Director: Bill Condon
Writer: Bill Condon, from the novel "Father of Frankenstein" by Christopher Bram
Cinematographer: Stephen M Katz
Editor: Virginia Katz
James Whale: lan McKellen
Clayton Boone: Brendan Fraser
Hanna: Lynn Redgrave |
"Gods and Monsters" is one of those rare films that leaves you feeling that your visit to the theatre has given you more than just a momentary escape from the world. In fact, quite the contrary, you feel as if you have travelled a roller coaster of emotions into the depths of what it is to be human.
James Whale (lan McKellen), the creator of the 1930s classics "Frankenstein" and "Bride of Frankenstein", is struggling to come to terms with the aftermath of a stroke that has left him unable to control his fertile imagination. He is haunted by the past, especially his childhood and his experiences in the Great War, but he seeks to live as he always has, flaunting his homosexuality, flirting outrageously with any young man who comes into his life, and delighting in the reactions he provokes from those around him.
Whale's housekeeper, Hannah (Lynn Redgrave), fusses over him like an old mother hen, tut-tutting at his sexual behaviour, loving him despite. Enter a spunky young gardener, Clayton Boone, played by Brendan Fraser of "The Mummy" fame. Whale persuades Boone to sit for a drawing. The more they talk the more Boone's open charm creeps under Whale's defenses, creating cracks in his public persona and leading him to talk honestly about himself and his life.
The performances are superb. McKellen is so fascinating as Whale that it is easy to overlook the strength of the performances from both Redgrave and Fraser. If you thought the latter was just a pretty face, then think again, he can also act.
Rather than sexuality the film is an exploration of a man, on the verge of death, who is desperately seeking to come to terms with his life. The friendship that develops between the two, very different men - one old, the other young; one gay, the other straight; one facing death, the other yet to fully accept the responsibilities of adulthood - is moving and life-like in its uneven progress.
"Gods and Monsters" is fiction based on fact, with the director's imagination creating a possible scenario leading up to Whale's suicide in 1957. The film is funny, and poignant, not unlike the Frankenstein movies themselves. Definitely recommended.
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