jacksmoviepage

Review (Contains Spoilers)

Even some seventy-five years after its original theatrical release, Tod Browning’s thirties horror classic Freaks still remains one of the most controversial films ever to originate from North America. Following his silent film collaborations with the great Lon Chaney and the runaway success of his classic adaptation of Dracula (1931), Browning was approached by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to direct a horror film for them. Browning was given a free reign to direct whatever screenplay he wished, the only commitment being that he delivered MGM something “horrible”.

Spurred on by this “horrible” challenge Browning opted to draw inspiration from his own adolescent experiences as part of a travelling circus. The result of course was Freaksa – a simple, moralistic but lurid tale of revenge and the horrors of the human condition adapted upon Tod Robbins’ short story Spurs and based around the aesthetically horrific environment of a circus freak show. Instead of utilising costumes and make-up Browning took the daring and taboo step of casting the genuinely deformed as the “freaks” of the title, thus sealing both the films initial fate and lasting legacy.

Predictably the sight of deformed sideshow performers came as a massive shock to the sensibilities of a thirties public, who were accustomed to nothing any more horrific than Bela Lugosi as Dracula or Boris Karloff as Frankenstein. After test audiences greeted Tod Browning’s original cut of Freaks (rumoured to be around 90 minutes in length) with wholesale disgust, MGM flew into a panic and studio executive Irving Thalberg (a long-time supporter of Browning’s cinematic endeavours) deeming the film to be “too horrific” oversaw extensive cuts that saw Freaks reduced to its familiar 64 minute theatrical length. Lamentably the extensive quantities of footage cut from the film at Thalberg’s behest have never been restored and are now considered to be lost forever.

Ironically Thalberg’s hatchet job could not save Freaks from vilification. Upon its theatrical release Freaks was aggressively rejected by both audiences and critics of the day who missed the films inherent moral message and branded Freaks “sick”, “abhorrent” and “repulsive”. Local authorities were quick to act on the growing controversy and Freaks soon wound up banned in a number of American states and cities while here in the traditionally censorious United Kingdom Freaks was banned outright and would remain outlawed for over thirty years. Eventually the films commercial failure coupled with the outraged authoritarian, critical and public reaction it inspired led MGM to withdraw Freaks from distribution. Freaks would then go unseen until 1948 when its distribution rights were temporarily acquired by exploitation promoter Dwain Esper, who took the film on a travelling national road show in a bid to exploit the more lurid aspects of its content to make a fast buck. Meanwhile Tod Browning’s directorial career was left in tatters. With studios and producers aware of the uproar caused by Freaks, Browning experienced extreme difficulty in finding backing for his subsequent films and would more or less retired from the film industry by the end of the thirties.

Although it came too late for Browning, Freaks would deservedly achieve a degree of well deserved redemption in later years, starting with a warmly received and highly successful revival screening at the 1960 Venice Film Festival. As social perceptions changed and audience sensibilities towards screen horror became harder, Browning’s film enjoyed a more positive widespread reappraisal with critics coming round to the moral message at the films heart and hailing Freaks as a masterpiece of the macabre. Many of the films shocking qualities which had alienated audiences back in the thirties would endear Freaks to viewers in the more liberated sixties and Browning’s once reviled film soon became a firm favourite on both the midnight movie and the arthouse cinema circuits. Today Freaks enjoys a reputation as a classic horror film and a cinematic landmark as regards to its largely affectionate portrayal of human deformity. Its status as a classic piece of thirties cinema was finally validated in 1994 when Freaks was granted recognition by the National Film Registry as a culturally and historically significant part of America’s lasting cinematic heritage.

The plot of Freaks unfolds in the behind the scenes world of a travelling circus. The audience is soon inducted into the lives of the various “human monstrosities” who perform in the circus’ sideshow. These include midgets, a bearded lady, conjoined twins, a legless man, microcephalics (referred to as pinheads) and even a “living torso” – a man devoid of both arms and legs. Despite their horrific appearance these “freaks” are a happy, jovial and welcoming people with a strong code of ethics.

The lives of the sideshow folk are irrevocably affected when good natured midget Hans (Harry Earles) becomes obsessed with the circus’ beautiful yet treacherous circus trapeze artist Cleopatra (Baclanova). Hans does not realise that Cleopatra is already engaged in n illicit affair with the circus strongman Hercules (Victor). Together the conniving pair of Cleopatra and Hercules hatches an evil plot which will involve Cleopatra marrying Hans then secretly poisoning him so that they can then make off with the unfortunate midgets wealth. While Hans’ sideshow brethren can see that Cleopatra is up to no good, he is blinded by love and goes through with the marriage. As soon as they are wed Cleopatra begins poisoning poor Hans. However, his fellow sideshow folk soon get wise to Cleopatra and Hercules’ evil murder plot and soon join together to wreak a terrible revenge upon them.

Judged from a purely cinematic perspective Freaks is not anything to write home about. With the exception of the extraordinarily atmospheric finale, Tod Browning’s direction seldom does anything more exciting than switch from one flatly shot scene to the next. Meanwhile the acting – from a cast mainly hired on the basis of their physical abnormality – is only competent at best. However, approached as the simple morality play that it is, Freaks has aged incredibly well over the intervening decades and still packs a mighty punch. Indeed, even after seventy five years Freaks remains a film more than capable of shocking the sensibilities of its viewers whilst also sending an uncomfortable shiver up their spines.

A compassionate masterpiece of early thirties horror cinema or pure exploitation? That is the argument that has followed Freaks for three quarters of a century. While certain aspects of the films content – in particular the final ten minutes – leave ample room for argument, overall this critic leans squarely towards the “compassionate masterpiece” camp. The earnest moral argument at the heart of Freaks is realised with tremendous eloquence and power as Browning memorably demonstrates that a persons beauty or ugliness lies within and is not necessarily reflected by their physical appearance. Indeed ordinary, able bodied protagonists such as the beautiful trapeze artist Cleopatra and her muscle-bound strongman reveal extreme depths of ugliness beneath their good looks as they connive after money, commit infidelity and conspire to murder an innocent man purely for their own selfish gain. By contrast the sideshow freaks, while regarded as “human monstrosities” actually represent the best of humanity, proving to be a deeply moralistic people with a strict yet wholesome code of ethics. Together they share in each others emotions be it either joy or sorrow, whilst an offence against one of their number is treated as an offence against them all.

Far from being exploitative or demeaning, Tod Browning’s depiction of these people and their physical abnormalities is openly affectionate and often deeply affecting. Far from exploiting these unique individuals, Freaks actually scores a powerful blow against societies inherent prejudice, demonstrating that beneath these various deformities lie remarkable and sometimes disarmingly articulate human beings who experience the full range of human emotions felt by their regularly formed counterparts whether it be love, happiness and joy or sadness, humiliation and anger. The contrast between the wickedness of the “normal” Cleopatra and Hercules with the inner warmth of the aesthetically loathsome “freaks” is perhaps best demonstrated in the highly effective wedding feast scene in which Hans and Cleopatra gather with Hercules and the assembled sideshow performers to celebrate their marriage. Despite their misgivings about Hans’ decision to wed her, the freaks show open hospitality towards Cleopatra (“We accept her. One of us” they proclaim) however Cleopatra contemptuously rebuffs their touching if somewhat unorthodox display of kindness and joins Hercules in the drunken and merciless mockery of her new husband. Hans’ complete and total humiliation at this point is nothing short of heartbreaking.

While the depiction of these unique individuals is disarming in its sensitivity, Freaks is nevertheless far from discreet in its lingering, warts and all depiction of their physical abnormality. As a result the viewer is confronted with several moments that are almost too frank for comfort. The most notable of these is a jaw-dropping scene in which “living torso” Prince Randian (a man without any arms or legs) is shown removing a match from a box, striking it then using it to light his cigarette using only his mouth. It cannot be overstated what a massive shock spectacles such as this must have been for a thirties audience and there is still something decidedly uneasy and unnerving about seeing it now. Ultimately however Browning is not utilising these peoples malformations for a cheap shock, but merely depicting them going about their menial everyday business. After all what on earth can be considered exploitative or extraordinary about someone lighting a cigarette? The fact that it is shocking is not because Freaks is exploitation, but simply because it shows us something that is an affront to our own perceptions of “normality” and does so in a blunt and matter of fact manner that no film since has really dared to emulate. While the performances of the physically abnormal portion of the case could be most kindly described as stilted, it is the air of authenticity they bring which makes Freaks what it is.

Of course Browning attentions, good or otherwise, would all be for nought if Freaks failed to deliver on the horror front. Happily this is not the case and Freaks sees Browning expertly use the unveiling of Cleopatra and Hercules’ evil plot to build to a deeply chilling climax in which the vengeful sideshow folk finally take their bloodcurdling revenge on the hateful couple. This memorable and beautifully shot finale drips with spine chilling menace as Cleopatra and Hercules are pursued through a night-time thunderstorm by the gathered sideshow troupe. Startling imagery of the freaks crawling, slithering and trudging through the rain and mud set on violent revenge linger long in the memory and have retained much of their not inconsiderable power to frighten. On the surface it would appear that at this point Browning finally betrays the films integrity and begins pandering to the nightmarish misconceptions many ignorant people hold about the relationship between deformity and evil. However, closer analysis reveals that this is not the case. If anything this finale however dark and unnerving it may be, ultimately affirms the view that these “freaks” are the same as any other human being. Anger and the thirst for revenge can sometimes inspire violent extremes of malevolence and cruelty in even the best of us and these remarkable people ultimately prove to be no exception to that particular rule. Casting all arguments aside there is little arguing that the climactic moments of Freaks register as the most intense scenes of terrorisation to be found in a horror film of its era. The ferocity of the climactic scenes is only marred ever so slightly by the final moments depicting Cleopatra’s grim fate, which resemble something out of a trashy horror comic and are at odds with the films otherwise mature and serious tone.

Despite its stilted performances, questionable denouement and sometimes naively one-dimensional characterisation,Freaks to this day remains a truly magical piece of cinema. While many so-called “controversial” films seldom deliver anything of substance to support their outrageous subject matter and excesses, Freaks is a happy exception to that rule. Within the framework of a simple yet dark morality play Tod Browning succeeded in creating a remarkably powerful film that is not only still capable of frightening the viewer, but is also still capable of shattering our very (mis)conceptions about what exactly constitutes “normality”. As touching, poignant and compassionate as it is shocking, confrontational and unsettling, Freaks richly deserves its reputation as one of the classic early talking horror films.

Also Try… Santa Sangre / El Topo / The Mutations / The Elephant Man / The Unholy Three (1925, Tod Browning) / Dracula (1931, Tod Browning) / She Freak / The Sentinel (1977, Michael Winner).

Please place any comments or queries about this film / review on the message board below. Please note that the newest comment is always displayed first so if you wish to read the comments in order start from the bottom and work your way up. Thanks.

Piczo