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 36 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 film, previously played Hobson's husband, the British Conservative MP 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 format of the end cast credits, headlined "A Great Cast is Worth Repeating," mirrors the way Universal gave their closing credits when James Whale was directing his horror classics.

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Connections

Referenced in Saturday Night Live: The Best of Tracy Morgan (2004)

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Soundtracks

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

User Reviews

Gentle coda to life of celluloid monster maker

There's a certain amount of déjà vu about this movie as it covers some of the same ground as `Love and Death on Long Island', with John Hurt and Jason Priestley. Here we have Sir Ian McKellen as aging queer and Brendan Fraser as young male bimbo, but physical sexuality is hardly a possibility since the old boy is too infirm. Still, that doesn't stop him thinking about it, and of course there are all those old memories crowding in, helped by his recent stroke.

The old fruit is someone quite famous in the history of film. He is James Whale, an English recruit to Hollywood in the 30s who directed at least one seminal masterpiece, `Frankenstein' and its sequel `Bride of Frankenstein' and several other memorable films including `Showboat' and `The Invisible Man'. Unusually, Whale was a production designer before turning to direction and his visual sensibility contributed greatly to the quality of his films. His directorial career in decline, he turned to painting in the 1940s. We see him in the last year of his life, 1957, when a ficticious Clay Boone (Fraser), working as a gardener, happens upon Whale, who is afflicted by ill-health but living in comfortable retirement in Beverley Hills and being looked after by his severe but caring Hungarian housekeeper (beautifully played by Lyn Redgrave).

Old James invites Clay in to see his etchings, or rather to be sketched. Brendan, though ignorant of Whale's movies, somehow finds Whale fascinating and even develops some affection for the talkative old man. His own life is emotionally poverty-stricken and Whale seems to like him for more than just his body (which Clay as a confirmed heterosexual is not about to rent out). But for Whale it's really all too late – Death is close by. Their friendship flowers briefly and then suddenly it's all over.

James, a product of the English working class who became an officer, is dogged by horrific memories of the trenches of World War 1 – the horror of his movies is positively pastoral by comparison. The flashbacks to Whale's film-making days of glory are interesting but serve to remind us that his time is well and truly past – in the 20 years since he retired film-making has made huge strides and `Frankenstein' by 1957 is a museum piece.

McKellen, a very great actor in the classic English tradition and himself gay, has little trouble playing Whale, but the real surprise is Brendan Fraser as Clay – a quiet and well-judged performance. It's a low key movie perhaps mainly of interest to film buffs but it also addresses the issue of communication between the young and the old. Clay is enriched by his encounter with Whale, and Whale, for a brief time, is consoled.