Comparing the Creation Scene in James Whale's 1931 Frankenstein and Kenneth Brannagh's 1994 Version

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Comparing the Creation Scene in James Whale's 1931 Frankenstein and Kenneth Brannagh's 1994 Version There are many similarities and differences between James Whale’s 1931 and Kenneth Brannagh’s 1994 Frankenstein. They differ in the way that lighting, sound effects and camera shots are used to create tension and suspense for the audience. Some similarities that occur are the religious references which are present throughout the scenes. The purposes of the scenes are also the same, to create tension, suspense and to shock the audience; however they do this in different ways as the audiences the two films were intended for are very different. It would be easier to shock or scare a 1931 audience than one from 1994 as the special effects and camera techniques available in 1931 would have been very limited. Where as in 1994 there were many special effects and techniques available to use. Furthermore, James Whale’s Frankenstein is more of a traditional horror film as it uses typical iconography of the horror genre. Where as Kenneth Brannagh’s Frankenstein follows Mary Shelley’s original novel more closely. The establishing shot of the scenes in James Whales and Kenneth Brannagh’s interpretations could not be more different in the way that they create tension and suspense for the audience. James Whale uses typical iconography of the horror genre; the scene opens with a high angle, long shot of a very dark, quite daunting looking castle on top a large hill surrounded by sparse trees and craggy rocks. The sound effects used are quite limited, he does not use music to create tension, unlike Kenneth Brannagh’s interpretation, instead the only ... ... middle of paper ... ...light from the window, this could be seen as Jesus rising up to heaven as the monster appears to be disappearing into the light. In conclusion, I think that the ways in which James Whale and Kenneth Brannagh have created tension and suspense for the audiences are very different; they have done this by using sound effects, lighting techniques and camera shots but in very different ways. However, the films do have some similarities; they both make religious references and their purposes are also the same, to create suspense and tension for the audience. I thought that Kenneth Brannagh’s interpretation was more effective in the way that he used the various techniques to create tension and shock the audience. Although on the other hand, James Whale’s interpretation would have had the same effect on a 1931 audience.

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