If I mention Frankenstein to you odds are one of two cinematic scenes popped into your head.  Either you though of the monster itself – and than very likely the monster as created by Boris Karloff and Jack Pierce, or you thought of the creations scenes abuzz with electrical apparatus and a tremendous thunderstorm outside. Of course both of those images come from Universal’s 1931 Frankenstein directed by James Whale.

It is curious that a film produced over 80 years ago should still have such an outsized impact on public consciousness, particularly considering that so many other interpretations of the story have been made in the interim. Why do these other films, some made by extremely talented filmmakers fade from mind and this one stick so readily? Continue reading →