(Written August 2021): I just discovered that Freaks (1932) has JUST been released onto HBO Max, for anyone who has that streaming service and wants to watch it beyond just renting it! It's just a really exciting piece of news I wanted to share and I hope this means that more people will be able to see this film!! (Written May 2021): Hi Hi! Thanks so much for checking out this video about the 1932 film, Freaks, and for all the positive reception! This really probably my favorite that I've made so far and was a passion project I'm glad I was able to complete! As of a couple days ago, there are officially 'English' (under this labeled, not the auto-generated one) CLOSED CAPTIONS on this video that I personally made sure were proofread, etc. so if you prefer watching with those they're available and accessible! Also, I wanted to add here that I do refer to the lead character in this film, Jacques, and the actor portraying him, Harry Earles, as an individual with Dwarfism. I've known for a while that other terms thrown around towards those living with the condition are offensive to that community and that's why I preferred to use the condition a means to carry the conversation and apply it in my analysis to Freaks (1932) as a whole. From my understanding, you could also refer to someone identified with Dwarfism as a 'little person' or 'little people', at least from media I've seen using both of these more often in recent years. It's certainly a learning curve in understanding other disabilities and their representation in the world, and I genuinely suggest following up on how Dwarfism and some of the other conditions the ensemble in this film possess are represented in media for more information and I'll certainly be doing the same. I actually found out after this video's release that there's a documentary called "Code of the Freaks (2020)" that appears to touch upon more than the documentaries on sideshows I used for research here; if I really enjoy it, I'll make sure to share my thoughts on it as a research tool for a future project idea and/or through my TH-cam community posts tab. Thanks again and remember that You Are Enough :)
Oh that's awesome! I really enjoyed that he reviewed this film when I was first researching about it, I have a lot of respect for James Rolfe as a creator/filmmakers so it's always cool to hear about others who feel the same! Glad you enjoyed the video :)
Tod Browning's "FREAKS" was his follow-up to 1931's "DRACULA" and Browning was not holding back his opinions about using disabled/deformed human beings as "Entertainment" in Movies/Carnivals of the time. And using REAL LIFE PERFORMERS in the Film SHOCKED Critics and Movie watchers as well. The Film still disturbs the mind and heart to this day. The tormentor of these victims are themself turned into a "Freak" by the End, a Moral Lesson not to mistreat disabled or deformed people. The Film held no apology for it's Message. And Tod Browning was censored for it...much too shocking for the time. And by 1935 Horror Films were deeply edited for visual/script content until 1939 when public demand restarted the Horror Film Cycle🧟♂️
I watched Freaks last night (largely on your recommendation so thanks) and I must say, I was really impressed, and that's high praise coming from me given I'm often critical of movies about disability, I don't even like Rain Man. This movie could have been some cheap and nasty exploitation film that made the disabled characters the villains (possibly played by able-bodied actors) but it's not that at all and is actually ahead of its time in most regards (in 2022 humanity still struggles to accept those who don't fit societies mould, it was even worse in the 1930s). Actually the best companion pieces to this film I can think of are One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and The Elephant Man. Really the only things that dated it somewhat are the altering of the ending to make the disabled characters seem more violent than they really are and its marketing as a horror movie, but really that's a fault on the studios part and not Browning's (and I guess the title as well but I think it could have worked as a dark, intentionally ironic title). I don't view this movie as a horror movie because I don't believe it is. It is a damn shame the full version of the film is now lost because I think it would have ironed out the very few issues I had with the final cut. I really don't know how an audience of the day would have responded if the full 90 minute cut was the final edit and it was marketed as a drama, I still think it would have been rejected because I don't believe a 1932 audience would have been ready for a film like this.
If I remember well there have been a couple of episodes of X-Files (s02e02 and s05e05 with less direct references) that hugely refers to Freaks and the 4th season of American Horror Story also as tons of reference to the movie (how the villain ends is a direct copy from the movie), not speaking about all the easter eggs we can found in dozens of other creations. It seems that the movie still influence a lot of audiovisual productions with a big part being in the horror gender, which is a logical consequence for a story around the theme of the monster and how people out of the norms are treated by the society. The sad part is when they only take in consideration the monstrous element of the story, not understanding all the implications around it. PS, Congrats for all your achievements in the past months Alex !
There was a sort of re-make of this movie in the 1960's called SHE-FREAK. You have to remember that the movies of the 20's and 30's like PHANTOM , HUNCHBACK, THE MAN WHO LAUGHS and even FRANKENSTEIN were influenced by the world around them at the time. At this time we had living among us vets from the First World War; disfigured , disabled and suffering the mental scares of war. These movies were a reflection of that. I'm Aspie myself, and its so good to see a channel like yours here on TH-cam. I have a TV series for you. Like TWILIGHT ZONE it was made in the 60's. I suggest that you watch all 17 episodes before doing a video on it and do you video of the series as a whole. When you watch it, you'll find that it is like no series before or since. its called THE PRISONER.
Thanks for sharing all this with me and I do appreciate the kind words towards the channel, and I totally agree with you in that there was a very different view of the world at that time. As for the suggestions you offered, "The Prisoner" and "She-Freak", I actually haven't heard of them before and already have a lot of media I want to cover in videos, but I will certainly check those out on my own when I get the chance and see what they're all about. I always enjoy learning about other media to view, even if I don't personally decide to cover it :)
I've only recently discovered your channel and I must say you are one of my favorite content creators on youtube right now! I am astonished at the amount of work you put into your work and it's incredibly inspiring! keep up the good work :)
Good to see you back Alex. Often oppressed people will turn on their own in frustration. I could not watch Freaks all through. But this was a great presentation with a thoughtful commentary.
At the moment, I align more with film and media analysis and editing as aspirations as opposed to be a filmmaker haha, but regardless I do appreciate getting the opportunity to view and talk about media from various points in time so it was pleasure to discuss Freaks (1932). As for The Wild Bunch, I had actually never heard of it until you mentioned it; I personally am not the biggest fan or aficionado of Westerns but upon a quick internet search the film got quite a bit of backlash for its graphic/violent nature and I'm sure someone has covered this film in-depth with this being the case. It certainly seems to be an interesting piece of cinema, to say the least.
I found the movie really thanks to AHS as they based a series on it also I have the movie in my Amazon prime the movie is almost 100 years old now Infact 100 years ago this month they were working and filming on it
This is interesting. I can see it had a big influence on American Horror Story. I found you from looking up the Twilight Zone episode "The Obsolete Man" and your video caught my eye. Your content deserves way more attention! Keep it up!
Damn banned for 30 years for being received poorly that's crazy! I have never watched this movie but it sounds interesting with some of the themes they have.
Tfw you need to leave a like but the ratio is 4/20.. Very well put together video, keep up the good work. Only thing I could say is it needs more jokes so we can get a feel for your sense of humor/personality but if you're trying to stay strictly analytical then you do you, dope content regardless.
Thanks So Much Patrick! This video, in particular, was definitely more on the analytical side just because of the subject material here. I tend to go that route anyway, but it's always a nice reminder to remember to include my sense of humor/personality whenever I see a good opportunity to!
@@AlexCarson Word yeah it definitely doesn't inhibit the quality of your video at all, it's just helpful to have some sort of niche while building a fanbase. Also a lot of your videos don't appear on your channel and can only be found through search or your playlist section. Idk if it's a decision or if youtube hates you but you have a lot more videos than what I was able to find initially. Also comment on more doplex videos I wouldn't have found this channel otherwise lol Edit: Nevermind my browser was just bugged I guess, all videos are appearing now.
@@patrickw8955 I appreciate it, and yeah Doplex is a great creator! I'm glad that TH-cam/your browser aren't bugging out for you anymore btw. Not too long ago, TH-cam bugged out on my channel and was turning off comments sections on its own and I was able to manually turn them back on. So, to hear it was resolved is a genuine relief lol.
I never liked Hans he was a weak Jerk and the way he treated poor Freida was shocking I’d have dumped him Also Freida and Hans were siblings in real life dunno if she was in anything else also their act was known as the Doll family
Yeah, I agree Freida deserved better. From what I could find to reply to this comment, I'm not sure if the actress, Daisy Earles, was in more than a handful of projects but she seemed to have made appearances with her family outside of "Freaks" but certainly not as much as her brother. And yes, they were considered the 'Doll Family'. I was actually aware of that title for the siblings, but admittedly I only felt comfortable referring to Harry Earles being 'one of four sibling entertainers' when writing the video because I wanted to best respect how Dwarfism is now discussed today versus some of the labels surrounding those with the condition around the time the film came out. Thanks for watching the video and for your two comments! I may have to check out AHS sometime, but I also should mentally prepare myself beforehand based on what I've heard about its subject material haha!
(Written August 2021): I just discovered that Freaks (1932) has JUST been released onto HBO Max, for anyone who has that streaming service and wants to watch it beyond just renting it! It's just a really exciting piece of news I wanted to share and I hope this means that more people will be able to see this film!!
(Written May 2021): Hi Hi! Thanks so much for checking out this video about the 1932 film, Freaks, and for all the positive reception! This really probably my favorite that I've made so far and was a passion project I'm glad I was able to complete! As of a couple days ago, there are officially 'English' (under this labeled, not the auto-generated one) CLOSED CAPTIONS on this video that I personally made sure were proofread, etc. so if you prefer watching with those they're available and accessible!
Also, I wanted to add here that I do refer to the lead character in this film, Jacques, and the actor portraying him, Harry Earles, as an individual with Dwarfism. I've known for a while that other terms thrown around towards those living with the condition are offensive to that community and that's why I preferred to use the condition a means to carry the conversation and apply it in my analysis to Freaks (1932) as a whole. From my understanding, you could also refer to someone identified with Dwarfism as a 'little person' or 'little people', at least from media I've seen using both of these more often in recent years. It's certainly a learning curve in understanding other disabilities and their representation in the world, and I genuinely suggest following up on how Dwarfism and some of the other conditions the ensemble in this film possess are represented in media for more information and I'll certainly be doing the same. I actually found out after this video's release that there's a documentary called "Code of the Freaks (2020)" that appears to touch upon more than the documentaries on sideshows I used for research here; if I really enjoy it, I'll make sure to share my thoughts on it as a research tool for a future project idea and/or through my TH-cam community posts tab. Thanks again and remember that You Are Enough :)
Great review! Actually James Role drew me to this film initially, so it's funny you also made a video about him!
Oh that's awesome! I really enjoyed that he reviewed this film when I was first researching about it, I have a lot of respect for James Rolfe as a creator/filmmakers so it's always cool to hear about others who feel the same! Glad you enjoyed the video :)
Okay I definitely need to check this out
i watched this on the library of congress. wild.
Tod Browning's "FREAKS" was his follow-up to 1931's "DRACULA" and Browning was not holding back his opinions about using disabled/deformed human beings as "Entertainment" in Movies/Carnivals of the time. And using REAL LIFE PERFORMERS in the Film SHOCKED Critics and Movie watchers as well. The Film still disturbs the mind and heart to this day. The tormentor of these victims are themself turned into a "Freak" by the End, a Moral Lesson not to mistreat disabled or deformed people. The Film held no apology for it's Message. And Tod Browning was censored for it...much too shocking for the time. And by 1935 Horror Films were deeply edited for visual/script content until 1939 when public demand restarted the Horror Film Cycle🧟♂️
Hello I just found your channel today you seem have a diverse channel i like it.
Thank You Bryson!
@@AlexCarson I love how you discussed Freaks in a different detail then I fan
I watched Freaks last night (largely on your recommendation so thanks) and I must say, I was really impressed, and that's high praise coming from me given I'm often critical of movies about disability, I don't even like Rain Man. This movie could have been some cheap and nasty exploitation film that made the disabled characters the villains (possibly played by able-bodied actors) but it's not that at all and is actually ahead of its time in most regards (in 2022 humanity still struggles to accept those who don't fit societies mould, it was even worse in the 1930s). Actually the best companion pieces to this film I can think of are One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and The Elephant Man.
Really the only things that dated it somewhat are the altering of the ending to make the disabled characters seem more violent than they really are and its marketing as a horror movie, but really that's a fault on the studios part and not Browning's (and I guess the title as well but I think it could have worked as a dark, intentionally ironic title). I don't view this movie as a horror movie because I don't believe it is. It is a damn shame the full version of the film is now lost because I think it would have ironed out the very few issues I had with the final cut.
I really don't know how an audience of the day would have responded if the full 90 minute cut was the final edit and it was marketed as a drama, I still think it would have been rejected because I don't believe a 1932 audience would have been ready for a film like this.
If I remember well there have been a couple of episodes of X-Files (s02e02 and s05e05 with less direct references) that hugely refers to Freaks and the 4th season of American Horror Story also as tons of reference to the movie (how the villain ends is a direct copy from the movie), not speaking about all the easter eggs we can found in dozens of other creations. It seems that the movie still influence a lot of audiovisual productions with a big part being in the horror gender, which is a logical consequence for a story around the theme of the monster and how people out of the norms are treated by the society. The sad part is when they only take in consideration the monstrous element of the story, not understanding all the implications around it.
PS, Congrats for all your achievements in the past months Alex !
Thank You!!!
I remember when my dad told me about this when I was a kid, the chant particularly
I've always loved this movie!
There was a sort of re-make of this movie in the 1960's called SHE-FREAK. You have to remember that the movies of the 20's and 30's like PHANTOM , HUNCHBACK, THE MAN WHO LAUGHS and even FRANKENSTEIN were influenced by the world around them at the time. At this time we had living among us vets from the First World War; disfigured , disabled and suffering the mental scares of war. These movies were a reflection of that.
I'm Aspie myself, and its so good to see a channel like yours here on TH-cam. I have a TV series for you. Like TWILIGHT ZONE it was made in the 60's. I suggest that you watch all 17 episodes before doing a video on it and do you video of the series as a whole. When you watch it, you'll find that it is like no series before or since. its called THE PRISONER.
Thanks for sharing all this with me and I do appreciate the kind words towards the channel, and I totally agree with you in that there was a very different view of the world at that time. As for the suggestions you offered, "The Prisoner" and "She-Freak", I actually haven't heard of them before and already have a lot of media I want to cover in videos, but I will certainly check those out on my own when I get the chance and see what they're all about. I always enjoy learning about other media to view, even if I don't personally decide to cover it :)
All of these videos are so well done
thank you so much!
I've only recently discovered your channel and I must say you are one of my favorite content creators on youtube right now! I am astonished at the amount of work you put into your work and it's incredibly inspiring! keep up the good work :)
Thank You Mark! You're so kind! :,)
Good to see you back Alex. Often oppressed people will turn on their own in frustration. I could not watch Freaks all through. But this was a great presentation with a thoughtful commentary.
I'm glad that a young person knows about these films! Have you seen The Wild Bunch. Are you an aspiring film maker?
At the moment, I align more with film and media analysis and editing as aspirations as opposed to be a filmmaker haha, but regardless I do appreciate getting the opportunity to view and talk about media from various points in time so it was pleasure to discuss Freaks (1932).
As for The Wild Bunch, I had actually never heard of it until you mentioned it; I personally am not the biggest fan or aficionado of Westerns but upon a quick internet search the film got quite a bit of backlash for its graphic/violent nature and I'm sure someone has covered this film in-depth with this being the case. It certainly seems to be an interesting piece of cinema, to say the least.
I found the movie really thanks to AHS as they based a series on it also I have the movie in my Amazon prime the movie is almost 100 years old now Infact 100 years ago this month they were working and filming on it
This is interesting. I can see it had a big influence on American Horror Story.
I found you from looking up the Twilight Zone episode "The Obsolete Man" and your video caught my eye. Your content deserves way more attention! Keep it up!
thank you so so much :)
Damn banned for 30 years for being received poorly that's crazy! I have never watched this movie but it sounds interesting with some of the themes they have.
Yeah, it's definitely interesting and totally recommend checking it out!
Review A Clock Work Orange! Especially the beginning of the film. By the way i have actually read the novel.
Tfw you need to leave a like but the ratio is 4/20..
Very well put together video, keep up the good work. Only thing I could say is it needs more jokes so we can get a feel for your sense of humor/personality but if you're trying to stay strictly analytical then you do you, dope content regardless.
Thanks So Much Patrick! This video, in particular, was definitely more on the analytical side just because of the subject material here. I tend to go that route anyway, but it's always a nice reminder to remember to include my sense of humor/personality whenever I see a good opportunity to!
@@AlexCarson Word yeah it definitely doesn't inhibit the quality of your video at all, it's just helpful to have some sort of niche while building a fanbase. Also a lot of your videos don't appear on your channel and can only be found through search or your playlist section. Idk if it's a decision or if youtube hates you but you have a lot more videos than what I was able to find initially.
Also comment on more doplex videos I wouldn't have found this channel otherwise lol
Edit: Nevermind my browser was just bugged I guess, all videos are appearing now.
@@patrickw8955 I appreciate it, and yeah Doplex is a great creator! I'm glad that TH-cam/your browser aren't bugging out for you anymore btw. Not too long ago, TH-cam bugged out on my channel and was turning off comments sections on its own and I was able to manually turn them back on. So, to hear it was resolved is a genuine relief lol.
@@AlexCarson Huge relief lol I'm still watching your twilight zone videos and looking forward to what's to come! Thanks for the great content lol
I'm a FREAK!
I never liked Hans he was a weak Jerk and the way he treated poor Freida was shocking I’d have dumped him Also Freida and Hans were siblings in real life dunno if she was in anything else also their act was known as the Doll family
Yeah, I agree Freida deserved better. From what I could find to reply to this comment, I'm not sure if the actress, Daisy Earles, was in more than a handful of projects but she seemed to have made appearances with her family outside of "Freaks" but certainly not as much as her brother. And yes, they were considered the 'Doll Family'. I was actually aware of that title for the siblings, but admittedly I only felt comfortable referring to Harry Earles being 'one of four sibling entertainers' when writing the video because I wanted to best respect how Dwarfism is now discussed today versus some of the labels surrounding those with the condition around the time the film came out. Thanks for watching the video and for your two comments! I may have to check out AHS sometime, but I also should mentally prepare myself beforehand based on what I've heard about its subject material haha!