Speaking of twins and dopplegangers and hindi cinema acting conventions
and cinematic versions of Frankenstein--I've always been interested in
the decision to have Elsa Lanchester play both Mary Shelley (in the
parodic intro frame) and the Bride in Whale's BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN.  Two
very different (perhaps?) versions of the feminine.  How does one speak
about the way this kind of double-casting has meaning in the film?  For
instance, the Bride screaming at the sight of the monster begins to look
like Shelley screaming at her own literary creation, etc.  Do we have
to . . .  (sorry, forget that sentence).
   I'd be interested in hearing about more of these double-castings.  Carol--how
 are these double roles "read" in Hindi cinema.  Is the audience supposed to
disregard that the characters are played by the same actress--is that the
convention?  I wonder if Whale's decision was plotted out in the same way
that, say, Carol Churchill's plays are structured with this kind of
double-acting strategy in mind.  Can anyone think of other films where this
strategy seems to be used towards a calculated end--and not?
  Susan Crutchfield
 
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