Opening Credits backgrounds in Frankenstein (1931)

Cafe Society
1

As I said in the What Are You Watching thread, I’ve been re-watching the original Universal Frankenstein films.

For the original 1931 film, after Edward Sloan appears to give a brief warning, the film launches into the opening credits. But the credits don’t appear against a black background, as was often done. There are drawings behind the text, clearly meant to convey a weird atmosphere. You can see the credits here

After Van Sloan’s speech, at about 1:00 into the credits, you see the first image – a pair of claw-like hands with pointed nails and a pair of eyes glaring down into the center of the screen (and the title). There are “rays” apparently shooting out of the eyes so that you don’t miss the point.

At about 1:17 this changes to an array of eyes, mostly in a circle and at all angles, which rotate around the center of the screen. At the same time, a grotesque head , bald, and with a pointed nose (and possibly pointed ears) appears behind all this and over the next frames moves slowly closer. Although surrounded by that swirl of eyes, this head appears to lack them. Aside from the lack of eyes, this head might be the one shown in the first background.

It’s clearly mean to be disturbing, but this head appears to have absolutely nothing to do with the rest of the film. It’s not remotely like the head of th Monster, and doesn’t resemble anyone in the film. So who the hell is it, and is there any reason for it being there, aside from general creepiness? If the head were just a little more bulbous and had rat-like incisors, it would look like Max Schrek as Nosferatu in the German film of that name.

https://www.eastman.org/nosferatu

But why would they do that? Despite its fame today, Nosferatu wasn’t really well known in the US, because Florence Stoker, angered that UFA had used the plot of Dracula without her permission (Bram was dead by now), and so she sued the pants off them and tried to have every copy destroyed. Nevertheless, a few scenes from the film ended up being used in the Universal short Boo! – but that came out a year later.

So, any ideas about that enigmatic head?

2

Never noticed those details before. Pretty sure I never watched the opening on a big TV before. It’s running on Peacock right and it is a pretty creepy look. In a darkened movie theater it should be more apparent. The producer Carl Laemmle Jr. is the son of Carl Laemmle of course, and Laemmle Sr.'s experience goes back into the silents with Lon Chaney in The Hunchback of Notre Dame and The Phantom of the Opera. Perhaps these scenes tie back to those earlier films.

3

Apparently Bela Lugosi was originally going to be the monster before dropping out. Maybe that helps explain it a bit.

And the movie poster here has eye beams.

4

Good question. But do the opening animations for Pink Panther credits have much of anything to do with the films? Was a direct association always present in that era?

5

The production history of Frankenstein is long and tangled, but from all accounts the version that Robert Florey was to make with Bela Lugosi had the monster as being very hairy, not at all like the virtually bald head that seems to be in the opening credits.

(Florey also had a much more “wild” monster in mind, very unlike the nuanced performance that Karloff gave under director James Whale. I’m not surprised that Lugosi refused to do it.
Lugosi ultimately got to give a much better performance as Ygor under director Rowland V. Lee in Son of Frankenstein, arguably stealing the show, then playing Ygor again in Ghost of Frankenstein before finally portraying the Monster himself in Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man)

6

Billing the monster as played by ? in the opening credits (but as Karloff in the closing) indicates an attempt to save the monster’s appearance for the big reveal in the lab. Perhaps the title art was meant as deliberate misdirection. Alas, whoever was responsible for the poster didn’t get the memo.

7

and the Mysterians?