"?" becomes a screen legend

There have been so many copies of this film and these characters, it is wonderful to see the original. Whilst some of the acting is quite wooden, a number of performances really stand out.

It goes without saying that Boris Karloff is extraordinary, managing to summon a whole character, without any words. The problem is that it isn't actually the character from the book.

The original has a much greater subtlety which is lost in this film, and many of those that copied it years later.

What seems to be a mistake in the credits isn't : Mary Shelley (the author) is credited is Mrs Percy B Shelley (i.e. the wife of Percy Bysshe Shelley, poet and philosopher).

Another great performance is Frederick Kerr, as the Baron, Watch him as he goes up the stairs in the windmill, muttering and complaining so naturally, like any grumpy old Great Uncle that you've ever met, that it doesn't even sound scripted.

Some of the other acting isn't nearly as convincing, which may have been due to the actors struggling to the project their voices sufficiently to be picked up by the microphones.

As with any really good film it leaves you wanting more - but it is all over so quickly.