The last days of Frankenstein (1931) director James Whale are explored.The last days of Frankenstein (1931) director James Whale are explored.The last days of Frankenstein (1931) director James Whale are explored.
IMDb RATING
7.4/10
31K
YOUR RATING
- Director
- Writers
- Christopher Bram(novel "Father of Frankenstein")
- Bill Condon(screenplay)
- Stars
Top credits
- Director
- Writers
- Christopher Bram(novel "Father of Frankenstein")
- Bill Condon(screenplay)
- Stars
- Won 1 Oscar
- 38 wins & 33 nominations total
Videos1
- Director
- Writers
- Christopher Bram(novel "Father of Frankenstein")
- Bill Condon(screenplay)
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
- All cast & crew
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThere are five original James Whale drawings in this movie.
- GoofsThe Eagle Globe and Anchor on Clay's lighter at the top of the movie is backwards.
- Quotes
James Whale: Ma'am, may I introduce Mr Clayton Boone, my gardener.
Clayton Boone: How do you do? Clay Boone.
Princess Margaret: Quite. I adore gardens.
James Whale: He's never met a princess, only queens.
- Crazy creditsThe character name "Boris Karloff" has the 'TM' symbol next to it, meaning it's trademarked.
- ConnectionsEdited into She's Alive! Creating the Bride of Frankenstein (1999)
- SoundtracksJust Might Be Tonight
Written by Spencer Proffer and Steve Plunkett
Performed by Johnny Spark
Produced & Arranged by Spencer Proffer and Steve Plunkett
Top review
Beautiful and subtle
The plot summary for Gods and Monsters states that it follows the last days of horror director James Whale, but it shouldn't be thought of as a biopic; it manages to avoid almost every pitfall suffered by most movies of that genre, except for one - predictability. The film is very predictable every step of the way, even if you know absolutely nothing about Whale's life or death, you can tell very early on exactly how it's going to end. It doesn't matter, though, because Gods and Monsters isn't about the story; it's an art-house piece and a character study, an exploration of a complex personality and, above all, a remarkably beautiful film.
Like any biographical film, Gods and Monsters relies heavily on one powerful lead actor; Ian McKellen gives one of the best performances of his career as James Whale, with whom he clearly felt a certain bond. McKellen puts his whole into the film and creates real sympathy for Whale. Fantastic as he is, though, it's not a one man show; gorgeous editing that manages to organically combine flashbacks with loving references to Whale's own early films, creates a strong sense of atmosphere that Whale himself would have been proud of. Gods and Monsters is a natural companion piece to Ed Wood and Shadow of the Vampire, but it's by far the most brooding, subtle, thought-provoking one of the trio. As for supporting cast - Lynn Redgrave is fantastic in a small but memorable part as Whale's maid; Brendan Fraser, on the other hand, plays a very generic character, mostly there as an avatar for the viewer, and though his performance is decent, it's not by any means impressive, and he gets a little too much screen time, taking the film down just a notch from masterpiece status.
Like any biographical film, Gods and Monsters relies heavily on one powerful lead actor; Ian McKellen gives one of the best performances of his career as James Whale, with whom he clearly felt a certain bond. McKellen puts his whole into the film and creates real sympathy for Whale. Fantastic as he is, though, it's not a one man show; gorgeous editing that manages to organically combine flashbacks with loving references to Whale's own early films, creates a strong sense of atmosphere that Whale himself would have been proud of. Gods and Monsters is a natural companion piece to Ed Wood and Shadow of the Vampire, but it's by far the most brooding, subtle, thought-provoking one of the trio. As for supporting cast - Lynn Redgrave is fantastic in a small but memorable part as Whale's maid; Brendan Fraser, on the other hand, plays a very generic character, mostly there as an avatar for the viewer, and though his performance is decent, it's not by any means impressive, and he gets a little too much screen time, taking the film down just a notch from masterpiece status.
helpful•90
- itamarscomix
- Aug 18, 2012
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official site
- Languages
- Also known as
- The Father of Frankenstein
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $10,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $6,451,628
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $75,508
- Nov 8, 1998
- Gross worldwide
- $6,451,628
- Runtime1 hour 45 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39 : 1
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