The Invisible Man (1933)

Country of Origin: USA
Year of Production: 1933
Running Times: 71m
Length:
Format: 35mm
Colour Format: black and white
Aspect Ratio: 1.37:1
Sound: mono

DIRECTION

Directed by: James Whale

PRODUCTION
Copyright: MCMXXXIII [1933] by Universal Pictures Corp. Carl Laemmle, president
Production Company: A Universal picture  Carl Laemmle presents
Produced by: Carl Laemmle, Jr.

SCRIPT
Screenplay: R.C. Sheriff; Philip Wylie [uncredited], Preston Sturges [uncredited]
Novel: H.G. Wells [uncredited]

DIRECTOR
Assistant Director: James D. McDonough [uncredited]

PHOTOGRAPHY
Camera: Arthur Edeson

EDITING AND POST-PRODUCTION
Film Editor: Ted Kent

MUSIC
Music: Heinz Roemheld [uncredited], Paul Dupont [uncredited], W. Franke Harling [uncredited]

SOUND
Sound Recordist: William Hedgcock [uncredited]
Western Electric Sound System

COSTUMES AND MAKE-UP
Make Up: Jack P. Pierce [uncredited]

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Special Effects: John P. Fulton

VISUAL EFFECTS
Miniatures Photography: John J. Mescall [uncredited]

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Art Director: Charles D. Hall
Property Master: Wally Kirkpatrick [uncredited]

CAST

Claude Rains (the invisible one [Dr Jack Griffin])

with
Gloria Stuart (Flora Cranley)

and
William Harrigan (Doctor Kemp)

Henry Travers (Doctor Cranley)
Una O'Connor (Jenny Hall)
Forrester Harvey (Bill Hall)
Holmes Herbert (Chief of Police)
E.E. Clive (Jaffers)
Dudley Digges (Chief Detective)
Harry Stubbs (Inspector Bird)
Donald Stuart (Inspector Lane)
Merle Tottenham (Millie)

UNCREDITED CAST

Robert Adair, Bob Reeves, Jack Richardson (officials)
Ted Billings, D'Arcy Corrigan (villagers)
Walter Brennan (bicycle owner)
Robert Brower (farmer)
John Carradine (man who suggests ink)
Violet Kemble Cooper (woman)
Dwight Frye (reporter)
Crawford Kent (doctor)
John Merivale (newsboy)
Monte Montague (policeman)
Jameson Thomas (hospital physician)

PLOT SUMMARY

A scientist invents a formula that can turn him invisible, turns himself invisible. But it has an unforseen side effect - it also drives him insane and he goes on the rampage, terrorisisng a small English country village, eventually turning to murder.

USA
Theatrical Distributors: Universal Pictures, Realart Pictures Inc
Video Distributor: MCA
Laserdisc Distributor: MCA
DVD Distributor: Universal Classic Monster Collection (20766)

Australia
Rating: PG

Germany
Rating: 16

UK
Rating: PG

USA
Rating: unrated

1934
Venice Film Festival
Special Recommendation (James Whale) - winner

1933
November
13: USA - theatrical release

2000
August
29: USA - DVD release (Universal (20766 - as part of The Classic Monster Collection))

Hombre invisible, El - Spanish title
Homme invisible, L' - French title
Niewidzialny czlowiek - Polish title
Osynlige mannen, Den - Swedish title
Unsichtbare, Der - Austrian / German title
Uomo invisibile, L' - Italian title

SEQUELS
The Invisible Man Returns (1940)
Invisible Agent (1942)
The Invisible Man's Revenge (1944)
Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man (1951)

REMAKES
Tomei ningen (1954)
The Invisible Man (1975)
The Invisible Man (1984)
Chelovek-nevidimka (1984)
The Invisible Man (2000)

SEE ALSO
Adventures of a Plumber's Mate (1978)
Amazon Women on the Moon (1987)
Bloodbath at the House of Death (1984)
Bud Abbott, Lou Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948)
Darkman (1990)
Darkman II: The Return of Durant (1994)
Gods and Monsters (1998)
Have You Got Any Castles? (1938)
Hollow Man (2000)
Invisible Dad (1997)
Invisible Mom (1995)
Invisible Mom II (1999)
Mad Monster Party? (1967)
Memoirs of an Invisible Man (1992)
More Wild Wild West (1980)
Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie (1996)
Now You See Him: The Invisible Man Revealed! (2000)
Porky's Movie Mystery (1939)
Puppet Master II (1990)
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)

FOOTAGE INCLUDED IN
100 Years of Horror (1996)
Santa sangre (1989)
Sherlock Holmes and the Voice of Terror (1942)
Universal Horror (1998)

PERIODICALS

Cahiers du Cinéma no.346 (April 1983) pp.57-58 (France)
review

Cinefocus vol.1 no.1 (January 1990) pp.25-32 (USA)
article

Cinema Quarterly Spring 1934 (UK)
review

Classic Film Collector no.44 (Autumn 1974 pp.40-41, 45 (USA)
article

Classic Images no.285 (March 1999) p.45 (USA)
review

The Dark Side 66 p.26 (UK)
review

Empire no.163 (January 2003) pp.168-169 (UK)
illustrated DVD review

Fangoria no.198 (November 2000) p.64 (USA)
illustrated DVD release

Filmfax no.57 (August / September 1996) pp.49-50 (USA)
illustrated short article

Kinematograph Weekly no.1390 (7 December 1933) (UK)
review

Kinematograph Weekly no.1631 (21 July 1938) (UK)
review

Monthly Film Bulletin vol.1 no.3 (April 1934) p.21 (UK)
credits, synopsis, review

Photon no.23 (1973) pp.10-23, 35 (USA)
article

Picturegoer vol.3 no.154 (5 May 1934) p.32 (UK)
review

Premiere vol.4 no.10 (November 1996) p.84 (UK)
illustrated note

BOOKS

Universal Horrors (Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Co (1990))
illustrated credits, review (by Michael Brunas, John Brunas and Tom Weaver)

OTHER SOURCES

screen
credits

films based on books, inns, invisibility, invisible man, mad scientists, police

Last Updated: 6 January, 2010