Freaks Review- By Michael Carlisle

 Title: Freaks
Year: 1932
Diretor: Todd Browning
Country: US
Language: English

There are many films that are so shocking that it leaves the viewer in wonder about how that picture was even made. Some, like A Serbian Film, Saw and The Human Centipede, have an entire fan base solely because of the gruesome visuals within the film. Others, like Salo: Or the 120 Days of Sodom and Videodrome are incredibly difficult to watch but at least have very intelligent things to say about society. Made during the "Golden Hollywood" era, which makes the creation of the film incredibly puzzling considering it had to adhere to the strict censorship code,Todd Browning's Freaks is the latter.

The film is about a circus trapeze artist named Cleopatra (Olga Baclanova) who takes interest in a midget named Hans (Harry Earles) However her main interest is not in him, but the money he is inheriting. Together, Cleopatra and her lover Hercules (Henry Victor) plot to rob Hans of this inheritance.

Freaks was the most controversial film of the 30's. Several higher up MGM employees didn't want the picture to be made, many left-wing protesters claimed that it was inhumane exploitation. When it was released Irving Thalberg re-cut the picture because of a disastrous test screening and it was banned in the UK for many decades, one woman even claimed she suffered a miscarriage because of this movie. Unfortunately many motion picture companies also decided to blackball Todd Browning, making it impossible to find work and ruining his career.

Even in 2013, the film can be considered "shocking" and "unsettling". Though Freaks is actually a sympathetic look at genetic abnormalities, closely analyzing how "normal" people treat those who are different. It's pretty depressing when you realize just how relevant the film is today, just like the 30's we tend to ostracize people who aren't our ideal body image, even if we aren't the ideal body image ourselves. Our obsession with physical perfection makes us "freaks", more than it does to the people who are imperfect.

In conclusion, Freaks is an astounding picture that will always get a bad reputation because it isn't the glossy Hollywood film that you've come to expect out of the "Golden" era. It is a film that redefines what a "freak" is and boldly challenges the status quo like few films dare to do. Praise it! 5/5