The Invisible Man (1933)

     Before Heath Ledger's Joker, there was Claude Rains' Invisible Man.  That is the thought that runs through my mind every time the subject of this movie comes up.  Rains is about as maniacal and off the rails as one is going to find back in 1933, and he is perfect at it.  And to think that we almost got Karloff or Clive in this role.  I find the prospect of Colin Clive as The Invisible Man particularly interesting, but it was not to be.  The role went to Claude Rains and he ran with it.  Director James Whale took quite a chance hiring the unknown Rains, but it paid off in a big way.

 

     Now, I do also find this movie to have a bit of silliness to it but I believe those moments to be largely on purpose.  When the policeman and his two buddies chase the shirt around the chair, was it really necessary?  Una O'Connor's over exaggerated screams?   I suppose some people find those moments to simply add to the finished film but I found them to be a bit too Mel Brooks in a pre-Mel Brooks world.  I'm sure that in this movie, it was easy to take things over the top.  The scene where Rains skips down the road, singing in nothing but a pair of pants could have easily pushed itself too far as well, but it didn't.  I think it was very important for Whale to find the correct balance for this movie, and for the most part he did.

     The special effects of The Invisible Man hold up really well.  Especially if you are fortunate enough to view the Blu-Ray version of it.  When I first saw this movie, I expected a lot more visible wire work and cheap parlor tricks.  Boy was I wrong.  The effects are outstanding and not nearly as dated as one might think.

     Still, the real attraction of this movie is in Claude Rains' performance as Dr. Griffin, a scientist that has managed to turn himself invisible but can't seem to find the privacy or time he requires to turn himself back.   And this invisibility comes with a price.  His mind.  The longer Dr. Griffin remains in this invisible state, the more egocentric and power mad he becomes.   Before too long, Dr. Griffin's motives become less about curing himself and more about causing chaos.  De-rail a train?  Sure.  Kill a policeman by bashing him in the head to prove you exist?  Why not?  And that's just what Dr. Griffin does to people that he doesn't hold a grudge against.  Just ask his lab partner Dr. Kemp.  Oh wait, we can't.  Poor Kemp.  Then again, he was a filthy sneaky rat coward wasn't he?

     Part of me wishes that Gloria Stuart's character of Flora was in that car that went over the cliff.  I just found her to be a bit whiney and over dramatic, even for a 1933 film.  Still, there was way more to love about this movie than to nitpick about, and it's become one of my favorite Universal Monster films.

                                                              GRADE: A-