Carl Lemmle presents Karloff in Bride of Frankenstein . . . "Suggested by" Shelley--not Mrs. S but Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley this time
The Monster's Mate . . . ?
Woman servant walks dogs out of room
Byron, Shelley, and Shelley--Byron wants to imagine God sending lightning at him (England's greatest sinner) or applauding Shelley's poetry
Byron astonished that giggling Mary wrote the chilling tale--“You know how lightning alarms me”
"The publishers did not see that my purpose was to write a moral lesson"--punishment of mortal man who dared to emulate God
Byron recalls the story of the first film as if recalling MWS novel, over montage of the first films, from the opening churchyard sequence to Frank thrown from the top
Mary pricks herself, then "That wasn't the end at all." Byron: "Open up your pits of hell."
Cut to mob at the bottom of collapsing windmill. Woman: "That's the best fire I saw in all my life." Other woman crying. "You'd better cross yourself quick . . . before he gets you."
Burgomaster sends everyone home--"Monster, indeed."--takes credit for stopping creature, makes clear that he's a pompous fool—he says he doesn’t want rioting, which clearly isn’t happening
"Poor Mr. Henry" appears dead. (Writing out the end of the previous film?) Woman asks Hans to go home; he wants to see for himself. Wife--Maria has a mother!--begs him to stop, but Hans goes forward and falls into water. Creature drowns him. Wife goes and offers hand to creature, who throws her comically into the pit. Owl looks on again. Then comes out to woman, who contorts herself and runs away.
To Elizabeth, villagers unable to say what has happened. Funny woman runs wildly in. "It's alive! The monster!" Man calls her fool, and she washes her hands of it--"Let them all be murdered in their beds." She speaks with heavy, working-class British accent.
Frank laid on table with big shadows on wall. Eliz: "I was foretold of this. I was told beware of my wedding night." H wakes up--local woman: "He's alive!"
Church bells, Eliz goes to Henry. "Forget? If only I could forget! . . . Perhaps death is sacred, and I profaned it." But then he gets caught up in the power of his creation again--wants "the secret of eternal life" He’s still clearly in love with earlier dream. He thinks maybe God does intend him to know. Elizabeth says this is wicked and blasphemous and the stuff of the devil. E says that a strange apparition keeps appearing when he talks of science, keeps coming for Henry. She loses her cool and starts to faint. (Remember man telling poor woman he doesn’t believe in ghosts.)
Knocking at door. Funny woman (Minnie) answers. "Tell him that Dr. Pretorius is here on a secret matter of grave importance." She says "secret grave matter" instead to Frank. Frank and Elizabeth have been cheek to cheek for a loooong time.
Frank is now Baron Frankenstein. Pretorious has been "booted out for knowing too much" at the university. Henry sends E out of the room. "We must work together" says P. P says "It is you, really, who are responsible for all those murders." "You and I have gone too far to stop." "You must see my creation." "I also have created life, as we say, in God's own image." They set off.
They go into the lab. "I would like to drink to our partnership. You like gin? It is my only weakness. To a new world of gods and monsters." Jazzy music in background with gin.
P brings in coffin-like box. "Science, like love, has her little surprises." Jars: Little queen stands up and curtseys. King madly in love with her--looks like Henry VIII. Next one was so disapproving that they made him an archbishop. Then the "Very devil." P puts king back. Ballerina only dances to Mendelssohn. Then a mermaid.
"But this isn't science. It's more like black magic." "You think I'm mad. Perhaps I am." He has grown the creatures from seed, like nature. Frank refuses collaboration: "follow the lead of nature, or God, if you like your Bible stories." “Male and female he created he them.” "Create a race, a man-made race." "Now, together, we will create his mate." Romantic overtones--ironically, given the content. "Yes, a woman. That should be really interesting." Blackout.
Creature to water, with injured arm. Sees reflection and blots it out. Woman screams at him and falls into water. She screams, men shoot him in the arm. One man sends other to burgomaster.
Crowd starts to form in town--"Lock the women indoors, and wait for me." “Monster indeed! I’ll show him.”
Creature running through woods ahead of mob with hounds. Up to peak of rocks. Burgomaster trying to get control; Minnie wants blood. They tie him up and raise him on pole. Flops into wagon. Almost crucifixion-like. They put him in jail, in constraining chair, hammering irons into place. Burgomaster: "We can't take all day over this." Minnie: "I'd hate to find that under the bed at night." Burg: "Monster, indeed. Tush, Tush." Creature loose. They shoot, but no dice. He escapes and knocks guards over. Burg outside taking credit. Creature runs through town. "Frieda" missing from family.
Gut to family around fire--the father not afraid, mother thinks they should leave. Creature smells food. Tries to ask but they scream. He puts hand in fire and gets burned. Turns to hear violin music. (Think of ballerina and reaction.) Creature sighs.
Blind man goes to door to see who's there. Starts playing again. Creature goes in and old man welcomes him, wearing religious style hermit garb. He figures out the injury, calls him "friend," invites him in. As if dancing. Church music (Ave Maria) on organ in background: "Can you not speak?" "If you understand what I'm saying, put your hand on my shoulder." He: "I have prayed many times for God to send me a friend." Creature eats greedily. Man puts him to bed. "Our father, I thank thee, that in thy great mercy . . . thou have brought two of thy lonely children together." They both weep.
Morning: "And now, for our lesson. Remember, this is bread. And this is wine. To Drink. We are friends, you and I. And now, for a smoke. No, no, this is good." Creature digs it. "Lone bad. Friend good." Wood for the fire. "No, no, fire is good." "There is good, and there is bad." Creature gives him violin. Cheery jig. Creature shakes pipe.
Hunters come. "Friend? This is the fiend!" Fire starts to engulf the cottage. Creature goes out, yelling "Friend." Children see him and scream and run.
Creature goes back to original cemetery. Knocks over a grave statue. Goes into vault and says "friend" to dead woman. Pretorious comes in with two other men. "Red the inscription." "Madelina Ernestine, beloved daughter of" "Nevermind that. How old was she?" nineteen--the age of MWS. "Pretty little thing in her way, wasn't she?" "I hope her bones are firm"--Pretorious doesn't get beauty. He stays to have a snack. The murderers say they don't want to do it anymore. Pretorious laughs at skull, eats and drinks, "I give you the monster." Creature enters. "Oh. I thought I was alone. Good evening." "Smoke? Friend?" Creature eats meat. P gives him drink. "You make man like me?" "No. Woman. Friend for you." "Yes. I want friend. Like me." P sees that creature will be useful. Do you know who Frank is? “Yes. Made me from dead. I love dead. Hate living.”
Minnie announces P again. He walks in around her. P congratulates Elizabeth (“Baroness”) on marriage. She tells him he's unwelcome. She’s wearing fur. "I have created by my method a perfect human brain, already living, but dormant." Frank refuses. "I thought you might need another assistant. Perhaps he can persuade you." "Sit down"--echo of last movie. P says "Now!" to creature as he leaves. Creature looks into E dressing to go. More fur. Minnie: "I don't like leaving you alone." She does. Noise. "Is that you, Henry?" Creature takes her away. Minnie hysterical. Frank: “This is Pretorious’s doing!” "I assure you that the baroness will be safely returned, if you leave everything to me"--but must give "what he demands."
They go to the old tower on the hill to start work. "It is interesting to think, Henry, that once upon a time we would have been burnt as wizards at the stake" Henry: "This is only a simulacrum of life." P: “The human heart is more complex than any other part of the body.” "This heart is useless. I must have another." Karl: "What we need is a female victim of sudden death." He says he's been promised 1000 pounds." Karl ambushes a woman, and the heart works. "Henry starts to suspect wrongdoing, but he's losing it. "I can work better alone." Creature comes in, wakes him up. "Work." P gives creature drink to get rid of him. Drugs it. Falls on bed. Henry thinks E is dead. "In a few moments from now, she will speak to you through this electrical machine." She speaks from forest phone. Tympany heartbeat accompanies it, then carries over into the storm scene. Brain is "artificially developed."
"The kites. Are the kites ready?" They send them up. Ludwig is other servant. Creation process involves sexual images of fire falling through a series of hoops. Creature throws guy off the top of the roof, but nobody cares. Creature using torch as Fritz did in the first one. Alternating tympani mark the creation.
Eyes "She's alive! Alive!" They stand her up. Angular figure. Violin music. She moves better than the first one.
The famous head of hair. P: "The bride of Frankenstein." Music flourish, including bells. She moves jerkily. Creature comes in. "Friend?" He reaches out. She screams and looks back at Henry. H sets her down. Creature sits next to her, touches hand, smiles. She screams again. "She hate me."
"Look out! The leever!" Elizabeth comes. "Yes! go! You live! Go! You stay! We belong dead." Pulls leever to kill self, P, bride. Building crumbles.
Henry and Elizabeth caress. "Darling, darling."