With the US release of Blumhouse’s THE INVISIBLE MAN this week, we’re going to take a look at films with characters that are hard to see. For this is…
It’s hard to put into words why it is I love 1933’s THE INVISIBLE MAN. Of Universal’s original monster movies, most folks tend to site BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN as their favorite. Both films are directed by the original horror master, James Whale. And while I do like that one—a lot—there’s just something about THE INVISIBLE MAN that makes it that much more special for me. I revisited the film prior to writing this piece because I wanted to try and pin down exactly what it was that makes me adore it so. What I discovered, or rediscovered really, was that it comes down to the fact that everything about the movie is just batshit crazy.
Very briefly, for the couple of people out there who haven’t seen THE INVISIBLE MAN, it’s based on H.G. Wells’ 1897 novel of the same name. In the film, Dr. Jack Griffin (Claude Rains) has turned himself invisible and is desperately trying to come up with a formula to be able to change back, all the while being on the run. He takes refuge in a pub and there the mayhem (and the body count) begins.
And what a body count it is. It’s not the one or two deaths we usually see in these movies, no siree! And, not only is the number of people murdered high, I’m not sure I know another Universal monster that takes as much glee murdering people as the Invisible Man does. This is one of the reasons I love the movie so. Dr. Griffin takes perverse pleasure in not only the killing, but also straight up fucking with people while doing so. He gets tossed out of the pub he’d been staying in, so he runs through the high street knocking over people on bikes, tossing people around—he even knocks over a baby carriage! With a baby in it!
At one point, he returns to the pub, kills a cop, and then when he’s being hunted down by police and volunteer searchers alike, he throws a couple of men off a cliff, laughing like a maniac all the while. Dr. Griffin’s most egregious act, though, happens when he decides to derail a train. The first time I saw this movie, I thought it was a freight train, but as the train goes off a cliff, you hear the faint screams of the passengers on board. This movie has a body count in the hundreds!
The performances in the film are definitely another reason why I adore THE INVISIBLE MAN. Claude Rains as Dr. Griffin…what an extraordinary performance. He’s an absolute madman in the role. Yes, it is completely over the top. Rains is absolutely devouring scenery throughout the picture and it’s a delight to watch. His laughter when he kills someone is the textbook definition of “maniacal.” You don’t even see Rains until the very end of the film. Most of the time, his face is covered with bandages. I can’t image anyone other than Rains in this role. Another person with an amazing performance is Una O’Connor as Mrs. Hall, the pub owner. Her brusque screeching manner is nearly as manic as Dr. Griffin’s. O’Conner worked with Whale again on BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN where she plays the same type of character. She’s a treat, that’s for sure.
James Whale was such a great director and his work on THE INVISIBLE MAN is first rate. There was a tracking shot at one point where I actually said “Whoa!” while watching it last night. You don’t generally see camera moves like that in these older films. Also, Whale had to deal with a ton of special effects in this one, from making Rains invisible to creating the acts of chaos of Dr. Griffin, without seeing him doing them.
Sure, I can see the strings on floating things and people but that doesn’t matter, it just adds to the charm. Let me say here lest you think I was just as insane as Dr. Griffin, while I love this movie to death, I absolutely recognize that BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN is Whale’s masterpiece for Universal and that it is the better film.
As I stated at the start of this piece, it was difficult for me to put into words why I love THE INVISIBLE MAN. A terrible problem to have for someone who is supposed to write about movies, I know. I can’t be the only one who has movies they love but find it hard to explain to people why they have the love for it. Generally, it’s not always movies considered to be the best. Really, they are usually movies that aren’t even thought of as great. For me, these movies give me a good feeling. There is a sense of joy in watching them. I guess some might consider that a “comfort film.” So, am I really so strange for thinking of THE INVISIBLE MAN in that way?
Don’t answer that.
Tags: Claude Rains, Gloria Stuart, H.G. Wells, James Whale, The Invisible Man, Una O'Connor, Universal Horror, Universal Monsters
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