Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994) Bet you forgot all about this one, right?
So did we........until, at the request of BLD (Beloved Librarian Daughter), we dutifully viewed a DVD copy that one of her patrons graciously donated to the library's video collection.
Hey, it 's a tough job checking out these movies to see if they play without skipping before they're put out for rental......but somebody's gotta do it........who better than BQ?
Director-actor Kenneth Branagh was already well established as the Crown Prince of Theatricality when he took this one on.........and if nothing else, the movie maintains a Grand Opera fever pitch from beginning to end.......
Watching it again, it reminded us of the glory days of Ken Russell's 1970's reign as official Cinema Madman.........with it's over-the-top acting, frenzied camerawork and downright bizarre production design......everything thrown into the mix with delirious abandon.
A kick to watch, without a doubt........but after awhile, it starts to wear you out.......though you're bound to perk up and gaze open-mouthed at the film's penultimate scene.......in which Doc Frankenstein (Branagh) ends up in a doomed romantic triangle between his Creature (Robert De Niro) and his recently murdered childhood soulmate (Helena Bonham Carter)......whom he had to stitch back together and re-animate in a hurry after the Creature ripped her heart out.......
What can we say......love hurts in the Frankenstein household.......for real.
Everyone on the creative team stepped up to the plate as well. We adored production designer Tim Harvey's massive winding staircase for the Frankenstein mansion, literally the only dominant furnishing of the first floor....(very, very William Cameron Menzies)......and composer Patrick Doyle scored every single scene with blaring, symphonic bombast.
And as you'd expect, De Niro gives his all to the monster, making hairpin turns as he goes from pathetic to frightening......and improving his speech patterns from monosyllabic growls to eloquent dialogue that even exceed's Branagh's.
None of this is remotely believable for 3 seconds, but the whole thing moves like an off-the-rails freight train.......and Branagh piles on the striking imagery.......(our personal favorites being Branagh and the naked De Niro slipping and sliding through the slimy muck Branagh used to incubate and birth his creation.........and the juicy sight of the back-from-the-dead Bonham-Carter, who still appears crudely cobbled together even though Branagh neatly severed her head for easy placement on another girl's body.......this guy so needs to go back to medical school.....)
Since this movie goes all in for craziness, we'd advise potential viewers to either go with the flow or avoid it altogether. We admire that Branagh really swung for the fences here, not caring much that his movie came out way more operatic than horrific.
You won't be scared, that's for sure. But with enough beers, vodka and hot buttered popcorn, you might have a goofy good time with it.......2 & 1/2 stars (**1/2).........
And doesn't anybody worry about that nutty staircase not having a bannister??
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