Let's use the blog this week to compile a list of the best/most important/zaniest Frankenstein movies, aiming for a collection of information that can help us make a top ten list of Frankenstein movies in class. Which ones on the list above seem noteworthy? Which one is your favorite? Which ones have you seen? Which one has the most outlandish premise? What do you think the adaptation/retelling brings out of/adds to the original? Everyone should try to investigate/comment on a different film so we can have a strong final list of films, but you should feel free to comment/expand on someone else's post in addition. Good luck and happy Googling!
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| 1960s poster for 1931 Universal Frankenstein |
I have actually never seen any other Frankenstein movies in their entirety, so I am simply going off of descriptions. The Bride of Frankenstein sounded familiar so I thought I would address it.
ReplyDeleteObviously, this veers from the book in the fact that Shelley included no mate to the monster. I'm assuming Hollywood saw this as a lost opportunity (after the success of the first Frankenstein movies), so they created a rendition to include this character.
The inclusion of Doctor Pretorius is also new. In the novel Frankenstein is asked by the monster to form a mate, not persuaded by a crazy scientist with little people in jars.
Overall, I would say this movie was successful because (as mentioned) I have never watched it, but as still familiar with the general plot. I think the additions give more room to play with in the visual portrayal. However, I am always disappointed when a movie doesn't follow the book.
I have seen several Frankenstein movies, and none of them follow the text very closely, but my favorite “serious” Frankenstein movie is the Boris Karloff version. I also like the spoofs such as Young Frankenstein and Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein. These might not have much literary merit, but they are fun to watch.
ReplyDeleteI searched around on Netflix not too long ago because I, just like Nikki, have never seen any Frankenstiein movies. I found a 2-part mini series named Frankenstein that starred Luke Goss and it seem to follow along very closely with the book. It is definitely worth checking out!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite Frankenstein film is “The Bride of Frankenstein,” because its story line and characters are close to what Mary Shelley’s envisioned for her novel. I also think it’s the most important because it provides the audience with closure. This closure comes from the character of the monster lives on and he gets his bride. This shows what could have been as far as the monsters are concerned. The ending also gives the survival of Elizabeth and victor living on. I am usually a sucker for a happy ending.
ReplyDeleteMary Shelley’s Frankenstein from the 1990s runs a close second to the best because Robert De Nero plays the monster. The characters do not always follow the path that Shelley wrote in her novel. The film contains a flashback on Victor’s childhood. This adds depth to his character. The best part of the film is when Victor takes Justine and Elizabeth dead bodies and stiches them together. Yet as we all know Victors plan backfires. The film has put a new spin on an old novel and made the character of Frankenstein into a whole new entity.
I have never seen any of the movie except "Young Frankenstein." "Young Frankenstein" in no way follows the novel, but it is very humorous and entertaining. It tells the story of Dr. Frankenstein's grandson that inherits his grandfather's castle. I haven't seen it since I was very young, but I still hear quotes from the movies, even from younger generations. Even though the story is not the same as Shelley's, "Young Frankenstein" still makes the mind connect to the original.
ReplyDeleteBesides 30 minutes or so of different black and white versions of Frankenstein growing up I recently saw a children's movie Freankenweenie. It's strange to me that advertisements, t-shirts, and so on dismiss Victor Frankenstein from the picture and focus on the monster. In fact they imply that Frankenstein is the name of the monster. Frankenweenie, though childish, makes an interesting claim, meant or not, ad runs with the idea of a human boy who enters a dream world where the role of monster/human good/evil roles are reversed and to stay in their presence he disguises himself as the monster, by acting and pretending that he is. In a way it authentically ties together Frankenstein and Victor as one physically in a pretend way, whereas Mary Shelley does so with a deep emotional connection.
ReplyDeleteSo as a couple of people before me said, I have never seen a Frankenstein movie either. So i looked up Dracula versus Frankenstein and it was hilarious! Of course I knew from the title it was going to be nothing like Mary Shelly's version but i can't believe how off base it was. For example in Mary Shelly's version I imagine the monster as being really fast and strong (Since he bounds up the mountain super fast when Victor encounters him for the first time after his creation.)But in this version the monster is really slow moving and can't pronounce anything other than grunts and screams! The one thing I did notice (Even though the monster can't talk in this version) is that through his actions he is still very emotional and seems nice....until Dracula rips his arm off. I don't think it adds anything to the original version and the film writers shouldn't have strayed so far from the actual story line.
ReplyDeleteI do not have an extensive history of Frankenstein movies, however I have seen "Young Frankenstein" and the 1994 "Frankenstein" with Robert De Niro, I think I saw it in high school? I dunno, but I do know that I enjoyed the latter because it seeemed to be the most accurate and it is what played out in my head as I read the book. The Gene Wilder classic will always be my favorite because of it's satire and hilarity, but I want to experience new adaptations of the movie into film.
ReplyDeleteOKAY-- this is my final attempt to post a comment. Let's hope it works this time.
ReplyDelete"Frankenstein" has become a sort of archetype of stories and there are many different and unique reproductions of it. When we first began discussing film based on "Frankenstein," my mind wandered to movies that were not as literal as some of the examples given above. In fact, I thought almost immediately of "Lilo and Stitch." Just the day before, a friend and I had watched the movie and, still in the Frankenstein-theme of mind, I likened the creation of Stitch to the Creature. Both were products of scientist, both were the singular representation of their kind, both were allowed to roam free, unchecked by their creators. There are, of course, some glaringly obvious differences, most notably the family-friendly, Disney happy-ending. However, the basic premise of the stories are the same.
The only movies on the list that I have seen are Young Frankenstein and Rocky Horror Picture Show. I have also seen the newest version of Frankenweenie.
ReplyDeleteI am sure that there are many other Frankenstein adaptation outside of film as well. One of my favorites that I know of is Frakenstein as a character in the TV series "Once Upon a Time". His story is unique in the series in that I feel he is given better motive for his actions. He is looked down upon by his father because of his obsession with restoring life and the only person who treats him well is his slightly younger brother. The monster that he eventually creates is the reanimation of his brother after he is killed.
I find this story line interesting and more plausible then even the original book.