sanctity in the display of vanity and vulgarity. In both movies, sobriety and sanctity are handled carefully as important concerns of value. In ‘Bride of Frankenstein,’ the outfits and the features were exposed cautiously to meet the expectations of the era.
However, in comparison to other movies with similar themes from that time, such as Dracula and The Invisible Man, the expressions were kept decent enough to meet the requirements of the tragic love theme. Likewise, the depiction in the movie ‘It Happened One Night’ was more susceptible and sensitive in reference to the theme because of the genre. It was a romantic love story. However, the dress and picturization of the movie were very careful in the display of expressions to the point that no aspect of vulgarity could be traced in the complete movie. It is also stated that this movie was a sex movie without sex.
Further to the expressions and dressings, the dialogues of the movies were also very strong when observed in the context of the themes of values and the display of vanity and vulgarity. The tone in both movies is funny and energetic. Even in Bride of Frankenstein, the elements of good and bad concerning love and beauty are discussed with a very sensitive approach (“Bride Of Frankenstein Film”, 2017).
There is a pleasing variety of my exhibits. My first experiment was so lovely that we made her a Queen. Charming, don’t you think? Then, of course, we had to have a King. Now, he’s so madly in love with her that we have to segregate them….My next production looked so disapprovingly at the other two that they made him an Archbishop…the next one is the very Devil – very bizarre, this little chap. There’s a certain resemblance to me, don’t you think? Or do I flatter myself? I took a great deal of pain with him. Sometimes, I have wondered whether life wouldn’t be much more amusing if we were all devils and no-nonsense about angels and being good.
The values of sobriety are also addressed well in the selection of dialogues for the movie “It Happened One Night.” The choice of words and the use of narrations elaborate and give space to each character to make its impression evident and adapt a line of values for projecting the objectives of that particular character.
He offers her the pajamas — she ignores them — so he tosses them at her.
Peter Warne: Uh, do you mind joining the Israelites?
Indicates he wants her to go on the other side of the blanket — she doesn’t budge.
Peter Warne: You don’t want to join the Israelites? Alright.
He begins to undress.
An overall review of the comparison of the two movies along with the recorded attributes observed in the context of present-day life makes it evident that even though the themes of the movies were inclined towards the illustration of lust and vanity, the aspects used were employed with due care to meet the requirements of moderation. The implication is quite in contrast to the present times when vulgarity and crudity are utilized unnecessarily without any filter. Hence, the values of the chosen movies can be used as an example in present times.
References
“Bride Of Frankenstein (Film) – TV Tropes”. TV Tropes. N.p., 2017. Web. 5 June 2017.
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