E X T E N S I O N INVISIBILITY AT THE CINEMA WORKING ON THE TEXT The theme of invisibility began to appear in films in the 1930s1.These are the most popular films based on H.G. Wells s work. In 1930, Wells gave Universal Pictures the permission to make movies based on his novel. The Invisible Man (1933) was very close to the spirit of the novel. It is a science-fiction horror film directed2 by James Whale.The main actor, Claude Rains, appears covered in bandages for most of the film. In 2008, The Invisible Man was chosen as one of the American films to preserve3 in the Library of Congress. In 1940, there was a sequel4 of the film, directed by Joe May, called The Invisible Man Returns, with the actor Vincent Price. The police think that a man has killed his brother. Just before his execution, Dr Griffin, brother of the original invisible man, visits his friend in prison. He is sure that the man is innocent and gives him a drug5 that makes him invisible. But the effects are terrible: he slowly goes crazy. The end of the story is surprising. During the Second World War, Universal Pictures made a film called Invisible Agent (1942). The Invisible Man s grandson uses his secret formula to spy6 on Nazi Germany. 1. the 1930s: the years from 1930 to 1939. 2. direct: to tell the actors and staff what to do. 3. preserve: to keep something as it is to prevent its damage or destruction. 4. sequel: a book, film, or play that continues the story of one of these, made before. 5. drug: substance. 6. spy: to collect secret information about another country, organisation or person. 71