{"id":75653,"date":"2023-10-25T14:26:32","date_gmt":"2023-10-25T19:26:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?p=75653"},"modified":"2023-10-25T14:26:34","modified_gmt":"2023-10-25T19:26:34","slug":"have-you-seen-the-invisible-man-1933","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?p=75653","title":{"rendered":"Have you seen&#8230;&#8217;The Invisible Man&#8217; (1933)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>By JOHN BILLINGER<\/strong><br><em>Tiger Media Network<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cKing Kong\u201d isn\u2019t the only special effects landmark celebrating its 90th anniversary. \u201cThe Invisible Man\u201d, directed by James Whale with special effects by John P. Fulton is one of the best films of its kind from back in the day, and we\u2019re going to give it\u2019s well deserved due.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe Invisible Man\u201d is about a scientist named Jack Griffin who creates a formula that can turn himself invisible. Two problems arise with this discovery, however. One, he can\u2019t find a way to turn back. Two, one of the ingredients he used is a drug that slowly turns the user insane. As Griffin progresses through the film, he goes from an intelligent and respected scientist to an egotistical, murderous madman who must be stopped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"The Invisible Man (1933) - I&#039;ll Show You Who I Am Scene (1\/10) | Movieclips\" width=\"790\" height=\"444\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/KXMOURHEMpY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>This film is a part of the Universal Monsters canon which debatably began in 1931 with \u201cDracula\u201d and debatably ended in the 1950s with the Creature From The Black Lagoon\u201d movies. Based on the 1897 book by H.G. Wells, when \u201cThe Invisible Man\u201d entered production in 1931 almost none of the early drafts bore any resemblance to the novel. The studio was only interested in using Wells\u2019 name for publicity purposes but since Wells had script approval, the final script had to adapt his novel at least somewhat faithfully. By the time it was ready to be filmed, James Whale (fresh off \u201cFrankenstein\u201d and \u201cThe Old Dark House) was attached as the director, but two things of almost equal importance still needed to be decided.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>First, who was going to be the Invisible Man? They wanted someone with a unique voice to play the character, and they had a few options. Boris Karloff (the actor who played the Monster in \u201cFrankenstein\u201d and the titular character in 1932\u2019s \u201cThe Mummy\u201d) was considered but ultimately didn\u2019t work out. Colin Clive (who played Dr. Frankenstein) was also considered but also didn\u2019t work out. In the end, just as James Whale did the casting for the Monster in \u201cFrankenstein,\u201d he cast a complete unknown for this high-profile role.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"255\" height=\"197\" data-attachment-id=\"75655\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?attachment_id=75655\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/jameswhale.jpg?fit=255%2C197&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"255,197\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"jameswhale\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;On the left is actor Claude Rains. On the right is director James Whale.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/jameswhale.jpg?fit=255%2C197&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/jameswhale.jpg?fit=255%2C197&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/jameswhale.jpg?resize=255%2C197\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-75655\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/jameswhale.jpg?w=255&amp;ssl=1 255w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/jameswhale.jpg?resize=150%2C116&amp;ssl=1 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 255px) 100vw, 255px\" \/><figcaption><strong>On the left is actor Claude Rains. On the right is director James Whale. <\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Claude Rains was a British stage and theater actor who had never acted in a feature film other than a silent film from a full decade before. That lack of experience in film didn\u2019t matter at all to Whale. What Rains had was a very unique and identifiable voice that was perfectly suited to the character. This film ended up launching Rains\u2019 Hollywood career, leading him to star in other iconic roles in films such as \u201cMr. Smith Goes To Washington\u201d and \u201cCasablanca,\u201d occasionally returning to the Universal Horror films in such projects as \u201cThe Wolf Man\u201d and the 1943 color remake of \u201cPhantom of the Opera.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The second thing that had to be decided was how to do the effects. For scenes where the title character had no clothes on, that would be simple enough to convey. Have the visible actors act out the scene as if he were there, dub over his voice, and use wires when he\u2019s picking up stuff. Simple enough, but how about scenes where he\u2019s taking elements of these clothes off exposing his invisibility? Enter Hollywood effects man John P. Fulton.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"501\" height=\"346\" data-attachment-id=\"75658\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?attachment_id=75658\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/4-shots-1.jpg?fit=501%2C346&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"501,346\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"4 shots 1\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;This mirror scene required four separate shots. One of the character\u2019s back, a front shot of the character, the room itself, and the reflection background.&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/4-shots-1.jpg?fit=370%2C256&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/4-shots-1.jpg?fit=501%2C346&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/4-shots-1.jpg?resize=501%2C346\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-75658\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/4-shots-1.jpg?w=501&amp;ssl=1 501w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/4-shots-1.jpg?resize=370%2C256&amp;ssl=1 370w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/4-shots-1.jpg?resize=150%2C104&amp;ssl=1 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 501px) 100vw, 501px\" \/><figcaption><strong>This mirror scene required four separate shots. One of the character\u2019s back, a front shot of the character, the room itself, and the reflection background. <\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Fulton\u2019s solution was pretty much the precursor to the modern-day green screen. What they would do when filming the taking off the clothes scenes, was have the actor wear black velvet, have him put on his character\u2019s clothes, film him taking off said clothes in front of a black velvet background, and superimpose him on the background of the scene. It was a painstaking process that required tons of work and ingenuity but paid off. Sure, by modern standards not all shots hold up, but still it\u2019s incredible how they were able to do it all and they deserve to be admired for all the hard work that was put into them. Sadly, there was no Academy Award for Best Effects in 1933, but if there had it would\u2019ve surely been a close match between this and \u201cKing Kong.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The rest of the film is also pretty great. Most of the cast members are good for the most part. Claude Rains is excellent, and two members of the cast have had pretty iconic roles in other films. The character Dr. Cranley was played by Henry Travers, best known as Clarence the Angel in \u201cIt\u2019s a Wonderful Life.\u201d Dr. Cranley\u2019s daughter is played by Gloria Holden, best known as Old Rose in \u201cTitanic.\u201d The rest of the cast is fine for the most part, but Una O\u2019Connor\u2019s maid character is pretty annoying, and the acting for some of the cops is a bit off. Though for an early sound film, the latter might be a bit expected since some actors hadn\u2019t become adjusted to acting in sound films yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The film moves along at a quick pace. It\u2019s only 70 minutes and it doesn\u2019t waste any time. It moves right along and gives you all that you want. One peculiar thing that I noticed watching this film is the musical score. Most early sound films of 1927-1933 don\u2019t really have much of a score, and this film is no exception for the most part, except for the beginning and end. The opening credits have a score (which was customary back then) but in the last ten minutes, suddenly there\u2019s a score to go along with the movie. It\u2019s odd. It\u2019s almost as if James Whale was like, \u201cOh yeah, this film should have music\u201d and just pressed the music button or something. Regardless, I don\u2019t really think the lack of music is really a problem. It moves along so fast anyway, I don\u2019t really mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One last thing to note is that weirdly the film is actually kind of funny. There\u2019s a lot of dark humor at play, which is very much the style of director James Whale. Plenty of other examples of his humor can be found in his other films such as \u201cThe Old Dark House\u201d and \u201cThe Bride of Frankenstein.\u201d Early on when the Invisible Man is doing crazy stuff you sort of laugh with, at least until he goes too far. Then, you realize that there\u2019s no going back and he must be stopped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"790\" height=\"444\" data-attachment-id=\"75656\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?attachment_id=75656\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/invisiblevshitler.jpg?fit=1280%2C720&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1280,720\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"invisiblevshitler\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/invisiblevshitler.jpg?fit=370%2C208&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/invisiblevshitler.jpg?fit=790%2C444&amp;ssl=1\" data-id=\"75656\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/invisiblevshitler.jpg?resize=790%2C444\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-75656\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/invisiblevshitler.jpg?w=1280&amp;ssl=1 1280w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/invisiblevshitler.jpg?resize=370%2C208&amp;ssl=1 370w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/invisiblevshitler.jpg?resize=1024%2C576&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/invisiblevshitler.jpg?resize=150%2C84&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/invisiblevshitler.jpg?resize=768%2C432&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 790px) 100vw, 790px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"790\" height=\"491\" data-attachment-id=\"75659\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?attachment_id=75659\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/ABBOTT-AND-COSTELLO-MEET-THE-INVISIBLE-MAN-web1520-1.jpg?fit=1520%2C945&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"1520,945\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"ABBOTT-AND-COSTELLO-MEET-THE-INVISIBLE-MAN-web1520 (1)\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/ABBOTT-AND-COSTELLO-MEET-THE-INVISIBLE-MAN-web1520-1.jpg?fit=370%2C230&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/ABBOTT-AND-COSTELLO-MEET-THE-INVISIBLE-MAN-web1520-1.jpg?fit=790%2C491&amp;ssl=1\" data-id=\"75659\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/ABBOTT-AND-COSTELLO-MEET-THE-INVISIBLE-MAN-web1520-1.jpg?resize=790%2C491\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-75659\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/ABBOTT-AND-COSTELLO-MEET-THE-INVISIBLE-MAN-web1520-1.jpg?w=1520&amp;ssl=1 1520w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/ABBOTT-AND-COSTELLO-MEET-THE-INVISIBLE-MAN-web1520-1.jpg?resize=370%2C230&amp;ssl=1 370w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/ABBOTT-AND-COSTELLO-MEET-THE-INVISIBLE-MAN-web1520-1.jpg?resize=1024%2C637&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/ABBOTT-AND-COSTELLO-MEET-THE-INVISIBLE-MAN-web1520-1.jpg?resize=150%2C93&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/ABBOTT-AND-COSTELLO-MEET-THE-INVISIBLE-MAN-web1520-1.jpg?resize=768%2C477&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 790px) 100vw, 790px\" \/><\/figure>\n<figcaption class=\"blocks-gallery-caption\"><strong><em>In the further sequels, the Invisible Man went up against adversaries such as the Nazis and Abbott and Costello.<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Naturally, the film was a huge success when it was released in November of 1933, and like all the Universal Monsters it had its fair share of sequels. The only one that I would seriously recommend is the first sequel, 1940\u2019s \u201cThe Invisible Man Returns.\u201d That one featured effects that built off the original (and earned an Oscar nomination) and featured Vincent Price (as the titular character) in one of his early roles. The rest of the sequels after that one mostly disregard continuity and decline in quality going forward. The original also received a remake in 2020 that was also well received, and while that one did do a good job updating the original, I personally prefer the former. I guess I\u2019m just a man of the classics.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Overall, \u201cThe Invisible Man\u201d is one of the best films in the Universal Monsters&#8217; film canon. If you\u2019re looking for a good introduction to classic monster movies, this would be a pretty good one to start with. And for anyone else, it\u2019s probably still a good time. Provided that you can find a way to see it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>Side Note<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Invisible Man has the highest kill count of any of the classic monsters. During the course of the 70-minute film, he killed at least 104 people. Yikes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>John Billinger is in the Informatics department at FHSU. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-white-color has-text-color has-background\" style=\"background-color:#f6f6f6\"><em>He is currently working on his own invisibility formula.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By JOHN BILLINGERTiger Media Network \u201cKing Kong\u201d isn\u2019t the only special effects landmark celebrating its 90th anniversary. \u201cThe Invisible Man\u201d, directed by James Whale with&hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":153,"featured_media":75657,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-75653","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/tigermedianet.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/invisiblemanposter.jpg?fit=400%2C300&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75653","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/153"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=75653"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75653\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":75660,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75653\/revisions\/75660"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/75657"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=75653"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=75653"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=75653"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}