Product: Gods and Monsters (1998)
Rating: 5.0
Beautiful, touching movie
This movie had such a small arthouse distribution when it was in the theater you'd never guess it is the gem that it is. And it is a gem.The movie combines many great cinematic elements: depth of characters; an engaging, credible storyline; set, setting, and scenery that match the film's overall beauty; and a poignant soundtrack that gracefully fills in the background and the transitions between scenes.Ian McKellan plays the character of James Whale exceptionally well. I'm not sure if this movie was meant for a wide audience, but if it was, it is nice to see the role of a gay man being played by a gay man. Not that James Whale is intensely gay, if you will, but as a gay man myself, I see strengths in his character that exhibit some of the best traits gay men have. Ian McKellan does his character justice by exhibiting the wit and wisdom of Whale that I don't think another actor could easily have pulled off. And that's the trick. It seems indeed easy for McKellan to exhibit the full range of his character's persona. He wins your confidence immediately.Good acting knows no sexual orientation. Playing the decidedly straight, brooding lawn man, and new object of Whale's admiration and friendship, Clay Boone, is Brendan Fraser. Fraser plays the role with an intimacy that matches McKellan's role as Whale. From the first interaction between the two (McKellan and Fraser) Fraser earnestly portrays with earnest the not so worldly Clay Boone, blue collar laborer, and the Clay Boone who's smarter than he appears and not your average buffoon. Fraser adeptly shows the full range of intellect and emotion of Clay Boone and in turn exhibits his talent as an actor. You're given a very precise image of Clay Boone as a near-drifter in life who's smarter than the average guy but lacks the cunning to put it all together into a life as equally as rich. It's a unique contrast for a character's personality and Fraser handles it well.The storyline surrounds the dynamics of the relationship between Whale and Boone, two people who couldn't seem to be any further apart but who are remarkably similar, as we learn. The two develop an understanding of each other and slowly learn to appreciate the other for who they are.Whale, being in declining mental health and advanced in years, is equally as intersted in Boone's companionship as he is in the sexual awe of Boone the innocently seductive straight man. Boone is not necessarily innocent, but certainly earns the compassion of the audience with his sincerity, and likewise pursues his friendship with Whale largely out of interst, though there is some financial connection with Boone as Whale's groundskeeper. Nevertheless, a memorable bond develops between the two and you see their emotions build as friends as different in person as these two are.The setting is the 50's (?) in Hollywood or at least LA, and primarily during the springtime, which in S. California has its own magical enchantment (coming from a NYer). Whale is an unabashedly gay former director who appears washed up to the cinema world by his irreverance (His Directorial ne plus ultra being "Bride of Frankenstein"), but who we see is still quite alive, if not angry and resentful with a streak of mild hatred. We learn that he's ultimately in great pain, physically, as the movie progresses, and mentally and emotionally, from the movie's begining to its end. The bulk of the film largely occurs at Whale's luxury home.I find the setting at Whale's beautiful, lushly vegetative Hollywood home a perfect match for this film. Every scene is filled with this sheer beauty from the decor of the house to the house grounds and even at the few places where Whale and Boone venture away. It's the type of beauty, that like both main characters, is hidden in plain sight, yet never quite attains its due recognition. It's almost overkill in its presence, but that also helps it to blend in the background. It's always there being understatement. But play this DVD on a nice flat-panel TV and see if your eyes don't light up at the lush enchanting color of Whale's residence, inside and out. As a backdrop for the drama of this film, the settings and scenery very accurately portray Whale's environment.The film is also accompanied by a mildly haunting score that, while not upbeat, is very hopeful, stately and not at all depressing in its portrayal of melancholy. It matches well the tone of Whale's advanced years and to a degree Boone's identity. Both characters are somewhat lost in life, Whale an aging director bereft of respect from his peers, and Boone a young former marine trying to find himself and make sense of the world around him. The music conveys this imagery well.I think this movie is excellent and I highly recommend it. It is not really a gay movie, though it does give an honest portrayal of one gay man's life. There is very brief frontal male nudity along with nudity from behind but it's not sexual and incidental to the film's success. More accurately, the film acknowledges the value and contribution of Whale as an aging former director and brilliant, contributing, functioning member of society, who is very much gay.