9872 Frankenstein

FRANKENSTEIN (#9872)

Suggested Age Level: Middle and High School Suggested School Topics: Language Arts, Science, Art MPAA Rating: G (But certain restored scenes might be considered PG) Running Time: 71 minutes Credits: 1931; Directed by James Whale; Screenplay by Garrett Fort and Francis Faragoh; Based on John Balderston's adaptation of the novel of the same name by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley; Produced by Carl Laemmle Jr.

Major Characters

• Henry Frankenstein (Colin Clive): A fanatical scientist. (In the novel, oddly, his name is Victor Frankenstein.) • Elizabeth (Mae Clarke): Henry's fiancee. • Victor Moritz (John Boles): Frankenstein’s best friend. (In the novel, oddly, his name was Henry Clerval.) • The Monster (Boris Karloff): Dr. Frankenstein’s creation. A creature compiled from dead bodies. Although many people mistakenly give this creature the name of Frankenstein (a fact mentioned even by Basil Rathbone in Son of Frankenstein), the creature’s real name from the original novel is Adam. • Dr. Waldman (Edward Van Sloan): Dr. Frankenstein’s associate. • Baron Frankenstein (Frederick Kerr): Henry’s father. • Fritz (Dwight Frye): Henry’s hunchbacked servant. • Herr Vogel (Lionel Belmore): The burgomaster or head of the town. (The town appears to be German in the film; in the novel, the story takes place in Geneva.) • Little Maria (Marilyn Harris): A little girl who likes to throw flowers in the lake.

Academy Awards

None. Universal was not considered a “major studio” in 1931.

Synopsis

Dr. Henry Frankenstein dreams of creating life in his laboratory. He and his assistant, Fritz, steal bodies for use in his experiments. Although his friends try to dissuade him from this task, he manages to bring a creature to life. Fritz cruelly

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© 2003, Captioned Media Program. All rights reserved. torments the creature, which finally kills him. Henry, realizing he should never have started this experiment, leaves the creature in the hands of his friend, Dr. Waldman, who plans to dispose of the creature for him. The creature kills Waldman and escapes to menace the countryside and unintentionally kills a little girl. When the creature attacks Frankenstein’s fiancé, Elizabeth, just before their wedding, Frankenstein leads a mob to hunt him down. The chase leads to a windmill, where Frankenstein is beaten up and tossed off the balcony by the creature, which dies as the windmill burns. We soon learn the wedding has gone on as planned, and Henry’s father, with the servants, prophetically toast to Henry’s intended offspring. “To the son of Frankenstein!” they say.

Cautions

The film has a restored scene that was considered too shocking in 1931.

Academic Standards

SUBJECT AREA: LANGUAGE ARTS: WRITING • Uses the general skills and strategies of the writing process • Uses the stylistic and rhetorical aspects of writing • Uses grammatical and mechanical conventions in written compositions • Gathers and uses information for research purposes

SUBJECT AREA: LANGUAGE ARTS: READING • Uses the general skills and strategies of the reading process • Uses reading skills and strategies to understand and interpret a variety of literary texts • Uses reading skills and strategies to understand and interpret a variety of informational texts

SUBJECT AREA: LANGUAGE ARTS: LISTENING AND SPEAKING • Uses listening and speaking strategies (or other communication skills) for different purposes • Uses viewing skills and strategies to understand and interpret visual media • Understands the characteristics and components of the media

SUBJECT AREA: LIFE SKILLS: THINKING AND REASONING • Understands and applies the basic principles of presenting an argument • Understands and applies basic principles of logic and reasoning • Effectively uses mental processes that are based on identifying similarities and differences • Understands and applies basic principles of hypothesis testing and scientific inquiry

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• Applies basic trouble-shooting and problem-solving techniques • Applies decision-making techniques

SUBJECT AREA: TECHNOLOGY • Understands the relationships among science, technology, society, and the individual • Understands the nature and uses of different forms of technology

SUBJECT AREA: ARTS: VISUAL ARTS • Understands and applies media, techniques, and processes related to the visual arts • Knows a range of subject matter, symbols, and potential ideas in the visual arts • Understands the visual arts in relation to history and cultures • Understands the characteristics and merits of one's own artwork and the artwork of others

SUBJECT AREA: ARTS: ART CONNECTIONS • Understands connections among the various art forms and other disciplines

Educational Themes and Allusions

There is much to learn from Frankenstein. This Learning Guide will include information about the Expressionistic Movement in Art and information on the author of the classic novel on which the film is based. In addition, the film alludes to Greek Mythology, Classical Tragedy, and Theatrical Melodrama. There are allusions to Of Mice and Men and Don Quixote.

Activities

1. Literary Terms The following literary terms are needed to understand films: • Foreshadowing: Giving a warning of something that may happen later on. • Flashback: Cutting back to something that happened before the current action. • Irony: A surprising twist of fate. • Symbolism: An inanimate object is purposely used to remind us of an idea. 2. Following are examples of each of the four terms from some well-known films. After each example, write your own example from one of your favorite films.

Foreshadowing: Anakin, in Attack of the Clones, loses his temper a lot and is often seen wearing black. This reminds us that he will later become Darth Vader.

Your example:

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Flashback: Simba, in The Lion King, gets strength when he remembers the image of his father.

Your example:

Irony: In The Shop Around the Corner, Alfred Kralik learns that the pen pal he wants to marry is really Miss Novak, his enemy at the office.

Your example:

Symbolism: In My Bodyguard, a boy puts his broken life back together, symbolized by the motorcycle he is rebuilding.

Your example:

3. Film Study Activities

CRISS Learning Strategies provide a number of activities which students may use while studying any film. Venn Diagrams are good ways to compare characters. Sticky-Note Discussion could be applied during the film. A Simple Story Plan could easily be applied to all films.

VOCABULARY

Look up these words in a Dictionary and put the correct word in the following sentences:

abnormal convulsions scarcity electrodes degeneration dissection erratic uncertainty brutality lobe

1. Dr. Frankenstein was concerned about the ______of the body, which was not fresh enough. 2. He left the medical institute because they had a ______of bodies for him to work with. 3. He operated on the frontal ______of the brain. 4. When the creature was lowered into the laboratory, there was a moment of ______when we didn’t know if the experiment had worked. 5. The cruel Fritz treated the creature with ______. 6. Instead of the good brain in the lab, Fritz brought back the ______one.

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7. Dr. Waldman thought the only way to destroy the creature was to undo Dr. Frankenstein’s work by ______. 8. Dr. Frankenstein may not have been insane, but his actions in the lab were certainly ______. 9. In order to transfer electricity from the lightning, the kite’s wires had to be connected to the ______. 10. Too much electricity to the creature’s brain could cause a ______.

Other Vocabulary Words:

Expressionism: Expressionism is the most influential movement in twentieth century art. Although its origin can be found in many of the works of Vincent Van Gogh, its development is credited to German artists. The expressionist artist tired to capture emotions on his/her canvas, so reality was rather unimportant. Expressionist paintings are not “pretty.” Reality is distorted in favor of emotion. The images are angular, harsh, and full of shadows, as if painted in a fever, like the works of Van Gogh, sometimes splashed on the canvas with a pallet knife, because the artist was too impatient to use his brushes. As the expressionist movement spread among the art world, it was only natural that other genres picked it up. James Joyce’s Ulysses, with its stream of consciousness style, could be called expressionist writing. Expressionism became part of the theatre, both in scenic design (R.U.R, by Karel Capek) and theme (Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot.) It was only natural that expressionism was also seen in the twentieth century’s most important new art genre, the film. The influence of classic German silent films, such as Metropolis, Nosferatu, and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, can be seen in Frankenstein in its harsh shadows, the angular tombstones of the cemetery, the brickwork and strange staircases of Frankenstein’s laboratory.

A few words you might need to know from other languages:

In German, Herr means mister, and Fraulein means miss. When Baron Frankenstein says, “Tommyrot,” he means the whole thing is ridiculous, a lie.

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Internet Links

CRISS Learning Strategies: (http://www.mvrhs.mv.k12.ma.us/eel/caruthers/linkforallteachers) Frankenstein’s Lightning Laboratory (http://www.miamisci.org/af/sln/frankenstein/safety.html) Magnetism and Electricity (http://edtech.kennesaw.edu/web/electric.html) Greek Mythology (http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Parthenon/9502/myths.html) Prometheus Unbound (http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Thebes/3803/Prome.html) Aristotle on Tragedy (http://www.aug.edu/langlitcom/humanitiesHBK/handbook_htm/aristotle_tragedy.htm) Art History—Expressionism (http://www.huntfor.com/arthistory/earlyC20th/expressionism.htm) Expressionist Paintings (http://www.tcf.ua.edu/Classes/Jbutler/T112/Expressionism/Index.htm) Frankenstein, the novel (http://www.literature.org/authors/shelley-mary/frankenstein/) Mary Shelly (http://www.watershed.winnipeg.mb.ca/literature/frankenstein/faq1.html) John Balderstone (http://www.serialsquadron.com/stage/frankenstein/author.htm) Frankenstein in Hollywood (http://members.aol.com/hsauertieg/movies/frank.htm)

Background Information

The original novel was called Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus. Mary Wollstonecraft Shelly first wrote it in 1816, and published it two years later. The daughter of Mary Wollstonecraft, one of history’s first woman’s rights activists, was herself a free thinker, who married poet Percy Shelly. As the story goes, Mary and Percy were entertaining friends by sharing scary gothic tales, and they all decided to see which of them could write the best horror tale. Lord Byron went to work on a lost vampire tale, but it was Frankenstein, inspired by a dream Mary had that night became a classic of English literature. Screenplay credit went to John Balderstone, who authored quite a few melodramatic plays. It is Balderstone who is probably responsible for the old-fashioned, stagy look of the interior scenes.

Questions to Consider While Viewing the Film

These questions serve several functions. Some are intended to help the student focus on the film, to point out nuances and encourage awareness, thus helping students become better “readers” of motion pictures. Other questions are for group discussion, to encourage children to interpret the motives of characters in the film, perhaps to discover ideas and values relevant to their own lives. Any discussion question could serve as a suitable subject for a writing assignment. Many in-depth questions have been provided for your convenience. Do your best. You do not have to answer them all. Videotapes and DVD’s are easy to pause and back up, so do not hesitate to replay key scenes for discussion.

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1. What are the two great mysteries of creation? 2. What is there about the graveyard that adds to the feeling of terror in the film? 3. What is wrong with the body being hanged? 4. What mistake does Fritz make when he steals a brain from Dr. Waldman’s anatomy class? 5. What do you think of the picture of Victor on the piano when Elizabeth talks to Victor? Do you think a lot of women would be attracted to it? Why or why not? 6. What is implied in Victor’s reaction to Elizabeth’s words, in the very stagy scene in the conservatory? (The film was adapted from a rather old-fashioned stage play. Elizabeth and Victor get all the background information out to the audience like a French maid on the telephone in the opening scene of a badly written melodrama.) 7. What demands forced Henry to leave the medical institute? 8. How does Henry plan to get enough electricity for his project? 9. Describe the elements of Expressionism in the craggy tower where Henry has built his secret laboratory? 10. What does Henry’s face look like when he says, “We’ll see if I’m crazy or not?” 11. When Henry sees the creature is alive, he cries, “It's alive, it's moving, it's alive, it's alive, it's alive, it's alive, it's alive! Oh - in the name of God. Now I know what it--” at which point we see an obvious cut. According to critic Tim Dirks, the censors cut out, "feels like to be God." DISCUSSION QUESTION: Why do you think the censors cut out that line? Do you agree with the censorship? Why or why not? 12. How does Henry react when Dr. Waldman tells him he has given his creature a criminal brain? 13. Why do you suppose the director had the monster enter the room backwards? 14. DISCUSSION QUESTION: The creature, in the original novel, could talk normally. Why did they make him mute in the film? 15. Why does the creature kill Fritz? 16. What does Dr. Waldman plan to do after Henry leaves with his father? 17. Why does the creature throw Maria into the water? 18. Before the wedding, we see Elizabeth in her bedroom, looking very much like Fay Wray waiting for King Kong in her hotel room. What happens to Elizabeth? 19. They chase the creature through tortured, craggy rocks, which have that same Expressionist look. Finally, the creature meets Dr. Frankenstein and knocks him down. Why doesn’t the creature kill him? 20. Why didn’t the fall kill Henry? 21. Did you like the ending? Why or why not?

Answers to Questions

1. Life and death. 2. Lighting and shadow, a crooked cross and fences, gnarly tree limb, a statue of the Grim Reaper, all things from the popular German Expressionism in art.

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3. The neck is broken, so they need another brain. 4. He drops the good brain, so he has to steal the abnormal one. 5. Answers may vary, but the picture is certainly Gothic looking. 6. Victor is in love with her. 7. He wanted to have more fresh bodies to work on. 8. He’s got a kite up there to catch a lightning bolt. (EXTRA CREDIT QUESTION: What famous American used a kite to prove that lightning carried electricity?) 9. Huge shadows, the weird stairway, beams, rock walls, etc. 10. With that lighting, he looks completely insane. 11. Answers will vary. 12. He dismisses it, saying, “Oh well, it’s only a piece of dead tissue.” Like a hero in Greek Tragedy, Dr. Frankenstein has committed HUBRIS (thinking he can outsmart Fate and the Gods.) According to Aristotle, this should lead to his downfall. 13. It’s just a way to make our first sight of him very dramatic. 14. Answers will vary. 15. Fritz has been tormenting him with a whip and with fire. DISCUSSION: Is the creature really evil, or something to be pitied? 16. Dissect his head. 17. The flowers are beautiful in the water; he thinks Maria will be beautiful as well. He doesn’t mean to hurt her. (Students of literature should consider reading John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men. Like the creature, Lenny causes a young woman’s death not because of evil in his nature, but because of his physical handicap.) Unlike in the original book, the creature just scares her and leaves. 18. He has no time. The mob is too close. 19. The windmill blade broke his fall. EXTRA CREDIT: Name another literary character who was defeated by a windmill. 20. According to Robert Osbourne, of Turner Classic Films, Frankenstein was originally shown to preview audiences with two different endings, the one you saw and another in which Dr. Frankenstein is killed by the creature. Audiences voted for the happy ending.

Applications

Once, the primary function of American schools was to teach us to read The Bible. Then, as more media became available and the world got smaller, we learned to read other books, to work with other subjects, but always with this in mind: all knowledge originates with the printed word. Today, the world is smaller yet. We are bombarded with media. Today, we must learn how to read more than the printed word. We must learn how to read films. The lessons we can learn from them can be as enriching and fulfilling as those we learn from books.

1. If you are interested in Science, you might go to Electricity and Magnetism and learn of some of the things Henry and Benjamin Franklin experimented with.

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2. Henry Frankenstein asks Dr. Waldman, “Have you never wanted to do anything that was dangerous? Where should we be if nobody tried to find out what lies beyond? Have you never wanted to look beyond the clouds and the stars or to know what causes the trees to bud and what changes the darkness into light? But if you talk like that, people call you crazy. But if I could discover just one of these things, what eternity is, for example, I wouldn't care if they did think I was crazy!” How about you? Have you ever dreamed of any of the things Dr. Frankenstein talks about? Write an essay about a dream of your own and explain why you would like “to find out what lies beyond.” 3. Mary Shelly’s subtitle is The Modern Prometheus. Who was Prometheus? Look him up in a book on Greek Mythology or the Internet. Draw a Venn diagram comparing Adam, Frankenstein’s creature, to Prometheus, and decide if that was really a good title. 4. Is the creature really an evil monster, or are people terrified of him because he looks scary? How many times have we judged people by their looks, only to find out our initial impression of them was wrong? Discuss this in class or write a short character study of a person you once misjudged.

Follow-up Activities

1. Draw a sketch of your own, with techniques of expressionism you’ve learned from this lesson. 2. The scene where the creature throws little Maria into the lake was deleted by Hollywood censors in 1931. It was only restored a few years ago. It was thought to be to shocking for an audience. Do you agree with the censor? Did the film really need to include that scene? Are the current MPAA ratings good to have? Discuss these issues with your class. 3. Have the same contest with your classmates that Mary Shelly did with her friends. Who can write the scariest story? Post your stories on the bulletin board and have the class vote for the winner. 4. Read the original novel, and compare it to this film. 5. Frankenstein spawned many sequels, the first of which, Bride of Frankenstein, is considered by many to be better than the original. f you are interested in expressionism, Son of Frankenstein is the most expressionist of them all. Watch some of these sequels and see how the character of the creature changes. Share your conclusions with your class.

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