We’re looking at yet another Universal Monster film. We’ve already talked about the heavies like Dracula and Frankenstein, it only made sense to continue my look into the other monsters. While this one isn’t as macabre and grotesque as the other brethren, the character Griffin is an interesting one since he has some level of humanity. Albeit a crazed one I might add. Lastly, this is the first H.G. Wells adaptation that I’m covering.
1. Griffin
Right at the gate, this is probably the only instance where we don’t see how exactly the main character becomes invisible. This is slight departure from Frankenstein where there isn’t any buildup to where we see the scientist go mad and become slightly transparent. With that, we follow Griffin as he enters a tavern to try and find a cure. He is bothered by the constant interruptions and the tenders call the police.
The famous scene is the main highlight. I’ll talk about in a while how they managed to make Jack invisible. Just that moment where he removes the bandages, and the glasses is utterly classic. Seeing everybody so scared and confused since there’s a man that’s invisible with a shirt on. Aside from Claude Rains who plays Griffin, actress Una O’Conner has that distinct shriek that’s bird like. Some may call it overacting, I call it apropos for the time.
This film basically highlights that the invisibility has driven Griffin’s mind into insanity. It’s explained that the concoction to make invisibility drives animals to go mad. But there’s that touch where his love is his only anchor into the remaining humanity he has left. He’s not just insane for the sake of being insane. Just massive grandeur of delusion where he wants to cause chaos to those around him.
The other characters do a good job. The duo of Drs. Kemp and Cranley try to find the papers that make Griffin unseeable. We see that they want to help Jack, especially Cranley’s daughter Flora. While we don’t see the romance prior to the start of the movie, Flora believes that he can be helped. Not knowing just how far-gone Griffin is within the story.
The film has moments of horror, just the fact that Griffin plays tricks and hassles the villagers almost makes the film become a comedy. His moments are comedic even though in the context of the movie is that no one knows where he is and just how he can easily outmaneuver the local police. I think one could make an argument that at a superficial level, it’s one of the first comedic horror film.
2. Technology
The special effects in the movie is the main highlight. Just the fact that we are nearing the film’s 90th anniversary is such a sight to see. As I mentioned earlier, when Griffin removes his bandages and the accessories that make him look “normal” is the one of the signature moments within the Universal Monster series. So how they did it was just a series of camera tricks and fabrics. The director had Claude Rains dressed in black fabric and was filmed in a mostly black set.
To have the effect look real, the shots of Rains in black was spliced with other footage when the tavern regulars and police arrive. Just those methods that were used showed just the ingenuity the filmmakers had. We’re so used to computers doing mostly everything, but something as close to this is such a lost art where I wish more filmmakers could try as either a homage or just experimentation. To make the other objects react with what Griffin is doing, wires were used to pull the cigarettes among other items.
3. Legacy
On a technical level, the film was massively game changing. It was Universal’s highest grossing movie back in 1933 and most critically lauded with the special effects and the cast. There were sequels, but they didn’t connect to the original movie. It varied from comedy to World War 2 propaganda since Claude Rains was already an established actor at the time. I think his other most famous role was when he appeared alongside Humphrey Bogart in the Award-winning classic Casablanca.
Just recently, Universal attempted to do a horror cinematic universe to rival the success with Disney’s Marvel Cinematic Universe. While all attempts where ended after Tom Cruise’s The Mummy, The Invisible Man was supposed to be one of the follow-ups with Johnny Depp attached. Years later, the film was retooled with Elizabeth Moss as the main star. Seeing snippets of it, the film has a domestic abuse angle with the abuser using a suit instead of drugs to make himself invisible. It’s been hailed as a great adaptation and one of the best horror films so far in the 2020s.
4. Overall
The Invisible Man is a technical achievement in filmmaking and one of the crowing jewels in Universal’s Classic Monsters.
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