SHOWN AS IT WAS MADE

Evening Star, Issue 21147, 6 July 1932, Page 5

SHOWN AS IT WAS MADE

FEW 11 GUTS " IN ‘ FRANKENSTEIN *

The editing of ‘ Frankenstein,’ the "shocker” booked for the Regent Theatre on Friday, was no mean task. It was somewhat akin to riding a bucking broncho or bidding for a slam with only three aces in your hand. The trick was to see how much an audience would stand. According to several previews, they will stand a lot of the strong meat and monster food of which ‘ Frankenstein ’ was made.

Last year Carl Laemmle, juu., flew ill the face of Providence, as it were, and made 1 Dracula.’ Every other company had rejected it because they didn’t believe that a horror picture could possibly succeed. ‘ Dracula ’ was frankly and thoroughly a horror picture. But it shattered box office records and stood the industry on its astounded head. Such a success as ‘ Dracula ’ proved could result in but one tiling—a story that would go it one better. The Universal story department went into a “ huddle,” and

‘ Frankenstein,’ the remarkable story' of a man who created a soulless monster bit by' bit from graveyards, dissecting room, and gibbets, was the result. As a story, it had much more romance and much more suspense than ‘ Dracula ’ had, and thes.e are elements which are highly desirable in any moving picture. Janies Whale directed it and chose his cast with care and discernment. Despite the fitness of the fine cast be chose, a tremendous amount of the interest of ‘ Frankenstein ’ centres in the role of the monster. The final choice of it fell upon Boris Karloff. The make-up devised for Karloff is an amazing and forbidden thing. Every precaution has been taken to keep the make-up an absolute secret. '

When Karloff discarded for the last time his arduous and frightful make-up the company was disbanded, ana ‘ Frankenstein ’ went into the hands of the film-cutters. As they cut they tried out various combinations oh various people around the studio. In a few days the. picture, though overlength, was in continuity form and ready to be shown. It was taken further away from Hollywood than any other local preview of recent years. To the amazement of the film cutters, this unsuspecting audience watched the tale which had been used for one hundred years to frighten naughty children into obedience and to thrill the imagination of their elders, without rising up en masse and slaughtering the operator. The film-cut?ers thought they had too much for any audience to endure. They got a new insight into the capacity of the amusement public for thrills. This audience “ ate it up.” Two more previews were required before the amazed film editors were satisfied that they dared leave the picture as Whale had made it.