I Watch Films: Boris Karloff: The Man Behind The Monster

 

Boris Karloff: The Man Behind The Monster

A documentary of actor Boris Karloff, covering his life, his influence and his career. Concentrating on his horror work – as indeed dominated the latter part of his acting career – it very loosely follows chronological order.

Born to an Anglo-Indian family of diplomats as William Henry Pratt, he dropped out of university and emigrated to Canada. He drifted across the country doing various jobs while also trying out stage acting. Having injured his back laying track for a railway he was unfit to serve in WW1, giving him more opportunities in acting. Eventually he made his way to America and began acting in silent films.

His stage experience allowed him to make the transition to talkies, and he had several good roles in the early 30s before his breakout hit, as the monster in James Whales’ Frankenstein (1931). It's at this point where the majority of the commentary from contemporary actors and directors starts to come in. Mute, covered in make-up and prosthetics, in four-inch raised boots, he puts in a solid performance. He starred in many classic horror films of the period, before the Hays Code damped down on them.

He returned to the stage in Arsenic And Old Lace, playing a gangster who is annoyed to discover people comparing him – to monster actor Boris Karloff. After this he continued to work prolifically, the film tending to skip to films that interviewees had worked on with him, and then some of his spoken word recordings they listened to as children.

A good introduction to the actor and his work, with a focus on his horror work. A little light on his personal life (he was married six times) but some good stuff on his acting, including him talking about it.

Watch This: Nicely done documentary of Boris Karloff as actor, especially his horror work
Don’t Watch This: Almost entirely uncritical of the man, his career and his work