6 thoughts on “Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, 1994. Dir. Kenneth Branagh”

1. This version of the creation is actually humorous and quite different from the novel. In the novel, Victor Frankenstein isolates himself due to his research and he is described as very thin and pale. In my opinion, Frankenstein would look like a mad scientist wearing a lab coat. In the movie, he does not resemble a mad scientist. Instead, he’s a half naked man running around his laboratory. The most unique difference I see is how the monster was created.

   In the novel, the monster was created right before Frankenstein by electrifying him. In the movie, the monster is lifted up to the ceiling from a slab where he is launched by a giant log into a giant tank. From there, the giant tank is sealed and is situated on top of a burning flame. From there, he stabs needles onto the monster’s body parts and is electrified by eels.

2. As is often true, the book is better than the movie.

   I choose to comment on this clip rather than the classic 1930s version however, because I did feel that it relayed a more parallel representation to Shelly’s original intentions for the scene. The most important similarity that this version portrays with Frankensteins creation of the monster is his independence in working alone. I thought that the 1930s version completely ruined the intimacy and emotion Shelly demonstrated in the book by including spectators and an assistant for Frankenstein. The entire atmosphere was changed by the presence of these other individuals. Shelly spent so much time and effort expressing Frankensteins confinement and seclusion by the consumption of his work. This, cinematically, can only be represented in an intimate and solitary environment as such displayed in the clip.

3. In the novel, author Mary Shelley describes Victor Frankenstein as eccentric scientist who is desired to his technology and his education, and his scientific experiment and in this clip you can see some naked men running around who doesn’t look for me like a scientist at all. Why did he feel the need to go topless? This movie I think is too much hollywoodized. But compering to the second clip actor could better demonstrate Victor’s emotions when creature wake up and like in the novel producer of that film accent our attention on monster face and eyes when he became alive.

4. The most crucial difference between the novel and The Creation is that the movie shows us how Frankenstein brought live to the man in a more detail and scientific way. In the novel, Frankenstein was described exhausted and just collected the instruments of life and hoping to “infuse a spark of being into the lifeless thing”. The process is within one paragraph after that Frankenstein was scared of what he did and began to regret. While, in the movie, Frankenstein used complicated and huge appliances to let the electric current go through the lifeless body then woke him up. He dipped the body in water and poked it with sharpened steel. This is kind of cruel. As we can see, the man was born with a lot of wounds.
   I think the reasons of the differences might be that it’s necessary to make things exaggerated to give the audience a visual shock. Additionally, with time going by, people have better understanding of science compared to the time when the novel was written. Directors add more scientific elements in movies today. But for the novel, it attaches importance on the inside world of Frankenstein. His emotions and feelings were expressed better.

5. I believe the most crucial difference between the novel and the movie is Frankenstein’s reaction to the moment when the monster opens his eyes. In the movie, Frankenstein seems overjoyed with his accomplishment the moment he realizes he succeeds. While in the novel he is extremely fearful; he says: “breathless horror and disgust filled my heart” shortly after he gave life to the monster. Also, in the clip, even though it may be hard to clearly see the monster’s eyes, they seem to be like any other human eyes; while in the book, it is reported that his eyes creates a “horrid contrast” with other aesthetic features which Frankenstein had chosen. It seems to me that in the book Frankenstein is aware of the danger right away, while in the clip he is just delighted with his success.

6. I agree with what has already been mentioned about the key difference from the book. The key different is the reaction that Frankenstein shows when he sees the monster was alive. In the novel he seemed to be terrified whereas in the movie he is very happy.
   Also, one more difference that caught my attention is the detail in running up to the creation of this monster. In the book, Shelley focuses on the mental state of Frankenstein, and how he was losing his touch with the reality. In the movie, although you do get to see his mental state, one cannot tell that he was very disconnected from his family/friends etc. just by watching that clip.
   The fact that electricity was used to bring the monster alive was also not mentioned in the book. This is important because it connects his childhood encounter with his father over the discussion of thunder with the incident of the monster coming alive. This may show that the director is making a connection between his childhood influence on his current pursuit of – what eventually turns out to be a monster.

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