83 lines
7.8 KiB
Plaintext
83 lines
7.8 KiB
Plaintext
" . . it's certainly more than just a monster story . . "
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- kenneth branagh , director/actor/co-writer of mary shelley's frankenstein .
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kenneth branagh's new motion picture had to compete with all the previous frankenstein-films made throughout the years in almost every part of the world , including the most controversial version of them all - directed by james whale .
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the dark and stormy nights , the lightning bolts , the charnel houses of spare body parts , the laboratory where victor frankenstein stirs his steaming cauldron of life are effectful .
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but the center of the film , quieter and more thoughtful , contains the real story .
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horror-fans will probably be disappointed by the total lack of horror .
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branagh has instead concentrated on serious issues : morality , philosophy and human elements of the story , and not on old fashioned horror cliches .
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his version is much closer to the book than all the previous adaptions of the classic novel .
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the film begins and ends somewhere in the arctic ocean .
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the year is 1794 .
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a bold captain is steering his ship through the unknown waters .
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his gole is to reach the north pole at all costs .
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as the ice closes around his ship , a figure appears on the horizon .
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it's a man .
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exhausted and on the brink of death he approaches the frightening crew .
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his name is victor frankenstein ( kenneth branagh ) and his story is so terrifying that it will scare everyone from venturing into the unknown .
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the myserious stranger begins his tale , or more precisely his confession , in geneva , 1773 .
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he is remembering his childhood and youth .
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laughter , banquets and parties - a happy life , without troubles or concerns .
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here victor lived with his father ( ian holm ) , mother ( cherie lunghi ) , his surrogate sister ( helena boham carter ) and his servants in happiness and harmony .
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this idyllic lifestyle is suddenly changed .
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like thunder from a quite sky , his mother dies , giving birth to his youngest brother .
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shocked , baffled and then gradually changed by grief and despair , victor ( already interested in science ) becomes obsessed with death .
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standing on his mother's grave he says : " oh mother . . you
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did not have to die . . . no one should ever die . . . i
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will stop this . . i
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promiss . . "
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after proposing marridge to his surrogate sister and promising to return as soon as his studies are finished , victor travels to ingolstadt , in presuite of a medical career .
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after a while his obsession totally overtakes him as he is working day and night , creating life from death .
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composing dead bodies , frankenstein wanted to create the perfect man - both physically and mentally .
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with strong electrical impulses , he managed to breeth life into his creation .
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the result was ugliness .
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realizing what he has done , frankenstein tried to undo his work , but it was to late .
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the creature has escaped .
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because of the epidemic , frankenstein hoped that his creation has died and returned to his home , making plans for the wedding .
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for a while everything is as it was before his mother's death .
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but then one by one his loved once are dying mysteriously . . .
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whale's picture , although powerful , never managed to capture the total depth of the novel .
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brannagh has more or less done that .
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another thing is characters and actors .
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branagh has developed every character and assembled a magnificent cast .
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the greatest performances comes from de niro - the monster , that has been played by ( among others ) charles ogle , karloff , lon chaney , bela lugosi , glenn strange , christopher lee , fred gwynne ( as herman munster ) , and now , robert de niro .
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alone , hated and feared , he is completely aware of his ugliness .
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at first he is like a helpless , abandoned child , desperately reaching out for love .
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later when he reads frankenstein's journal , and learns that he is composed of dead bodies , his love turns into rage as he is seeking revenge .
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he is capable of killing without regret .
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" i took him by the throughout and lifted him off the ground . . . . and
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then i slowly crushed his neck . . . and
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as i killed him , i saw your face . . "
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that is how he reveals his savage nature to his creator .
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and yet , he is never quite evil in our eyes and his vaulerbility and his loneliness are palpable : " for the sympathy of one living being i would make peace with all . "
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rarely has a cinematic interpretation of " the daemon " approached the level of three-dimensionality and humanity with which it is portrayed in the novel .
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another vital thing is the character of victor frankenstein .
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in most of the previous adaptions he was simply a mad scientist that trolls the graveyards for corpses and then creates a monster ( god knows why ! ) with the power of an electrical storm .
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almost no time was granted on his charecter , who is the most important and vital charecter in the novel .
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here , branagh introduces the character of victor frankenstein , establishes his obsession with the very nature of life and death , sets up the intellectual and ideological conflict between victor and the academic establishment , and somehow manages to build up to a rousing and horrifying creation scene .
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branagh plays frankenstein with a remarkable understanding of his character .
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on the outside he is strong , ambitious and talented scientist , but deep down he is unsecure , fragile and vaulerble , constantly haunted by the ghosts from his past .
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helen boham carter is equally wonderful as frankenstein's surrogate sister , who at the end becomes his wife for a little while , before death drives them apart .
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the rest of the cast , playing secondary characters , is solid and nothing less than convincing .
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visually the film is stunning ( especially the makeup ) .
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the spinning camera , the constantly building-up musical acore , the art direction , the production design , the costumes are all magnificent : from the arctic ocean to the swiss alps and dark forests , to the plague-riddled streets of ingolstadt , mary shelley's frankenstein is a wonder to behold .
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kenneth branagh directs his film as if the script was written by shakespeare : " . . all
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i once loved lies in a shallow grave . . . . by
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my hand . . " .
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and the film ends exacly as hamlet , when the creature sets both his and his creator's body on fire .
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the film ends with frankenstein and his creation burning in the almost hellish fire in the darkness .
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and a terrifying last close-up on the creature's smiling face .
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can a man create life , then abandon his creation because its appearance horrifies him ?
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to whom are its actions then attributable : the creature or the being who brought about its existence ?
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shelley did not answer these questions , but she certainly posed them .
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following her example , branagh does the same .
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his film is a tragic saga about playing god .
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victor frankenstein is not an evil man .
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he wanted to change the world to the better .
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in this he represents everything science stands for : acting without doubts , never considering the consequences of his actions .
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produced by francis ford coppola , frankenstein resembles in some respects coppolas previous film " dracula " .
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in comparison , i can say that " dracula " has visuals that even " frankenstein " can not live up to .
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but when it comes to story , characters and casting , " frankenstein " is stronger .
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but stronger than both of them , on every aspect , is neil jordan's " interview with the vampire " .
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although the film is not perfect ( the camera that simply refuses to stay still and the occasionally pushy score are at times more tiering than effective ) , these minor faults are easily forgivable , as the picture is otherwise captivating and stimulating .
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branagh has probably created one of the best ( if not the best ) adaptions of shelly's classic novel .
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