The Bride of Frankenstein

The Bride as portrayed by Elsa Lanchester in James Whale's 1935 classic "The Bride of Frankenstein."

Yet another classic make up by Jack Pierce. This was probably the most challenging portrait I have done to date, and hopefully you all find it worthwhile and will excuse the absence of my previously mentioned Lovecraft portrait. I saved over 60 screen grabs while painting this piece, which (if there is any interest) I plan on using in a post to show the behind the canvass process...

Elsa Lanchester was born Elizabeth Sullivan on October 28, 1902 in London, England.

Ah Elsa, she who singlehandedly jump-started my life long obsession with Goth Girls, quickly to be reinforced by the likes of Vampira, Morticia Adams, and Carol Borland. But Elsa was the first.

After re-watching this classic recently, I was struck by how graceful and dancer-like her movements where, the entire sequence where The Bride meets The Monster is pure ballet. After doing more research is came as no surprise considering she studied at Isadora Duncan's School of Dance, in Paris. Next time you watch it, look past the birdlike head gestures and concentrate on the more subtle fluid motions of her body.

A few interesting pieces of trivia from the IMDB:

Elsa Lanchester was only 5'4" but for the role was placed on stilts that made her 7' tall. The bandages were placed so tightly on her that she was unable to move and had to be carried about the studio and fed through a straw.

Elsa Lanchester's shock hairdo was held in place by a wired horsehair cage.

Elsa Lanchester said that her spitting, hissing performance was inspired by the swans in Regent's Park, London. "They're really very nasty creatures," she said.