Gods and Monsters (1998)

The last days of Frankenstein (1931) Director James Whale are explored.

Director:

Bill Condon

Writers:

Christopher Bram (novel), Bill Condon (screenplay)

Stars:

Ian McKellen, Brendan Fraser, Lynn Redgrave

Won 1 Oscar. Another 37 wins & 33 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ian McKellen	...	James Whale
Brendan Fraser	...	Clayton Boone
Lynn Redgrave	...	Hanna
Lolita Davidovich	...	Betty
David Dukes	...	David Lewis
Kevin J. O'Connor	...	Harry
Mark Kiely	...	Dwight
Jack Plotnick	...	Edmund Kay
Rosalind Ayres	...	Elsa Lanchester
Jack Betts	...	Boris Karloff
Matt McKenzie	...	Colin Clive
Todd Babcock	...	Leonard Barnett
Cornelia Hayes O'Herlihy	...	Princess Margaret
Brandon Kleyla	...	Young Whale
Pamela Salem	...	Sarah Whale

Storyline

The story of James Whale, the Director of Frankenstein (1931) and Bride of Frankenstein (1935), in the time period following the Korean War. Whale was homosexual, and develops a friendship with his gardener, an ex-Marine.

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Plot Keywords:

homosexual | gay interest | film history | film director | homosexuality | 

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Genres:

Biography | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexual material and language

Details

Official Sites:

Gods and Monsters

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English Hungarian

Release Date:

4 November 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Father of Frankenstein

Filming Locations:

Arden Villa - 1145 Arden Road, Pasadena, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$75,508, 8 November 1998, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$6,390,032, 23 May 1999

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lions Gate Films, Showtime Networks, Flashpoint (I)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

James Whale directed Valerie Hobson in Bride of Frankenstein (1935). Sir Ian McKellen, who plays Whale in this movie, previously played Hobson's husband, the British Conservative Member of Parliament John Profumo, in Scandal (1989).

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Goofs

Before starting his line about James Whale wanting "to draw him like a statue" Clayton tosses away his towel. James turns from the window and Clayton punctuates the end of his line by tossing his towel away again.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Hannah: [whispering] She was ugly when I brought her. I not like her. Mr. Jimmy not like her. Better you indicate, Mr. David.
David Lewis: Stop.
Hannah: Shhh.

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Crazy Credits

The character name "Boris Karloff" has the 'TM' symbol next to it, meaning it's trademarked.

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Connections

Edited into She's Alive! Creating the Bride of Frankenstein (1999)

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Soundtracks

Bride of Frankenstein
Written by Franz Waxman
Published by EMI Robbins/Fidelio Music Publishing

User Reviews

Humans and Humans

Truth be told, it's not easy to write a film review as disconnected as I am from the underlying inspirations and principals of the movie in tow: Gods and Monsters. I knew little about James Whale and the Frankenstein franchise, possessed virtually zilch experience with Bill Condon (aside from the trivial baggage that his previous _and first_ feature film was the Direct-To-Oblivion sequel to the Scariest-Movie-Of-All-Time-When-I-Was-Fourteen, Candyman.), and unceremoniously avoided anything to do with Brendan Fraser. So, there's not much I can say about historical accuracy, era juxtapositions, or tour-de-force performances. All I know comes from the ninety-eight or so minutes I had with the film.

Which were pretty splendid, to say the least. What more, I was pleased by how little the film seemed to hit me over the head. Not with a lengthy diatribe over the political progressions of societal acceptance of diverse sexual orientations, not with any sort of disgusted expose of Hollywood's miscreants. Instead, I found a minimal but simplistically acceptable plot moved along by wonderful acting, vivid portrayals of what it's really like, beneath the typical distractions, gimmicks, and veils, to be a human being. Ian McKellan astounded me. Fact or fiction, he wasn't necessarily James Whale, but a complicated, reserved, and often misunderstood director who found a glimmer of intrigue and desire for his new gardener, Clayton Boone, played impeccably by Brendan Fraser. From their initial meeting with Whale indulging in staring at Boone hard-driving an edger, I was struck by a remarkable sense of kinship between the two, which only got better as the film unfolded. And, with Hanna--the third vertice of the bizarre love triangle--the edgy buffer between the men, I felt incredibly comfortable just watching three very different people open up to each other and to me. The irony of the title, Gods and Monsters, is that whether someone or something is considered a 'God' or 'Monster' is largely due to perception...human perception. We invent our gods and our monsters daily, and they are usually people we know, love, hate, or admire. I spent a very good ninety-eight minutes, mostly from being in the company of those three fellow humans.