Mutiny on the Bounty

   And this week's Friday night movie has been... Mutiny on the Bounty!

Original image located here. Accessed 19th January 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 8 (1935)

This film is an interesting case in Oscar history. It was nominated for eight awards but only won one (need I say which one?). Also it had three entrants into the Best Actor category which led to the foundation of the 'Best Supporting Actor/Actress' categories. 

In recent years people have come put forth the theory of 'Oscar Bait': By fulfilling a particular set of criteria, success is guaranteed. And this could well be the earliest example of such a practice: Grandiose setting? Check. Historical piece (accuracy be damned!)? Check. Big name actors? Check. Presence of previous Oscar winners? Check. Exotic locales? Check. Plot involving rising up against an unjust authority? Check.

Cynicism aside however it would seem that time has been kind to this movie. It was a rollicking adventure film and was fun to watch. But the MVP is still Charles Laughton, commanding the screen every time he appears and proving he was truly born to play villains (how he never got the Oscar for Best Actor, I'll never know).

The Bride of Frankenstein

And this week's Friday night movie has been... The Bride of Frankenstein!

Original image located here. Accessed 23rd October 2020

Last year, in October, i watched the original Frankenstein. So it is fitting that I would see the sequel this year.

Seeing as the Monster, and it's sympathetic portrayal at the hands of Boris Karloff, was such a selling point in the previous movie, it would make sense for it to be expanded upon in the sequel. As such, the monster gets to speak, learn some basic concepts and undergoes a quest for companionship and acceptance - all with the pathos that powered the engine of the previous movie.
In fact much of the movie is shining example of doing a sequel: It takes the original and expands it. What is shown here is a combination of the familiar and the new - which is a trickier balancing act than one would think. The use of humour is a bit strange and threatens to derail the film but once again, it's the atmosphere, the use of horror and the monster itself that makes this movie work.

 As for the Bride herself, she is a remarkable creation: The mummified body, the freaky hair, the bird-like movements and the ear-piercing shriek. And what is most astonishing is that she makes an impact even with the most limited of screen-time.