James Whale's "Bride of Frankenstein"

I'm thankful to 2 friends (John Brunas and Madeline Roesch) who helped pave the way for me to get to watch and appreciate the value of this 1935 movie from Universal Studios. John provided much interesting background about the movie, which I supplanted by reading pages of a movie book he co-wrote [Universal Horrors (The Studio's Classic Films, 1931-1946)]. James Whale, the director that inspired the main character in the biopic "Gods and Monsters" on his life, worked on this movie as a sequel to the 1931 "Frankenstein," and who first directed the First World War play "Journey's End" in London's West End (which in 2006 was brought on Broadway again but failed dismally in the box office; I saw a lot of viewers who were walking out even before the end of its First Act when I saw it courtesy of another friend).

Just at the start of summer, I watched this movie with other film enthusiasts at Bryant Park, with my friend Madeline. The rains threatened to fall, but gratefully, we ended up viewing the film without the rain pouring on us at all. As usual, most of the crowd were delighted and gleefully making the signature swaying-of-stretched-arms-dance, as the film intro of Bryant Park's Summer Film Festival was played on screen, followed by a funny short film on Bugsy. It's the combination youthfulness and gleefulness that makes watching movies here very much worth keeping the memory. We were seated next to a homeless, who smelled so badly. Somehow, the breeze made the whole viewing experience manageable, and delightful as the film rolls were fed and screened before the fascinated crowd. Madeline's main comment on the movie: "cheesy" to which I agree. I realized the great efforts, and how this whole kind of movie production was ever put on film. I was fascinated by Universal's efforts to come up with a respectable production of the movie that was inspired by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley's novel "Frankenstein" (or "The Modern Prometheus"). I heard a remark from one devoted film enthusiast in the crowd: "Go, read Mary Shelley's!" after hearing a remark of how unfaithful the movie was from the novel. Also, it was a delight to be confirmed about my suspicion that the actress who played the "Bride" was also the same one who played the writer (Ms Shelley) at the start of the movie (she's Elsa Lanchester), based on an email exchange later with John, as we discussed the laudable merits of this great horror film.