Directed by:
James WhaleCinematography:
Arthur EdesonCast:
Claude Rains, Gloria Stuart, William Harrigan, Henry Travers, Una O'Connor, Forrester Harvey, Holmes Herbert, E.E. Clive, Dudley Digges, Merle Tottenham (more)Plots(1)
The signature adaptation of H.G. Wells’ The Invisible Man stars Claude Rains as a mysterious scientist who discovers a serum that makes him invisible. Covered by bandages and dark glasses, the scientist arrives at a small English village and attempts to hide his amazing discovery. He soon realises, however, that the same drug which renders him invisible is slowly driving him insane and capable of committing unspeakable acts of terror. Directed by James Whale, the horror classic features groundbreaking special effects by John P. Fulton that inspired many of the techniques that are still used today. (Universal Pictures UK)
(more)Reviews (6)
One would expect that the protagonist would spend the first hour coming up with an invisibility serum and that the drama would come after he drinks it in the last half hour. However, the screenplay by R.C. Sherriff draws us into the drama of the scientist’s efforts to rid himself of invisibility in the initial seconds of the film and it is so packed with ideas and exciting scenes that it could fit in with contemporary genre productions. With great actors and incredibly good effects for its time, The Invisible Man is a treat for connoisseurs.
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I put this one on more as an obligation and due to a feeling that I should also watch old genre classics, but I must say that there was no reason to avoid this old movie. It’s short, fun and with a lot of historical value. At times, it’s very naive (if they had straight up skewered him with the pitchfork in the barn, they would have spared themselves a lot of trouble :-D), but that’s something you can also see in much newer movies. So, I’m satisfied and very surprised that I had so much fun.
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The special effects are still worthy of admiration, but there is so much more to the film. Whale knew how to give his "terrifying outcasts" an aura of uniqueness. It's true of Frankenstein, it's true of the invisible man... Isn't it a frightening thought to have a faceless figure standing behind you?
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"The whole world's my hiding place!" The Invisible Man has the bad luck the Universal produced better movies during its golden monster era, although none of them achieved such technological advances (it is interesting that this was the same year as the original King Kong was released, perhaps making 1933 a fundamental year in terms of special effects). Griffin’s movie adventures about the (dis)advantages of being invisible are greatly entertaining with a murderous pace (even in today’s terms) and Whale’s unfathomable weakness for the squawky Uno O’Connor. But in places we find Whale piling up effect on effect, forgetting a little about the movie itself. In this respect, he was unfortunately way ahead of his time.
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A dark sci-fi story with revolutionary effects that, like the virtually ubiquitous suspense, are still impressive. I remember how long and how much the very last shot of the film used to haunt me, and I'm actually not surprised.
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It's a treat for historians and film enthusiasts alike, packed from top to bottom with great ideas that, combined with the severely limited technology of the time, inspire genuine wonder. The protagonist's behaviour was hard to like and the actions of the law enforcers often made me chuckle, so I didn't have much to cheer for, but with its narrative drive and straightforwardness, the film immediately won me over and is completely out of line with the sleep-inducing science fiction films of the time, starting with Frankenstein, also by Whale. A great leap forward in the genre.
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