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Frankenstein

Screening on Film
Directed by James Whale.
With Colin Clive, Mae Clarke, John Boles.
US, 1931, 35mm, black & white, 71 min.
Print source: HFA

A mad scientist creates a living monster from corpses in one of the most celebrated and imitated horror films of all time. Boris Karloff is utterly fascinating as the monster who experiences the basic stages of human development, childlike in his initial fascination with a world that turns with hostility against him. In the original version, Dr. Frankenstein boldly declares, "Now, I know what it is like to be God!" but American censors exercised ultimate power demanding that the dialogue be removed.

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Rosine Mbakam, 2025 McMillan-Stewart Fellow