" . .
it 's certainly more than just a monster story . .
" - kenneth branagh , director / actor / co - writer of mary shelley 's frankenstein .
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 .
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 .
but the center of the film , quieter and more thoughtful , contains the real story .
horror - fans will probably be disappointed by the total lack of horror .
branagh has instead concentrated on serious issues : morality , philosophy and human elements of the story , and not on old fashioned horror cliches .
his version is much closer to the book than all the previous adaptions of the classic novel .
the film begins and ends somewhere in the arctic ocean .
the year is 1794 .
a bold captain is steering his ship through the unknown waters .
his gole is to reach the north pole at all costs .
as the ice closes around his ship , a figure appears on the horizon .
it 's a man .
exhausted and on the brink of death he approaches the frightening crew .
his name is victor frankenstein ( kenneth branagh ) and his story is so terrifying that it will scare everyone from venturing into the unknown .
the myserious stranger begins his tale , or more precisely his confession , in geneva , 1773 .
he is remembering his childhood and youth .
laughter , banquets and parties - a happy life , without troubles or concerns .
here victor lived with his father ( ian holm ) , mother ( cherie lunghi ) , his surrogate sister ( helena boham carter ) and his servants in happiness and harmony .
this idyllic lifestyle is suddenly changed .
like thunder from a quite sky , his mother dies , giving birth to his youngest brother .
shocked , baffled and then gradually changed by grief and despair , victor ( already interested in science ) becomes obsessed with death .
standing on his mother 's grave he says :
" oh mother . .
you did not have to die . . .
no one should ever die . . .
i will stop this . .
i promiss . .
" 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 .
after a while his obsession totally overtakes him as he is working day and night , creating life from death .
composing dead bodies , frankenstein wanted to create the perfect man - both physically and mentally .
with strong electrical impulses , he managed to breeth life into his creation .
the result was ugliness .
realizing what he has done , frankenstein tried to undo his work , but it was to late .
the creature has escaped . because of the epidemic , frankenstein hoped that his creation has died and returned to his home , making plans for the wedding .
for a while everything is as it was before his mother 's death .
but then one by one his loved once are dying mysteriously . . .
whale 's picture , although powerful , never managed to capture the total depth of the novel .
brannagh has more or less done that .
another thing is characters and actors .
branagh has developed every character and assembled a magnificent cast .
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 .
alone , hated and feared , he is completely aware of his ugliness .
at first he is like a helpless , abandoned child , desperately reaching out for love .
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 .
he is capable of killing without regret .
"
i took him by the throughout and lifted him off the ground . . . .
and then i slowly crushed his neck . . .
and as i killed him , i saw your face . .
"
that is how he reveals his savage nature to his creator .
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 .
"
rarely has a cinematic interpretation of " the daemon " approached the level of three - dimensionality and humanity with which it is portrayed in the novel .
another vital thing is the character of victor frankenstein .
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 .
almost no time was granted on his charecter , who is the most important and vital charecter in the novel .
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 .
branagh plays frankenstein with a remarkable understanding of his character .
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 .
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 .
the rest of the cast , playing secondary characters , is solid and nothing less than convincing .
visually the film is stunning ( especially the makeup ) .
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 .
kenneth branagh directs his film as if the script was written by shakespeare : " . .
all i once loved lies in a shallow grave . . . .
by my hand . .
"
.
and the film ends exacly as hamlet , when the creature sets both his and his creator 's body on fire .
the film ends with frankenstein and his creation burning in the almost hellish fire in the darkness .
and a terrifying last close - up on the creature 's smiling face .
can a man create life , then abandon his creation because its appearance horrifies him ?
to whom are its actions then attributable : the creature or the being who brought about its existence ?
shelley did not answer these questions , but she certainly posed them .
following her example , branagh does the same .
his film is a tragic saga about playing god .
victor frankenstein is not an evil man .
he wanted to change the world to the better .
in this he represents everything science stands for : acting without doubts , never considering the consequences of his actions .
produced by francis ford coppola , frankenstein resembles in some respects coppolas previous film " dracula " .
in comparison , i can say that " dracula " has visuals that even " frankenstein " can not live up to .
but when it comes to story , characters and casting , " frankenstein " is stronger .
but stronger than both of them , on every aspect , is neil jordan 's " interview with the vampire " .
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 .
branagh has probably created one of the best ( if not the best ) adaptions of shelly 's classic novel .
has developed every character and assembled a magnificent cast . the greatest performances a wonder to behold manages to build up to a rousing and horrifying creation scene another vital thing has probably created one of the best ( if not the best ) adaptions sets up the intellectual and ideological conflict equally wonderful remarkable understanding of his character solid and nothing less than convincing . visually the film is stunning are all magnificent stronger