So last night I watched this classic Universal horror thriller. Interestingly, the dvd was rated '12' which suggests the BBFC thinks the film still has the power to shock.
There tend to be two types of classic Universal horror pictures (and I suppose classics in general). Those that have dated well (Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein) and those that haven't (Dracula). Thankfully, The Invisible Man is in the former category and none of the subsequent variations on the story have dulled the appeal of the original.
The film is dripping with atmosphere, superbly directed by Brit James Whale who had made such an impression two years earlier with Frankenstein. Famed for his use of large sets (which occasionally look a little sparse here), Whale was a master at creating tension from an atmosphere of foreboding. The film grips you from the snowswept opening and doesn't let go for the whole of its brisk 73 minute running time.
The film is set in England and of course, this is Hollywood's England, complete with a not-quite-right dartboard in the pub named "The Lion's Head" (a pun on the Red Lion and the King's Head?). Whale had a great flair for casting minor roles and populates the film with a host of wonderful characters that firmly establish the location and make this the funniest horror movie you'll ever see. From the innkeeper's declaration that "he's all eaten away" to the baffled policeman who asks "what's all this then?", the film is peppered with great actors in small roles making the most of writer RC Sheriff's wonderful dialogue.
Claude Rains stars as the invisible one of the title, covered in bandages following a scientific experiment gone wrong. Having only his voice to register his performance, Rains is mesmirising in his film debut, managing to imbue even the simplest line with a real sense of menace. The combination of Rains' gravelly tones and the endlessly quotable dialogue leads to one great scene after another ("An invisible man can rule the world. No one will see him come, no one will see him go. He can rob and rape and kill!").
In support, William Harrigan is excellent as Dr Kemp, a colleague of Dr Griffin (aka The Invisible Man) who is terrified by the change to his former friend. Gloria Stuart (as the daughter of another colleague) gives one of those mannered thirties film performances that looks very dated now, supplying the requisite romantic angle that is one of the few deviations from H.G. Wells' original novel.
The effects work is excellent for a film of this age and although some of the invisibility gags are fairly obvious (doors closing, objects moving, a bicycle riding off by itself), others remain impressive to this day. The Invisible Man's first removal of his bandages is still a powerful moment and the sight of his shirt running around the room is one of the most memorable in the film.
For all its dramatic effects-driven action, it is the quieter moments that stay with you. None more so than when Rains is gently moving back and forth on a rocking chair, contemplating how he can make the most of his new power ("We'll begin with a reign of terror. A few murders here and there. Murders of big men, murders of little men. Just to show we make no distinction").
On the negative side, Una O'Connor's screeching performance as the wife of the innkeeper has its fans but most people will find it irritating in the extreme. And if the film seems to lose a little focus whenever Gloria Stuart and Henry Travers (as her father) appear, this is easily forgivable.
Both funny and thrilling by turns, this is a genuinely great film and one of the classics of cinema that can be enjoyed by modern audiences just as much as it was when it was originally released almost 80 years ago.
HoganMonkey rates The Invisible Man 9 out of 10 on the banana scale.
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