Now You See Him: The Invisible Man Revealed! (2000)
*** 1/2 (out of 4)
Another terrific documentary from Universal with this one covering James Whale's 1933 THE INVISIBLE MAN. This was originally released when that film first hit DVD but it has been paired with the film on other releases. We start off learning the history of the novel and then we get down to how Universal ended up with the rights. The film's production is gone through with a fine comb as we learn how Claude Rains was cast as well as hearing certainly issues the studio had as well as trouble with the special effects. Rudy Behlmer, Curtis Harrington< Paul Jensen, Bill Condon, David Skal and Jessica Rains are among the folks interviewed and all add nice bits of history to the making of the film. Some of the best moments come with Claude's daughter who shares her memories of what her father told her about the role and this includes the story of his original test being so awful that he was shocked anyone would be interested in him. Funny to think that considering all the major classics that he would go onto appear in. The documentary also spends quite a bit of time on Whale and how he originally made this picture to try and get Universal to make his dream project, which he would eventually make but well under the intended budget. Whale's opinion on the horror genre is discussed and we also hear about the original objections by H.G. Wells and how he wasn't happy with how Paramount handled ISLAND OF LOST SOULS. Fans of the film are going to learn a lot about the making of the film and the interviews are priceless. Highly recommended to those interested in the film or its sequel(s).
