Rounding out the four significant films that were completely ignored for nominations with two genre films of mixed quality. As mentioned, because of the number of films, I’ve decided to split this category into two posts. If you want more information on what my goals are check-out my Purpose & Format page.
The Invisible Man (1933) – *No nominations*
Based on H.G. Wells’ 1897 novel of the same name, adapted for the screen by R. C. Sherriff, directed by James Whale, and starring Claude Rains and Gloria Stuart, The Invisible Man (1933) tells the story of Dr. Jack Griffin (Rains) a chemist who after much experimentation has discovered the secret to making a person invisible. Overcome with the power of his discovery, Griffin flees to the countryside where, in his invisible state, he torments a local village before making his way to the home of his friend and colleague Dr. Kemp (William Harrigan). When Griffin’s fiancée (Stuart) and her father, Griffin’s employer Dr. Cranley (Henry Travers), discover that one of the substances used in the invisible serum is monocane, a dangerous drug that has been documented to induce madness in experiments in Germany, the two begin a frantic search for Griffin in the hopes of catching him before the drug can take hold. However, Griffin, now fully embracing his identity as the “invisible man” has other, more dangerous, plans.
I was SO disappointed with this movie; it never found its footing either in terms of the story or even what type of movie it wanted to be. There were moments that were just so silly that it was distracting; the constantly screaming bar owner (Una O’Connor) and the dancing pajamas are some of the highlights, but also, in general, the “mayhem” that the invisible man enacted, such as knocking over bikes, was not nearly serious enough (until the end) to warrant the reactions that the townspeople were giving.
Some of the moments with Dr. Kemp showed what was genuinely terrifying about the overall concept, but these were not enough to pull me into the story by this point. Additionally, the whole sub-plot with his fiancée felt thrown in out of necessity to get a pretty actress in the movie (but shout out to a young old Rose!)
The one bright spot in this film was the advancing and streamlining in the form of special effects. While the ideas behind how the invisible illusion was achieved were not innovative (just watch literally anything from Georges Méliès and you’ll see these ideas in use), the standardization of how these could be created opened up the use of them in movies for a larger portion of the studios and the film industry as a whole. Overall, this movie never fully felt like it got its feet under it and I was left feeling completely unsatisfied with the story.
King Kong (1933) – *No nominations*
Written by James Creelman and Ruth Rose (based on a story idea by Edgard Wallace and Merian C. Cooper), directed by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack, and starring Fay Wray, Robert Armstrong. and Bruce Cabot, King Kong (1933) tells the story of Carl Denham (Armstrong) a filmmaker renowned for his use of exotic and dangerous locations. After convincing Ann Darrow (Wray) a young woman down of her luck to join his film as the female lead, the crew set off for a mysterious location known only to Denham: Skull Island. Aboard the ship, Ann and first mate John Driscoll (Cabot) quickly fall in love, with Driscoll growing increasingly concerned for Ann’s safety as the dangers of Denham’s plan begin revealing themselves. When the crew arrives on the mysterious Skull Island they interrupt a tribal ritual, which they understand to involve the sacrifice of a young woman as the “bride of Kong,” taking place in front of a giant stone wall. When the tribe’s leader notices Ann he offers to trade several of his women for her, who he refers to as a “golden woman,” but the crew refuses and quickly returns to the ship. Undeterred, several tribesmen sneak onto the ship later that evening and kidnap Ann, believing her to be a perfect offering for the mysterious Kong. When the crew discovers Ann is missing they set out on a rescue mission that will bring them face-to-face with creatures they have never imagined and set-off a series of events that will have lasting and far-reaching consequences.
I was incredibly excited to watch this movie as it is one that I have heard a lot about, but that I’ve only seen very limited clips of and never really felt that I had an accurate picture of (for example, I always associated this with the monster movies of the 1950s, rather than the early days of film) and thankfully, for the most part, I was not disappointed. The first 40 or so minutes were surprisingly some of the strongest I’ve seen so far; the intentional building of anticipation and curiosity in the viewer was done with a skill that seemed far beyond the films of the time. It engaged the viewer in the experience and the adventure and I can only imagine how it exciting it was for an audience in 1933.
I’m still not sure how I was supposed to feel about Kong, but whether or not it was intentional, I felt sorry for him. I know I’m putting too much onto a 1930s monster movie, but in many ways this serves as a cautionary tale on the constant interference of humans and modern society/curiosity/Western expansion on nature.
Kong’s death at the end of the film, after being forcibly brought from his natural home to the very unnatural city, where he predictably escapes and causes death and destruction (i.e. acting as is his nature), seems to point toward some sort of ethical lesson at play, but Denham’s complete refusal to accept any responsibility in orchestrating the events that led to this, stating simply that “Oh no, it wasn’t the airplanes. It was beauty killed the beast” speaks more strongly to the film ultimately missing the point it seemed to be making. Denham and his crew interrupt an ancient ritual and in a single day destroy a society that has been in existence for hundreds, if not thousands, of years; how can he not be responsible for the destruction of New York City when the creature who destroys it was never even supposed to be in New York City?
This movie must also be acknowledged for the innovations in special effects and the essential creation and mainstreaming of the monster genre, and while much of the fighting and action sequences seem clunky and a bit overdone today, the importance of them in creating an entire genre of film cannot be underrepresented. Overall though, I can understand why this film was not nominated as it was just a bit too odd to really easily contend with more traditional films.
Current Ranking for 32/33 Films:
- M
- King Kong
- Duck Soup
- The Invisible Man
Meghan's Oscar Odyssey 