The Invisible Man (1933)

The Invisible Man, released in 1933, starring Claude Rains in his American film debut. Directed by James Whale, and based on the classic novel by H.G. Wells. The film was Universal Pictures most successful film since the release of Frankenstein. The Invisible Man is one of the classic Universal Monsters, though often times the lesser well remembered of the classics. The Invisible Man broke a lot of ground with the amazing special effects. The effects still stand up when viewed today, and it is easy to imagine how audiences in the theaters in 1933 might of amazed and shocked at the amazing effects. Like the effects of the Wolfman turning, were impressive, it is the Invisible Man that really stands out as particularly impressive, that they could make a man invisible and not just in a still shot like the Wolfman transition, but in full action. The effect was all done through film effects, and trick shooting (for example Claude Rains would wear a black felt suit in front of a black screen, and then the back ground filmed over it. Universal originally wasn't interested in making H.G. Wells' novel, but were interested in the name, and tagging H.G. Wells' name to the film. Thankfully after a lot of back and forth James Whale was able to get the studio to allow him to create Wells' story on film, and though there were a few differences it was a much better adaptation than some of the other films like Dracula or Frankenstein. Claude Rains was also not Universal's top choice, but with Whale's insistence he got Claude Rains who would become legendary for his role in this film (Claude Raines as the Invisible Man was mentioned in the song Science Fiction Double Feature in the film Rocky Horror Picture Show). The casting of the film was perfectly done, all of the characters were perfect for their roles. The film featured British stage actor Claude Raines as Jack Griffin (The Invisible Man), Gloria Stuart (famously remembered as the old Lady in Titanic) as his fiance Flora Cranley, as well as cameo appearances by Dwight Frye, John Carradine, and Walter Brennen. The actors were able to bring a humanity, and comedy to a sci-fi horror story. This film featured a lot more silly and comedic moments, sometimes just over the top silliness. The film always to me seemed like the more fun of the Universal Monsters. This film would launch a whole series of films based on the classic human monster brought to life by James Whale and H.G. Wells. Would I recommend this film. Yes, absolutely this is definitely another must see sci-fi horror classic. The Invisible Man might be the lesser marketed of the classic monsters, but he deserves his place right along the sides of Dracula, Frankenstein, Wolfman, and the Mummy. But if you get a chance to watch this beautiful classic, don't pass up that opportunity. Like most classic movies, I love when watching them to remember what it would have been like to be in the theater back in 1933 when this beautiful film was released. I love films from the pre-digital age, when all of the effects were done through practical cinematic magic, when horror was more of an art form based on alluding to horror rather than graphically showing the horror and gore.