The 1931 film Frankenstein, now 95 years old, will be presented with a full-length orchestral score for the first time in London next month. Composer Michael Shapiro, who wrote the score in 2001, will conduct the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra at Cadogan Hall as the music accompanies the classic horror film, which originally had dialogue but no musical accompaniment.
Sara Karloff, daughter of the film’s star Boris Karloff, will attend the London event to share memories of her father. Born in 1938, she did not view the film until age 19, when she watched it alone on television at a time when her school disapproved of horror movies. She noted that her father believed children responded more positively to the film than adults, as they recognized the creature as an innocent victim rather than simply a monster.
The film, based on Mary Shelley’s novel and directed by James Whale, tells the story of an ambitious scientist who creates a homemade human from grave-robbed parts, only to have the creature escape the laboratory after accidentally receiving a criminal’s brain. Karloff, born William Henry Pratt in London in 1887, made the film at age 44, marking his breakthrough role after 80 prior films that achieved little recognition. He went on to appear in 167 films total, along with numerous television and stage performances.
The production was largely a British effort despite being produced by Universal. Director Whale hailed from Dudley, actor Colin Clive was educated in the UK, and supporting players Frederick Kerr and Lionel Belmore were also British, as was editor Maurice Pivar. Karloff eventually returned to England in the 1950s, living in Chelsea near Cadogan Hall and remaining there while continuing to work in American productions. The Boris Karloff Foundation now supports young people in the performing arts in the UK.
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