#177. Freaks (1932)

Directed By: Tod Browning

Starring: Wallace Ford, Leila Hyams, Olga Baclanova




Tag line: "The Strangest... The Most Startling Human Story Ever Screened... Are You Afraid To Believe What Your Eyes See?"

Trivia:  Myrna Loy, originally slated for the Olga Baclanova role, turned down the part because she felt the script was offensive

Director Tod Browning, who at 16 ran away to join the circus, came to love the "Big Top" and all the excitement it had to offer. With his 1932 film Freaks, Browning wanted to show the world a slice of circus life few on the outside had ever seen: the camaraderie and close-knit relationships that formed among the sideshow attractions, sometimes referred to as "freaks". 

But the world as it existed in 1932 wasn’t ready for Browning’s film. Freaks was reviled by audiences and critics alike. 

Hans (Harry Earles), a circus performer who stands less than three feet tall, has fallen in love with trapeze artist Cleopatra (Olga Baclanova), who is twice his size. Cleopatra initially laughs off Hans’ advances, but changes her tune when she hears that he's about to inherit a large fortune. 

It doesn't take long for Cleopatra to seduce Hans, and soon the two are married. With the help of her secret lover, Hercules the Strong Man (Henry Victor), Cleopatra plans to knock off her new husband and collect his inheritance. But when she humiliates Hans in public, Cleopatra incites the ire of the other circus ‘freaks’, who are only too happy to intercede on Hans' behalf. 

It’s easy to see why Freaks was a bit much for an audience in 1932. Along with the appearance of such sideshow performers as the bearded lady (Olga Roderick), the half-man/half-woman (Josephine Joseph) and the human skeleton (Peter Robinson), we also meet the Half-Boy (Johnny Eck) who was born without legs; and the ‘living torso’ (Prince Randian), who had no limbs whatsoever. There are other “oddities” as well, like "pinheads", conjoined twins (Daisy and Violet Hilton) and a girl with no arms (Martha Morris) who has to eat every meal with her feet. 

Yet while these characters are certainly unusual, I don't believe it was Browning's intention to simply exploit their various deformities (a charge leveled against him by many of his contemporaries). On the contrary, I get the distinct impression that a mutual respect had developed between the director and his sideshow subjects, and I'm convinced that Browning's ultimate goal was to paint them in a sympathetic light. How did he do this? By making the ‘freaks’ the true heroes of his story, and the so-called ‘normal’ characters, who lie, cheat and steal their way through the film, the monsters. 

Upon its release in 1932, critics attacked Freaks unmercifully. The Atlanta Journal wrote that it “transcends the fascinatingly horrible, leaving the spectator appalled”, and its “shocking nature” resulted in the film being banned in many states. Ultimately, audiences could not accept Browning's vision, and I truly believe 'acceptance' is what the director was after. Browning set out to show us the inner decency, even the humanity of this special group of performers, men and women who were dealt a blow by life, yet were coping with it, eking out a living the only way possible. 

Browning was able to see past their deformities.  Alas, he was the only one who could.