MONKEY SHINES
US, 1988, 115 minutes, Colour.
Jason Beghe, John Pankow, Kate Mc Neil, Joyce Van Patten, Stanley Tucci.
Directed by George Romero.
Monkey Shines is based on a novel by Michael Stewart. It was adapted for the screen and directed by George A. Romero, the celebrated horror director for such films as Night of the Living Dead, Martin, Creep Show and the Dawn of the Dead series. This film is more of a mainstream horror film, big budget, smooth production.
The film is a variation on the mad scientist, the Frankenstein story. A young sportsman becomes a paraplegic, his friend who experiments with injecting human cells into monkeys offers one as a means of help in his situation. A growing empathy between patient and monkey ensues, the monkey killing for the angers of the patient. It all comes to a dramatic, melodramatic head - and finally a happy ending.
The film comments on the possibilities of monkeys being used to help paraplegics and there is a disclaimer to ward off any criticisms that it was discrediting such experiments. The production is slick, the film builds up quite an amount of tension, themes of science and nature are raised.
1.Enjoyable and interesting science fiction? The work of George A. Romero and his horror tradition?
2.The ordinary settings, domestic? Hospitals, laboratories and developing technology? The means available for helping the quadriplegic? The special effects, action shots? Musical score?
3.The disclaimer about the discrediting of the monkeys? The praise of their use for helping those who are incapacitated? The special effects for the monkey sequences, the monkey itself, its behaviour, the fights? The subjective sequences?
4.Themes: illness, incapacitation, the monkeys and their help? The interaction of animal instincts?
5.Alan as an ordinary young man, relationship with Linda, his exercise and running? The accident, the operation, his return? Confined to the chair, able to manipulate it, the laser beams? His mother fussing over him? The employment of Mary Ann and her being a tyrant? His prospect for life? His going back to study?
6.Dr Wiseman as friend, the mistaken diagnosis, Linda not visiting him in the hospital, their affair, his willing their deaths by fire?
7.His mother, possessive? Her going away, leaving Mary Ann? Her critical comments, making herself a martyr, the untidy house, antipathy towards the Monkey, her bird and its death? The talk with his mother on her return? Her fussing about him? His anger - and her death?
8.Jeffrey and his work with the monkeys, the clashes with Dr Burbidge, the experiments and injections? The visit to Melanie, giving Ella to Alan? The observation of the experiment, it going awry? The deaths? The continued injections, the return to Alan, confessing what had happened, attempts to save him, the struggle with Ella and his death?
9.Melanie as attractive, working with the monkeys, fixing everything for Alan, friendship, relationship, an independent woman, the weekend and the clash with his mother? Love? The phone call, her coming, her being attacked by Ella? The ending?
10.Alan and Ella, the bond between them, Ella and the audience knowing about the experiments, the range of things that she could do, clever, antagonistic, Mary Ann and killing the bird, the communication with Alan, his dreams, the visuals, the death by fire, her fear of matches, growing power, craving for the drugs, her return, her fight with Jeffrey and Melanie, the clashes with Alan?
11.Alan, ordinary, his predicament, shaving his beard, going to study? The bond with Melanie? Clashes with Mary Ann and her going? Dominated by his mother? His being contaminated by the monkey, his angers and their coming to reality? The finale with his mother, going out of control? The final confrontations, Ella trying to control him with the sweets, his trying to outwit Ella, electricity and music, finally biting her and her death?
12.The final operation, preparation for this, the optimistic ending?
13.Blend of thriller, Frankenstein myth, genetic experimentation?
