Tod Browning’s ‘Freaks’
Posted by dailypop on October 9, 2009
After the success of Dracula, Universal Pictures was anxious to tap into the genius of director Tod Browning’s skills once again. Eager to unveil a new monster pic, they commissioned a new film. Browning convinced the studio to greenlight an adaptation of the novel ‘Spurs’ a bizarre story depicting a love affair gone awry in a circus setting. The result was a cult film that took ages to finds its audience and precious little time to derail Browning’s film career.
The movie is sheer brilliance.
Combining Browning’s penchant for the macabre and vaudeville, it contains numerous light-hearted scenes involving the circus clown’s budding romance with one of the other performers. This was more likely than not put in to off-set the truly horrifying moments that would come later in the film. The central plot involves the sudden inheritance of small person Hans and the suspicious sexual advances of the alluring bareback rider Cleopatra. It’s obvious to all that Cleopatra is playing Hans for a fool, but how can one tell him, especially when sweet unsuspecting Hans is falling in love?
The real-life circus freaks were the first glimpses of such oddities that many moviegoers had of such things, causing an initial revulsion from the audiences an even led to the banning of the film in the UK. The society of circus freaks is presented as benevolent and positive, even welcoming the comely Cleopatra into their circle in a sacred ritual as she plans to marry the circus midget Hans. Cleopatra is of course a duplicitous harlot secretly sleeping with Hercules the circus strong man and only interested in Hans to get at his money. After the truth comes out, justice is both swift and terrible.
The film shows the freaks attacking Cleopatra in the middle of an accident during a torrential rainstorm that has stranded the circus caravan on its way to another town. The very performers that at first shocked the audience but soon became acceptable and warm personalities are depicted as blood-thirsty killers as they close in on the helpless Cleopatra.
The studio was so overwrought by the lack of a monster that they could reap the rewards from and the clearly disturbing subject matter and visuals that they demanded a new ending. The initial conclusion (easily available on the DVD) involves the mangling of the lovely Cleopatra into a distorted chicken lady sideshow act and an implied gelding of Hercules, leaving him a humorous singing act. It really needs to be seen to be believed. As a fan of Cronenberg and Argento I thought I was ready but the real ending is rough stuff.
Sadly, the studio felt that they were left with an unworkable film and Freaks essentially ended Browning’s career. In recent years Freaks has found acceptance first as an oddity and later as a truly unsettling horror film. The DVD contains a fascinating documentary both on the film and the history of traveling freak shows in general and the performers in the film in particular. Truly the work of a gifted artist at the peak of his craft, Freaks is a heartbreakingly beautiful and terrifying film, decades before it’s time.
If you are in need of something different this Halloween season, try Freaks and you’ll be both surprised and horrified all at once… in a new way.
Perplexio said
After seeing an interpretation of the lost film, Browning’s London After Midnight using production stills I’ve developed a bit of an interest in seeing more of his films– especially the ones where he partnered with Lon Chaney Sr.
Thanks for sharing this review, I’ll have to hunt this one down sometime.