James Whale's Frankenstein

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Paradoxically, the creation does not result in progress but manages to destroy more than what it was made from, in turn, causing more conflict and damage. Whale’s cynical view towards the war was especially exposed in “Bride of Frankenstein” which was made three years after Hitler came into authority. The technology used within this film was beyond its time as was the gender reversal and concept of re-animation after death. This could symbolize the people’s resistance to evolve and improve. The community and people who make it such are also part of the symbolic battlefield that is Dr. Frankenstein’s laboratory. It is in this community of regression that the re-born creature is thrust into and immediately rejected. Similarly the returning wounded soldier is not taken in by the community; rather he is shunned and unwelcomed as if he has been de-humanized by the war. The people of the community do not see the soldier as “re-born”, they see him more as an abnormality that was supposed to die in the war. Although many in the community claimed they would rather see dead heroes happy in their afterlife they were often rejected when they returned home. This war that was referred to as “the war to end all wars” produced more hardship for populations. It was at this time that the re-birth from death of the creature undermined the meaning of death and obligation of those who had sacrificed all for their country. In the film “J’accuse” by Abel Gance the town folk flee from the “reborn” soldiers. They are not at all excited or grateful to see their deceased war heroes one last time. The villagers know that they have not shown appreciation for the soldiers sacrifices. They have been living petty civilian lives, taking advantage of soldiers’ bu...

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...rth was a combination of traumas that he had witnessed during his exposure to warfare in the trenches. This theme is exemplified throughout “Frankenstein” by suturing the sufferings of both World War One and the Great Depression. The creature and the villagers suffer equal destitutions of despair and desolation while the upper class citizens uphold their status within a fragmented economy. The wealthy members of society believed their control extended over all of mankind and its view on creation. James Whales’ concentration on the villagers and creature alike substantiate that the “re-animation” of the dead into a new and improved life generated the notion of normality and an absence of collective advancement. The traditions and status quo remained the unchanged throughout World War One, the Great Depression, and both Whales’ and Shelleys’ version of “Frankenstein”.

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