Rewatching: Freaks (1932)

Directed by Tod Browning
Starring Wallace Ford, Leila Hyams and Olga Baclanova
Produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Director Tod Browning made 62 movies in 24 years.  Sadly, of all those films, he's only really remembered for two.  The first, Dracula, we covered in our 1931 retrospective.

Freaks is the other and it is not just one of my favorite films of the period.  It's one of my favorite films. Period.

The plot revolves around a circus side show.  The "freaks" include Hans and Frieda, two midgets that are dating; Daisy and Violet, conjoined twins with one married to a circus clown; and The Human Torso, a limbless man who can light a cigarette without help. There are others, but you get the picture.


The main plot kicks into gear when Cleopatra, a human trapeze artist, learns that Hans is heir to a great fortune.  From there, she plots with the show's strongman Hercules to woo and marry Hans, kill him and make off with the fortune.

There is so much to love about Freaks. There's always a risk of Browning exploiting the sideshow characters who were actual performers with a variety of maladies and abnormalities.  The film never goes there.  It treats the actors with respect.

The script smartly sets the action right in the middle of the world of the circus.  There's no new performer who has to have everything explained.  We are simply dropped into the lives of performers and expected to keep up.

A lot of the performers get subplots or moments.  We get a terrific sense of what life is like in a world where performers have no legs, women have beards and two bickering sisters literally cannot get away from each other. 

The film has long had a reputation as a "horror" film which a sentiment any fair reading would immediately dismiss.  It's a melodrama set in a unique world.  The horror elements, to the extent there here at all, exist solely in the last ten minutes of the film.  And even then, I don't think it ever becomes terrifying or grotesque.  Suspenseful?  Definitely.

 Freaks is about the easiest recommend in the world to me.  I've loved this movie since I saw it years ago.  Sadly, it was despised in its time and ultimately ended Browning's career.  It's a real shame because all Freaks shows is just how ahead of his time he was.

***** out of ***** 

NOTE: The turning point in the film is a wedding feast with Cleopatra becoming inducted into the world of the side show performers. The "freaks" pass around a cup that they each drink from and chant "Gobble gobble - one of us - we accept her." If you've ever wondered where the Simpsons' writers got "one of us" from, look no further.
 

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Rewatching Dracula (1931)

Directed by Tod Browning

Starring Bela Lugosi, Helen Chandler and David Manners

Produced by Universal Pictures

Dracula is a bit of a puzzle. 

It's a film everyone thinks they have seen, but have you really? 

For me, it had been well over ten years since I last watched it, so I was anxious to revisit it when 1931 rolled around. 

What struck me most is just how hazy my memory was of the film. Bela Lugosi's Dracula has been reduced over the last 70 years to a guy in a cape who can't pronounce the letter 'w.' 

But Lugosi has a lot more than that going on. He never really goes big or chews the scenery. He's not some over-powered supernatural being. He must rely on cunning and stealth to achieve his bloody goals. 

Lugosi is perfect in switching between the traveling aristocrat and the mind-controlling vampire. You realize watching it today that his accent is functional; its a disarming shield that intrigues his potential victims. 

The other element that struck me this time was the production design. I had remembered moments, but scene by scene, shot by shot, this film is beautiful to watch. The count's Transylvanian castle. Mina's bedroom. Dracula crypt. And of course, that vast, neverending stone stair where Renfield meets his demise. 

As with any film, there are problems as well, especially with the pacing. We often smash cut from one scene to another and have little idea where we are or with whom. The movie eventually catches you up, but its disorienting (and not in a positive way). 

And Dracula just ends. Abruptly. You're waiting for the next line or scene and instead you fade to the ending credit. 

Besides Lugosi, the rest of the actors are blank slates, which works for purposes of the movie. After all, if everyone is merely food to you, how many distinct character traits would you notice? 

The only regrettably notable exception to this is Dwight Frye as Renfield. I dislike the tendency to go ridiculously over the top with the character, which is a tradition that finds its start right here. Tom Waits remains my favorite on screen iteration of the character. 

Dracula holds a well-earned spot in the pantheon of monster movies. Anchored by Lugosi's pitch perfect performance and Browning's arresting visuals, it remains a timeless classic. Definite must see.

****1/2 out of *****

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The Unknown (1927)

Directed by Tod Browning
Starring Lon Chaney, Joan Crawford and Norman Kerry
Produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

The circus comes to town with all of the standard acts. Horses fly around the ring. The strong man impresses with feats of strength. And the ringmaster keeps the show moving along.

There is one very unique act. A rotating plank is brought to the center of the tent. At one end, the beautiful Nanon stands. At the other, Alonzo sits with a gun and knives. Alonzo takes aim with the gun and, after pulling the trigger twice, Nanon's gown falls to the floor. Then, the knives fly and bury themselves in the board around the scantily clad woman, narrowly missing her. The crowd goes wild.

Not impressed?

What if I told you Alonzo had no arms?

Yes, the circus sharpshooter is accomplishing all of these feats with his feet.

We learn Alonzo is in love with Nanon. For her part, the girl likes Alonzo, but she's settling for him. Nanon has spent her life being pawed by man after man due to her beauty and now is repulsed by the notion of being touched. A guy without arms is a convenient way around her bizarre phobia.

That doesn't stop Malabar, the circus strong man, from making passes at Nanon at every opportunity. Unfortunately, he doesn't know about Nanon's fear and is constantly grabbing her arms. She recoils in terror.

Alonzo has a secret of his own. When he undresses, we find two perfectly usable arms bound tightly to his body. He's a criminal on the run from police and has a disfigurement that is easily identifiable: two thumbs on his left hand. The armless circus performer gives him the perfect cover.

Alonzo's love for Nanon is complicating things. If she even hugs him, his secret may get out. Mix in a nosy circus owner and Alonzo seems to be living on borrowed time.

Just how far will Alonzo go to protect his secret? And what will he do if Nanon overcomes her phobia and falls for another man?

So here is my recipe for awesome soup:

• Start with a base of Tod Browning, director of Dracula and Freaks
• Stir in Lon Chaney and bring to a boil
• Top with a pinch of early Joan Crawford
• Serve

This film is pure fun with a ridiculous plot that seems plausible thanks in large part to a brilliant lead performance from Chaney as Alonzo. Part of the joy is seeing how the character uses his feet convincingly throughout. The character's feet become hands, holding cigarettes and forks and absentmindedly stroking his chin when he is thinking.

More than that however, Chaney's face gives us everything we need to know about what the character is thinking. The performance is so controlled in many ways, but any hint of restraint restraint is more like a wild tiger on a leash. Even when he casually smiles, you can see the utter disgust floating in his eyes. This is easily one of the best performances of the 1920s.

Joan Crawford shines in an early role as Nanon. She is saddled with a ridiculous phobia of men's hands, but her performance sells it.

Browning's approach with the camera is straightforward and static, but with Chaney in the lead, it's the right approach. Camera moves would distract from the constantly changing landscape of his lead actor's face.

The Unknown is short at less than an hour, but paced like a great episode of The Twilight Zone. To say anymore is to spoil the tale's fun twists. Sometimes you just need to scratch a genre itch. The Unknown is a perfect remedy.

***** out of *****

NOTE: A word of warning: there are a lot of reviews that ruin the most fun parts of this one. Definitely recommend going in cold.

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