It is popular knowledge that the adaptations of Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, had taken more than a few liberties in portraying the creature and his creator on the theater and film and truth is, I've never seen them.

I don't usually watch movies, they are not up my alley, but I'm curious at least about the 1931 Movie that adapted a 1927 or something theater play based on the book. I know that the collective mental image that we have on the creature comes from this movies and I'm curious of how different it can be besides changing the creature to a monster.

I also know that I should treat this as it's on creature, no pun intended, and separated from the novel which I've read several times since it's one of my favorites.

So I'm going to spoil the movie for you now.

I was surprised that there's no Victor... well there's A Victor but not as Victor Frankenstein, but as a friend of Henry Frankenstein, the creator in this version. Henry starts the movie stealing human parts from fresh graves and asking for his assistant for a brain. A brain that is stolen from the university after a lecture given by Henry's old mentor. The catch is that Fritz, the assistant, drops the "normal" brain and steals the "abnormal" brain of the common criminal instead.

Frankenstein creates life with the creature in front of his friends, and family (idk if Elizabeth is still his cousin in this but she was also there) and later he discovers that the brain used was of a criminal and that the creature is prone to violence. After it's subdue the creature manages to escape killing Henry's assistant and old mentor in the process.

The last part of the movie ends right after (or during) the wedding of Henry and Elizabeth, were the whole villa is having a party only to find out the creature is on the loose after terrorizing the people and killing a little girl. The mobs are formed and they burn the same mill were the creature was created with it screaming inside.

Henry is injured in this battle but survives in the end.

What did I think of it?

I fucking hate it.

I know I don't have to think of this with the book along side it since one is the exploration of the responsibilities of the creators over their creation and the consequences of the abandonment can lead to a lack of good when you just release something into a cruel and harsh world while the other one is... well a movie with a monster in it.

But still, even if I don't compare the theme of the book about asking yourself if the will to do evil is learned or built into ourselves the movie makes pretty clear that the creature being bad because it had a abnormal brain of a criminal, permeating prejudges of the time, and there is a speech from the father of Henry about the importance of heritage and, well, basically breeding and leaving offspring.

And what is the deal with the maids/bridesmaids? In the 2 scenes in the movie they seem so off putting, one giving a toast, that seems normal, but then giggling and taking some wine to Henry that is recovering only for his father to stop them saying he doesn't need it since he is with his bride/wife. (This is the actual end of the movie btw)

I'm not denying that this is a very beautiful and very gothic movie, and the design of the creature is simple yet effective but I'm not much of a visual person.

Perhaps if I watch The Bride of Frankenstein it will be less off putting on the eugenics parts since unlike the book, there the creature is given a bride. In the books he was denied of this as he wanted, as Adam in the Christian paradise story, have a partner and exile himself to South America, but was denied even this.

To this day I think my favorite adaptation of the creature has to be Large from The Adams Family. It their own backwards way this creature has a family that values him, he is large and scary but it's also and inquisitive mind that plays the harpsichord and someone who the children love. Hopefully del Toro's adaptation will be better than the ones in movies so far.

Maybe I should have watched Blackenstein instead