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A Comparison of Film Techniques of Two Film Versions of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
Mary Shelley wrote her novel 'Frankenstein' when she was just a young
girl of nineteen. She wrote it in 1816, when she went on holiday with
her friend, Byron. Byron was already a famous poet, and it was him who
suggested that whilst they were away, they should both write a ghost
story. At the time it was just a way of passing time and having fun
for Mary Shelley, but little did she know that her story would become
famous worldwide. Many adaptations of 'Frankenstein' have been made
for cinema in the 20th century. Two of the most significant being
those studied in this assignment.
A man named James Whale directed the film 'Frankenstein' which was
released in 1931. He was a British born director with a history of
working in theatre, and this is probably the reason as to why his film
imitates the stage in places.
It was filmed at Universal Pictures, which was a very powerful
Hollywood studio. The film opened on 4 November 1931 at the Mayfair
Theatre in New York's Times Square and it caused an immediate
sensation. It was voted one of the films of the year by the New York
Times and earned Universal Pictures $12 million. The production cost
only $262,000, thus made it even more successful than 'Dracula'. In
1931, when this film was released, Hollywood was in its formative
years, but at this time it was considered to be going through a
'golden age' when everything was new and very impressive. At the end
of the 1920's Universal Pictures was still a small studio, but
nevertheless it had managed to build up a reputation as the sole
creator of the horror f...
... middle of paper ...
...es but
in very different ways. Branagh uses non-diegetic sound very
effectively to create a tense atmosphere. However Whale uses silence
to the same effect but in a very different way. Both Directors use the
theme of death in their opening sequences. Whale uses the theme of
death, setting his opening sequence in a grave yard and by using props
which all symbolize death and Branagh represents the theme of death by
using very pale make up and by setting it in a deathly cold place.
They also use isolation to create tension. They use their different
styles and techniques very effectively, by engaging their audiences to
create the same emotion. However, I do think that Branagh uses his
techniques, the sound and the mise en scene more effectively to create
a brilliant film and a very powerful, emotionally charged atmosphere.
stupid. He was unable to talk or read. The monster would just rome the world
Sandra Bullock. Warner Brothers. 2009. DVD. Tuohy, Leigh Anne.
In Lisa Nocks article appropriately titled “Frankenstein, in a better light,” she takes us through a view of the characters in the eyes of the author Mary Shelly. The name Frankenstein conjures up feeling of monsters and horror however, the monster could be a metaphor for the time period of which the book was written according to Nocks. The article implies that the book was geared more towards science because scientific treatises were popular readings among the educated classes, of which Shelley was a member of. Shelley, whose father was wealthy and had an extensive library, was encouraged to self-educate, which gave her knowledge of contemporary science and philosophy, which also influenced Frankenstein as well as circumstances of her life.
Hollywood has played a big part is our lives. Growing up we’ve seen numerous movies, some that scared us others that touch us, and those images stayed with us forever. So what happens when Hollywood takes a classic piece of literature such as Frankenstein and turns into a monster movie. It transforms the story so much that now some 50 years later, people think of Frankenstein as the monster instead of the monster’s creator. It became a classic monster movie and all the high values of the original were forever lost.
Comparing the Novel and Film Adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. “Horror and science fiction tend to present radically opposite interpretations of what may look like comparable situations.” (Kawin, 1981.) Bruce Kawin helps the reader to understand how a story in the genre of science fiction could be adapted, or bastardized if you like, into a horror. This is similar to the film adaptation of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.
Comparing the Creation Scene in James Whale's 1931 Frankenstein and Kenneth Brannagh's 1994 Frankenstein. James Whale’s 1931 portrayal of Frankenstein when compared to Kenneth. Brannagh’s alternate account from 1994 reveals some similarities. also many differences in the way they try to evoke emotions such as horror, fear and expectation from the audience and keep the plot. moving.
Frankenstein is a fictional story written by Mary Shelly. It was later adapted into a movie version directed by James Whales. There are more differences than similarities between the book and the movie. This is because, the movie is mainly based on the 1920’s play, other than the original Mary Shelly’s book Frankenstein. A text has to be altered in one way or the other while making a movie due to a number of obvious factors. A lot of details from the book were missing in the movie, but the changes made by Whales were effective as they made the movie interesting, and successful.
Most Americans have some idea of who Frankenstein is, as a result of the many Frankenstein movies. Contrary to popular belief Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein is a scientist, not a monster. The "monster" is not the inarticulate, rage-driven criminal depicted in the 1994 film version of the novel. Shelley’s original Frankenstein was misrepresented by this Kenneth branagh film, most likely to send a different message to the movie audience than Shelley’s novel shows to its readers. The conflicting messages of technologies deserve being dependent on its creator (address by Shelley) and poetic justice, or triumph over evil (showed by the movie) is best represented by the scene immediately preceding Frankenstein’s monster’s death.
is capable of. This is why I believe the two films differ so much- the
Kenneth Branagh's Adaptation of Frankenstein for the Cinema The story of 'Frankenstein' has been set in the Georgian period. The story line can be cut briefly to a crazed scientist (Victor Frankenstein) thinking he can 'play God'. He tries to bring a creation to life and once succeeding he realises the terrible mistake he has made and sets about trying to correct it - by murdering it. The Monster sets out for revenge killing family members one by one, ending with them both dying in ice covered mountains. Kenneth Branagh has re-told this story from Mary Shelley's novel, Frankenstein.
him because he has not been brought up to learn right or wrong, so he
How can we think of Frankenstein and ignore the film classic of 1931? Yet the celebrated film does not follow the novel by Mary Shelley. Although the scene of a futuristic laboratory entrances movie audiences with the mad Dr. Frankenstein and his faithful assistant Igor, the scene is derived from twentieth century imaginations and interests, not the novel itself.
In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein we are introduced early in the story to one of the main characters Victor Frankenstein and subsequently to his creation referred to as the monster. The monster comes to life after being constructed by Victor using body parts from corpses. As gruesome as this sounds initially we are soon caught up in the tale of the living monster. Victor the creator becomes immediately remorseful of his decision to bring the monstrous creation to life and abandons the borne creature. Victor describes his emotions and physical description of his creation as follows:
Analysis of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Analyzing a book can be a killer. Especially when it contains tons of subtle little messages and hints that are not picked up unless one really dissects the material. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is a prime example.
Throughout the novel, Mary Shelley has been incorporating settings to convey the meaning of the text in Frankenstein. Settings in nature are important to certain characters in Frankenstein such as Victor Frankenstein. As the plot thickens, the settings that Victor is in metaphorically reflects the plot.