Kenneth's Branaugh's FRANKENSTEIN

OK.  Who, on God's green earth, allowed Kenneth Branaugh to put in his title for his Frankenstein "Mary Shelley"????   And then proclaimed that THIS version is THE definitive version of the novel?!?  OMG.....From the frist scene, I was disgusted.   This movie is NOT definitive by any stretch of the imagination!!!  The ONLY scene in the whole movie that comes close enough to be of any value whatsoever is the scene where the creature and Victor have their conversation so the creature can ask Victor to create a mate for him.  That scene is definitely very well done and worth watching.  I will at least show that scene in my class, but there's NO WAY we're watching the WHOLE movie.....UGH!

And what's up with Victor creating HIS OWN wife by taking parts of Justine and Elizabeth and sewing them together????  And then dancing around with this monstrosity as if it's still Elizabeth?!  I do think there's a possibility that Victor and Justine had something going on between them.....think about it....Mary Shelley did, according to our understanding of her life, believe in "free love."  The people, especially the men but the women, too!, slept with everyone else.  She was having an affair with Percy WHILE he was still married to his first wife.  Some texts claim that when Percy's first wife killed herself, the child she was pregnant with was Percy's, so Percy obviously was not exclusive with Mary.  So if Mary Shelley lived that kind of life-style, it goes without saying, really, that it's possible that Victor loved (in the Biblical sense of the word) both Elizabeth and Justine.  As we know, sleeping together before marriage doesn't lessen the excitement of the wedding night......

I have to admit that since I hated that part so much, I loved the fact that the Elizabeth/Justine creature has sense enough to kill herself.  That suicide is actually funny--in the same type of context as Sweeney Todd funny.....Which bring to mind....isn't it interesting that Helena Bonham Carter has had death scenes in at least 2 movies where she dies VIOLENTLY by fire????  Hmmmmmm.....maybe it's a fetish of hers....????!!!!

Anyway, now that I've seen the Kenneth Branaugh version of Frankenstein, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that we'll watch in class the scene from this version where Victor and the creature talk and the creature asks Victor for a mate, but that's the only scene we'll watch.  From there, we'll watch Young Frankenstein.  At least Mel Brooks doesn't pretend some DEFINITIVE version.  He purposely is parodying not just the novel, but all the movie versions of the story that had been made up to 1974 when Young Frankenstein was released.

I am excited to watch Young Frankenstein not just because it's a FUN, FUNNY version of the story, but also because in March, Young Frankenstein:  The Musical will be showing in Charlotte.  I'm hoping to take a group to see it!  Even if no one else joins me, I'm planning on going for sure!!!

http://www.youngfrankensteinthemusical.com/