Film Review
Misunderstood and reviled in its day,
Freaks
has come to be regarded as one of the most important films of the
Twentieth Century, since it confronts some fundamental truths about the
human condition which, for some reason, film directors seem unable or
unwilling to tackle. There has never been a film quite like this
one, and its uniqueness goes far beyond the fact that its cast is
largely comprised of people with what the population at large would
consider to be grotesque physical deformities. The reason why
this film stands out and leaves such a lasting impression is because it
makes blisteringly apparent the folly of judging individuals by their
outward appearance.
Freaks was not conceived as a
work of great social or humanitarian significance. It was
intended, like
Dracula and
Frankenstein
before it, to give audiences a cheap thrill. MGM had
seen the success of Universal's early Gothic horror films and decided
to cash in on the obvious appeal of monsters. The studio had
already purchased the rights to a short story entitled
Spurs (written by Tod Robbins) and
saw this as an appropriate vehicle to launch their own series of horror
flicks. And who better to direct the film than Tod Browning, who
had already made several silent films in the horror genre for the
studio and who had recently directed Universal's hugely popular
Dracula?
Browning was well-acquainted with the circus milieu, having spent
several years working as a circus clown in his youth before finding
work as an actor in Hollywood. His experience with circus folk is
apparent in the warm community of self-supporting individuals that he
manages to portray in this, possibly his greatest film. Unlike
the fantasy Gothic world conjured up by Universal, Browning's circus
world in
Freaks is real,
tangible and believable. At times, the film feels less like a
genre film and more like a social documentary.
Whilst the cavalcade of deformed men and women does initially shock, it
is surprising how quickly we see through their physical imperfections
and begin to accept them as people we can identify
with. The true monsters of the piece are not them,
but the outwardly perfect trapeze artist and her strongman lover, whose
twisted villainy makes them far harder to engage with. The
message is obvious. It is not the outer shell that makes one a
monster, it is what lies beneath.
It is a pity that the film's underlying moral imperative is somewhat
undermined by its denouement, in which the so-called freaks enact their
revenge on Cleopatra in Hercules. This is clearly a cheap attempt
by a Hollywood studio to gratify an audience. The sequence was
originally far more graphic, depicting the mutilation of Cleopatra and
Hercules being castrated, but this was cut (along with around a third
of the rest of the film) after a disastrous preview screening.
Whilst this part of the film is very effective as a piece of horror, it
diminishes the poetry and humanity of the work overall.
When
Freaks was first
released, audiences were not impressed, and many were shocked.
MGM was accused of exploiting the physically deformed for cheap
commercial gain. When the film failed at the box office, it was
hastily shelved. Several countries banned the film outright; it
was not seen in the UK until the 1960s, where it was issued with an X
certificate. In the 1970s,
Freaks
acquired something of a cult status and soon found its way into popular
culture, although it was still considered primarily a horror
film. Today's more enlightened audiences can appreciate the film
as much as a morality play as a horror film. For an era that is
increasingly obsessed with physical perfection,
Freaks offers a sobering reminder
that outward beauty is not everything. It is
difference, not clone-like
uniformity, that we should celebrate, since that is what ultimately
makes society stronger and humanity richer.
© James Travers 2009
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Next Tod Browning film:
Mark of the Vampire (1935)
Film Synopsis
The main attraction of a travelling circus is a collection of deformed
human beings, which includes dwarves, pinheads, Siamese twins, a
hermaphrodite, a bearded lady and several unfortunates without arms and
legs. Two members of this company are Hans and Frieda, two
midgets who appear ideally suited for one another. However,
whilst she loves him, he is interested only in Cleopatra, the circus'
perfectly proportioned trapeze artist. Cleopatra is amused by
Hans' amorous attentions and takes a sadistic pleasure in leading him
on, which entertains her real lover, Hercules the strongman.
Unable to see her beloved Hans taunted any more, Frieda appeals to
Cleopatra to leave him alone, but lets slip that he is about to come
into a huge fortune. Seeing an opportunity to get rich quick, the
greedy Cleopatra agrees to marry Hans. Within hours of the
wedding ceremony, she begins poisoning him. When Hans' friends
realise what is happening, they decide to exact a terrible vengeance...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.