Frankenstein

[smokingboot]

Great until the last ten minutes. Here's how it should have ended:


Frankenstein: Forgive me, so that I can forgive you, and we can both be human together.*

Monster: looks at him, cups his face in both its hands, its expression benign and beautiful, almost identical to the red angel, especially in the gleam of its eyes: smiles gently. No. Turns to the shocked Captain. We are leaving this place. And so are you.

As per film, monster pushes ship out through the ice to the open sea and Captain turns to crew.

Captain: Lads, we're going home.

Crew cheers.

Cut to monster, as it carries Frankenstein out on to the snow, lays him down under bright stars, breaks open his furs revealing chest.

Monster: Now father. Produces knife. Let's get to work. Cuts along breastbone. Scream of Frankenstein blends into end music and credits.

This is a pretty monster, coy and sweet, with its eyelashes and winsome hands, an utter innocent. But like father like son, wasn't this the point of the whole thing? Is there not more horror in realising the ongoing current of cruelty, the new Adam's new fall? After all, this is about the inhumanity of humanity. In the book, it's never animals that harm the Creature, always people who try to kill him and chase him away. This got lost in the malevolant burglarising door-handle manoeuvering who-needs-thumbs wolf attack. Honestly I nearly laughed out loud.

Good things about the film: visually perfect, strong cast, really clever turning of tropes. Victor Frankenstein seems like that batty professor type combining brilliance and awkwardness that a sensitive intelligent woman can gently laugh at, all the while finding him endearing. So I am absolutely delighted that he is absurd and horrible, and at Elizabeth's developing disgust with him.

*Shuddersome dialogue! But there were only two lines that bad throughout the film, so I'm over it.


We enjoyed this film, even R who is not a fan of horror, but agreed that the ending was unsatisfactory. Then for true horror, we turned to the Wales/South African Rugby match.