Amazon.com Essentials:
Claude Rains practically owns his film debut in The Invisible
Man, despite the fact that his face (let alone his body) is seen only
for seconds in the final moments. As the brilliant scientist who discovers the
secret of invisibility, Rains steps into the film wrapped up like a mummy
behind a layer of bandages and blanketed in heavy clothes. When he removes
his garments, there's nothing underneath, a simple but effective bit of
1930s movie magic that, apart from a few glitches, works as well today as
it did in 1933. Like Frankenstein, another cautionary tale of science
gone horribly wrong, the consequences of the doctor's experiments are dire:
the chemicals drive him insane. Director James Whale infuses the film with
plenty of humor, much of it arising from the quaint quirks of the local
villagers, but it turns to black comedy as the doctor transforms from an
impish prankster upsetting bicycles and taunting tavern patrons to a
megalomaniac bent on world domination. It's slow going even at 71 minutes,
but full of delightful touches and boasts a terrific performance by the all but
unseen Rains, whose rich, cultured voice envelopes the picture in a kind of
omnipresent fog. Vincent Price took up the role in the sequel, The
Invisible Man Returns. --Sean Axmaker
