Response to Frankenstein

I was a bit confused when I read Mary Shelley’s version of Frankenstein’s creation. It was very short and did not describe what I had always pictured it as. I always thought of it the way Hollywood portrayed it in a very dramatic way: crazy scientist, huge lab, very loud with a storm raging outside. In addition to the two clips on the blog, I also took into consideration the latest Hollywood version of Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein, directed by Paul McGuigan. In that scene, it is a very elaborate creation with dozens of men working on the project. I think the McGuigan version is an even more elaborate version of the creation reflecting the ever increasing budgets and need for thrill in movies. The way the creation of Frankenstein’s monster reflects the desires of the public being entertained by the story. I think in the 1800s when Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein, no public could imagine such horror of a man-made monster being created. Therefore, Shelley did not focus on the theatrics of his creation but rather the thought process Frankenstein experiences after. The Whale version in 1931 put the creation in front of an audience, giving it reason to be much more eventful than Shelley’s version. The Branagh version is much more theatrical than Whale, with cameras following the surge of power to create anticipation for when the monster comes to life. The McGuigan version is even more dramatic and elaborate as dozens of men are hired to help in the creation process. There was more anticipation for the McGuigan version than any other film. While I have limited knowledge of the Whale and Branagh versions of the film, I think the McGuigan version does a good job of sharing the inner struggle of Frankenstein with the audience without losing the viewer’s attention.

3 thoughts on “Response to Frankenstein

  1. I totally agree with you. I was so surprised that Mary Shelley’s version of Frankenstein’s birth was so short and vague. I guess to make the movie more entertaining and climatic, they had made the scene much more vivid.

    Sandy

  2. Marcela, I too have seen the McGuigen version of Frankenstein and think that it does a wonderful job at catching the reader’s attention. In a book such as Frankenstein, it is often hard to understand exactly what the author is trying to say to make the scene sound more exciting. In contrast, McGuigen does an excellent job showing the passion of the scene, and really makes the viewer feel as if they are in the moment.

  3. That’s a good point to make, of course as time goes on and there are more revisions of the same movie the next will attempt to outshine the next, in this scene it is to be the most dramatic and entertaining. To be fair to Whale he didn’t have much to work with as Shelly’s description was so short, and also nothing to compare to.

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