Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
by Kenneth Branagh
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Actor: Aidan Quinn, Helena Bonham Carter, Kenneth Branagh, Robert De Niro, Tom HulceDirector: Kenneth Branagh
Brand: Sony
Producer: David Barron
Producer: David Parfitt
Producer: Francis Ford Coppola
Producer: Fred Fuchs
Writer: Frank Darabont
Writer: Mary Shelley
Writer: Steph Lady
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo; French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo; Spanish (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo
Format: AC-3, Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 123 minutes
DVD Release Date: 1998-07-28
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
DVD Reviews of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
DVD Review: Recommend the 2004 Hallmark adaptation instead -- more loyal and accurate
Summary: 2 Stars
WARNING: The review below is written for individuals who already know the basic plot of the novel. If you have never read the novel, this review may not serve your purposes. (There are plenty of other reviews you can read that were written by individuals who know nothing about Shelley's novel).
In summary, my greatest problem with the film is that it changes the personalities of many of the characters by modernizing them. In other words, this film is clearly marketed toward the public, at large, and not students of the Romantic period. It always agitates me when scriptwriters 'rewrite' a story for a modern audience while claiming it faithfully follows the novel and the intent of the writer. I make this a particularly important point because the film claims to be MARY SHELLEY'S FRANKENSTEIN, which it is most certainly NOT.
Below, I have listed by notes pertaining to this adaptation, noting especially the deviations.
Mr. Walton is captain and a second Frankenstein (i.e. ambitious without regard for consequences). [In the novel, Mr. Walton is not the captain. Mr. Walton is still ambitious but not quite as ambitious as this adaptation would leave you to believe.]
Victor is an adult. Victor's mother dies giving birth, but the baby lives. Lighting strikes and completely destroys the old tree. [In the novel, Victor's mother dies from scarlet fever after nursing Elizabeth. Also, the tree was struck earlier, when Victor was 15 years old.]
Victor meets Clerval at college. Clerval is becoming a doctor but can't stand autonomy (i.e. faints). [In the novel, Victor and Clerval were childhood friends.]
Victor does not get along well with Dr. Krempe, who does not like ancient theories. [In the novel, Victor disagrees with Dr. Krempe. However, they still have a good working relationship. In fact, Dr. Krempe tells Clerval about Frankenstein, "...he has outstript us all." ]
Victor, with the assistance of Dr. Waldman, learns about electricity in creating life. Dr. Waldman has a secret book with his own experimental notes inside. [In the novel, Dr. Waldman has no book.]
While administrating chlorella vaccines, Dr. Waldman is stabbed by a man who does not want a vaccine. Victor is very upset by the death. The man is hung, and Victor steals the body. [In the novel, there is no description of Dr. Waldman administering vaccines. Also, Dr. Waldman does not die.]
Victor steals Dr. Waldman's journals with the notes of his own experiments. He also steals Dr. Waldman's brain. [In the novel, none of this occurs.]
Victor does not write home. Elizabeth writes letters and pretends they are Victors. [In the novel, Elizabeth does not write letters. Victor's family instead worries about him.]
Elizabeth visits during the cholera outbreak. Victor refuses to leave the city even though there has been a cholera outbreak. Elizabeth visits the city. Victor tells Elizabeth that his work must become before him and Elizabeth. [In the novel, only Clerval visits. Remember, in novel, Clerval is not a medical student. Also, in novel, no horrible cholera outbreak occurs.]
After a mishap, Victor thinks his creature is dead (i.e. the creature is accidentally strung up). However, the creature is not dead. Victor views the creature in its hideous form. It greatly affects Victor. Victor faints. When he awakes, he goes to kill his creature. The creature had fled with Victor's coat and journal. [In the novel, no mishap occurs. The creature slowly comes to life in a non-dramatic way. Victor is afraid of the creature. Victor flees the creature but never tries to kill it.]
The creature is not particularly hideous. Nor is the creature any taller than 7 feet. [In the novel, the creature is also not particularly hideous although it is over 7 feet tall.]
In the streets, creature tries to steal food. People attack the creature. The creature shows its incredible strength by eventually fighting back against the mob and escaping. [In the novel, the creature does not fight back but rather flees.]
Victor falls ill with pneumonia (but not cholera). [In the novel, Victor falls ill with a fever.]
Victor believes his creature is dead - that it probably died of cholera.
The creature finds his way to the DeLacey cottage. The creature later pulls vegetables like turnips from the hard ground for the DeLacey family. [In the novel, the creature cuts firewood and shovels snow for the DeLacey family.]
The creature learns how to read from the DeLaceys. However, the creature catches on so quickly, it is clear that the creature is recalling his knowledge rather than learning it for the first time. The creature reads Victor's journal.
One of the DeLacey children leaves the `spirit of the forest' a Christmas present. This causes a positive emotional response in the creature. [In the novel, there are no children in the DeLacey home. Also, they leave no gift. Additionally, the DeLacey family is quite underdeveloped in the film. Furthermore, Safie does not appear in the film, as a young lady who must learn the language of the DeLacey family (i.e. the French language)]
Creature fights the rent man after the rent man attacks Mr. DeLacey. [In the novel, the rent man attacks no one.]
The blind Mr. DeLacey invites the creature inside his home to offer his thanks. They talk. The creature says he is afraid to reveal himself to some friends because he is so very ugly.
Mr. DeLacey's son (Felix) enters the home and strikes the creature with a stick, driving the creature from the house, even though Mr. DeLacey protests.
When the creature later returns to the cottage, the family had fled. The creature burns the cottage and says, "I will have revenge." Hatred is stirred within the creature. [In the novel, the creature engages in the described behaviors. Hate is born in the creature at this moment. In the film, the creature seems capable of hatred far before this point.]
Creature crosses the great plains of snow, as it travels to Geneva. [In the novel, the creature tries to rescue a drowning girl and is shot, which further leads him to hate humanity. None of this occurs in the film.]
William takes the locket to show his friend Peter. William meets the creature and drops the locket.
The Frankenstein family searches for William. The creature plants the locket on Justine as she sleep in a barn.
William's body is found. Justine is found and accused of murder.
The mob, desirous for revenge, hangs Justine without a trial. Victor and his family are powerless to stop the mob. [In the novel, Victor keeps silent at Justine's trial. This mob action prevents this important moral dilemma from occurring.]
As Victor returns from the lynching, his creature meets him and demands that they meet again on the top of an icy mountain. [In the novel, Victor climbs the mountain to get away from the world. He does not meet his creature until already on the mountain.]
Victor climbs the icy mountain, which is overdramatic, since the mountain in the film is far too difficult to climb. The creature takes Victor into his large cave, after presumably disarming Victor.
Creature asks Frankenstein who he is (i.e. from what he is made). Creature tells Frankenstein that he remembers things without being taught them (ex: like how to play a musical instrument). [In novel, creature is born like a newborn child, at least in terms of knowledge. This film adaptation goes against Shelley's intent, since the reader can infer from the book that the creature was either born basically good or born as a blank slate.]
Creature demands a female companion/friend (i.e. someone who wants him). Creature says that if he could have one friend, he would make peace with the world.
Victor says that if he can right this wrong, he will. [In the novel, Victor is far harsher to the creature in his treatment. Victor clearly does not want to create a female companion for his creature.]
Victor and Elizabeth have a hug argument when Victor won't tell her his plans or who William's murder is. [In the novel, Elizabeth has a much more loving and passive personality. Elizabeth simply wants what is best for Victor.]
Creature brings Victor Justine's body for dissection, saying, as Victor had previously said, "Just materials, nothing more." At this point, Victor says he refuses to create a female creature. Then, creature tells Victor that he will be with him or his wedding night. [In the novel, Victor does not experiment in his father's home. He also does not use Justine's body for anything.]
Elizabeth plans to leave the Frankenstein home. Victor wants to tell Elizabeth about his experiments, but he is afraid to lose her. Elizabeth tells Victor to forget about his experiments and marry her. They marry. [In novel, Victor destroys his female creature before the marriage.]
Victor's father dies. [In the novel, Victor's father does not die until after Elizabeth is murdered.]
Victor and a posse of villagers search for the creature. Victor and Elizabeth, newly married, search for the creature. That night, it rains, and Victor and his wife stop at an inn. Many friends guard Victor and Elizabeth
However, as Victor and Elizabeth are about to have sex, Victor sees his creature at the window. Victor leaves the room to alert his protectors. They chase the creature into the night. [In the novel, Victor does not realize the creature is present at the inn, until after he hears Elizabeth's screams. It seems quite stupid for Victor to leave Elizabeth in the inn, where the creature who create a diversion and murder her.]
The creature creates a diversion and murders Elizabeth by sticking his hand inside her and pulling out her heart. Victor and others try to shoot the creature but are unable to hit him as he flees the inn. [In the novel, Victor alone sees his creature, and then, only after it has murdered Elizabeth.]
[From this point onward, the film diverges from the book in almost every aspect.]
Victor desires to use Elizabeth's body to build a new creature. Clerval, who has not been killed by the creature, tries to prevent Victor from doing so. However, Victor is obsessed and refuses to listen to Clerval. We assume Clerval leaves Victor at this point.
Using Justine's body and Elizabeth's head, Victor tries his experiment again and creates more life. This experimentation occurs in the attic of Victor's attic.
"Elizabeth" must decide between Victor and the creature. Viewing her own stitched body, "Elizabeth" realizes she appears more like the creature. This disturbs her.
"Elizabeth" kills herself by breaking a kerosene lamp over her body. As she burns, "Elizabeth" runs through the house, setting the whole house on fire. [In the novel, none of the above occurred.]
{back to artic} Victor dies.
Warm breeze arrives. Walton thinks the ice will soon melt and is obsessed to travel onward. Crew does not want to pursue onward.
Walton and his crew find the creature crying over Victor's body. Walton asks the creature, "Who are you?" The creature says Victor never gave him a name. The creature calls Victor his father.
Victor's body is taken to the creature's sled. Walton leads a burial, where he quotes Scripture that states `with great knowledge comes great sorrow.'
The ice begins to break up. Walton's crew has a difficult time making it back into the ship.
The creature refuses to join them. He swims off to the ice slab where his sled and Victor's body are. He lights the sled and Victor's body on fire, thereby burning the sled, Victor's body, and himself to death. At least, this is the impression viewers receive.
Walton observes this action. Greatly influenced/impacted by the dangers of pursuing knowledge at any costs, Walton determines to head homeward and abandon his quest for an artic passage.
RECOMMENDED INSTEAD: Frankenstein (2004) by Hallmark at 204 minutes starring Luke Goss, Alec Newman, Julie Delpy, William Hurt, and Donald Sutherland.
Description of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
Robert De Niro, Kenneth Branagh, Tom Hulce, Helena Bonham Carter, Aidan Quinn, Ian Holm and John Cleese star in Branagh's acclaimed adaptation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. True to the original, here is the story of a young doctor whose obsession with death leads him to create a life. But his "creature" crafted from the bodies of convicts and the brain of a brilliant scientist, is a hideous mockery of humanity. And when the creature realizes he will never be accepted by men, he seeks revenge on Dr. Frankenstein and his family. An inspired adaptation that's emotionally complex and truly terrifying.Let's be honest: this should be titled Wretched Excess' Frankenstein. Swooping, wild, bloody, and energetic, this is bad moviemaking from the best, which makes it all the more lovable. Kenneth Branagh plays Victor Frankenstein, a man so obsessed with conquering death that he decides to create life. What he gets, after a protoplasmic mud wrestle, is a Mean Streets monster (Robert De Niro) that isn't particularly happy to be back from the dead or thrilled about all the stitches. Helena Bonham Carter may, at several points in this film, actually be channeling Ramtha. The supporting cast couldn't be peopled with better performers (Tom Hulce, John Cleese, Ian Holm) but they all look like they're ringside at some Ultimate Fighting competition. A must for any midnight movie collector for the shock factor alone. A hoot. --Keith Simanton
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