Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (1994)

When the brilliant but unorthodox scientist Dr. Victor Frankenstein rejects the artificial man that he has created, the Creature escapes and later swears revenge.

Director:

Kenneth Branagh

Writers:

Mary Shelley (novel), Steph Lady (screenplay)

Stars:

Robert De Niro, Kenneth Branagh, Helena Bonham Carter

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 19 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Robert De Niro	...	Creature / Sharp Featured Man
Kenneth Branagh	...	Victor
Tom Hulce	...	Henry
Helena Bonham Carter	...	Elizabeth
Aidan Quinn	...	Walton
Ian Holm	...	Victor's Father
Richard Briers	...	Grandfather
John Cleese	...	Professor Waldman
Robert Hardy	...	Professor Krempe
Cherie Lunghi	...	Victor's Mother
Celia Imrie	...	Mrs. Moritz
Trevyn McDowell	...	Justine
Gerard Horan	...	Claude
Mark Hadfield	...	Felix
Joanna Roth	...	Marie

Storyline

In 1794, in the Arctic Sea, Captain Robert Walton is a man obsessed to reach the North Pole, pushing his crew to exhaustion. When his ship hits an iceberg, it is stranded in the ice. Out of the blue, Captain Walton and his men overhear a dreadful cry and they see a stranger coming to the ship. He introduces himself as Victor Frankenstein and he tells the Captain the story of his life since he was a little boy in Geneva. Victor is a barilliant student, and in love with his stepsister Elizabeth, an orphan that was raised by his father Baron Victor von Frankenstein. In 1793, Victor moves to Ingolstadt to study at the university, and he promises to get married to Elizabeth. At the university, Victor befriends Henry Clerval, who becomes his best friend. Victor gets close to Professor Waldman and decides to create life to cheat death, but Waldman advises him that he should not try this experiment, since the result would be an abomination. When Waldman dies, Victor steals his notes and tries...

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Plot Keywords:

frankenstein's monster | remake | elizabeth frankenstein character | doctor victor frankenstein character | head transplant | 

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Taglines:

November Fourth

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Romance | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for horrific images

Did You Know?

Trivia

Sir Kenneth Branagh and Sir Ian Holm appeared in Henry V (1989).

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Goofs

During the movie, the scars on the monster's chin and lip change. First his lip is split, later it's healed, but now he has other wounds on his chin. Than his lip and chin are healed, with no scars. But later you see big scars on both his chin and lip.

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Quotes

Victor Frankenstein: Do you share my madness?
Walton: No, not madness.
Victor Frankenstein: What, then?
Walton: There is a passage to the North Pole. And I will find it!
Victor Frankenstein: At the cost of your own life and the lives of your own crew?
Walton: Lives come and go. If we succeed, our names will live on forever. I will be hailed as the benefactor of our species.
Victor Frankenstein: You're wrong. I of all men know that.

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Alternate Versions

There is a workprint circulating which contains gore which was cut to earn an "R" rating, as well as other scenes, including the Fay Ripley scene and the re-animated dog scene.

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Connections

Referenced in The Big Hit (1998)

User Reviews

Classy, gorgeous monster film

Written by Steph Lady and Frank Darabont (who later disowned this film) and ambitiously directed by Kenneth Branagh, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is a likable film which succeeds mostly in a refreshingly old-fashioned, Hammeresque vein. (I think Christopher Lee hated this movie and equally class-dripping Bram Stoker's Dracula because he felt that they were competing in the same area.) There's the classic monsters (Robert DeNiro!), the period sets, the lovely heroines in the lovely period costumes, the beautiful and suitably turbulent score... Certainly not a perfect film, but as a classy, gorgeous monster movie, it is a woefully underrated one.

Details

Country:

USA Japan UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 November 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

Frankenstein

Filming Locations:

England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$45,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$11,212,889, 6 November 1994

Gross USA:

$22,006,296

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$112,006,296

Company Credits

Production Co:

TriStar Pictures, Japan Satellite Broadcasting (JBS), IndieProd Company Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

123 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS (8 channels) Dolby SR Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1