MARY SHELLEY’S FRANKENSTEIN

UK/US, 1994, 123 minutes, Colour.
Kenneth Branagh, Robert de Niro, Tom Hulce, Helena Bonham Carter, Aiden Quinn, Ian Holm, Richard Briers, John Cleese, Robert Hardy, Cherie Lunghi, Celia Imrie.
Directed by Kenneth Branagh.

Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein followed in the footsteps of Bram Stoker’s Dracula, both produced by Francis Ford Coppola and his Zoetrope Studios. They were attempts at capturing the atmosphere of the original novels rather than simply yet another version of the traditional movie stories.

The film divided opinion at the time, critical review being quite negative, much of the popular reviews also hostile. However, in retrospect, a number of people have found the film to be much better than they first thought.

Kenneth Branagh has directed the film with great vigour, often using a moving camera, some accusing it of being just swooping. However, with the editing and pace, there is an urgency about Victor Frankenstein’s story, his motivations for creating the creature, his accepting of the consequences of what he had done.

The film is beautiful to look at, lavishly produced, with beautiful mansions for the Geneva home of the Frankensteins, university atmosphere in the streets of Ingolstadt for Frankenstein’s studies as well as his laboratory experiments. There is a prologue in the Arctic and the film ends in the Arctic.

The film shows the hubris of Victor Frankenstein in wanting to create life. However, it gives him a personal background, his grief at the death of his mother in childbirth, his wanting to save life. However, he becomes obsessive, critical of the professors at the university (exemplified by Robert Hardy) and is attracted by the experiments of another professor, played in a very subdued manner by John Cleese. Once the obsession takes hold, and the experiments with galvanising electricity are successful, he creates his creature. However, he underestimates the life of the creature who becomes more human with kind human contact but also experiences the hostility and hatred in human nature and becomes vengeful himself, wanting to revenge his creation on Frankenstein as well as Elizabeth his wife (Helena Bonham Carter). There is a good performance by Tom Hulse as Henry, Frankenstein’s associate. Cherie Lunghi is Frankenstein’s mother, Richard Briers his grandfather, Ian Holm his father.

The performance by Aidan Quinn as the captain of the ship in the Arctic is perhaps too American-accented. However, no American accents in Robert de Niro’s performance as the creature, an interesting attempt to combine images of horror with humanity.

There is a strong score by Patrick Doyle who had written the music for most of Kenneth Branagh’s films.

With Bram Stoker’s Dracula, directed by Coppola himself, these two films are lavish representations of 19th century novels and their exploratory ideas about the meaning of life, the role of God, the pride of humans usurping this role.

1. The literary tradition of Mary Shelley’s novel? The cinema tradition? This film in the line of the literature, of the cinema?

2. The lavish production style, the strong cast?

3. The film as a serious drama, the familiar plotlines from the horror series, but stronger themes? Life and death, grief, God, redress, overreaching oneself, hubris, the consequences of one’s actions? The Frankenstein story as a warning against playing God? Overreaching oneself in science?

4. The work of Kenneth Branagh, his performance, direction? The film as a spectacle, the film as drama? The camera movement, tracking and swooping? The editing?

5. The score, its range of moods?

6. The prologue, the Arctic, the 18th century, the ships and exploration, quests? The captain and his ambitions? Driving his men into the unknown? The iceberg looming, the hit, the effect? Fear, the talk of mutiny, the stances of the captain? The noise from the ice, the distant figure, Frankenstein coming on board, his treatment, condition, his story and warning?

7. Victor Frankenstein, as a child, the arrival of Elizabeth? The mansion in Geneva, the details of wealth, the happy life? The children playing?

8. Young Victor, his prospects? The portrait of the family, the father and his joy, the mother and her pregnancy? The various servants? Victor and Elizabeth growing up together, study, dancing, going out into the fields and the experiment with electricity and lightning?

9. Victor and his mother’s death, childbirth, William? His grief, emotional reaction? Finding a purpose in life, research for creating life? His going to Ingolstadt to study? Leaving Elizabeth behind?

10. The lectures, the arrogant and conservative professor, the laws of physics? Frankenstein in the upper gallery, intervening? His common sense but his seeming arrogance? Professor Waldman at the sides, Frankenstein watching him? Waldman and his laboratory, experiments, frogs and animals, electricity and creating life? Their discussions? The people turning against Waldman, his death?

11. Frankenstein and his accommodation, the laboratory? His opposition to Professor Krempe? Krempe’s hostility? The various students? The friendship with Henry, sharing with him, discussions, Henry and his perspective on being a doctor, his fainting at the autopsy? His warnings to Victor?

12. The laboratory, the detail of getting the various parts, putting them the film, the philosophical talk about life, the growing obsession, the electricity, the creature and the delay, alive?

13. The creature, the creature’s appearance, stirring, getting out of the laboratory, threatening Victor? The creature’s mind the creature’s body? Clothes, appearance, people’s reactions, walking in the town, people frightened? The creature’s emotions, propensity for violence? Intervening in problems and showing brutality?

14. Victor and the background of the plague, his decision to stay, Henry warning him, Elizabeth visiting him and pleading? His eventual return to Geneva, fleeing the monster, its effect?

15. The creature, getting information, absorbing it? Becoming more humanised, with the family, the possibility of gentleness, the family afraid? His travelling through the mountains to Geneva?

16. The creature in Geneva, Elizabeth and her reaction? The creature and its needs, telling Frankenstein he wanted a wife? The encounter with William, William’s death, the search? People’s reactions, the fear? The creature wanting revenge? The importance of the sequences of discussions with Frankenstein, audiences understanding the creature, its lack of origins, wanting a father, wanting a companion? Frankenstein and his not taking account of any of these considerations in creating the creature?

17. The search for William, the arrest, the execution of the woman, taking her body?

18. Elizabeth and the creature, the flames and her death, Frankenstein’s decision, the experiment? Taking Elizabeth’s head, the body of the dead woman? The laboratory, the electricity, bringing the woman to life? The effect, Elizabeth’s reaction, desperate, the fire?

19. The creature, escaping to the north, Frankenstein following the creature?

20. Frankenstein’s death, the creature coming to the boat, the funeral, the creature not having a name, seeing Frankenstein as his father?

21. The captain and the decision to return home? The warning theme against arrogance?

22. A different version of the Frankenstein story – the bypassing of the conventional horror aspects to go to the core of the themes and the meaning?