Stephanie Chuang

Jennifer Bean

CMS 272

14 April 2021

Formal Exercise 1

When it comes to James Whale’s Bride of Frankenstein, the director makes several

deliberate choices that properly convey the sheer fear that comes with bringing to life the Bride

of Frankenstein. Some of these include choices in lighting, set design, shot length, and camera

angle. In this harrowing sequence, the lighting and set design work together cohesively to portray

an intensity and panic coded in the film’s use of electricity and the shot length and camera angle

invoke feelings of unease and claustrophobia as we as an audience are brought into proximity of

the subject by the camera. These choices all allude to the power dynamic in one of the central

themes of the film, man vs. god.

In this forty second sequence of the film, we watch Dr. Frankenstein and Dr. Pretorious

try to electrocute the female corpse they have created in order to bring it to life. In line with this,

the set is full of lights, machines, currents, and coils that the camera takes turns focusing on.

There is clearly something greater than the two doctors at work here, as they are both surrounded

and outnumbered by the machines they are using. A singular machine or light might not have

been so intimidating for the two doctors and audience, but instead, the laboratory is flooded by

them. Hence, the two doctors are dealing with something that is seemingly beyond and bigger

than them. In terms of lighting, the sequence is full of high contrast lighting and rapid flashes

from the machines and lightning. This high contrast lighting emphasizes the startling nature of

the flashing lights, heightening our sense of unease and fear. The faces of Dr. Frankenstein and
Dr. Pretorious are also hollowed out by this contrast, giving them gaunt facial features that seem

distorted and less human. If the contrast had been softer, the scene would have appeared warmer

and less frightening. However, with Whale’s decisions regarding the lighting of this sequence, he

successfully heightens every sense of anxiety and instability that the audience should be feeling.

From a cinematography standpoint, Whale also makes several choices that play into the

man vs. god themes of the film. First of all, after Dr. Frankenstein enters the labs, nearly all of

the shots are close ups or extreme close ups. The audience’s view is restricted to only the lights,

machines, and facial expressions of both doctors. As a result, we have no reprieve from the chaos

that is happening on screen and are intimately familiar with both the commotion and the doctors’

anticipations and fears. If the scene had been shot from far away, it would have easily been less

discomforting from the audience as it’s less stressful to watch a dangerous situation from afar

rather than be immersed in it yourself. Similarly to the flashy lighting from earlier, these traits

agitate the scene and make it seem almost out of control of the two doctors. Secondly, the camera

angles Whale chooses to capture his subjects have their own effects as part of the sequence.

Whale frequently uses high angle shots to capture Dr. Frankenstein, which makes him seem

small in comparison to what’s happening around him. As a man who is essentially out of his

league playing a god-like figure, Whale captures Dr. Frankenstein’s true powerlessness. On the

other hand, Dr. Pretorious is usually shot from a low angle, which in turn makes him seem larger

than life; he is after all, the mastermind behind the Bride of Frankenstein, and Dr. Frankenstein is

merely his tool. However, Whale also employs the Dutch angle for Dr. Pretorious. Typically used

to denote mental instability, the Dutch angle colors the audience’s impression of Dr. Pretorious

here. He may be the mastermind, but he’s also a little mad; perhaps his dreams of playing god

have driven him a little insane.

 Through these elements of mise-en-scène and cinematography, Whale emphasizes his

thoughts on what Dr. Frankenstein and Dr. Pretorious are trying to do. Dr. Frankenstein and Dr.

Pretorious may be trying to play god, but Whale’s lighting, set design, shot length, and camera

angles give every indication that they shouldn’t be and that the Bride Frankenstein is above their

pay grade.