Mary Shelly's Frankenstein (1 Viewer)

[ChuckSolo]

I just picked this up in the $5.88 bin at WalMart, and all I can say is......... WOW! I have seen almost every movie based on the Frankenstein genre and must say this is one of the best. Robert DeNiro is superb as the creature as are the rest of the renowned cast members. This is probably one of the best purchases I have ever made from the discount bin at WalMart. The video transfer is superb and the DD5.1 sound track is excellent. There are not too many extras on the disc, but it is great none-the-less. Both widescreen and full screen versions are included. I definately recommend this little gem.

 

[Chad R]

Eh, the problem was that it wasn't Mary Shelly's "Frankenstein." It was some porn version that hit the highlights of the story, but not the brilliance. Didn't work for me.

 

[Aaron Garman]

Porn version? I wouldn't go that far. In terms of showing the creature as wanting to just fit in and belong, it was brilliant. DeNiro did do a very good job portraying this suffering character. Of course, the novel was much better but this was a good adaptation of the story. For that price, it is definitely worth checking out.

AJG

 

[Seth--L]

Eh, Bride of Frankenstein best captures the spirit of the novel.

Branagh's direction lacks subtly and is way too melodramatic.

 

[KyleK]

I'm going to have to second the reccomendation. An overlooked gem, with energetic direction, if lacking in sublety. Deniro is great as the creature, and there are a lots of great scares. Also terrific set design (the creature creation machine). If you liked Bram Stoker's Dracula (which I did) you should enjoy this.

Kyle

 

[Neil M]

For $5.88, I would say it's worth being in the collection. Not the greatest movie but still enjoyable. Especially for DeNiro fans. I'm not too picky when it comes to Deniro. Thanks for the heads up on the price Chuck!!!

 

[Jason Guardiano]

This movie is a guilty pleasure of mine, aye. :b

I paid around 15 dollars for it at a Suncoast

 

[Robert Floto]

I've always had a problem with this film. What the hell happened to Tom Hulce's character!?! The last time you see him he is sitting on the staircase screaming (melodramatically), "Noooo!!!" Then what? He's gone.

And speaking of screaming that one word melodramatically...it seems that at some point almost every character drops to his knees and screams that line.

My favorite version of Frankenstein has always been the two-part television movie Frankenstein: The True Story with Leonard Whiting, James Mason, Michael Sarrazin, and Jane Seymour. When's that one going to show up on DVD?

 

[ChuckSolo]

While I too enjoyed the Michael Sarazzin version, I found that at the beginning, after being "made", the monster/creature was just plain too good looking. The whole gist of the story, to me anyway, is that the creature is shunned because of his ugliness. I was going to mention "Mary Shelly's Frankenstein" as being a great companion DVD to "Bram Stoker's Dracula" but didn't. Thanks for the comparison Kyle. As for it being a "porn" version, which parts did you consider "porn." I found nothing in it that would suggest that.

 

[Brian W.]

My favorite version of Frankenstein has always been the two-part television movie Frankenstein: The True Story with Leonard Whiting, James Mason, Michael Sarrazin, and Jane Seymour. When's that one going to show up on DVD?

I'll "third" that. I LOVED that one, but I haven't seen it since I was a kid in about 1973 or so. I'd definitely buy it if it came out on DVD.

 

[andrew markworthy]

It was some porn version that hit the highlights of the story,

If anyone was really truthful to Shelley's story, then it would be a porn version. The 'spark of life' that creates the monster isn't lightning, as is the usual case in the movies, but, shall we say, a bodily fluid. And before anyone says 'no it isn't' go back and read the original story *carefully*.

Actually, I think the idea of the book for its time is brilliant, but I found it a real drag to read. Practically any movie adaptation is preferable, and I think Branagh did a decent, if not outstanding job.

 

[ChuckSolo]

Yes, we had to read this in High School and I think I will go back and re-read it since usually "reading" a book in HS meant "skimming" through it. You are probably right about the body fluid since the idea for the book was supposedly conceived during a weekend of drinking and debauchery at the estate of Lord Byron; Byron, Mary Wollstonecraft, and the poet Shelley being in attendance.