Invisible Man (1933)

Universal in the Thirties

In the 1930s, some of the most famous 'horror' movies came out of Universal Studios. Between 1930 and 1935, Universal released Dracula (1931), The Mummy (1932), Frankenstein (1932), The Invisible Man (1933) and The Bride of Frankenstein (1935). These movies were often remade in later years, by other studios, but the Universal versions of the 'thirties are usually considered 'canonical'; the original text from which all other drew their inspiration, even if earlier versions of these tales had been filmed.

H. G. Wells' Novel

In 1897, H. G. Wells wrote the basic story on which this movie is based. The protagonist is 'Griffin', a scientist who discovers the means to make himself invisible. (The science is pure hokum, so I won't go into it here - suffice it to say that Wells' concept is unworkable for a number of reasons.) Griffin tries out his discovery on himself, unfortunately before he knows how to reverse it, or even if it can be reversed.

It is also worth noting that the animals he tries his potion on become mad. Oops.

The Invisible Man: the Movie

The movie is directed by James Whales, who also directed Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein. It is also notable for providing the first film role for Claude Rains.

Rains, who was a stage actor, was thought unimpressive as a potential film actor, since he did not have 'movie star' good looks, and he was shorter than average. He was cast exclusively on the basis of his extraordinary voice. In the entire film, he is heavily swatched in concealing bandages except for a few moments at film's end when the character Griffin becomes visible again at his death. Rains went on to have an extensive film career, notably as Lt. Renault in Casablanca, and as Mr. Jordan in Here Comes Mr. Jordan. He also played the German spy Ingrid Bergman married in order to spy on in Notorious.

Science as Danger

All the Universal horror films of the 'thirties, and this one is no exception, had as a central motif that science was dangerous. "There are some things, Professor," a character might intone, "that man should not meddle in"(or should be left to the Creator or some other expression of piety).

Here, Griffin, in an excess of hubris, tests his experiment on himself, and it proves to be his downfall. He discovers that he can get away with things if he's invisible, and so he does. Does the experiment alter his brain chemistry in some way, making him more vulnerable to temptation? or would he have turned to crime if he knew he could get away with it in any event? It is left unspecified.

Afterlife

In 1940, Vincent Price appeared in The Invisible Man Returns, a quasi-sequel to The Invisible Man. None of the main characters of the first movie appear; it is only a sequel in any sense because Price's character uses Griffin's formula to make himself invisible.

In 1975, a made-for-TV movie spawned a short-lived Invisible Man television series starting former Man-From-UNCLE David McCallum.

Another series of the same name aired from 2000-2002, but neither television series had much to do with the original HG Wells premise.