The Invisible Man (1933)

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Claude Rains (Casablanca, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington) stars as a scientist who makes himself invisible, but struggles to find a way to reverse his situation. As he toils, the experiment wears on his sanity, turning him into a heartless, cold-blooded killer. The Invisible Man, based on the story by sci-fi master H.G. Wells, is a high point in Universal’s classic monster legacy, directed with darkly comic flare by James Whale (The Bride of Frankenstein, The Old Dark House.

I love that the movie hits the ground running, with Rains already hiding his invisibility as he arrives at a rustic tavern for a private room to conduct his experiments. When the locals won’t stop intruding on him, he begins to go mad. He looks up an old colleague (William Harrigan) and strong-arms him into doing his bidding — which includes helping him wreak havoc on the world. Only an old girlfriend (Titanic‘s Gloria Stuart) has any chance of convincing Rains’ to relinquish his deadly plans. Exposition is doled out on the fly here, in a film that moves uncharacteristically fast for the period, and it doesn’t spend a second outstaying its welcome, either.

The special effects are quaint by today’s standards, but still remarkably effective — mostly to delightfully comedic effect, as when Rains disrobes before a cop and several villagers, chasing them around a room half-invisible and laughing maniacally. Rains gives a terrifically charismatic performance, relying primarily on his considerable vocal abilities. He owns the film, which is an especially remarkable fete given that we only see his face in the final frame of the movie. The rest of the main cast is perfunctory (including Stuart, Harrigan, and Henry Travers), but many bit parts stand out for their peculiarity. Most notable among them is daffy Una O’Connor as the tavern owner at the beginning of the film, who screams cartoonishly whenever the Invisible Man frightens her.

The love story is wedged into the film so weakly, that it might be better off without it. The Invisible Man isn’t much about love. It’s about a mad man creating chaos, and everyone around him frantically trying to stop a nemesis they can’t see. Thanks to James Whale’s sense of humor and quick pacing, it’s still a fun time at the movies over 90 years after its initial release.