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DIRECTOR: James Whale |
RELEASE DATE: November 13, 1933 |
RATING (US): NR |
CAST: Claude Rains, Gloria Stuart, William Harrigan et al. |
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You should see this movie, even if the main character can't be seen.
If there's one thing that persists in Hollywood as much as its early days as it is today, it's the film adaptations of popular books. Today's story is based on the mad genius H.G. Wells' very own The Invisible Man.
Our story opens with a man in heavy bandages making his way into some lodging on a blustery winter's evening, demanding a private room and some quiet peace. As time goes on, it's clear something is up with this strange man, as he keeps to himself entirely and has increasingly violent episodes of anger. Upon receiving a notice of eviction, the strange man hurls the innkeeper down a flight of stairs, causing the townspeople to get the police to arrest the violent man. Frustrated with this continued pestering, the man decides to reveal himself for what he is: completely transparent. The man then begins to cause havoc and mischief, and is "seen" to be slipping further and further into madness. We later find that this man was once an assistant to a great scientist who wanted to make a great scientific finding so that he could feel worthy of marrying his love, which is the daughter of the scientist. This resulted in him finding a drug that, when applied for a good deal of time, will render the user completely invisible. But the drug has a side-effect, making the user insane. As time goes on, the people of the country band together in great man-hunts for him as he commits more murder and mayhem. Will he ever be caught? You can watch and find out.
You can't arrest me! I'm completely in-no-seen! [Boos from audience.]
The special effects of the film are quite good for a movie from the 1930s, showing the invisible man unwrap himself from his bandages, and the film crew knew they had gold with that because they made sure to show each scene in detail when he strips and sometimes clothes himself. The acting is pretty top-notch, and the pacing of the story is enough to keep you interested the whole way through. Fans of classic films should not miss the chance to give this a viewing.
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