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Frankenstein (1994)
Starring Robert De Niro, Kenneth Branagh, Helena Bonham Carter, and Aidan Quinn. Cinematography by Roger Pratt. Edited by Andrew Marcus. Produced by Francis Ford Coppola, James V. Hart, and John Veitch. Written by Steph Lady and Frank Darabont. Directed by Kenneth Branagh.
In effort to conquer death Victor Frankenstein creates life. He collects random parts from dead bodies and stitches together a complete body. Through the miracle of science he is able to give this creature life, but it is hideous and Frankenstein can not bear to be with it for long. So he rejects the monster and it lurks in the woods living a simple and quiet life. But neither the monster’s nor Frankenstein’s souls are at ease and a confrontation looms.
Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley authored her novel Frankenstein in 1815 when she was only eighteen years old. She originally wrote it to enter in a writing contest between her and some of her friends; never intending for it to be published. Frankenstein has gone on to become one of the most popular and significant novels to come out of the nineteenth century. With the invention of film the adaptations were soon to follow. The very first version was actually produced by Thomas Edison’s film production company in 1910. There have since been dozens of versions of her monster portrayed in films over the years. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, while not one hundred percent true to the novel, is certainly more similar in the tone and theme to the book than any previous film has been. The film gives both Frankenstein and his monster more humanity and allows the viewer to become more emotionally invested in them. Kenneth Branagh has taken the classic horror story and turned it into a human drama.
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein was produced by Francis Ford Coppola and was designed to be a companion piece to his film Bram Stoker’s Dracula. It was also co-written by Frank Darabont. When the film had finally worked its way into production, Branagh, the star and director of the project, had very different ideas of what the film should be and reworked the screenplay pretty much from top to bottom. Darabont was very proud of his script and was subsequently very disappointed with the final outcome. He has since referred to the film as “the best script I ever wrote turned into one of the worst movies I ever saw”. Darabont may not feel overly warm towards the film, but it's not really that bad. It’s an interesting and fresh version of the classic story and is certainly worth the watch.
Budget: $45,000,000
Total US Gross: $22,006,296
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 123 Minutes
US Release Date: 11/4/94
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Awards: Academy Awards: Nominated for best makeup.
Tagline: It’s Alive.
Quote: “Did you ever consider the consequences of your actions? You made me, and you left me to die. Who am I?”
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