"The Bride of Frankenstein" (James Whale, USA, 1935), "King Kong" (Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack, USA, 1933)
The Bride of Frankenstein, King Kong
Showing Friday at 7:30 p.m. in Ballantine 013
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Tonight's Halloween double feature unshackles two great cinematic horror/fantasy treasures so they can terrorize the Bloomington community.
First up is arguably the most classic Frankenstein tale, "The Bride of Frankenstein." One of the ultimate alienation tales directed by the subversive likes of homosexual auteur James Whale, this film finally answers the lonely Frankenstein's wishes for a companion, but with disastrous results. Though not ingrained with as much power as Whale's "The Invisible Man," "The Bride of Frankenstein" does touch the mind and heart with its underlying discussion of homosexuality.
Whale's undead monstrosity will be followed by one of the grandest Hollywood spectacles of them all, "King Kong." The film was billed as a larger-than-life retelling of the classic Beauty and the Beast tale and lives up to this ten-fold. The viewer cannot help feeling sorry for the gargantuan Kong as he is transported from one place of captivity to another. Just like Frankenstein, there is no place on Earth that will accept Kong. Match with this concept the awe-inspiring stop action special effects by Willis O'Brien and the fantastic score by Max Steiner, and you have a fantasy masterwork.
