Bride of Frankenstein (1/10) Movie CLIP - Pretorius Shows Henry His Experiment (1935) HD

[@TheaterRaven]

I watched this film for the first time the other night. Dr. Pretorius is, by far, the best part of the movie. He needed HIS OWN movie. He was cold, calculating, completely heartless, and, based on his mannerisms, was apparently made out of the delicious ham from which only 1930s movie villains could be made. And I love him so much!!!! :D

[@victorm152]

Didn’t they basically base Peter Cushing’s Dr. Frankenstein on him?

[@barneyronnie]

He would have liked you, too.

[@Partnerfrance]

WOW! How DID they do this back then before CGI? Remarkable!

[@Rickswars]

Same tech used for the fake earth photos and moon missions.

[@logantotman]

​@@Rickswars Bruh

[@enjoythyhorror]

In the 1930s!!!!! That’s pretty impressive for the time period. People didn’t even have TV in their homes. So this is like the pinnacle of 30s entertainment

[@jpsned]

They did plenty of remarkable stuff before CGI.

[@boiledcrap]

I love Frankenstein's expression during this scene. "I only dug up corpses, hacked them up, and sewed them together to make a man but you Pretorius, you're really fucked up!"

[@Angel-jh8dj]

you dont say fuuk you say firetruck

[@bezoticallyyours83]

Neither of them were in the right.

[@emilyl1785]

His facial expression when he says "I have to be very careful with the king." Kills me every time, lmao.

[@enjoythyhorror]

This movie has aged extremely well!!!

[@haydenysidro9388]

I'd be an insult to say it's aged it's like one those old people who still look great for their age because they exercise and eat healthy

[@betsyduane3461]

The man behind the film's special photographic effects was John P. Fulton, head of the special effects department at Universal Studios at the time. Fulton and David S. Horsely created the homunculi over the course of two days by shooting the actors in full-size jars against black velvet and aligning them with the perspective of the on-set jars. The foreground film plate was rotoscoped and matted onto the rear plate. Diminutive actor Billy Barty is briefly visible from the back in the finished film as a homunculus infant in a high chair, but Whale cut the infant's reveal before the film's release.

[@emily7103]

Gosh this movie is phenomenal. The best universal monster film IMO, and was decades ahead of it's time, considering the tone of humor this film has alongside the horror.

[@docmalthus]

Good old Pretorius. "Have a cigar/drink/corpse, they're my ONLY weakness!"

[@quentinambrose8226]

Oh my, how I love Ernest Thesiger...

[@pascaldjemaa2995]

me too

[@christiandenault7606]

@@pascaldjemaa2995 I need to watch him in his other films. The only movie I've seen him in (other than this one) was the 1951 version of A Christmas Carol with Alistair Sim, in which Thesiger played the undertaker.

[@MrEjidorie]

Special effects technology in 1935 is quite impressive and enjoyable.

[@axelnilsson5124]

My mom doesn’t know what she misses out on

[@kev3d]

Quite good effects for the time.

[@chriby28]

Have a good effect, they're my only weakness...

[@blackhawck70]

Dr. Pretorius resembles Bertrand Russell

[@Snapepet]

Thank you SO MUCH for posting this! I can't find my copy of the movie....and THIS is the part I've wanted to see all October! FASCINATING! This mesmerized me as a child...and still does. You have ended my aggarvation.

[@paulaharrisbaca4851]

Most monster movie fans know that this scene was edited to eliminate the toddler in the high chair. Of course, the film came out shortly after the controversial "Brave New World" was published, and the Catholic Legion of Decency was quite opposed to the ideas of test-tube babies. (as we all should be, really). In the last part of the clip, you can see the baby in the high chair for a split second. ( 2:34 the creature in the middle with a sort of X on its back... from right to left, you've got the king with the teacup on top, and the mermaid, I believe, and then the kid in his high chair) Hey, I got a degree in Film History, so I need to use it for something once in awhile....

[@z.m.stewart1996]

Frankenstein in this scene kills me. “i need to stand and then go to sit several feet further away to process this”

[@tiffsaver]

Pretorius was brilliant... in fact, the entire film was brilliant. I must have watched this movie 100 times, and it never gets old. How many films can you say that about??

[@jonowens460]

Dig this Flick❤

[@MrJopUp]

They shot the "little people" over two days in full-scale jars against black velvet (blue screen, back then). This was meticulously lined up to match the production plates of Thesiger (Doctor Pretorius), Clive (Henry Frankenstein) and the practical jars. The Film or foreground plate of tiny people was rotoscoped, then matted into the background plate. I couldn't find how they made the part where the mini monarch is airlifted to his jar.

[@bezoticallyyours83]

Cool

[@manuelbrown8733]

This scene always fascinated me. Dr. Pretorius is such a f-up character. I'd love if Gary Oldman would play him in a new version (Not that we need a versionmya hear,Hollywood).

[@elijahblechman8633]

i think Peter Capaldi chould pull this role off.

[@marissagibson410]

A show Henry a mad scientist bottles of Little People just like Lilliputian in Gulliver’s Travels 1939!

[@davidfollowerofjesuschrist5510]

Dr Pretorious is THE mad scientist “Villain” ever portrayed on film, he needs to come back.

[@2nostromo]

I thought I saw every Frankenstein move but this is incredible. I've got to find a copy

[@randycushman1669]

I guess Dr. Pretorius must have some tiny turkeys stashed away to feed the tiny King those tiny turkey legs ; )

[@bezoticallyyours83]

Lol

[@BAS1630]

Sign me up for a mermaid in the jar! Or if I can't have her, how about the ballerina? They're so adorable!!

[@Hlhud]

They sure are. :) I'm just not a big fan of their voices, though. They make Alvin and the Chipmunks sound like the Three Tenors. :P

[@Corolrose1218]

I love mermaids, too.

[@doctorpsycho1960]

I don't know how the effects shots were done, but I do know why they looked so good: because someone took the time and spent the money to get it right. That's also why the effects shots in 2001 look better than the ones in Star Wars.

[@RichardX1]

"And then there was the seventh one, a gruesome black fog with a single cycloptic eye. I sold him to a foreign king who wanted it to teach him the secret of immortality..."

[@apharris01]

Where is this quote from? Is it dialogue cut from the film? Or is it from the novelization? Or somewhere else perhaps?

[@christopherwall2121]

@@apharris01 it's a Full Metal Alchemist joke. It's joking on how this movie and that manga/anime both have homunculi, and joking that Pretorious is the root cause of all that story's world's woes.

[@Howyaduing]

“Ya real tragic...”. That quote of yours took me for a loop it could fit in just as well in the actual film

[@yohananeliyah]

Damn... you’re immersed. Kudos 👍🏾

[@Rtkat3]

Septimus Pretorius made tiny versions of a King, a Queen, an Archbishop, a Devil, a Ballerina, and a Mermaid. The Mermaid was made from an experiment with some seaweed by Pretorius as he had mentioned. It was also mentioned that he wasn't able to create a full-size human through these experiments.

[@smokingcatcomicscollectibl2131]

There was also a baby (played by undersized actor Billy Barty, who later appeared on THE BUGALOOS), but his scene was cut. If you look close, though, in the long shot, you can still see him.

[@Rtkat3]

Where in the long shot? There was a mentioning that a younger Billy Barty worked on this film, but was uncredited.

[@Bfdidc]

Billy Barty's filmography went way beyond that. Some of his better known roles were in Foul Play and especially in Willow.

[@williamtsutherland8240]

@@Rtkat3 When the shot reversed. You see the back of 7 Jars. He had only described the 'people' in 6 of the jars.

[@Rtkat3]

​​@@williamtsutherland8240It would appear that it was placed between the ballerina and the mermaid.

[@cancer7579]

if this was possible then i would have a tiny city by now...

[@paulfogarty7724]

If this clip was a few seconds longer - Henry says..."...but this is'nt science.....it's more like black magic....."

[@Kmac005]

At 2:34 you can see an extra "specimen" in front of the ballerina. That is Billy Barty who plays a baby and is probably the subject of Dr. Pretorius' comment about being "conventional". As far as I know, there is no official reason why Billy was edited out, save perhaps for the time and pacing of the scene.

[@elderlypoodle9181]

My favorite actor of that era !

[@elderlypoodle9181]

An experience with Seaweed.......

[@stevepaul6955]

"Why this isn't science, this is black magic".

[@Rorschach97]

The special effects are very impressive for 1935, How did they make it?

[@douglasjohnson4382]

Compositing three layers of film wile using a traveling matte.

[@jenneacoleman-cubero2365]

Ok...why hasn't there been a movie about that guy yet?!

[@TheaterRaven]

Jennea Coleman-Cubero A movie centered on Dr. Pretorius? I'd watch the shit out of that. Hell, I'd write the screenplay. Although, it's a shame they didn't think to make one while Ernest Thesiger was still alive. I can't think of a modern actor who could even step into his shoes for the role, never mind fill them.

[@jenneacoleman-cubero2365]

TheaterRaven True...The only actors who I think could've played him was Christopher Reeves and John Hurt but sadly they're both now dead :( .

[@TheaterRaven]

Jennea Coleman-Cubero Oooh, yeah, John Hurt would've been interesting in the role. And now that I think of it, Alan Rickman also might have made an intriguing Dr. Pretorius, but sadly, he, too, has passed on.

[@jenneacoleman-cubero2365]

TheaterRaven Yeah :( .

[@Hlhud]

"Sometimes I have wondered whether life wouldn't be much more amusing if we were *all* devils, with no nonsense about angels and being good." Unfortunately, according to a lot of people in real life, we're already "all devils." Those folks make it sound like if you even do just *one* bad deed, you'll go to hell no matter what, even if you prayed for forgiveness until you went hoarse. O.o x_x

[@bezoticallyyours83]

I watched this for the first time, and this part cracked me up. So you make these fully developed tiny people, and now you want to make an undead creature that only groans and speaks a few words? Also the arch bishop was definitely grinning when he picked up the king with his tongs. Haha! The little noises they made. XD

[@wickedfeylady]

Great effects for that time!

[@harmnone1111]

One of the greatest films ever made.

[@hayeshumphries311]

People don't really realize how incredible this special effects was during this time......

[@からすカラス-v4f]

フランケンシュタイン映画の最高峰だと今でも思っています😮

[@TalkernateHistory]

Some people say that Doctor Pretorius was originally meant to be played by Bela Legosi. That would explain why his devil humanculus looks like Legosi's Dracula.

[@smokingcatcomicscollectibl2131]

Legosi would later play the equally as manipulative and evil Ygor in the two sequels, SON OF FRANKENSTEIN and GHOST OF FRANKENSTEIN.

[@irened.]

Naxwell: L*u*gosi! Lugosi, who makes any film better by his mere presence and this one could have benefited! And yes, I just found that info myself, after posting my comment above, and then saw this, your comment. There is no excuse why Bela Lugosi wasn't hired to play the part, or even the mini-Count, except that *certain* people in Hollywood really sucked! Imagine how awesome this film could have been! This film just lost the magic for me.

[@DmentedWhor53]

I wish I knew:). I saw this for the first time yesterday and this scene blew my mind. I wonder if it was a tiny puppet worked by strings?

[@diamonddog257]

What a movie.....I'm trying to find that haunting violin piece...

[@daviddave7392]

I can see why Mel Brooks considers 'Young Frankenstein' to be his finest work and in which he incorporated so much of both 'Frankenstein' and 'Bride of 'Frankenstein': technologically superb for its time, touching, tragic, darkly humorous and immensely rewatchable. Like so many classics, and even today's movies, the story is what counts.

[@russellcampbell9198]

Pretorius was the scariest character in the film.

[@matthewbulger2549]

The late english actor Ernest Theisger, sure had the look of a mad scientist in this classic film! I await your reply.

[@AishaVonFossen]

I've always thought this scene was so weird! Frankenstein used human bodies to cobble together a new body, whereas, as he says to this guy in the line right after this scene, it's not science, but "more like black magic." It's just so fantasy like that it was just so far removed from the process that brought the monster, and his "bride," to life. And furthermore, after this scene, we never see these little people again! So, why are they in this movie?! 😂🤣

[@lastpirateslife]

great philosophical and animated fantasy by the director. wonderful. hope i can find the whole film online somewhere.

[@attackofthecopyrightbots]

1:26 haha look its dracula

[@axelnilsson5124]

It’s not

[@attackofthecopyrightbots]

@@axelnilsson5124 lol says u

[@axelnilsson5124]

@@attackofthecopyrightbots it clearly isn’t Dracula

[@attackofthecopyrightbots]

@@axelnilsson5124 bruh you stupid dont know what a joke is

[@axelnilsson5124]

@@attackofthecopyrightbots so you know it’s not actually Dracula

[@madwolfgarton9997]

This really made homunculi I'm weak🤣

[@irened.]

OMG! I was looking for this scene, no idea in what film so I googled it. The poh-tay--toh guy is in this????? LOL! I had NO idea! A film without Bela Lugosi bored me back when I was breezing through his filmography, so I never even noticed Thesiger or Karloff, sorry to say! My bad. I have to re-watch to better appreciate this film. I can't remember the Frankensteins, and I've seen them twice. Strange! ETA: Ok, this film would have been 1000% better with Bela Lugosi as the caped mini-Count! XD

[@elderlypoodle9181]

I love him ♥️

[@ninadasilva1867]

Outrageously campy thanks to James Whale.

[@lucasdavis1964]

Is Pretorius wearing a yamaka?

[@davidolvera1031]

THIS IS NOT SCIENCE

[@MattMan_93]

David Olvera It's more like black magic! ;)

[@Bigbuddyandblue]

Yes! That's the POINT of this scene and they cut it!

[@christopherhomsley1000]

no shit. Are you even familiar with the source material? It is highly suggested galvanism and alchemy played a part in Victor's original animation of the Creature. This is a story of HORROR, not a documentary.

[@Tyler-dt9hm]

David Olvera magic?

[@JurassicReptile]

these are Homunculi, which are creatures of Alchemy.

[@LordQwert]

Nevermind! Found the other comments that explain.

[@juzo1453]

1935 ballerina

[@piplup2009]

I'm guessing those people didn't volunteer to this

[@thomasbunner5214]

Comical, but yet blood curdling, and horrific.

[@hfenner9073]

how did he get henry the 8 shrunk?

[@ShieldHero1935]

If anyone see very closely I see seven jars of homunculi.

[@bondball22]

Is this a yarmulke on his head?

[@haydenysidro9388]

Was this scene supposed to be scary because it's more or less weirdly funny

[@codeoptimizationware2803]

The first time I saw this part in the film, I thought Dr. Frankenstein's mentor was Satan Incarnate, showing the mad doctor a sample of his handiwork. Wow, they sure used to know to make the movies! hehehehehehe

[@Crazyboy48263]

I thought the monster killed Frankenstein in the book? And in the book I'm pretty sure it was Victor Frankenstein not Henry

[@kylehill6636]

Redfizz12 The universal films had jackshit to do with the original source material.

[@dkupke]

Why is Pretoreus wearing a yamacha?

[@alivepool]

The actor who was actually supposed to play Dr. Pretorius was Claude Raines[The Invisible Man,Phantom of the Opera 1942]But turned it down not wanting to be known as a 'Monster Movie' actor

[@FatMarioHeads]

Homunculi

[@zombiefan011]

@Naxwell no Lugosi was supposed to play the monster in the original the role of Pretorious was created especially for Ernest Thesiger

[@LordQwert]

At the very end there are seven jars. One unexplained one between the ballerina and the mermaid. Looks like maybe a largish baby on a highchair? Any idea? Edited out?

[@tommarciano856]

LordQwert This entire classic movie was butchered by the censors before releasing it to the public. There was an entire critical and grisly subolot that showed Karl, Pretorious' demented dwarf assistant was the one doing all the murders jn the countryside for which the Monster was bkamed. Then there's other dualogue, scenes, lines, references and innuendos considered too risque, and this scene, There were in fact more jars with "Homonculi" in them. A devil and some other things I forget.

[@MurderTurtle]

woah

[@JustSomeCanadianGuy]

I think it's a great film but this scene is idiotic and should have been cut out. It adds nothing.

[@kingboobs20]

Wrong It perfectly establishes that Pretorius has remarkable talents that Frankenstein doesn't have, he can make life without dead bodies, but he can only make tiny lifeforms and that is why he seeks Frankenstein's help so he can make a full sized creature. It sets up the main story really well. Also it's a great scene and you suck.

[@JamesBrown4ever1]

One of the lamest and most disappointing scenes in horror film history, IMO. It was obviously concieved by a gay filmaker, and not a Mary Shelley. Great special effects, though.

[@JurassicReptile]

the comedy was intentional too

[@kingboobs20]

@The Pasty British Guy From Wonderwoman He doesn't like something so he blames homosexuality. I can already guess what political party he votes for.

[@rarelysatisfied2916]

6 years is a long time to develop taste. How did it go?

[@brandiweed4570]

Pity there never seems to have been any good frontal shots of Billy Barty as the baby. Supposedly he was going to look like he could grow up into another Karloff/Monster.