:33:02
Elspeth played the octopus,
not the imperative,
:33:05
and her transformation
as the grandmother from hell
:33:07
was an unsung high point
of '30s horror movies.
:33:30
In a sequence inspired by Shelley's novel,
:33:32
the monster finds refuge
with a blind hermit.
:33:35
Whale had shut the picture down
February 19th to March 2nd, 1935,
:33:39
waiting for OP Heggie
to finish a picture at RKO Radio Pictures.
:33:44
Whale was on dangerous ground here -
with the censor and the audience.
:33:48
One false step, and this
delicately charged material
:33:51
could explode
into maudlin sentimentality,
:33:53
ecclesiastical heresies
or baggy-pants burlesque.
:33:56
The integrity of this performance
from Heggie was crucial,
:34:00
or we would have had Mel Brooks
45 years ahead of schedule.
:34:03
The hermit is a saintly figure, aged,
bearded, possessed of inner sight,
:34:08
deliberately wardrobed
to suggest a New Testament figure.
:34:29
Breen had cautioned Whale that his script
contained references to Dr Frankenstein
:34:34
that "compare him to God,
:34:36
and which compare his creation of
the monster to God's creation of man."
:34:40
"All such references
should be eliminated."
:34:43
Craftily, Whale and Hurlbut
retained these as shooting drew nearer.
:34:47
Three weeks before production,
Whale helpfully reminded Breen
:34:50
of his oversight
in his last communication:
:34:52
"There are points about God, entrails,
:34:55
immortality and mermaids,
which you did not bring up again,
:34:58
and I am very anxious to have the script
meet with your approval in every detail."