#7: Freaks (1932)
We accept you, one of us! Gooble Gobble!
In 1931, The Mighty Tod Browning (one of my favorite directors) was finally on top of the Hollywood world. Having just helped to kick the monster movie genre into high gear with his masterful direction of Bela Lugosi’s “Dracula,” and with over 50 credits already to his name, the 51 year-old finally had the muscle to have some say over what his next project would be.
Director Tod Browning and his extraordinary cast.
As a young man Browning spent time with a traveling circus and had remained fascinated by that world ever since. Before talkies came along, the director frequently collaborated with the great Lon Chaney, and one of their biggest creative successes (and one of my personal favorite silent films) had been “The Unknown” (1927), a romantic tragedy set in the circus world about an armless knife thrower (Chaney) desperately in love with a beautiful young woman (Joan Crawford, in of her early starring roles). This colorful subculture had always served well as Browning’s muse and so he asked MGM’s wunderkind Irving Thalberg if he could bring “Spurs,” a short story the studio optioned at his request, to the screen.
Thalberg agreed.
The movie became “Freaks.”
And the ensuing controversy would effectively kill off Browning’s career.
I won’t argue with those who claim “Freaks” isn’t a true horror film. I get that. But for me it’s not only a horror film but one of the most entertaining, interesting and ingenious ever made. Set in a traveling circus, Browning introduces us to over a dozen sideshow attractions. Not phony ones, either. There was no make-up or prosthetics; Browning cast only real people whose various deformities had thrust them into a world where the best chance of making a living, fitting in, and experiencing some excitement was as sideshow attractions. Via Wikipedia:
Among the characters featured as “freaks” were Peter Robinson (“the human skeleton”); Olga Roderick (“the bearded lady“); Frances O’Connor and Martha Morris (“armless wonders“); and the conjoined twins Daisy and Violet Hilton. Among the microcephalics who appear in the film (and are referred to as “pinheads”) were Zip and Pip (Elvira and Jenny Lee Snow) and Schlitzie, a male named Simon. … Also featured were the intersexual Josephine Joseph, with her left/right divided gender; Johnny Eck, the legless man; the completely limbless Prince Randian (also known as The Human Torso, and mis-credited as “Rardion”); Elizabeth Green the Stork Woman; and Koo-Koo the Bird Girl, who suffered from Virchow-Seckel syndrome[.]
Though only 64 minutes long (the controversy caused over 20 minutes to be cut that is now lost), what Browning does with his unique cast is nothing short of remarkable. While effortlessly moving along the central story of a midget named Hans (Hary Earles) who falls in love with the beautiful, wicked, and standard-sized Cleopatra (Olga Baclanova), we’re introduced to these outcasts and, most importantly, to their humanity. By the time the climax arrives, we no longer see just their physical differences. Each is not only a full-bodied character but the community in which they live is the one that has our complete sympathy. Don’t get me wrong, there are monsters in “Freaks,” awful ones who do terrible things to their fellow man. They’re not hard to spot either. Their names are Cleopatra and Hercules – and both are perfect physical specimens.
Obviously, the bottomless pit of selfishness known as Cleopatra doesn’t love Hans. She only manipulated and stole him from the heartbroken Frieda (Daisy Earles, also a midget) in order to marry him, poison him, steal his inheritance, and run away with Hercules. This awful couple is shockingly cruel – especially to the “freaks” – but they are in for a reckoning unlike anything you can imagine.
Gorgeously filmed in black and white, the final sequence, the comeuppance, is an absolute masterwork of shadow, mood, sound and the startling images of our new friends using their unique talents to come together and have their vengeance on behalf of one of their own. As an extra-added bonus, Cleopatra’s ultimate fate is the most awful yet satisfyingly hilarious and perfectly ironic twists you’ll ever see. Just remember this line of dialogue:”They’re going to make you one of them, my peacock!”
Prince Randian lights his own cigarette
After wading into the dark, depressing waters of a “Last House on the Left,” “Freaks” is the exact right antidote to throw off the shell-shock; a thoroughly engrossing story decades ahead of its time and filled with the rich warmth of director Browning’s respect and humanity for those we think nothing of gawking over after laying down our dollar. When the credits roll you’re no longer repelled by these sideshow attractions, nor do you pity them. All you can do is stand back in awe at their dignity and ability to persevere. If we all took as little time to feel sorry for ourselves and as much pride in our own independence, the world would be a much, much better place.
I’m sorrier than most “Freaks” cost Browning his career (though 1936’s “The Devil-Doll” is a real treat) and even sorrier he didn’t live long enough to know that his masterpiece would be rediscovered and assume its rightful place as a classic never to be forgotten again. The creation of real art frequently exacts a price on its creator and Browning paid more than most. But what he left us with is one of the most unique films ever made and because you can feel the director’s affection for his subjects in every single frame, it also serves as a powerful and unforgettable booster shot to reaffirm your faith in mankind.
Not many films can make that claim, especially horror films.
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