The Invisible Man

A WORLD OF GODS AND MONSTERS: TWO MASTERPIECES BY JAMES WHALE

The film will be screened in a digitally restored print.

Directed by: James Whale
Starring: Claude Rains, Gloria Stuart, Henry Travers, Una O’Connor, Forrester Harvey
Duration: 71 minutes
Year of Production: 1933

There was a time when movie superheroes didn’t necessarily have muscular physiques, digital enhancements or latex costumes. It was an era when subconscious fantasy met literary sources, and cinematic magic found its origin in the birth of monsters. Universal’s monumental creatures were dark creations from an unexplored, inner realm that, through romantic and obsessive motifs, conveyed the anxiety of inevitable terror, leaving an indelible mark on both screen and soul.

A few years after James Whale’s cinematic revolution (and resurrection) of Frankenstein, the producers—following their usual approach - requested a sequel. Whale temporarily declined and proposed a different… monster. The Invisible Man is an adaptation of H.G. Wells’ inventive novel and serves as a parable of madness and the megalomania of a man desperately seeking visible display, only to be punished with invisible existence.

Starring the then nearly unknown Claude Rains (Casablanca), Whale chose the English countryside as the setting and critiques the arrogance of the scientific community with an impressive film of high intellect, intricate pioneering effects, and a twisted sense of humor. Panos Gkenas