First draft of analysis of presentation of the Gothic in Frankenstein 1931

The presentation of the Gothic is very noticeable in the 1931 interpretation of Frankenstein. The first Gothic feature which we are introduced to is intensity and intimidation which is presented to us straight away when we are told by a male who appears on what seems like a theatrical stage, that we should fear what we are about to see. This sense of fear creates intensity with the viewer and this is a common Gothic theme which is identifiable amongst texts. This intensity continues to escalate as the next setting is a grave yard, where a funeral is taking place. Immediately this has connotation to death and loss. Also the ideas of religion as often funerals are religious occasions. For this reason in the first minutes of the film the presentation of Gothic ideas is very prominent as these ideas can be identified and associated with the Gothic.

In this instance we are also in some ways introduced to a sense of vertigo as we feel a sense of understanding and involvement in the Gothic features but at this point we do not know the means of why these features are presented to us, creating a sense of the unknown which we generally fear. This introduction is a very interesting feature used to present a Gothic idea of suspending your disbelief. This is because it links the audience in the real world to something which they can connect with in the film, which allows them to submerge themselves in the film completely.

After this initial setting of the funeral we then begin to get more depth into the situation, this is where two males dig up the body of the person just buried. This creates an extremely unnatural and disturbing situation. As a grave should be left undisturbed, this unnatural situation is further heightened by the spoken intentions of the two males using the body for other purposes. This idea is largely associated with some Gothic texts such as Frankenstein where unnatural beasts or situations are created. Also the idea of corruption is introduced here which could be seen as a Gothic theme which is common due to the use of monsters of beasts which have been formed from other parts as well as corruption of the law and common human behaviour.

A contrasting way in which the Gothic is presented other than the use of themes and character, is the use of architecture which is a common association to Gothic presentation as there are many famous buildings which are considered like this as they show complex detail and abstract appearances. This can be seen in 1931 Frankenstein where we are introduced to the setting where the monster is created. This setting appears to be a large tower or castle which is darkened and very detailed; it looks old and abandoned which further links to my earlier point about the use of the unknown and unnatural as it would be unlikely for most people to use that space. The idea of the tower creates this sense of isolation and heightened mystery as we are introduced to the idea of exile and the isolation from the real world of characters often presented as Gothic.

Presentation of setting in Frankenstein 1931

Our first encounter of a setting in this film is what appears to be a theatre stage in black and white. We are greeted politely by a male character, who speaks directly to the audience breaking the fourth wall. Almost intimidating the audience to fear the film before it has started. This use of setting is very influential as it contrasts and connects the fiction of the film and the use of a theatre connects this to the real world giving us the ability to suspend our disbelief and trust someone who has forewarned us of the events to come.

After this the most influential use of setting i found was the use of light and dark to create unnerving or dangerous settings. with darkness being something which connotates to death and danger this effects our own emotions toward the film, as we expect to fear something due to the dark setting. The introduction of setting following the theatrical beginning. Is the use of a grave yard where we see many statues and other symbols of both death and religion. this is something that we identified as a class to be related to Gothic texts and this is certainly present in this interpretation of Frankenstein.

For me another very notable feature of setting used in this interpretation is the use of setting to create an interpretation as toward the blame of what caused the monster. In this case setting is seen as responsible, that nature has caused this phenomenal monster as it was created by the striking of electricity which is part of natural science. This is interesting as it may link to the time in which it was made when science was becoming a more important factor of lives.