Vault Reviews: Frankenstein (1994)

A Head scratching Rendition of a Master Work From An Otherwise Acclaimed Filmmaker

Mary Shelly's Frankenstein is among the most influential books on modern culture ever. It is most widely remembered for the 1931 James Whale adaptation, an undisputed masterpiece. There have been several other adaptations of the novel, notably the series produced by "Hammer Films". Kenneth Brahnagh is a beloved director known for his adaptations of Shakespeare's plays, he is also generally loved for his work.

So why does this film fail on every worthwhile level? Well...

Firstly, it is clear that the romantic style of Mary Shelly's novel is out of Brahnagh's comfort zone for a start. Frankenstein is a hard book to adapt as it is mainly told through first person narration. In addition this narration is long winded and (unlike the timeless writing of Shakespeare) is a clear product of the era, likely seeming ridiculous and overindulgent to modern viewers. Therefore the vehemently loyal adaptation of the novel, characteristic of Brahnagh, fails to work and leads to some ridiculous scenarios. James Whale correctly overhauled the books plot, only leaving the initial concept and key themes intact, to fit the story to the medium of film. Brahnagh does not, to unintentionally hilarious effect.

'Brother and Sister no longer' Elizabeth moans on her wedding night to her husband. I cannot believe this line was kept in the film, or written in to begin with.

Despite this however, Brahnagh chooses to detail the creation of the creature, unlike the text. This is done in hilariously overblown fashion, complete with tacky womb symbolism and logic bending plot-holes (how he move that equipment into his small apartment? How did he keep the eels fed and alive? Did he need help? etc.). This, to me, shows a lack of understanding of the subtlety of the novel and a desire for forced visual flair, ruined by the poor and jumbled production design throughout the film.

The acting and script are also appalling. I have given the most glaring example of the horrid script, however this issue is present throughout the running time. The acting exacerbates the issue. Brahnagh is also out of his depth in terms of acting in the title role, with a lack of emotional depth and unconvincing facial expression. The supporting and background actors are similarly weak. The elephant in the room however is Robert De Niro as the creature itself. This is among the most egregious examples of miscasting ever. De Niro's charisma is buries under make-up, his personal flair and improvised dialogue (best seen in his collaborations with Martin Scorsese has clearly been removed by Brahnagh as to not interfere with his vision/loyalty to the text. De Niro is not a particularly physical actor, in terms of portraying animal-esk movements and communicating with little dialogue, and his expressions fail compared to the legendary Boris Karloff. In short, the acting is a trainwreck onscreeen.

In conclusion, it is clear that this film was a misguided disaster. Bragnagh went on to better work, the Whale version remains better remembered, the novel is still a classic, and De Niro's career was quickly placed back on track by Scorsese and Quentin Tarantino.

This film is little more than a foot note in the histories of all these icons, defiantly for the best.

Originally posted 11/5/14 on IMDB.com