Who are the 'Freaks'?

Following our requisite viewing of Tod Browning’s 1932 film Freaks—adapted from the short story Spurs, written by Tod Robbins in 1923—astute viewers will notice the variations in character portrayals between the film and the original story, in ways both subtle and apparent. I was immediately aware of the film's expansion of the idea/theme present in the short story questioning who the 'freaks' truly are.

Even more so than the original story, the film portrays the circus freaks as intrinsically honorable and trusting individuals, contrasted against the two "normal" members of the troupe who conspire together to murder Hans and obtain his fortune for themselves. It begs the question of who are the real freaks in this situation? That was a dynamic I enjoyed, despite the removal of several instances of dialogue that aimed to further depict the ‘normal’ humans as reprehensible, and the ‘freaks’ as sympathetic individuals.

Although the screen romance between Frieda and Hans reflects the subdued/chilly nature of the original story, this could easily have been a product of necessity, as the roles were played by real life brother and sister Harry and Daisy Earles.

The conclusion of the film--or rather, the entire film in general--is clearly a product of pre-Hays Code Hollywood, with the brutal climax that sees the freaks attacking the two 'normal' conspirators armed with knives, guns, and other weapons. It is interesting to note that the final reunion of Hans and Frieda—seen in most versions of the film—was not part of Tod Browning’s original cut. It was only added after negative response from test audiences prompted studio executives to re-edit the film with a happier ending.

Some of the imagery in this film was no less than shocking (to me, at least), and while I won't go as far as to say I had nightmares, the images of Cleopatra as a disgusting human duck, and basically every shot of Prince Randian as the living torso were enough to haunt my dreams for the duration of the weekend. I also enjoyed the fact that, unlike the original short story that portrayed each ancillary freak as something of a caricature, the film avoids this by the inclusion of several 'slice of life' scenes that expand upon the lives of the performers (birth of the bearded woman's child, conjoined twin engangement, etc). These inclusions were important to humanize the 'freaks' and it seems to shy away from the winking, almost tongue-in-cheek fashion they are portrayed in Spurs.

Photo courtesy of monkeyinthecage.com

 I would truly love to see the original, uncut version of this film, and I'm disappointed that the segments removed are lost to the universal ether. I can’t help but wonder how the film’s original ending—one that allegedly showed Hercules singing soprano in Madame Tetralini’s new sideshow after being castrated by the vengeful freaks—would have affected the tone and dynamic of the film, had it not been cut after receiving vehemently negative reactions from preview reactions. Even with the aforementioned cuts, the film was banned in the United Kingdom for more than 30 years, finally being released with an X rating in 1963.

 Although I was aware of Tod Browning through he and Bela Lugosi's collaboration on Dracula in 1931, it was especially interesting (and disheartening) to read that the extreme level of controversy—and misunderstanding—surrounding Freaks effectively ended Browning's once-promising Hollywood career, especially given the social critique of intolerance he was attempting to construct.