The 1818 novel Frankenstein is a Gothic story has influenced and inspired many since the novel's creation. Frankenstein by Mary Shelly has been adapted into theater, film, and television. There are many different versions of Frankenstein, each being unique in telling the story of the creature and Frankenstein. Although these films take from the novel directly, they are each different from each other and are also different from the book. The problem with remakes in general is that they are being interpreted differently than that of the creator, So a lot of the time, films do not follow novels accurately. There are details that are always added in and taken away. Another problem with film adaptions is that they can also be too faithful to the …show more content…
novel, leaving the film to be predictable to its viewers. I am not stating that film adaptions are bad compared to the novel, but they tend to be totally different from the novels in my opinion. One film in particular that I want to discuss about is Kenneth Branagh's 1994 adaption called Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.
This films is regarded by many viewers as the most faithful to the novel than any other films. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is a modern horror film that tells the tale of the creature and its creator. The film takes on a more gory, dramatic, and violent twist of the classing novel.
There are many similarities and differences when it comes to Shelly's 1818 novel Frankenstein and Kenneth's 1994 hit film, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. After watching Kenneth's 1994 film, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. I found many similarities and also many differences from the book. His vision and interpenetration of Kelly's novel can be seen throughout the film, so there were many changes that were made to fit his views of the novel.
The entire premise of the film was, for the most part, the same as the novel. We follow Victor Frankenstein, a scientist and inventor who wants to understand creation. Influenced by his mothers death, Victor finds a way to cheat death.Victor Frankenstein takes the remains of human limbs and body parts from different hosts to create a new artificial man. Victor stitches these limbs together to fully create a being. Victor manages to successfully create and animate a new being, but his creation resulted in an ugly, disfigured creature. Because of the creature's nature, Victor decides to reject it. This rejection leads the creature on a path of violence and chaos, seeking revenge on his
creator. Most of the plot, setting, social issues, and familiar characters from the novel are seen in the film. But under the surface, much of the film is different than that of the novel. For example, in the film Frankenstein is not as intelligent as the Frankenstein in the novel. In the film, Victor only discovers the secret of creation through the work of professor Waldman, a professor of anatomy. Victor was only able to create because of the help of Wladman's research. Waldman is the one who teaches Victor how to reanimate dead tissue. Compared to the novel, Frankenstein discovers the creation of life on his own. Frankenstein develops his own studies and research to create the creature. Another difference from the film and the novel is how Frankenstein creates the monster. In the novel, there is not much detail on who Frankenstein got the body parts from. Compared to the film, Victor removes the brain from the body of professor Waldman. Frankenstein also steals limbs and other body parts from dead criminals. In the novel, Walman only played a minor role. Waldamn was just the chemistry teacher who inspired Victor into science. The film shows the birth of the creature in a different way then the novel as well. In the film, The entire setting of the lab is different than that of the novel. The monster is born into a tube filled with amniotic fluids. To bring the monster to life, Victor used lightening and electric eels to start the pulse of the creature. The monster comes to life a short while later, and Victor is not satisfied of his creation. This “birth: scene from the film is totally different than that of the novel. The creation of the monster is not described in the novel at all. When the creature is “born” Victor's reaction is different from the film and novel. The novel shows Victor lacking sympathy for the monster, and abandons the creature almost immediately. Regretting his creation, Victor says, “I had desired it with an ardour that far exceeded moderation; but now that I had finished, the beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart.” He then leaves the creature and says, “I took refuge in the courtyard belonging to the house which I inhabited, where I remained during the rest of the night, walking up and down in the greatest agitation, listening attentively, catching and fearing each sound as if it were to announce the approach of the demoniacal corpse to which I had so miserably given life.” This quote shows how Victor refuses to take responsibility for his creation, almost having a out-of-sight out-of-mine mindset.. The film depicts Victor as a little more sympathetic. After the monster is out of his tube, Victor actually helps the creature get to his feet. Another example of Victor showing sympathy is when the creature escapes into the town of Ingolstadt. Victor thinks it will die because of the cholera epidemic around the city. Here we see Victor showing signs of worry for the creature, instead of being careless and lacking full responsibility for the creature like in the novel. The motives of the creature also differs from the novel and the film. In the novel the creature wants to seek revenge on all of society because of his condition. He is seen as a hideous creature, and many consider him dangerous because of his features. The creature's feeling of isolation and his feelings of being different from everyone else motivates him to seek revenge. The creature says, “Cursed, cursed creator! Why did I live? Why, in that instant, did I not extinguish the spark of existence which you had so wantonly bestowed? I know not; despair had not yet taken possession of me; my feelings were those of rage and revenge. I could with pleasure have destroyed the cottage and its inhabitants and have glutted myself with their shrieks and misery.” These emotions are what leads the creature into reeking havoc to whatever is in his path. Compared to the monster in the film, the monster has a different goal in mind. In the film the monster only seeks revenge on his creator, Victor Frankenstein. The monster seeks his creator and murders Victor's family in the process. In the novel, Victor creates a bride for the creature as the creature requested. The monster states, “ You must create a female for me, with whom I can live in the interchange of those sympathies necessary for my being. This you alone can do; and I demand it of you as a right which you must not refuse to concede.” The monster continues to say, “I demand a creature of another sex, but as hideous as myself; the gratification is small, but it is all that I can receive, and it shall content me. It is true we shall be monsters, cut off from all the world; but on that account we shall be more attached to one another. Our lives will not be happy, but they will be harmless, and free from the misery I now feel. Oh! my creator, make me happy; let me feel gratitude towards you for one benefit! Let me see that I excite the sympathy of some existing thing; do not deny me my request!” If Victor were to do what the monster requested, then the monster would have left Victor and disappear, never to be seen again. Ultimately, Victor does not bid to the monsters wishes. Victor does create the bride as the monster requested, but at the end Victor decides to destroy the bride before even resurrecting her. In the film however, Victor decides to create a bride for the creature. By doing so, Victor decides to resurrect the body of Elizabeth (Victor's wife who dies at the hands of the creature) so that she may become the bride for the creature. He takes different body parts and stitches them together as he did so with the original monster. Instead of Victor destroying his second creation like he did in the novel, The re-animated Elizabeth destroyers herself by committing suicide in a fire. Elizabeth decides to commit suicide after she realizes what she has become. Another interesting comparison is Elizabeth death in both the film and novel. In the novel, Elizabeth is killed by the monster through strangulation. This death can be seen as less violent compared to the films death scene. The film makes Elizabeth's death much more dramatic and violent. In the film, Elizabeth has her heart ripped out of her chest by the monster. This is an example of Kenneth's revision of Kelly's work. Towards the end of the novel we can see a difference in the death of Victor Frankenstein. In the novel, Victor succumbs to his illnesses while on sail to find his creation. “His voice became fainter as he spoke, and at length, exhausted by his effort, he sank into silence. About half an hour afterwards he attempted again to speak but was unable; he pressed my hand feebly, and his eyes closed forever, while the irradiation of a gentle smile passed away from his lips.” Here Victor Frankenstein dies from the dangerous terrain that he travels in, seeking his creation in the North Pole. He was ill because of his lack of sleep, shelter, and food. His lack of will to live has also contributed to his death, Victor was weakened after losing his family by the hands of his creation. The monster later appears after Victor dies. Fulled with regret, the monster decides to commit suicide by burning himself. The monster is last seen leaving the ship and disappears into the Arctic, never to be seen again. In the film however, Victor's death and the monsters death is altered. In the film, Victor dies from pneumonia while on board in the ship. Later on in the film, the monster appears by the body of Victor. Tearful about the death of his creator, the creature decides to commit suicide by taking a torch and burning himself and Victors body. The difference is that the monster is not actually seen committing suicide in the novel, the monster disappears at the end of the book. Also, the creature left the body of Victor as it was instead of burning the body like in the film.
stupid. He was unable to talk or read. The monster would just rome the world
1. He came like a protecting spirit to the poor girl who committed herself to his care.
The first ever adaptation of the famous novel is the iconic Frankenstein, directed by James Whale. We may owe our thanks to this film for bringing the story, and unique characters, to life, and setting the stage for newer adaptations to come. Out of all the Frankenstein’s, I personally believe the
Frankenstein is a horror movie that tells the story of Dr. Henry Frankenstein’s experiment. In search for the fame and glory of playing to be god, he reaches a point where he is able to revive dead people. In this version of Frankenstein’s monster we see a selfish and careless scientist that created a creature with his intelligence. The way the character is shown reflects how ambitious someone can be to reach to be known in the world. This movie makes the people who are watching to feel empathy on the poor creature. This poor creature that did not want to live in a life where everyone is going to hate him for having a horrible aspect and not following rules that he has no idea about.
Frankenstein Over Time Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein is impressive, entertaining, and fascinating, so it is no surprise there have been so many films and artworks influenced by her novel. Many of which have put their own spin to the horror novel, especially the character of the creature that remains one of the most recognized icons in horror fiction. However, there have been critics who argue modern versions and variations have lost the horror and passion that is an essential to the creature. The start of the Creature is bound to be one book. However, public impression of the Creature has changed severely since the publication of the original novel, leading to diverse styles and plot lines in its diverse film adaptations.
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.
The most recent film which reflects the novel, was directed by Kenneth Branagh in 1994, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. The character remains one of most recognized icons in horror fiction today. Written almost 200 years ago about a man obsessed with creating artificial life continues to be a topic in the 21st century. Such as today’s controversy in stem cell research or human cloning which reflects the basic theme of Mary Shelley’s novel.
...iro portrayal of Frankenstein’s monster has created a false myth of an evil, unintelligent monster that is not at all similar to the one Shelley displays in her novel. Not only does the movie spread a false interpretation of Shelley’s work, it provides the public with no lasting message about technology or about the effects of misplaced human love. Shall we then seek revenge? Shall we destroy that what is evil? Of course not--Shelley gave us all to learn a lesson of tolerance and of correcting our mistakes. Perhaps if a more accurate film version of Frankenstein were available to the public, more people would be motivated to read the book and learn Shelley’s powerful message.
is capable of. This is why I believe the two films differ so much- the
James Whale's Frankenstein is a VERY loose adaptation of Mary Shelley's 1818 novel. The spirit of the film is preserved in its most basic sense, but the vast majority of the story has been entirely left out, which is unfortunate. The monster, for example, who possesses tremendous intellect in the novel and who goes on an epic quest seeking acceptance into the world in which he was created, has been reduced to little more than a lumbering klutz whose communication is limited to unearthly shrieks and grunts. Boris Karloff was understandably branded with the performance after the film was released, because it was undeniably a spectacular performance, but the monster's character was severely diminished from the novel.
He becomes obsessed with the idea of reanimation of flesh and is ultimately successful. However, the project is beyond the boundaries of what is thought possible and acceptable, and the actions taken to create the monster are unethical. In the opening scenes Frankenstein and his assistant, Fritz, are seen wandering through the graveyard taking bodies, and stealing experimental parts for their creature. In comparison to the novel, the opening scenes of the film display a different perspective which changes the imagery of the actions taking place and the audience’s connection with the characters.... ... middle of paper ...
Frankenstein was and still is one of the greatest horror books written. It is still relevant to incidents happening today. Children dress up as the monster at Halloween and directors still try producing newer versions of the movie. People view the creature as a monster purely based on its aesthetics, “I had gazed on him while unfinished; he was ugly then…” Victor comments on the monsters looks a lot throughout the novel and as the story progresses the creature realises how hideous he is too.
In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Victor Frankenstein and the monster that he creates are very similar. For example, Victor creates the monster to be like himself. Another similarity is that the anger of both Victor and the monster is brought about by society. One more parallel between Victor and the monster is that they both became recluses. These traits that Victor and the monster possess show that they are very similar.
Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, a truly famous novel that has been revisited by many, as well as revised by the author in the many years since its original publication. Within this novel Shelley conveys the tragic fictional story of Victor Frankenstein and his monster that he thoughtlessly brought to life, as well as the lives of those affected by his hideous creation. Throughout the novel it is made quite apparent that the monster was not inherently evil, in fact the monster was quite benign, however through its interactions with society the monster is slowly shaped into a being that can truly be called just that, a monster. All of the aforementioned change to the monster are brought about in part by the societal standards of the time period
The three movies Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, Young Frankenstein, and Monster House were very popular when they were released and received lots of good reviews. They were all considered “state of the art” in the animation that each of the movies contained. Although they were all created and produce at different times they have many similarities and differences. These are shown through the animation, storyline and the audiences each was produced for.