Now in video essay format: https://youtu.be/DyC62HTQ3Yg
The homoerotic subtext of the creation of Frankenstein’s monster is apparent and lasting, even to audiences watching James Whale’s Frankenstein (1931) in the modern day. The implications of two men living in a secluded castle with the purpose of creating life without a woman would not be lost on viewers at the time of the film’s release either; homosexual subtext was often used to implicate something being unnatural or evil. However, what James Whale’s film suggests is that its monster is not inherently evil. The life these men, Dr. Frankenstein and Fritz, create is not flawed because of some kind of destiny, but rather flawed because of the “abnormal” brain used during its creation. Frankenstein’s monster could have been a mentally stable man (he would still be assembled from stolen corpses, but surely the townspeople could look past that if he were eloquent). By the end of the film, the monster has been chased down and trapped by the townspeople and Frankenstein is free to resume his heteronormative life in peace. But then: a sequel! Bride of Frankenstein (1935) again throws Dr. Henry Frankenstein’s life into homosexual turmoil, but in different ways, with much different implications of who is in the right and how heteronormativity becomes the villain.
When looking to homosexual readings of Bride of Frankenstein, the most visibly and latently homosexual element is the character of Dr. Pretorius, played with wonderful camp humor by Ernest Thesiger. “Turn off the sound and watch Dr. Praetorius [sic] try to tempt Henry Frankenstein to his side while, at the same time, sneering with contempt at Henry’s bride-to-be” (Blodgett, 9). The goal of Dr. Pretorius is, at most, blatant homosexual seduction and, at least, “male envy of the power of woman to bring life forth and a male fantasy that he should be able to do the same” (Blodgett, 9). Dr. Pretorius, more verbose and scientific than the previous film’s Fritz, serves as an equal to Henry, able to seduce him with knowledge and outwit him with blackmail. In this sense, their relationship is more easily read as homosexual; they are on equal terms to serve each other. “Not only is Pretorius a homosexual according to the film’s logic (it is Pretorious who enters Frankenstein’s bridal chambers and steals him away from Elizabeth), but also in terms of the characterization... His line readings frequently verge on double entendre, as when he tells Henry ‘I had hoped that we might together probe into the mysteries of life and death.’” (Benshoff, 50). Ultimately, their relationship bears fruit in the form of the titular bride.
The scientific relationship is not the only homosexual relationship to succeed in the film. The monster himself has two such relationships with men; Dr. Pretorius and the hermit both serve as friends and mentors for the monster. The hermit endows him with an ability to express himself through speech, all while praising him and expressing his desire to have them take care of each other. Dr. Pretorius serves the monster by being the first to listen to him while knowing exactly what he is. While a viewer may interpret the hermit as only accepting the monster because he cannot see him for an abomination, Pretorius is interested in the monster specifically because of the monster’s unnatural life and birth. Pretorius also instills a desire for love in the monster’s life and tells the monster of the plan to craft him a bride. It seems, at first, that this relationship may serve against the film’s homosexual reading. However, the film’s treatment of heterosexual relationships only adds to the bigger picture of complex, homosexual themes.
In Bride of Frankenstein, heterosexual relationships are frequently interrupted, unfulfilled, and destructive. While Henry Frankenstein and Dr. Pretorius create new life in the name of science, Henry’s relationship with his wife can only continue once Pretorius has been killed. Doctor Pretorius and the monster have quite an intellectual relationship on their own, but the creation of a bride results in their disappointment and death. In the monster’s final, sympathetic moments, he tells Henry and Elizabeth to leave, desiring them to live. The monster has been aware of how people treat him, and his one chance to be loved in a heteronormative way has been completely ruined by the bride’s repulsion. Much like how American society of the 1930s might be interpreted by a gay man, the monster sees no place for himself in the world. He opts to bring destruction down upon himself and Dr. Pretorius, proclaiming that they “belong dead”, the implication being that they are somehow linked. Henry and Elizabeth escape, able to once again resume their life together, but it is a pyrrhic victory. Henry’s creation finally had a chance at life with the ability to express himself, which surely would have been a personal victory for Henry. However, Henry must now put all of his scientific work behind him.
Bride of Frankenstein adds upon the homosexual themes present in Frankenstein while also pulling them in a new direction, more easily readable as sympathetic towards these relationships. This is what makes the film a fantastic and artistically successful sequel; surpassing the original in subtextual and textual evidence of a sympathetic monster (a core tenant of Universal’s horror films) and Henry’s relationship to his monster of science. If Frankenstein suggests that two men can be successful in creating life, Bride of Frankenstein confirms that all it would take would be the rest of the world accepting it.
Works Cited:
Benshoff, Harry M. Monsters in the Closet: Homosexuality and the Horor Film. Manchester University Press, 1997.
Blodgett, Jayne, et al. The Frankenstein Film Sourcebook. Greenwood Publishing Group, 2001.
Whale, James, director. Frankenstein. Universal Pictures, 1931.
Whale, James, director. Bride of Frankenstein. Universal Pictures, 1935.