An evaluation of physical characteristics in Freaks

            As one can expect from a movie about a freak show, a lot of the characters are proportioned differently than the average person and often have physical and personality traits that make them appear and act out of the ordinary. However, Tod Browning utilized this aspect of his actors to physically portray their personalities. In this regard, all the characters display personality traits that are synonymous with the way that they look.

            A first example of this can be seen in Hans as well as Frita. They are both people who are a lot smaller than everyone else in their height and size. Because of this, they are taken advantage of a lot in the film, just as you might expect of a small person. Hans is continually misled and lied to so that Cleo and the strong man can get a hold of his inherited fortune. In addition, several times in the film he is picked up against his will and treated like a child. As for Frita, Hans decides to leave her for Cleo and so she is seen as small, with things out of her control. Furthermore, Cleo makes her feel even smaller when she mistakenly tells Cleo about Hans’s fortune.

            However, on the other end of the freak spectrum is the strong man. Since his character is known for being really big and strong, he acts this way as well. He acts very masculine and as though he can be in charge of any situation. He also helps Cleo to fool Hans into getting married, which makes him more bigheaded and confident. Cleo as well is the other “villain” in this film. Her character is a normal person in the film however, with no physical abnormality. Because of this, she acts as though she’s better than everyone else. She displays this throughout the film by acting like she’s superior to Frita and thinking that she can cheat Hans out of his money. Cleo even shouts at the other freaks and says that she is above them when they tell her she is one of them now after marring Hans.

            Another interesting way in which Tod Browning utilized the appearance of his actors to mimic their personalities was with the half boy half girl character, as well as the conjoined twin. These characters contribute to the voyeuristic aspect to this film. The half boy half girl exists to show both views of gender and to sort of put anonymity to the voyeur itself. Showing two genders on one person helps to get across the message that it could be anyone watching, and this character often is seen observing on other people’s conversations unknowingly. The conjoined twin however represents multiple views in the same person. This is shown by having each of the separate people convey different emotions and have different opinions on things. Although they are connected at the hip, these twins don’t like the same people always and one of them is very submissive while the other is more assertive and talkative. It is an interesting way to represent opposing views in the same person.

            Through the work of his actors themselves, Tod Browning was able to portray different types of people with the help of their physical appearances to help give them their personalities. Most obvious examples can be seen in Frita and Hans as well as the strong man and Cleo, while more abstract personalities can be seen in some of the characters such as the half boy half girl and the conjoined twin. Through using this technique, Browning made the film have a deeper meaning then what lied in the dialogue and actions of the characters. Each body type became its personality and lead to a large array of differing “freaks”.